HairyplaneHeli’s
Hi Jason,
Lets call it a distraction – the heli is intended to be a business tool primarily although theres nothing to stop having fun whilst learning. We (including your dad!) get fed up driving around the M25. What better than to lift off from here and get done in a morning in what would otherwise be a long day in traffic. The new R44 (provided I get the green light from your father!) could be here as soon as September. I havent changed my mind on the warbird thing and plan to do the Harvard – T28 – 2 seat Spitfire course this year.
DH Fan – ‘Parky’ is planning to bring his machine up to OW on a regular basis this season so you should see it. Make sure you get to talk to him – diamond geezer.
Hi Janie,
THe last time I flew into Cromer was in the Maggie – a bit short for my other flying machines. Interestingly enough, despite being completely illegal ( and probably quite scary!), I reckon I could already fly the R22 there solo despite having less than 4 hours heli time. Alas, thats the only way I could do it – no chance of my PPL(H) within a week, not least because I am taking the lovely Nicky to Ireland to thoroughly spoil her for her 40th next week.
So, I wont see you there and envy the inevitable ‘best in the word’ Cromer fish and chips. I dont do crabs yet but Nicky loves them.
All the best
HP
HairyplaneMMMmmmm..
Hi Darren,
At the risk of bias ( I do own the aircraft….) I think that the photo of the Magister ( plus those other flying thingies in the background) is just fabulous.
It is perfectly framed, evocative, nostalgic…
Hang on.. I need a hankie.
HP
HairyplaneCleaning party after the OW Display
Yes please!!
All volunteers keen to love the Maggie and PT22 up after the display please report to Andy in Beds.
Cleaning them down afterwards – when the bugs are still squishy, the oil still runny ( and boy do those old engines throw some out!) – is always the best time to do it.
Dont forget the Brasso to ‘re-bling the Maggie cowlings – they are on and off half a dozen times at least and get covered in fingerprints.
In fact, I think Robbo will be having the prints analysed to find the culprit(s)!!
See you all tomorrow – B there or B square.
HP
HairyplaneOW Runway
BTW,
Having just returned this morning from sunnier climes I dont yet know the state of the runway as far as visitors are concerned.
All will be explained to you if you give them a call.
HP
HairyplaneRearwin
Hi Melvyn,
I overheard a conversation about the first flight between Stu Goldspink and some of the Shuttleworth guys – it sounds like you have done a fantastic job.
Why not bring it down to Old Warden on Sunday morning, watch the display and chug on home afterwards? Wx is looking good I’m told.
You never know, you might just get that promised ride in the Maggie.
All the best
HP
HairyplaneBling Bling!
I have had lots of help in blinging my aircraft up – thanks to all, especially Andy ‘Geeza’ in Beds.. The Maggie brightwork, including the polished windscreen fillets and fuel filler flaps, is absolutely authentic for a 1938 Maggie. We were fortunate enough to find a really good photo of N3780 – built presumably in the same week as N3788 – that caused me to get the yellow off and the polisher ‘on the case’.
HP
HairyplaneJonothan F’s personal view…
Hi JF,
Its a personal view of yours so heres mine –
You are talking rubbish.
What possible ethical/ public trust problems could arise if a Museums Board of Trustees decided that they wanted item A, had no money to buy it but had 2 item B’s. How could anybody criticise them for acting in the best interests of the museum under such circumstances, especially if they had any sort of business acumen and achieved ‘A Right Royal Result’ in terms of disparity in values? Of course they dont need 2 throttle boxes and will never use or display both so theres the rub.
Like it or lump it, they won’t part with them.
However, I bet a poll would suggest common sense always.
I would pay stupid sums of money for some airframes for which there are zero plans to do anything with, let alone display, static or otherwise. The money could go to good use to fund/ accelerate current projects.
In return, we would get to see ‘long lost’ flying machines expertly restored, thus keeping a dying industry alive ( because there arent many people willing to spend £200k on the restoration of a plane worth £50k at the end of it) and wowing the public at seeing the real thing in the air again instead of in an archive photo.
Chill out, move on, search elsewhere. I am fortunate enough to own and operate rare types and would love to acquire more. I won’t find them in a Museum.
Hows this for a hoot? I wrote recently to a museum offering them a ‘ridiculously’ huge sum of money for an airframe that had no real relevance to the museum or the area. I never got a reply. It won’t be seen in Bedfordshire skies….
Now I bet that the decision to give me a stiff ignoring would cause a furore larger than the outcry you suggest if things were different.
Ho hum!
HP
HairyplaneReserve collection
Yes I do have some good advice,
Scream inside with frustration, recognise that they dont let stuff go no matter what you offer for it, draw a line under your quest in that direction and look elsewhere.
I can tell a similar story…
Happy hunting.
HP
HairyplaneDunsfold
Julian invited me some time back, when he was preparing the Wingspan article on my Miles Falcon.
I do plan to go but cant quite remember which machine he asked me to bring. I think it was the Falcon but if its a belter of a day then it might just be one of the open cockpit variety.
HP
HairyplanePT22
The lady in the back is the owner and pilot Tracy Curtiss-Taylor.
I flew the thing with her from Breighton last year and subsequently checked her out on it. She flew it extremely well.
Nice to see her in the air again in her 22.
HP
HairyplaneCosford
Did you manage to take any photos of Bob Mitchels aircraft?
Lurking there somewhere are – Miles Monarch, Miles Whitney Straight, KZ8(?) A Danish machine that looks a bit like a 3/4 scale single seat Chippie ( I think that might be it in one of your photos); 2(?) PT22’s and I think 3 other WW2 US primary trainers (Cornell, Vultee??)
What condition were they in? When were you there?
Fascinating!
HP
HairyplaneJP3
Hi MotF,
Yes it was from North Weald. The other seat was occupied by somebody with squillions of hours on jets. A cool dude indeed that could have played a theatre organ in another life. I miiiight just get a go in the Mk5 or perhaps even a Strikemaster later this year.
I must say, the whole experience really did blow my frock up and I am busting to have another go.
The dilemna is that I dont really want to be distracted away from the heavy piston that I have set my heart on so, for the short term at least, I’ll stick (ish!) with my current fleet. Also, despite owning 4 planes, I dont actually get to fly very much these days, most especially in the Winter. In the summer, my vintage flights tend to last exactly 6 minutes…!
I’ll tell you more next month.
BTW – are you around on the weekend of the 2nd/ 3rd of April? We are doing some flight tests and might also need a toggie for an air to air from the Robin.
Could be fun.
Are you going to G-VFWE?
VBR
HP
HairyplaneProp on lorry
Yep, I know all about it.
THey are going to use it to reshoot the beginning of Discovery Wings and get it turning in the right direction this time.
Honest……
HP
HairyplanePilot error
Propstrike – I salute you! A very well written opinion indeed.
To err is human.
When I eventually acquire my warbird (watch this space!), I will of course take every precaution to avoid the £100k+ ( ouch!) mistake by forgetting the gear.
If Cliff Spink can do it then so can anybody. In my case, I haven’t flown anything with retractable gear before (apart from a funny Ogar motorglider!) so I will need to be even more vigilant.
I will endeavour wherever possible to ensure that I don’t fly it anywhere there isn’t somebody in a tower to ask me over the radio, ‘check gear down’.
Failing that, maybe a simple but effective electronic device between throttle back-stop and dangly bits might do the trick!
We all make mistakes on the road – very few people get to hear about them. Maybe the non pilots guffawing at our mistakes should reflect on this.
Unlike road accidents, our mistakes as pilots are actively published for others to learn from. They are also much more newsworthy – a simple landing accident resulting in a bent aircraft is more likely to hit the headlines than a serious road traffic accident in the same area.
Us pilots of course recognise that we are in the firing line. As a display pilot too, nothing focuses my mind more than a few thousand pairs of eyes watching me come over the hedge!
HP
HairyplaneAircraft accidents
As an owner/ operator/ display pilot with a small collection of vintage flying machines, please let me explain to the non-pilots on this forum how I feel about accident reports on various forums, a view shared it would appear by many of my fellow aviators –
1. Yes, I do want to know about them. As a pilot I learn from them. Not for nothing do our CAA spend a lot of time and money in the production of GASIL ( General Aviation Safety Information leaflet ), listing accidents, incidents, violations, maintenance-related incidents; CHIRP(Confidential Human Factors Incident Report Programme); SDD reports (Safety Investigation and Data Department) etc. etc.. This is a valuable contribution to flight safety. It saves lives and prevents accidents. I have contributed in the past, read it thoroughly and carefully archive them afterwards. Every owner gets it for free. To otherwise subscribe, call 01293 573225 and cough up £16. Well worth it. Accidents involving non- British Registered aircraft are of course of interest for the same flight-safety reasons.
2. No I don’t want to read any speculation as to the cause, even if it appears obvious. All accidents are investigated and a conclusion reached. These are available for all to read on the Net. The FAA and presumably most other countries do the same.
HP
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