B-17Man,

The Cockpit and whole “aircraft” (in bits) still exists and forms a major interactive display at Movie world in Queensland, it is used to demonstrated movie making a super-imposing, and there are three @1/10 scale B1-7 models also used in the show, one with operational remote control turrets etc.

I saw it with my family last year in October, it was too dark for my digital camera but I will try to post a few pics here later to day (off to work now)

regards

Mark P

Atchum,

I think you might find the original design allowed the bolts to swivel freely with the nylon lock nuts holding them secure, allowing the “belt” to flex into a circular shape and rotate, I think your section still holds part of the circumference of the belt shape.

regards

Mark Pilkington

John,

its better we ask for it to be totally rebuilt to fly, specify in the works order the need to clean up and use all the un-airworthy parts for assembly of a static replica!

That way we get two, the original back in one piece to sit on the ground in its display and a brand new replica (with the makers plate bolted on) able to fly around with HARS, is that two original Vimy’s for the price of one? or is that two “replica’s”? lol

(washes his mouth out with soap)

regards

Mark P

The Vimy is charting its own heritage, much in the way that the “Kon Tiki” raft expedition did in the 20th century in trying to prove the capability of earlier civilisations to travel from continent to continent.

The “Vimy” is “really” just a replica, its not built by Vickers, and has different construction methods and engines, but it is doing an “excellent” job of replicating the feats of its older cousins.

And yes the BBMF Lancaster is considered an “original” Lancaster, but as Setter points out most Warbirds flying today carry a lot of new metal and even upgraded engine types, as well as avionics that change the operations to be safer, more reliable etc

Its difficult to claim any modern pilot, and operation of any of historical aircraft, “original” or replica, are really reproducing the risks and uncertainty of their predecessors, either through the risk of aircraft performance, or risk of situation (pioneer flight or combat).

( although having said that I do think some take un-neccessary risks in some of the aircraft that do equate, simply by pushing the aircraft to their operational limits – high speed stalls, wing stalls etc, often with disasterous results for both the aircraft and pilot)

The pioneering pilots of the 1920’s took the lives into their own hands, perhaps in the same way as Shuttle pilots, putting their lives at great risk to push the human eperience.

Engine failure or fuel exhaustion over the sea or jungles had little help of rescue, and lack of radar and other flying aids, or monitoring by support crews, before or during the flights, and many pioneer pilots, Hinkler, Kingsford-Smith, Ulm and Earheart gave their lives pushing the endurance aircraft in long distance flight.

Obviously in the 21st century it is difficult to match the records set, and real risks taken by those early pilots, even though similar flights in similar aircraft might be undertaken, (Vimy or Lancaster) they do not quite equate to those taken in a far less technological world, with far less support and monitoring.

Having said all of that, the importance of the Vimy replica in undertaking its successful recreation of these three record flights is very significant, and the feat of the people and the aircraft itself take on a significance in their own right because of that.

The Replica Vimy seems an accurate recreation of the flight characteristics and performance of the originals?

The Vimy is a modern recreation of the type . She isn’t powered by RR and never has been . Certainly that is through reasons of practicality and availability . We cannot however imagine that we are flying around in an aircraft that had the reliability
of the 1919 examples. Modern engines are used and to a great degree appear to be more reliable.

I would have thought the original Vimy flights across the Atlantic, to South Africa and to Australia semed to demonstrate a reasonable reliability of the original RR engines themselves? (and besides doesnt BMW own RR these days?? so technically the replica’s engines might well be RR for whatever that matters?).

The Vimy replica is not flying in the comfort, and technical performance of a Boeing 747, it is recreating those long distance flights as close as can be done in the modern age, the achievements of the originals, its recreations can never really equal the efforts of the originals and their pilots, but they are still significant.

It is celebrating the acheivements of the original Vimy’s and their pilots, and it (and its pilots) deserve to be celebrated too for their achievements, which are far beyond simple demonstration to the general public at an airshow.

regards

Mark Pilkington

I have just noticed the two pictures both seem to show the same triangular area of “unpainted” lower cowl on the centre engine? again supporting the view this is VH-UMG “Southern Star” in both pictures?

regards

Mark P

grrrrrrrr gremlins strike again, I named the link “VH-UMI” (Southern Moon) when its clearly “VH-UMG” the “Southern Star”

regards

Mark P

James

here on the website where the Farman Fuselage is??

regards

Mark P

There’s a Farman fuselage (looks like a Pullman carrage) at Le Bourget:

Quote:
FARMAN F-60 GOLIATH
Henry FARMAN (1874-1958)
1919 Dim : 28 m x L 15.10 m, poids : 4.500 kg INV : 45
Le Goliath est le premier avion de transport civil français. Dérivé du bombardier F.50 devenu inutile avec la fin des hostilités, le F-60 inaugure dès 1919, la première ligne aérienne en reliant Paris à Londres, puis Bruxelles et à Casablanca sans escale. L’année suivante, il est utilisé par de nombreuses compagnies aériennes. Le musée de l’Air et de l’Espace possède le seul fuselage encore existant.

From their overdesigned website
here

Great shots, thanks a lot for sharing.
__________________
James K