HairyplaneDamaged Austers
Dear Nermal,
I dont need to read a report to tell me what I have seen.
I am careful to avoid speculation.
Let me know exactly what your beef is. If have transgressed in any way, I’ll wash the dirt off your dummy, stick it back in your mouth and say sorry.
HP
HairyplaneDamaged Austers @ Shotteswell
It was actually 2 aircraft and not 3. Bad enough nevertheless. Terrier G-ASDL is a complete write-off. Whilst the damage to Autocar G-AKRG appears to be restricted to a written off starboard wing and some glazing, my guess is that the repairs/ inspection will exceed the relatively low value of the airframe. Anyone got a spare wing?
The Autocar, a rare bird, is powered by a Blackburn Cirrus Major 3, a rare engine these days. The owner also has a fully overhauled spare engine too.
The destruction of ‘DL is paricularly distressing for the owners – all great guys and enthusiasts to boot – because they have spent the last year and clearly a considerable amount of money getting the thing flying again.
I think it is important to share ths type of information, especially as both aircraft were substantially picketed. Alas, insufficient for what was a devastating, localised storm.
I flew over the area yesterday and entire crops have been destroyed.
A sad shame….
HP
HairyplaneOperating a PT22
My guess is that the operating costs of a PT22 versus a Harvard are but a fraction.
The 22 does indeed burn approximately 10 Imp gallons per hour. I run it on 80/87 though which is a bit of an ouch at £7 per gallon.
My aircraft is well sorted – new wires etc. etc. and is a real sweety so, touch wood, I havent had any big bills yet.
The engine is described as a ‘boat anchor’ in the Airbum report and with some justification I reckon – a really solid piece of engineering.
My engine is the later one with self-oiling rockers so not bother on that score.
The regular gotcha with a radial is of course hydraulic damage to the lower cyllinder(s) that can occur with the inevitable oil seepage. No problem on the Ryan – there is an oil tap below the oil tank. Turn it on immediately before flight (if you forget, you won’t get to the hold…!) and then off immediately afterwards. A clean start every time.
Advice here – Do what we do and hang a substantial flag on the oil tap. Leave the flap open and the flag streaming for all to see. In this way you will never forget the oil tap.
Mine has a non-standard(?) Kigass Primer and this is a real bonus. Speaking to the guy at Breighton, his doesn’t have one and his starts seem to be a much more protracted affair, especially when hot.
The other non-standard feature that I suspect most Ryans now have is C150 wheels and hydraulic brakes. Mine are just superb and trouble-free, unlike the earlier drums.
Flaps – An unnecessary risk as AB has pointed out. Forget them. My guess is that they were fitted just for the training and actually do very little.
My final strong advice for any PT22 pilot is to practice engine failures and learn how limited your options are – it really does glide like a block of flats. Carb heat is very important too – the Kinner is an ice-maker.
I can’t wait to fly it again. The best bang for my bucks so far!
HP
HairyplanePT22
Hi SR Patterson,
A great looking aircraft. Please pass on my congratulations to Bob Williams from a fellow PT22 owner.
WIll you please ask him too where I can buy one of those white leather helmets? They are not available in the UK as far as I can ascertain.
I am bonding well with my PT22. I call it ‘The Chuckle Machine’.
I enjoyed displaying it very much indeed last evening. Everything falls easily to hand. The trim needs winding quite a bit during my routine and I have developed a method whereby I can keep my hand on the throttle and wind the trimmer with my forearm!
THe controls are all on roller bearings and are like silk. Nicely harmonised and with little adverse yaw.
The undercarriage makes any botched landing look good and soaks up OW’s bumps with ease.
The only thing I find disconcerting still is the engine note. Because you only hear 3 out of 5 and it revs very low anyway, I find myself needlessly concerned about the airspeed on the pull-up to a wing-over. We are of course used to the sound of a high -revving engine going downhill but the Kinner just Pop-Pop-Pop’s away. Wierd!
The high stalling speed must always be considered too.
Such a pity we only have 2 airworthy 22’s in the UK. I hope that the exposure that my machine is getting at OW will elevate the awareness here and lead to a few imports. The Dollar at the moment is highly favourable.
You never know, it might also prompt the reclusive Bob Mitchell to give his 2 Cosford hangar queens an airing or better still – sell them on.
I’ve got plenty of bits!
HP
HairyplaneWarbird
Hi all,
I believe that the best way forward for me is to acquire a pristine/ proven machine, ideally with some WW2 provenance and some post-restoration awards.
It would need to come onto the UK register.
I am only interested in single-engined machines and ideally, it should have at least a jump seat or, even better, dual controls.
I guess that narrows things down to a P51.
When I mentioned ‘project’ there may be something going through the shop somewhere that doesn’t have somebody’s name on it and can get some dialogue going?
Exciting times!
Off to OW now….
HP
HairyplaneOld Buckenham
Hi Yak 11.
It was indeed my aircraft. Regrettably, it ‘had the bonnet up’ throughout the morning – the (pneumatic) flaps failed inbound and began drooping on the downwing leg. An unpleasant protracted float on the downhill grass – I reckon you could soar a Maggie on a good day!
We literally tied the operating arms up with para-cord that I had chopped off my chocks and flew back to OW. I was due to display the Ryan (and the Maggie) there in the afternoon so couldn’t stay.
The good news was – I met up there with Laurie Taylor, the guy who saved the aircraft in the 60’s from an almost certain ‘November 5th fate’. Respect!
HP
HairyplaneMy whizzer
A big thank you to all recent posters – I am learning more about the history of my aircraft every day.
CL5 – Do you think you might either source some photos for me or point me in the right direction? I wonder if Ron Paine’s estate has any photos of him and my Maggie? Great to include them in the history file if so.
Albert Ross – My goodness, you are knowledgable!
I agree that the vertical surfaces on my aircraft are the later, taller items. However, if you read the WW2 Farnborough test reports you will understand why there are no Magisters with the earlier (a la my Falcon!) fin/ rudder. Logically then, had the CFS machine survived, it would likely have been modded! Indeed, it was probably scrapped ‘just because’. I dont know that they ever did retrofit the latter components in WW2. However, the mod was very sensible – I think one would be nuts to retrofit the earlier items.
The CFS scheme is 1938, as is my fuselage, so that fits. I would of course need to apply the CFS registration. However, V1075 would appear to be a spurious ID anyway.
I do like the civvy scheme and a civvy Maggie would be nice. However, I dont think I could grind down those lovely cowlings to accept the paint and then rip the spats off!
Also, to do the CFS scheme, the lower fuselage and underneath remain yellow.
It will therefore remain in a military scheme, and with no immediate plans to do anything at all.
All the best
HP
HairyplanePT22 etc.
Hi Barfman!
Glad to see my old 1/4 scale Pup coming on – the only dogfighting I do these days is tailchasing at Old Warden. Similar tactics but less risk of a midair. I well remember the huge quarter scale WW1 Balbo’s we used to do at Elvington (11+ aircraft?). Remember when Jason Webbs Triplane took out the Pup from underneath – I managed to land most of it and find the rest (including most of a lower wing and the U/C) whereupon Jason came over, having knackered his crankshaft on my axle, and said, ‘Sorry about that. You wont be flying that again this weekend, can I borrow your engine?!!’ Those were the days!
Thanks for the photo of G-BPUD, I didnt realise it had spats as well – I still havent taken delivery of the thing and have still in fact never seen it.
Septic – wonderful photos. I think you have captured the perfect angle – a low rear quarter looks fantastic. If any Toggie wants a particular shot I can always modify my routine to provide it (no inverted pass requests please!).
Messenger – I used to own G-AKBO. ’54 Kings Cup winner and star of the opening sequences of 633 squadron. Been there, done that. Its the older, rarer Miles machines that blow my frock up.
The Messie is a great machine and does everything that a Storch does only – wait for it – twice the passenger capacity, 50% faster, double the range, 2/3 the horsepower. A simple aeroplane in the air but a box of frogs on the ground. A groundloop always looking for somewhere to happen!
The best description I have ever read of the Messie, when you consider the large leather seats etc. is ‘A flying gentlemans club!’ (Thanks for that Nick Bloom.)
KBO is on restoration currently but work is progressing well apparently so we should see it fly again soon. I hope/ suspect I wil be asked to fly it for the non-pilot owner. Rude not to??!!
CU
HP
HairyplanePT22/ STM/ Magister
Hi Dave,
PT22 – not uncommon in the USA, probably 100 or so flying there.
STM – ‘M’ for Menasco of course. A much nicer, prettier and rarer machine than the 22. I have never seen one. If I do I hope I don’t have my chequebook with me…!
Magister – As with the Falcon and the Ryan, I get a lot of requests for inforrmation. I guess I should start a thread on the Magister and thereafter rely on my good friends Man on the Fence, Damien B etc. to post the images they have. Of special interest is a logbook entry for the Magister relating to a 50’s rebuild.
BTW MotF – I met up at Old Buckenham with the guy who bought the Maggie as a wingless derelict hulk in the 60’s for 50 quid. He has given me some as yet unpublished photos of it. What a mess it was!
I’ll get them scanned. Maybe you can post them on the thread? I cant do it today – too busy (and a little over-tired and confused) after an outageous works party here last night.
HP
HairyplaneG-BPUD
Hi from ‘Up Over’ David.
G-BPUD is a PT22 that force-landed in 93 following a ‘fuel problem’. It flipped onto its back damaging the fuz and busting the wings. THe pilot and pax suffered a broken arm and a busted nose respectively (the panel is pretty close, especially in the front – a good idea to pull your straps until they hurt if you are going to make an off-field landing, especially in the 22.)
It remains a complete, restorable aircraft that I bought at the same time as mine.
If it were rarer, I think my concience would demand that I either did it or passed it on for restoration.
However, it is a valuable source of spares – there aint many Kinner bits on this side of the pond for example.
If I sold it and then needed a widget, I bet I would pay more for the widget from the USA than I got for the whole plane!
There are 2 more non-flying PT22’s in the UK to my knowledge. They belong to the mysterious Bob Mitchell and are stored with his other rotting machines at Cosford.
Shame, but, like his Witney Straight, Monarch, KZ8(?) etc. etc. he is entitled to let them rot if thats what blows his frock up.
HP
HairyplaneStrathallan Maggie
Hi AGEORGE,
A subject dear to my heart.
A real shame that the Strathallan Maggie is shut away and not flying. My understanding is that it is tired and needs a rebuild.
I am probably better informed than most about the cost of restoring old wooden planes but in any case, it doesn’t take too many O-Levels to work out why there ain’t too many old wooden planes around.
My Maggie effectively took thirty years and many thousands of hours to restore it from the £50 wingless, waterlogged and derelict hulk in the 60’s to the beautiful flying machine I proudly own today.
I have never seen the Strathallan machine in the flesh but enjoyed it tremendously in one of the ‘Two Fat Ladies’ cookery programmes a couple of years back.
Enquiries have been made but the sums spoken about approximate to what I paid for my ‘up and running’ pristine example. Add to that the tens, and likely more than a hundred thousand pounds to do it thoroughly and correctly and it is thus a labour of love where the end result is worth but a fraction of the outlay.
Having said all of that, I am a Miles nut as you know, so I would buy it if the price was right. I guess I would pay £25k for it, probably more if it came with a kosher(!) Permit to Fly. I would do this just to save it. My fear with all these planes is losing them forever overseas.
If you have any ‘inside’ information on it please let me know.
VBR
HP
HairyplaneDisplay scenarios/ next acquisition
Hello all,
Nice to see such fantastic images of my planes! Thanks a lot for taking the trouble to post them.
Nice also to read such positive feedback on the addition of the PT22 to my growing collection at Old Warden.
I have to say I bought it on a whim (coz I’m like that…!) and wasn’t sure if it would ‘fit’ at OW. It seems that my fears were unfounded.
I’ve now got to find room for the crashed (restorable) G-BPUD that I bought with it!
The arrangements work so well for me at OW – the guys are just fantastic, I cannot wish for better engineering support. Having been ripped off in the early days of old wooden plane ownership, those days are over. Hurrah for Shuttleworth.
Formation scenarios? I’m up for anything really. Count on me to join in on something relevant and exciting.
Check out my new thread on the Falcon BTW.
Next acquisition?
‘Something serious’ really depends on a number of factors. However, I think that ‘the biggie’ could happen in 2 years for me.
Whatever it is, it has to be acceptable to Old Warden, they have to be happy to look after it for me. I also realise that I would not be able to fly it for the Winter months. However, it would be a pristine ‘top of the market’ example so it will probably take all Winter to polish it up nicely again after the season!
I would also like it to have 2 seats and ideally dual controls otherwise the lovely Nicky might be dischuffed, and we dont want that!.
Lets see how the bank balance is in 2 years. However, it is all looking ‘do-able’ from my point of view.
Funnily enough, although I guess that the idea will grow on me nearer the time, I have no burning desire to fly a warbird and probably won’t fly it myself very much. However, I cant wait to see Andy Sephton and his pilots putting it through its paces.
The Collection has a Spitfire so I guess I should consider a P51.
As I say, lets see whats around when I’ve got the ackers, not only to buy it but to pay for probably £50k p.a. insurance and the (likely) £3000k per hour to operate it!
Whatever happens, I’m 51 now so if I dont do it by 55, I probably won’t.
All the best
HP
HairyplaneClive DuCros’ Spitfire
Hi all,
I met Clive in 99 when we bought his Messenger G-AKBO. I got to know him really well during the 3 weeks he and I spent assisting in getting the thing through its CofA in 2000.
A complex bloke….
His Spitfire was a long-held dream that achieved fruition through 10 years of blood sweat and tears. He not only built the thing but restored the plane – the Messenger – on which he learned to fly in order to fly the Spit. Its all in his book. I think the style of it makes the book the more readable.
It got stuffed at Hullavingt (d?)on when on a CAA test flight for issue of a full Permit ie as opposed to a Permit to Test.
THe accident report, from memory, concluded that the test pilot mismanaged the controls, including that of the propeller, resulting in a protracted float and a forced gear-up landing in a field beyond.
Unfortunately, the thing wasn’t bolted but glued together – effectively a one-piece aeroplane – and it needed to be put on a truck. Solution? Saw it in half behind the cockpit…
He told me that it was fixable but he had lost all heart in it. Been there..done that…. I want to give up flying and take up boating.
He did just that and left the lovely Britt and the boys, his magnificent country home plus his substantial Swindon-based taxi hire business to set up home in Spain.
The aircraft was then displayed at the Southampton Hall of Aviation I believe but sold from there to become a crowd pulling ‘come and sit in a Spitfire for a quid’ static.
This necessitated sawing through the wing spars in order to make the thing roadable.
So, whoever did the deed with the chainsaw effectively put paid to its flying career forever. (Who the hell decided to do that?)
The last straw with Clive was getting threatened with a lawsuit by a frustrated builder in the USA who decided to build one with an Allison up-front and plagued the life out of Clive for ‘missing’ drawings. Clive shook his head in disbelief.
I feel very sorry for Clive – a great man who deserved a lot more.
So many people scoffed at the project because it wasnt made of metal. However, it looked right and, when throttled back I am told it sounded right too.
Read the book – I cant for the life of me remember the title and I cant look it up on account of the fact that somebody has misremembered to return my copy.
I know somebody who has one – I’ll post again soon with all the details. I believe that Clive funded the publication himself and has a shed load of them left, wherever they might be…
Shame……
HP
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