I’m afraid I find this whole thing borderline farcical- if it even remotely stays together when it’s shifted I’ll be amazed. And though I may get shot down for this, I’d sooner the RAFM put such huge efforts into recovering/restoring something, anything, else that was actually from, you know, the ROYAL AIR FORCE?!
*runs*
It is a shame that this endeavour is not receiving more widespread encouragement, especially from historic aviation enthusiasts. I would not wonder if they (RAFM) are presently considering the option of leaving it down there, as the media attention which they have so far enjoyed will turn very negative if nothing more than barnacled clumps of unidentifiable scrap rise from the waves. It will be a perceived as a much more visible and definite ‘fail’ than announcing it simply was impossible to raise and everyone goes home.
Whatever the outcome, I hope there will not be any witch-hunt to identify who might be the ‘guilty party’. This was always a long shot, and all these things do need a slice of luck, to go with the comprehensive planning.
I remember the pilot was badly hurt and recovery was prolonged. I hope he has no ongoing problems.
”The aircraft departed Blackpool for a display in Northern Ireland with the intention of returning to its
home base at Exeter. It took off with one of the two electrical generators inoperative and at an
indeterminate time during or shortly after the display, the second generator failed. The pilot did not
notice the failure until he had initiated a climb to high altitude through extensive cloud.
He continued to climb and reached visual conditions above the cloud. At altitude he decided to continue the flight
to Exeter ‘non-radio’ and proceeded in accordance with his flight plan at FL220. On encountering
some cirrus cloud over North Wales he decided to descend to FL180 so as to remain in visual flight
conditions and throttled back the engine slightly.
On reaching FL180 he advanced the throttle but the engine did not respond and attempts to relight it were unsuccessful. He adopted a glide towards
Llanbedr Airfield but when he realised he would not reach it, he turned towards the nearest shoreline
and ejected over a large river estuary. The pilot was injured during ejection and he landed heavily in
shallow water. He was rescued by helicopter and the abandoned Hunter crashed into marshland near
the estuary bank”
http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/dft_avsafety_pdf_028723.pdf
Must have had a bunch of pie-eaters crammed in the back, that thing was not exactly leaping into the sky !
An aerial photography mission gave a chance to photograph the site yesterday.
The big stone cairn can be seen, and the gap in the hedge where the aeroplane came down
The site is on a bearing of 350 degrees, 465 metres from the Blue Ball Pub, Asheridge.
Re the famous Lancasters of 617 sqdn, I believe that the Germans DELIBERATELY shot some of them down.
No sense of heritage. What would they be worth today..
The perpetually outraged Daily Mail, is ranting at full thrust.
”Dambusters v Elf ‘n’ Safety: On the 70th anniversary of their legendary raid, jobsworths have banned the war’s bravest airmen – and the public – from an official fly-past honouring their courage”
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2323508/Dambusters-v-Elf-n-Safety-On-70th-anniversary-legendary-raid-jobsworths-banned-wars-bravest-airmen–public–official-fly-past-honouring-courage.html#ixzz2TA7Wmjbt*
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However, if you look at satellite photos of the dam and surrounds, there IS just a single road, there is NOT capacity for a large public event with many thousands of cars.
If I were going on Thursday, I would throw a bike into the back of my car, and cycle in, since I would not be surprised if there are road closures in the event of high volumes of traffic.
[QUOTE=DazDaMan;2022926]Seen over on WIX:
”It’s reportedly going to be the most expensive production in the history of television costing 500 million dollars. It’s based on a book written by Don Miller who did research at the National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force. Much of the filming will take place in Germany and England ”
HHmmmm. I smell Mustangs, and plenty of them. Could be a shot in the arm for Sally B , and a chance to revive the mothballed French Fortress
I hope they are not planning much CGI.
Report now released.
”The aircraft had landed on Runway 27 at East Midlands Airport and was taxiing to vacate the runway when the undercarriage retracted, causing the wooden propeller to strike the runway and shatter. The pilot stated that he had intended to retract the flaps but inadvertently selected the undercarriage to UP: the levers are on different sides of the cockpit. It is apparently a usual practice to retract the flaps a soon as possible after landing to minimise the effect they have on cooling radiator airflow. There is no weight-on-wheels protection circuit.”
Download report:*
*Vickers Supermarine Spitfire MK XIX, G-RRGN 5-2013.pdf (1,883.92 kb)
Not speculation but fact- in its final seconds the aeroplane had a very major rate of descent, despite a slightly nose high attitude, probably outside the parameters of a 1950’s era ejection seat.
We can not know if he decided to ( as the press love to say) stay with his doomed plane. The transition from controlled flight to uncontrolled descent was probably too quick for many decisions at all.
I thought it looked nice before !
I grovelled my way into the back of a Nanchang to get some air/airs
Remember how the Loch Ness Wellington came up in three major ‘lumps’ . I think that the evolution of lifting jigs has maybe given a better understanding of how to distribute the load, as seen by successful lifts in recent times of HE111, JU 52’s and others.
I think it has an engagement over the long weekend.
Mark
Mick Allen at Turweston is making a name for himself with the Warbird spraying, and certainly did a fine job with the Seafire.
I wonder if the P.40 will turn up at ‘Turdy’ !
Does it need to be preserved???
Quite so. An oeuf is an oeuf.
Sorry.
The aircraft lost was a WW1 replica Fokker monoplane.
A witness quotes ” it was performing quite steep turns and appeared to side-slip into the ground”
Very sad news, and a cruel injustice to lose such an experienced constructor and pilot .