Lovely stuff ! That Anson topside looks like an air-air.!

Back to aeroplanes, please.

Thanks

The father of a friend of mine used to fly a Rapide for the Army Parachute display team in the 1960’s . One busy weekend, they took off for a display jump, but on the take off run, with the tail raised, they ran through some hidden undulations in the grass, and nibbled the prop tips along the ground.

Take off abandoned, they inspected the new profile blades, now sporting a rakish lean to the rear. Pilot chappie goes off to find a phone, and on return, is told by the paras that ‘it is now fixed !’ Being very ‘press-on’ in their attitude, they had pounded the blades with a lump of iron, and whilst not straight, were in deed ‘a bit straighter’

Though tempted, the pilot had a sudden attack of common sense, and binned it for the day ! In a Rapide, the driver is pretty much in line with the props, and bits whirling off would make anyone a bit thoughtful.

There were concerns in the CWH camp that problems could emerge with the UK authorities regarding radioactivity in the cockpit instruments.

These concerns were prompted by difficulties at Oshkosh, when the FAA seemingly imposed restrictions on access and movements. Thankfully, no such obstacles are expected during the UK visit. Just one of a thousand details that make up such an ambitious trip.

Very atmospheric.

This year has remained, so far, Spitfire-free in the NW boundary of the London TMA, the only Merlin to be heard has been a P.51.

Can’t be long now.

A very striking replica was built some years ago . Maybe that is the way ahead :eagerness:

You just start with a DC-3, or LI-2 if that is all you have to hand

Movie title: Nebezsti jezdci (Ghost Sky Riders)
Issued: 1969, Czech Film Studios – Ateliery Barandov, Prague, Czechoslovakian Republic
Directed by: Jindrich Polak
Based on: the autobiographic novel by Filip Jansky
(civic name: Richard Husnik, the former WW-II air-gunner and navigator)
Topic: the story of the young air-gunner and Vickers-Wellington and then B-24 Liberator czech crew during the Battle of Britain and WW-II

In this movie there is footage of two Li-2 (Lisunov-2, is the DC3/C-47 made in the USSR
during WW-II under the official license)
The LI-2 (during the time the movie was made), was ending their duty in the Czech Air Force.

The first one (s/n 23442804, military No. 2804) was painted duly as the British Transport Command Dakota Mk.I.
The second one (s/n 23442209, military No. 2209, ex civilian Czech Airlines OK-GAD up to year 1957)
played its role in the extraordinary conversion to Vickers Wellington.
The conversion covered the new rudder, the fuselage “coat”
and both the new (fully functional, even with the firing guns!) turrets.
The engines, props, cowlings, undercarriage and wings remained C-47/Li-2.
The converted plane was not allowed to fly (as the Wellington), but it was able (and cleared to) taxi by its own.
The specialty was the narrow slots in the skin of the fuselage, needed for the original C-47/Li-2 propellers,
which was by some inches too large for the new “Wellington” fat fuselage.
The pictures from this movie and from the process of the conversion can be seen in:
“Lisunovâ´s Wellington” by M. Balous, Air Enthusiast, February 1973,
and in Czech magazine LetectvÃÂ* a Kosmonautika, No.7, 1994, pg.517-519.

You are to be complimented for your understatement in the use of the term “unsuccessful” 😀

That’s a real bummer – every taildragger pilot’s worst nightmare

Moggy

My taildragger nightmares are a lot worse than this incident , which is little more than the aeronautical equivalent of bashing your car into the garage door, though admittedly a lot more expensive. Still, rotten luck and and a giant pain , I am sure.