Thanks for those great photos Mark12. Can you tell us anything about that Hudson please? Was it flying then? Was it owned by the CAF too? Where is it now?

Sorry Mike, I did actually get James’s point that they were designed to attack unescorted bombers in a war that never happened. I admit I worded my last question wrongly – what I meant was, when the RAF realised that things had gone horribly wrong for them and the enemy bombers were to be escorted from bases in France – did the RAF ever consider escorting the Defiants sent up to meet them rather than send them to the slaughter by themselves?

It seems to me that they were using these aircraft for a job they were totally unsuitable for, and it seems like total folly to use them at all and to waste so many lives and resources. I wonder if a half-measure could have been considered of an adequate fighter escort for the Defiants to distract the enemy escort so the Defiant crews could get into the bombers and do their job. I wonder if this had been done if they might have faired much better in the combat stakes.

I guess though finding adequate fighter escort may have been jolly difficult at that particular juncture of the war.

I’ve been thinking about the gunners in Defiants – as there has been much said here about both the cramped space they worked in and the tiny escape hatch they had should things go wrong, did the RAF select only their smallest gunners for the Defiant squadrons? Was there any height restrictions put on the crews?

Geoff, can you ask Mr Lucas please if this is the case? It would be fantastic to hear his experiences in the Defiant. I wish I could attend your signings.

Also, if the Defiant was designed to creep up beside bombers and broadside them as described by James, and as described in the article I posted above, what sort of effect did the recoil of the guns have on the aircraft when they were firing to one side? Anyone know? Was there a time limit on firing the guns before it became detrimental to the pilot’s handling of the aircraft? The same goes for other planes with turrets I guess, but the Defiant is tiny compared with most turreted planes, and has four heavy machine guns, so there must be some impact I’d guess. Or am I wrong? Maybe another question for Mr Lucas, Geoff.

When the Defiant switched to night fighting and proved a success, how long did it stay in service in that role? The article would suggest perhaps they were still around as late as 1944. Is that the case?

One final question. There is a 1/48th scale model of the Defiant out from Classic Airframes, and one decal option for the Target Tug version is in US colours. Does anyone know why they used them, over their own types? Had they used them offensively/efensively before or just got them from the RAF as TT Mk 1 versions? How many did they use? Where did they use them? The scheme in the boxart looks like a Meditteranean scheme. Any ideas?
See boxart here
http://www.classicairframes.com/new_products_frame.htm

I wish someone would build a flying exact-replica of the Defiant.

The first Warbird I remember seeing (and I may have seen some before this as a kid but can’t recall) was a Harvard from the Roaring Forties display team. I would guess it must have been about 1986, I’d have been about 15. There was a locl aeroclub fly-in at Hamilton Airport (Rukuhia) which is nearby to here.

I was in the car with Mum, Dad, my sister and one of Dad’s pals. I’ll never forget this – the road between the old RNZAF part of the airport (now Pacific Aerospace) and the airport entrance is dug down below ground level, like you see on many airport perimeters. On the radio was “Reet Petite” by Jackie ?? (somebody, from the 1960’s in one of those 1980’s comebacks thanks to a film soundtrack). Right when the song got to where he sings “rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr reet petite”, this Harvard appeared ahead and flew low, hrd and fast straight at us. There was noting else in view but grass embankments either side and a Harvard making an attack. Wow, I was hooked. Even my sister was thrilled by it.

The airshow was my first that i recall (though I had been to many r/c airshows as Dad was into that – I thought and still think r/c is crap). There were four or five Harvards, a DH89 and some crappy little Hawker Fury replicas (Isaacs). That’s all i rememebr but I know I wanted more. I started reading NZ Wings magazine, and that was it.

Happy days. The next airshow I got to wasn’t till 1990, at Ardmore, but that was awesome – the Venom and Mustang tailchase was to die for! Pity we never see that routine nowadays….