PropstrikeOK. Not the Wildcat I was expecting…
PropstrikeIt could not go to a better home. Well done, Shuttleworth !
Perhaps when the time is right, it could be joined by the Mew Gull……..
PropstrikePembroke overhead Amersham, routing into Northolt for this evening’s photo-call. (15 .13)
Takes me back to the seventies when 207 Sqdn operated Pembrokes at Northolt, and up 1988, when the 60 Sqdn aircraft would visit from Wildenrath, and they would come grinding out, past Denham, over the Chalfonts and then off en route.
PropstrikeNanchang CJ-6 out of White Waltham, over Chorleywood very low, routing N/W ie towards Hatfield area at 12.05
PropstrikeThe ‘Indian’ Dak has been at Benson lately. It may still be there.
Quote from RAF Benson Facebook page march 9th
”We had an extra special visitor arrive this week – a Dakota DC3 of the Indian Air Force. The aircraft has recently undergone restoration work and will be here completing essential pre-flight tests for a few weeks before it heads off on the long journey home.
Here are just some of the amazing pictures captured by SAC Amy Lupton.”
PropstrikeThe owner lives at Old Warden, so that kind of ties up.
PropstrikeSopwith.7fi. If, as you say, your motivation is to alert a potential buyer of the misrepresentation of the origins of this aeroplane, then you have probably done as much as you can. Any potential buyer has quite a good chance of finding this thread, and will perhaps give your concerns due consideration.
Your use ( twice ) of the word ‘towt’ (sic) is not altogether complimentary to Guy Black, and suggests persistent or persuasive salesmanship. I was not aware the DH9 is even being actively marketed, so that observation could be seen as a bit inflammatory.
Most observers would probably concur that Guy Black has contributed hugely to the cause of airworthy vintage aeroplanes which is why you are somewhat isolated in your position, in this instance. It may be unsophisticated, or naive, but speaking purely from a personal position, I am not really bothered what bits did, or did not go into the reconstruction of any particular airframe, and indeed if GB could conjure up a fourth DH9, I would be even happier! I consider his work to be outstanding, and it is a privilege to see these aeroplanes in operation.
Data plate rebuilds have been with us for quite a while now, and for flying restorations/recreations they will become ever more prevalent. I think one just has to go with it, accept the new reality, or else seek some alternative recreation.
PropstrikeWhat Sopwith.7f1 is indulging in here is the modern phenomenon of taking offence, on behalf of somebody else.
Reading between the lines, there seems little prospect that he personally was ever intending to stump up the dough to buy the DH9, but he is offended on behalf of some guileless sucker who will perhaps be thinking he is flying away in a 100 year old machine, that has just been wheeled out of the Elephant Stable.
Really ? The sort of people who own and operate exotic vintage aeroplanes are without exception very switched on and competent individuals. We live in an age of boundless instant information, and it is inconceivable that such a buyer would not have a full understanding of what was being offered. It is the same with the gorgeous Mk 1 Spitfires which we have so enjoyed the last few years. EVERYBODY understands the background, the identities and the construction process, but they have a genuine value, because they are genuinely things of great beauty. Nobody was ever duped.
Happily, the historic aircraft movement is becoming quite comfortable with this reality, and thus enthusiasts can still enjoy the sights and sounds of these iconic aeroplanes
PropstrikeThere is no deception being practiced here. The airworthy aspect is what makes this aeroplane fascinating to enthusiasts and historians, but you don’t need to be an aeronautical engineer or a CAA Inspector to understand that precious little 100 year old wood ( and no fabric, of course) can be included in a safe and certified flying DH9 in 2018.
Guy Black spoke at length to the Historic Aircraft Association with great candour and insight on these realities, and about his connection with the ‘soul’ of the aeroplane, even when the physical manifestation has to be substantially renewed.
There are no winners in taking up a simplistic, hardcore, ‘keeping it real’ position, though such people tend to imbue themselves with personal qualities of integrity and plain speaking enlightenment. The major downside would be an absence of airworthy historic aircraft.
To allude to ‘works of fiction’ and questioning who to believe surely indicates a wrong-headed belligerence and a willful ignorance of the facts facing more practical, motivated and effective contributors to the historic aircraft scene.
PropstrikeIn a fighter with a large engine blocking the view, I guess you are either looking to the left of the engine or the right, as you flare, in this case the left.
I bet there is suddenly a new policy of no more cherry pickers on the active airfield. I am suprised the Flying Display Director was happy with obstructions placed so close to the runway.
PropstrikeNik, great news that more Planes Res is coming, and I am sure you will secure a big audience with the more USA-centric content.
I was being slightly tongue-in-cheek re the cost of kit, but I maintain that the high end consumer action cameras can obtain pretty reasonable footage if used sparingly for certain short sequences. No doubt decent gyro stabilised cameras for air-to-air are far from cheap, but even so it is astonishing the extent that technical capability has risen, how much bang you get for your buck, in recent times.
I hope it appears on Netflix eventually.
PropstrikeIt is revealing to pause, and reflect on how we now consume our aviation info/ entertainment. I too have a lot of VHS tapes, with some good content, but the image quality looks pretty duff compared to HD content which we have become used to. I don’t suppose I will ever sit down to watch them again, especially given the absence of a VHS player.
Two house moves in 8 years has forced me to re-assess what I need, and books have taken a big hit, with many headed down to the charity shops. I buy hardly any books now, and those I do are not usually kept. I was given a kindle with masses of titles on it, but have yet to even turn it on. Maybe one day.
The reality is we probably do not ‘need’ information in a ‘hard copy’. Having had an Amazon Echo for 3 months, I realise that a collection of CDs is probably obsolete, and as the nation’s houses get ever smaller, the ability to jettison ‘stuff’ becomes more attractive.
The monthly periodicals seem quaint these days, and of course are always behind with the news compared to online sources. Flyer and Pilot get thinner and thinner, and are often not stocked on the news stands these days. I would say both are hanging on. Aeroplane though, seems stronger these days, with really absorbing content, and the frantic comic-book style layout now in the past.
The sheer quantity of high quality streaming is amazing, and Go Pro Cameras have opened the floodgates. As SFF says, the difficultly is sorting through the almost unlimited content, and in that respect, this forum, and Facebook is useful for posting up the most engaging stuff. The immediacy is astonishing, and we can know about/see what is happening in Australia as quickly as your nearest town.
Plane Resurrection was widely admired, and there is no reason not to have similar productions. The ‘recipe’ is straightforward, and high quality cameras etc are not prohibitive in price. Even a £300 Go Pro will give you broadcast quality for action sequences.
In terms of access to information, this is a golden era and uncharted territory. Let’s just hope nobody ever turns off the internet, because when I look at people who literally cannot read a map, for instance, we would really struggle to survive if we had to return to a ‘paper’ world.
PropstrikeVery interested in this thread, as Bovingdon was just up the road for me, and Hanover Street was a source of great and enduring excitement for me and my chums.
”The copy of the Museum of Air is another B-25, belonging to the bombing version, but which was painted in 1988 as the copy that served for three years in the Air Force. The B-25 of the museum was damaged when he was in Malaga participating in the filming of the movie “Cuba”. It was abandoned at the airport in Malaga and recovered after many years for the Museum. The aircraft of the Air Museum is a B-25J-20/22-NC converted to the TB-25N version. Its numeral in the USAAF was 44-29121 and when it was sold the civil registry was N86427. The plane had also participated in other films (Hanover Street, Yankees).
Picture of yellow Mitchell here.
http://incidentessgm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/north-american-b-25-mitchell.html
Are you writing a 40th anniversary article, perhaps ?
PropstrikeContent is pretty much what one what one would expect ( as it has to be) , but very well filmed and edited, and plenty of vintage aeroplanes cavorting. Geoffrey Wellum is a treasure, as always.
Propstrike
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