Dave HomewoodAlso does anyone know the answer to Noel’s query about how did the RAAF get their Sabres home to Australia from Butterworth? As they were at war with Indonesia at the time they could not transit through there, so what was the ferrying route?
Dave HomewoodI frequently switch into Victor Meldrew mode by winding some of the “PC Brigade” up, the good thing is, that at my age, I get away with most of it, but never quite cross the line. 😀
Jim.
Lincoln .7
Speaking of Victor Meldrew, I was wondering recently what ever happened to our resident Victor, Pete Truman? I looked up his account to see if he’d died or something and found that Moggy gave him a temporary ‘short’ suspension and that was in 2009. I’d hate to get a more strict punishment from Moggy! 🙂
Dave HomewoodI frequently switch into Victor Meldrew mode by winding some of the “PC Brigade” up, the good thing is, that at my age, I get away with most of it, but never quite cross the line. 😀
Jim.
Lincoln .7
Speaking of Victor Meldrew, I was wondering recently what ever happened to our resident Victor, Pete Truman? I looked up his account to see if he’d died or something and found that Moggy gave him a temporary ‘short’ suspension and that was in 2009. I’d hate to get a more strict punishment from Moggy! 🙂
Dave HomewoodSteve died the same day that my Dad died. It’s been almost eight years and I have long ago come to grips with the fact that Dad’s gone. I don’t get all upset every time some little thing reminds me he was once around and no longer is. The same goes for Steve.
Dave HomewoodWhere does this leave the popular homebuild aircraft, the Midget Mustang?
This PC nonsense is a crock of poo.
Dave HomewoodWhere does this leave the popular homebuild aircraft, the Midget Mustang?
This PC nonsense is a crock of poo.
Dave HomewoodInventor Gustave Whitehead, of Bridgeport, Conn., recently conducted a series of trial tests with his machine at Charles Island, Milford. He is elated over the success of the trials. He asserts that he made a complete circuit in the air, covering an area of about a quarter of a mile, returning to within 50 feet of the starting point, when the machine descended and dropped lightly to the sandy shore. “The flights were a complete success,” said Whitehead. “I had a kerosene motor, which worked perfectly. I steered the machine by running one propeller faster than the other, and there was not a hitch of any kind.”
Suggests to me that he didn’t have effective flight controls.
Hang on, if he could control the direction of the flight through using the throttles then surely that is a form of flight control – he was controlling the flight, he was not out of control and he was able to point the aircraft where he wanted and it went there. So just because he didn’t have some bits that came along later to control flight doesn’t mean he wasn’t controlling his flight, surely?
Dave HomewoodA 1902 report in New Zealand Auckland Star newspaper – is whitehead talking about a dirigible airship like the other types mentioned or a more conventional (now) aeroplane? For some time into the early part of the 20th Century the press seems to have talked about aeroplanes as ‘airships’.
Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 131, 4 June 1902, Page 6
AERIAL NAVIGATION.
ST. LOUIS, April 13.
Santos Dumont, the'”wizard of the air,” who is now en route to St. Liuis to confer with World’s Fair officials on the subject of the airship races to take place during the progress of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, may find warmer competition among the American aeronauts than he anticipates at this time.
Many American inventors, with plenty of money to back them up, are laying plans to dispute the Brazilian’s title to being the “all of it” when it comes to navigation in the clouds.
Probably the most formidable contestant Santos Dumont will have for the big prize will be Alanson Wood, the Toledo (Ohio) Inventor, who, with his partner, made a fortune in twelve short months from his invention—the roller coaster. Mr Wood is now completing the detail work on an airship, with which he will compete for the prize at the St. Louis World’s Fair for the best dirigible airship. Mr Wood can lift 25,000 pounds with the locomotive force he intends to employ on his ship. Practical tests given his apparatus have demonstrated to the’ inventor that his machine will be a success.
Leo Stevens is the name of another airship builder who thinks his machine is an improvement on the Santos Dumont machine. It will be propelled by wings very much the same as the Santos Dumont machine, but there will be two gas balloons instead of one, a smaller one being built within the larger one, and a water ballast attachment on a sliding track to keep the equilibrium of the machine perfect. What he considers his greatest, improvement over Dumont’s machine is the addition of two automatic wings attached to the balloon, which will fold up when the balloon shoots upward and open as it descends, acting on the parachute principle and thereby preventing him from coming down to the earth too rapidly.
Alvin W. Van Dorston, a skilled mechanic and pattern-maker, of South Bend, Ind., has a patent pending for a flying machine to be operated by gasoline. The body of the vessel is 100 feet long by 37 feet beam in the widest place. The total weight of the machine will be 1600 pounds. The lifting surface is 2500 feet. Included in this lifting surface are 96 lifting wheels. 48 on each side.
Inventor Gustave Whitehead, of Bridgeport, Conn., recently conducted a series of trial tests with his machine at Charles Island, Milford. He is elated over the success of the trials. He asserts that he made a complete circuit in the air, covering an area of about a quarter of a mile, returning to within 50 feet of the starting point, when the machine descended and dropped lightly to the sandy shore. “The flights were a complete success,” said Whitehead. “I had a kerosene motor, which worked perfectly. I steered the machine by running one propeller faster than the other, and there was not a hitch of any kind.”
Hermann Ganswindt, a noted Berlin inventor, for ten years has been experimenting, and has finally produced an airship which flies successfully by means of a motor and without the use of a balloon. Ganswindt has repeatedly demonstrated the practicability of his invention before the chief of the general staff of the German army.
Dave HomewoodBushell, read my post again. This is a news item from 1937. We all know it was never dropped. It’s an interesting piece of history that never happened.
Dave HomewoodNor had I Stepwilk and a mate and I were wondering if the aero club system even existed there. We both did some googling and found there are clubs there using the name Aero Club. Including the Aero Club of the United States of America. Maybe they were started by ex-pat British, Aussies and Kiwis?
Dave HomewoodHaha.
I only recently discovered that the USA is not completely devoid of the use of the word aero as they apparently have aero clubs there. Not air clubs.
Dave HomewoodI really cannot work out why people get upset if an older thread is added to, the threads don’t become meaningless just because they dropped off page one!
I have lots of favourite airshow moments but two recent ones will always stand out:
– The first air dislay of Mosquito KA114 at Ardmore, perfect flying and such emotion, the crowd stunned into silence and seeing the veterans weeping.
– The last display of Mosquito KA114 at Masterton, in company with the two Spitfires, two P-40’s, the Corsair and the Mustang, and then seeing it go into a stunning solo routine that coupled with the very nice music and the knowledge that this would be the last time I saw it, really hit home. Again a silent crowd, watching in awe, and many tears shed too no doubt.
Dave HomewoodYes, you can see it clearly when blown up (and even on the original which is unusual as they usually hav some number obscured or too dark).
Dave HomewoodI was just doing some hunting around the internet to find out whe the film premiered in NZ, but have not been able to find a date. Does anyone know?
I did find a Canadian newspaper article that stated in the Uk for the first premiere (15th of September 1969) around 150 fighters ‘aces’ as it put it gathered to remember their time in the real battle. I wonder if anyone has a list of which veterans were there? I guess some UK-based kiwis may have attended, like Al Deere, Bill Wells, Keith Lawrence, Bernie Brown, etc?
It was neat to find the photo i linked above and see that Sir Keith Park attended. My friend I borrowed it off was there with her Dad, Bill Kain, and she said Sir Keith made a speech to the audience and then got all the battle veterans to stand up and be introduced.
Dave HomewoodI have not seen any sign of the next two yet.
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