An Old Chestnut.

There are some very well rehearsed arguments on the question of whether or not to fly old aircraft. Certainly, if a machine is very original and unique, there must be a strong argument to keep it original and on the deck. On the other side of the coin, a MkIX Spit ‘dataplate special’ will give a lot of people huge amounts of pleasure and help to keep the legend alive, so it’s a no-brainer.
A/c like the Comet present a more complex case. Black Magic will be an excellent replica, as only, as far as I’m aware, the pilots seat (..and the Reg’.) is original. That is not, for any smart-alecs, in ANY way to denigrate it, but obviously, it’s whole raison-detre of that machine is 100% for flight. Likewise, whilst in no way denigrating ‘SS, it’s was in such poor repair and stripped-out when O.W. acquired it, rebuilding it to airworthy status meant a very large part of the a/c was new or replacement material or parts.
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I know that there are some very switched-on folk in these forums who are fully aware of the ongoing effect of restoring and maintaining a/c in an airworthy status. Some enthusiast might not be aware of this however. Thus, the ‘to fly or not to fly’ issue primarily applies early on, because sure as hell, as time goes by an inevitable transmutation will occur. I’d suggest ‘SS is well past that point. It’s worth recalling, she’d been crashed, rebuilt, re-engined and re-propped before the war, had sat-out rotting under tarps for the duration, and was basically just a shell when tarted-up for the FoB after the war. (I hope the experts on ‘SS will forgive me if I’ve only quoted a couple of details from distant memory.) The restoration to flight was a herculean task with a clear purpose; Flight.
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Is there a risk? Sure, but TSC have a wonderful record and reputation for operating such a/c with great professional rigour and safety. In the case of ‘SS, flying her makes sense. Where she operates from is really just an operational detail.
.When I saw her fly after her restoration, I was very moved, as it was a sight that I never though realistically possible. Now that Hatfield has succumbed to the bulldozers, the remaining a/c are the most visible memorials to the magic of D.H. ‘SS must’ surely take pride of place as a reminder of those heady days.

Great photo and painting.

This thread has served to remind me just what a beautiful design the Comet was. If it IS true that O.W. are getting her fettled for flight I’ll be there for sure. 🙂

Pics.

Scion;- Love these photos! Any more? We have an unsated appetite this side of the pond…:)

Legs.

Interesting. I know the Gull IV/VI went through several gestations of u/c, but I’d always presumed that the early Proctors had relatively few differences to the Vega, especially the Proctor I. A late Vega with the curved windscreen and a Proctor I look, superficially, very close. I thought it was mainly the cabin area and a few extra ancillaries. I’ve seen photos of the Vega legs and, on the face of it, they look the same as your legs in the photos. Do you know what the changes were?

Yikes…!

The Herc’ seems to touch the car at 0:28…! If there was a gap, it was a very small one…:eek:

Not Hull Insurance Though.

It’s only the Third Party element of the insurance that is mandatory. The Hull element is entirely optional, just as with a motor vehicle. Frankly though, if you can’t afford to properly insure your a/c, you really can’t afford to fly in the first place…! :rolleyes:

Ace.

Lovely pics again.
Sadsack asked about the differences. As I understand it she is essentially very accurate. Washout aside, she has a tailwheel, modern avionics, Queen II’s as opposed to Six Series II’s, with C/S props and power operated flaps. All operational practicalities this far down the timeline. I doubt if she has the full tankage of the originals too, as it’d be quite unnecessary. I’m sure there must be someone on the forum with the full SP….. Anyway, ‘hats-off’ to the team behind her, she’s a real credit…:)
I was fortunate enough to see and hear ‘SS at O.W, and I have to say, I found the her scintillating. Such a rare sight.
Black Magic will have a bit more poke, as well as Hydromatic props, which are featherable, as opposed to the earlier type used on the Flabob replica and ‘SS, adding significantly to safety.
Can’t wait to see the potential line-up of late 1930’s racers at O.W…!

Photos.

Digressing slightly;- Does anyone here know where there are some good,clear shots of the cockpits of any of the antipodean Gulls such as ‘PR’s…?