HairyplaneWhite Waltham
Its a few miles to the south-west of Maidenhead.
If the weather precludes, come and find me at Old Warden on a display day and I’ll let you have a good look over my aircraft.
HP
HairyplaneMMMmmm…..Falcon
Scathing?
I love it!
I just have a view on why it happened and have a view, or rather lack of it, on the legacy that Blossom Miles left me in her decision at her Woodley drawing board that day in 1935. OK, she only had one eye but she was otherwise all there ( baaaaaaah!)
Sadly, so few of us are sufficiently motivated to acquire and operate these things (let alone embark on a lengthy and costly restoration).
This is why you can buy such important pieces of history for so little money (shhhhhhh!).
I have a photo of my actual plane in Sweden in 1939 with a Nazi Swastika fluttering in the background. Contemplate that for a minute….and all at 30 year old spam-can money.
HP
HairyplanePhotos
Hi Moggy C,
I have all the kit and more to do this, I have simply never learned how to post a photo.
When MotF returns from his US Sojourn, I’ll ask him to come here, post the pictures and show me how to do it.
When you consider that my Falcon came with 2 bits of paper and I now have 3 lever-arch files full of fascinating stuff… we’ll…I’m embarassed that I havent shared them.
I promise to put that right, just give me a bit of time.
A lame excuse I know but I’m a bit sidetracked with the impending R44 arrival in September – I need to learn to fly it and also pass those difficult exams beforehand!
VBR
HP
HairyplaneDemon
Hi Box Brownie,
We still havent done the Miles Formation thing as you have asked. I havent forgotten -a shame that the Wx thwarted us a couple of weeks back. Any excuse to have yet more rides in my Magister?! It must be 4 or more by now. Mind you, to part with Don Browns book was a very kind gesture -I havent forgotten it. Always a pleasure to fly with you.
The Demon is indeed fantastic.
For those who havent had the priviledge of looking at it ‘up close and personal’ as we have BB, it is hard to imagine that this exquisite flying machine was resurrected from a pile of scrap. It is jaw-dropping.
Lets all hope that the world takes notice of what us Brits can achieve and keep the momentum up for the benefit of future generations.
If the owner of the Demon hadn’t had the vision, the resources and the trust in solid British craftsmanship, our aviation heritage would be one important ‘between wars/ silver wings’ machine poorer.
This is a landmark restoration that sets a fresh standard that others can only aspire to.
Hurrah for Vintec too. I can’t wait to hear their RR Kestrel rebuild.
Can we hope to see it in formation with the Hind and the Nimrod?
Wow!
HP
HairyplaneForward sloping windscreen
Hi JDK,
How are you?!
My Falcon ( a Major not a Six btw – the only 6 is in Spain) is one of several miles machines that had a raked forward screen ( Hawcon, Witney Straight, Nighthawk, Monarch etc.)
Read the literature of the day and ‘a 5mph speed increase over a standard screen is achieved’.
Also, the ‘double teardrop’ shape achieved in this way is apparently supposed to streamline the airflow over the tail and thus achieve a smaller ( ie less drag) tailplane.
Now for the owners view: Its all bunkum.
I reckon Blossom Miles, who penned the undeniably gorgeous Falcon back in ’35, cribbed this ‘latest design feature’ from the Americans and simply ‘borrowed’ their claims. I reckon that the 5mph claim was just a wet finger in the air and had no real foundation. It was just a styling issue.
The resultant fin and rudder is too small. Had it been developed further it would almost certainly have had the later Magister unit ie it already shares the same wing and tailplane with the Maggie.
We are therefore very careful in operating the Falcon out of wind and also have the benefit of excellent differential brakes.
Next time you see it fly, watch the rudder inputs on landing, invariably almost, if not full control deflection either way to prevent a swing.
In the display you get some annoying reflections. Looking ahead is like looking through a letter box. In formation, the upper horizontal frames are just where you dont want them.
Oh yes, in the wet, the rain seems to stick to the screen, adding further to the charming character.
The Falcon is a wonderful old girl, a design icon that set new standards back in 1936. Think what else was around at that time.
On the subject of the Falcon, I am fortunate enough to have some period internal shots, good enough in fact to prompt me to restore it to original, hide the radio etc.
We are also pretty certain that the interior would have been red, to match the original red fuselage.
I am therefore tempted to commission this whole job.
What do you think?
As handsome as the SkySport scheme is, it aint period…
I owe you a ride in the Falcon JDK – come and see me at OW and we’ll put that right. You will loooove it!
HP
HairyplaneInsurance/ Messenger flying qualities
Insurance – It would be wrong to apply standard automotive criteria to aircraft. Hull values are agreed and premiums calculated accordingly.
No insurer is going to accept the risk at, say £100k and then when you stack it say, ‘it was only worth £50k’ so thats what we’ll pay out.
Flying qualities – I have around 40 hours on Messengers and have flown 3 of them (including ‘OE). Consider the military design criteria (for that is who it was designed for): STOL operation from unprepapared strips.
To achieve this, the thing has a great big thick wing with significant undercamber, huge barn-door flaps and a wide track U/C well forward of the CofG ie to stop it nosing over in soft ground.
The Messie achieves it all in spectacular fashion and outperforms the Storch in every respect ie it will fly faster, further and lift more people.
Operate it out of wind and you need to be on the case.
Why?
In the landing configuration, wing and flaps blank out the vertical surfaces to a significant degree. In the rollout, there is very little rudder effect due to the slow speed (an incredible 27 mph stall is achieved engine off and less if you rely on the engine!) . Only the dinkly little central fin – fitted later in the programme to improve the directional stability – is in the propwash. (Miles did experiment with a very tall single fin and rudder but structural problems in such a light plywood design produced more problems than it solved.)
So, you need differential brakes to control the rollout. Trouble is, the Bendix brakes fitted are not that efficient.
Also, for reasons that would take too long to explain, a wide-track undercarriage, also well forward of the Cof G, compound together to render the thing highly prone to ground-loop.
Having said all of that, flown carefully and operated into wind wherever possible – ideally on grass, the Messie is an absolute hoot of a thing to fly. Even in light winds it can stop in just a few yards. On take off, even with passengers and a lot of fuel, the take off is incredibly short too.
The Messie is a rare beast because its made of plywood and people are frightened of ownership.
However, for the money, if you can find one, it has no equal in my book.
HP
HairyplaneRestoration
You have a point Steve,
I have insured my 2 Miles machines for more than double what they are worth and probably a third what they would cost to fully rebuild from a wreck.
Commercial sense goes out of the window – if it wasn’t for nutters like me with the passion and the resources to operate these things then the historic scene would be all the poorer.
I’ll leave you with a sobering thought – My Falcon flew 5 hours last year and cost more than £2k to insure, £2k to hangar and a lot more than that to maintain.
Oh yes, I need to put fuel in it too…
An expensive business that defies all commercial sense – and I am a businessman who has achieved some success by presumably making a few sound commercial decisions…
I count myself fortunate indeed that others count the beans for me, heave a sigh ( sometimes a groan!) and let me get on with it.
Looking forward to the next aquisition!
HP
HairyplaneDVD
Trust me to trust my local HMV shop…..
Thanks for the heads-up, I’ll order it straight away. I know a 10 year old boy who would love it ( and a 52 year old….)
All the best
HP
HairyplaneEmpire of the Sun
A terrific film that is sadly not yet available on DVD.
HP 🙁
HairyplaneG-VFWE
In the words of the organiser to me last evening, ‘The weather has been kind to us for the past 8 years so it had to happen sooner or later…..’
We were poised to drive up to Old Warden to fly my Magister, Falcon and PT22 back. We ended up in the house on wheels all weekend ….
High winds, lots of rain and also no picket points on my 2 plywood machines resulted in a simple decision. It isnt a good idea to allow old wooden planes to get soaked either.
Might I suggest that anybody out there, pilot or otherwise who really values this event gets out their cheque book and posts a donation off? G-VFWE is the highlight of the season for many. They deserve our support. They will be banking mine today.
HP
HairyplaneG-VFWE
Hoping to bring all 3 of my vintage whizzers (subject to pilot availability) –
Miles Falcon G-AEEG
Miles Magister G-AKPF/ N3788
Ryan PT22 G-BTBH/ USAAC 854
B there or B square, this is the UKs premier fly-in for vintage aircraft.
HP
HairyplaneWHo does Melv look like
I think a bit of photoshopping to change the colour, dress him in a cloak – et voila! Daft Vader.
If I can help to repatriate your spats, PM me. We have a UPS account.
VBR
HP
HairyplaneNiiice pictures!
Thanks for the pictures – it was a great show so mores the pity that so many would- be visitors presumably cried off because of the forecast.
The shot of me passing under the limbo in the Maggie is particularly useful because it shows that my vertical positioning is acceptable. I always feel too close to the ribbons – your photo shows that I’m not.
The whole thing looks about as big as an ice-hockey goal until you get quite close (and at 120 mph it happens quite quickly..). We also had a slight crosswind and some low-level turbulence too.
The flour bombing and balloon avoiding (!) is great fun also.
I hope that we can polish it up to a nice tight routine throughout the season.
Looking forward to flying the Fokker Triplane replica – a full size, faithful repro but with a modern engine. Too late for this season but hopefully at OW for the beginning of next.
All the best and thanks again for posting the photos.
Weather permitting, I hope to get the Magister, Falcon and PT22 to Hullavington for Great Vintage Flying Weekend next weekend. It would be nice to meet any forum members who can make it.
B there or B square!
All the best
HP
HairyplaneStair lift
Come on geezers,
The limp I have is Sciatica and is getting better – I think we are a little way off a stair lift, especially when there is such an incentive to climb them!
Having said that, I did make use of an empty luggage trolly a la Zimmer to get me round Mauritius Airport when we booked in for a heli tour of the island.
Normandy – yes indeed Andy, it has to be done. We are only at the start of the season and we will get across the oggin in the Robin soon (not the Robin-son….?!) to do the Normandy trip. I have done it a few times now – we’ll bring my mate too, he knows a great deal of detail and will be a fantastic guide.
VBR
HP
HairyplaneCaravan club
Its a lie, its a lie…OK..its true. I did join the CC to get cheaper insurance for the house on wheels.
Er…..Saga came up with £470 for my Mercedes when my existing insurer wanted £1100 and a tracker….
Being 52 has its advantages.
(I’ll get you for that Stampe – you have been hereby relegated to the Falcon for Great Vintage Fly In instead of your favourite Magister – I think its worth mentioning that you are too lardy for the Ryan – unless of course you are coming as Billy No Mates or can persuade that thirsty Kinner to run on methane – let me think where a regular supply of that can be found…)
HP
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