HairyplaneFW190
In addition to my D9 project I have a couple of excellent 801 cores which will almost certainly end up in fliers.
The 213 is a monster of a thing. One of mine would certainly go again.
Nice to think that I might see a D9 flying in my lifetime ( I retired today if that provokes a sweepstake….!)
Herr E Pleine
HairyplaneRLM
Legends – Theres a thought.
I have never been invited before but it would be rude not to consider it if I was.
The Triplane will be ready too……
HP
HairyplaneRLM Collection
I thought you’d ask me that……..
HairyplaneThe things people collect…
A Viscount seat as an office chair – you saddo!
I very nearly chucked away an entire PT22 airframe last week – bent after a forced landing but all there – yet managed to find a home for it at the Nth hour.
I was honestly about to load it all up and take it down to the Council tip.
I have so much ‘better not throw it away’ cr@p that the lovely Nicky put her foot down – stiletto in the middle of the back no less……Oooooh! and I have promised her a purge.
The PT came as a spares machine with my flier and has clogged up one of my garages for the last 3 years.
Sods law I’ll now need a widget but, what the heck.
The seats were nice – apart from the stain on the pilots seat of course…!
HP
HairyplaneMacon
I remember reading about this in Aeroplane Monthly(?) many years ago – the underwater photographs of the aircraft were amazing.
I wonder if there would be sufficient interest to charter the Russian survey ship used recently on Titanic and Bismark ( I watched the latter on TV last night – amazing.) to go take a look?
I read somewhere that some of the survivors were laughing uncontollably in the water, a combination of the relief of survival and the distortion to their voices caused by the gas. Take a lungful of Helium from a birthday balloon, shout ‘Help’ and you’ll see what I mean!
Fascinating stuff.
Hairyplane
HairyplaneBut….they dont fly!
Lighning preservation? Why? They will never be allowed to fly in UK skies and there are loads of them.
What would you rather see? A fast taxy – loads of noise and a waste of fuel IMO – followed by the inevitable statement from all assembled ‘what a shame he couldn’t just pull the stick back…..’ or the DH Comet wheeling around the Tower at OW?
The amount of gas (£) required to get Victor Lusty Lindy’s nosewheel off the ground would fly a lot of OW machinery for the whole season, bearing in mind most of our routines are 6 minutes.
The CAA are legislating against old jet engines and are lifing them on ‘years’ as well as hours, thus launching the operating costs through the stratosphere overnight. The Vulcan will therefore be joined by plenty of others on the deck soon.
We have a proud heritage. its fast disappearing. Plenty of potentialy ‘flyable’ airframes are out there to be saved if the dosh was there.
There are plenty of Cold War jets around.
On the flip side – Miles made 7000 aircraft. You might just get onto the toes of one foot if you count the airworthy survivors.
What better than to set up a living workshop, take on some more engineers and some apprentices, thus making some effort to retain those fast disappearing skills.
Hairy
HairyplaneBreakfast News
I watched it too.
Shooting from the hip, as an enthusiast who well remembers the earth moving under the might Vulcan…..Fantastic!
It has cost millions and needs a lot more than the £250k ‘needed within a week’ ( to qualify for another Lottery traunch? – I dont know the answer to that one).
Looking at the thing in a zillion bits on TV – £250k won’t go far when you consider that it can cost that to restore something small, made of wood and with a little piston engine up front.
OK, so ( hypothetically) the thing is test flown – big ceremony. Then what?
Few if any airshow organisers will be able to afford to book the thing. They can’t just fly it ‘for the love of it’ ( as I do in a much more modest way with my aircraft at Old Warden) because of the eye-watering costs.
It has the potential for a huge anti-climax.
Now, I’m about to say something controversial. I have dropped from two finger typing to one because I am busy stacking sandbags.
Forget the Vulcan. Nice try. It ain’t going to happen ( unless maybe British Aerospace step in on the crest of a huge wave having just signed the Saudis up on a multi-squillion quid deal on Eurofighter??).
How about this for a far better use of the money –
Old Warden is a clear and shining example of what can be done by a small charitable trust on a limited budget – supported by SVAS membership, donations, shop, restaurant and the gate on display days.
It is a living museum of airworthy exhibits, many of which are the sole representatives of their type anywhere in the world.
It is a terrific place to spend a day, most especialy on display days every two weeks throughout the season. Check out http://www.Shuttleworth.org for display dates and the benefits of SVAS membership.
If the Trust had more money it could build more hangars, acquire more aircraft, much needed spares and exhibits. It could improve the already excellent museum, visitor centre and most of all, employ more engineers.
The Spitfire needs a rebuild – a very costly exercise indeed. Anybody who has seen Andy Sephtons spitfire display will agree that it has been sadly missed this season ( and will be next I suspect). The ‘up close and personal’ nature of Old Warden lends itself to the display of their fine old machines. The Edwardians – pure magic!
Come on guys – stop dreaming about the Vulcan flying again – it ain’t going to happen without a wealthy sponsor. Your money will be much better donated to The Shuttleworth Trust.
Under the fantastic direction of Tony Haig Thomas – Chairman of the Trustees – the place has really moved on ( so please, no ‘yah boo’ harping on about the past, we are talking about now and beyond).
Please join me in supporting what I reckon is a far more worthwhile use of hard earned cash.
Sorry Vulcan supporters but your money will definately work in this way and not be squandered in a money pit that will only, at the end of the day result on a shinier museum exhibit than all the other Vulcans around. You can achieve that for not a lot ( Check out the Wellesbourne machine).
I tell you what. If the Vulcan flies I will eat a tub of jellied eels ( a recurring nightmare from childhood – ugh!)
– FIngers now in ears – :rolleyes:
Hairyplane
HairyplaneBristol Bulldog
We have discussed a flying replica more than once.
I could be persuaded!
HP
HairyplaneTrolley Aux
Are you winding us up? £5m to spend on old planes? For what purpose? Your own collection or are you buying for somebody else? What are you looking for?
I reckon its a wind up.
Hairy
HairyplaneBuilding
Hi Alan,
Thats what I do…..
Oh…and write the cheques!!
All the best
Hairy
HairyplanePolish Antoinette
This is indeed one of the ex-Berlin machines.
An Antoinette replica is certainly something we are looking at, along with others.
However, the research, build and certification will cost big bucks and take a lot of time. For those who know me I want everything now or within reasonable timescales.
As an old git in my fifties, I want to be reasonably certain that I will still have a pilot medical when the fun bit happens.
OK, the time will work in my favour to some extent because I can lose the weight I’m sure I’ll need to gradually.
However, I would consider commissioning the professional build of one and give up the beer. Even bigger bucks but, what the heck, no pockets in a shroud!!
Hey – we could start up a proper ‘factory’ that doesn’t need to make a profit because the customer is me!
Any top-shelf craftsmen out there want jobs?
Hairy
Hairyplane2 more canopy stories….
1. When I was a Sergeant at Gravesend in the Kent Police back in the 80’s I had been flying at Rochester during the morning of the Kent Messenger Air Race.
A pity I was working in the afternoon, it was a gorgeous day and I was going to miss the race and airshow.
As soon as I got to work we were called out to a mid-air between a Bolkow Monsun and Piper Arrow at Shorne. They had collided in a turn, both crashed with fatal consequences. Quite horrible…..
I was the OIC and spent 3 days working with the AAIB.
One elusive part was the Monsun canopy – first point of contact between it and the underneath of the Arrow.
We eventually found it on day 2, c/w tell-tale contact marks on the top of the bubble. ( I also found the rudder pedals of the Arrow in the same field – they, and all the control cables had been severed by the Monsun prop).
2. A student at Enstone in a Grob 109 a few years back accidentally pulled the canopy jettison instead of the prop feather. The instructor was just too late to prevent it. They flew back in their cabrio to receive a phone call from a farmer who had already recovered the canopy from one of his fields.
It was completely undamaged and quickly refiitted.
Hairy
HairyplaneI think I know…
I think it is the very first ‘let the punters know whats going on’ cabin display.
I reckon its fitted to a Rapide.
HP
HairyplaneMercury
I know this machine well and ferried it to Denmark a few years back with Hans Kolby Hansen the owner (of the aircraft and most of Denmark……).
It is of interest to me and yes I should buy it. To balance that – the Falcon flew only 5 hours last year and the Mercury would dilute this further.
Old Warden – the only place for these things IMO – is waterlogged during the Winter and in the Summer I tend to focus on the open cockpit machines.
I’m meeting up with HKH at Barkaby in June ( 70th anniversary of the build/ export to Sweden of the Falcon) so I might get him drunk ( not difficult) and make him an offer he cant refuse.
Its a quirky machine that needs a bit of work to bring it up to the standards of my others.
It would be nice to repatriate it.
I’ll let you know how I get on!
Hairy
HairyplaneAaaaargh….
Thanks Consul,
Its worse than I could have imagined…..
The trouble with an old wooden airframe that has got this bad is..the wood will need replacing.
So, wheres it all going?? I shudder to think of the corrosion problems that the others will have suffered.
A crying shame.
I would like to see pictures of the lot if anybody has them.
The Messenger cockpit shot is of my old G-AKBO. A nice period panel ruined by modern avionics, switches and dymo labels..aargh!
Hairy
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