planedriver

Are there virgins in QLD??

Married to an ex-priest:scratching head:

Just found some more info OME

http://www.on-target-aviation.com/Lanc%20NX611%20&%20PA474.html

You and others might find this interesting reading.

Today (Monday) I went to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire which is where the RAF Battle of Britain Flight is based. Luckily today was the first day after the Christmas/New Year break, so when I got there, there were hardly any visitors. I went on a hangar tour with two visitors and the Guide. Since it is winter, all the planes are undergoing maintenance (like Annuals) so most have them had panels opened up. Because there was only three of us in the tour group, I was allowed to get up close and personal with the planes. As we were finishing the tour, the Air craftsmen came back from lunch, so I was escorted around the hangar and allowed to get even closer to the Lanc.I've mentioned before that I haven't loaded a program on my laptop that will allow me to resize the file size of the pictures so I can post them here. I'll do it when I get home and post the photos.

 

After I left Coningsby, I went up the road to East Kirkby where the privately owned Lanc is located. I didn't go into the hangar to see it as I had seen enough at Coningsby. However, I did find out that the Lanc they are reconditioning was once owned by an Australian organisation much like HAAS. That was back in 1965. In the same year, two other Lancs were sold to Perth. (The three Lancs had been sold by the French Air Force, which had bought them from the British after WWll for use in French Indo-China.)

 

After that I went to the hotel at Woodhall Spa which was where the officers of the Dam Buster squadron were billitted.

 

I went into the Dam Buster's bar and took another heap of photographs which you will have to wait for until I get back home.

 

OME

The paint firm that my father worked after retiring from the police force, were possibly going to donate camaflage paint for it's restoration.

It apparently arrived virtually on 2 engines, one was dead and another was just about running on its last legs.

It had to be issued with a special C of A to fly it to fly it the short distance north (to Derby I think, from memory) where the engines were to be overhauled.

At that stage of it's life, I think it had just been aquired by The Historic Aircraft Preservation Society? (I think thats what they were called)

Crawling to the rear gunners position, I realised just how vunerable those poor buggers were, having lost an uncle in that position after they got hit by flak over Germany.

The second time I went over it with a friend of my dads, (the name Mick Ronaine springs to mind) who had something to do with it being brought back to the UK, I was allowed on the flight deck when they ran a couple of the engines. The whole fuselage seem to almost shake itself to pieces, and it was just so bloody noisey, I couldn't wait to get out of the thing.

Mick had been a pilot in the RAF during WW2, then left to join Londons Metropolitan Police Force where my Dad worked for 32yrs.

The calling of the air, got the better of him, so Mick went back to running The Pheonix Flying Club/Metropolitan Poice Flying Club at Biggin Hill where his enthusiasm got me to take my first flying lesson.

It would be so interesting to learn more about this old Lanc, i'll have to do some more research, but if anyone else has information on it, please pass it on.

Kind Regards

Planey

....slightly bent at the moment due to........

windshear.........on finals to my planned destination without any deviations.

I used to stop the car so my misses could check out Harrods of Knightsbridge. I thought that was the least I could do for her.

It was normally on a Sunday night after droping her rello's home when the store was closed, but it still counts.

wannabe 5 mile higher candidate.

The Spitfire in question is a civilian registered Mk 19 , registered G-GGRN , reflecting the Griffon engine in the rego . It is one of 79 Mk19s built by Supermarine at Southampton . I understand that the aircraft was acquired by Rolls Royce plc from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight ( BBMF) in the mid 90s and as such was now an ex BBMF aircraft and was no longer based at RAF Coningsby but based at the East Midland Airport , the location of the incident .

At the height of the blitz, my family and me included, spent a lot of time sheltering in Kenley caves. Maybe thats why I was in the habit of draging the misses around by the hair, until she got jack of it.

The C-130 gear collapse is interesting, the main gear retracts up vertically by screw jacks. Once we were leaving Darwin during Air force days in the 70s in a fully loaded herc, one engine failed to start normally, (right outboard from memory). We did several runs down the long runway trying to windmill start it with no success. Finally on the third or fourth run the pilot informed us we were going this time regardless. We departed with the engine windmilling but not running, but it did start in-flight shortly after, for an uneventual return to Williamtown..............................Maj...

It would be an interesting read.

I bet Nev's experiences over the years, would be interesting as well.

Kind Regards

Planey

Three babies are sitting in their prams just inside a supermarket entrance.

One baby looks at the another and says " how are you getting on with your Mum?"

Tell you the truth, i'm not real happy. She keeps feeding me those little Heinz cans. It doesn't matter whether its apple, vegetables, or chocolate custard, they all taste the same.

The second baby replied, 'I'm still on formula, and she insists on crushing up rusks and putting it in the bottle as well. It's so damn hard to suck it through the tiny hole in the teat, I go blue in the face.

The third baby said, "you are nothing but a pair of whingers, i'm still on the tit and have to share it with a bloke that smokes a pipe:drool:

Is this another accident after maintenance?

A beautifull looking aircraft but not sure about the exhaust pipe being that low to the ground when landing or taxying on dry grass (fire risk).Alan.

Thats also cheap flying, if you already own a good pair of dark sunnies:smoking:

My sort of price tag, but sadly nowhere to park it.

Well done Stuart, we're all proud of you mate:cheers: , and no doubt you're feeling a bit chuffed yourself.

And rightly so! It goes up a bit quicker without the big bugger in the back seat.

Can't wait for my next trip up to the bay, when i'll be twisting your arm a bit.

So all those trials , tribulations and uncertainties have have finaly paid off for you.

Now it's practice, practice, practice.

Kind regards

Planey

Two little kids are in a hospital, lying on stretchers next to each other

outside the operating room, the first surgeries of the day.

The first kid leans over and asks, "What are you in here for?"

The second kid says, "I'm getting my tonsils out, and I'm afraid."

The first kid says, "You've got nothing to worry about. I had that done

when I was four. They put you to sleep, and when you wake up they give you

lots of Jell-O and ice cream. It's a breeze."

The second kid then asks, "What are you here for?"

The first kid says, "Circumcision."

"Whoa!" the second kid replies, "Good luck, buddy. I had that done when I was born. Couldn't walk for a whole year."

Hey Paney, Glass juice bottles have a bigger neck, if that helps!

An Orchy bottle would probably suffice these days:crying:

Just don't use a shoping bag then try to push it through the hole in the side windows. Seen that trick fail before:yikes:

Looks like a wonderful trip Rob. Glad you and Sal made an un-eventual and safe return.

Thanks for posting the pics mate. They're up to the usual standard that we've come to expect from you.

Also pleased to see no pictures of Sal practicing spin recovery's in the Savvy.

Presumably, if you flew into Bankstown, the Savvy now boasts a transponder?

Shame you missed out on the 12 Appostles, but that"s the way it goes sometimes.

Something to look forward to next time.

Don't know how you managed the 5.1hr leg?, but you're a lot younger than me, so i'm sure that makes a hell of a difference. (Maybe it was that new washer from Bunnings that did the trick).

Kind regards

Planey

Hi all,I got back into flying this year after a 9 year break from it. One of the guys at my new job has a pilot certificate, and after talking with him, i decided to fly again. Money is a bit tight, so can't fly as much as I would like. I got my pilot certificate in June, but only joined the forum recently. Its a great forum, with lots of interesting reading. I fly out of Tyabb in Victoria, and have been flying in their Gazelle's and their Cessna 162.

Welcome back to flying joyou68, and also to these forums. Was down your way this arvo, but now back in Sydney.

How did you find the Cessna 162?

Hi Paul,Sue here only to happy to help you out can you pm me on sueqatnetspace.net.au with full name & address will get it off to you tomorrow ok.

Regards

 

Sue & John

Good on you! and if you want icing mixed for a special occasion cake, Johns the man for that too

The Concorde was old technology for sure , but they made it work. some of the parts were from planes 20 years older. The way it operated was a tribute to the training and enthusiasm of the crews.. The Boeing SST did not eventuate although it used more modern metallurgy. The TU 144 did not crash due to any fault of the plane itself, at Paris. but that's another story. Nev

With regard to the TU144 crash, the story that was related to me sometime later, was that espionage had been rife in the early days, and Russia had much of the original design details. The original design of the wing was not up to the mark and consequently re-designed, security had been much improved, leaving the Russians with the original design. It seems more than a coincidence that both aircraft were being made at around the same time, and both the appearance and dimensions were so very similar.

I'm obviously not in any position to say whether that was the case or not, but that was the story circulating after the event.

I was fortunate enough to get a ride back from Bahrain to Heathrow in a Concorde back in 1976 after doing some work for British Airways, and that was a lot more exciting that the Trident flight on the outbound journey.

Still don't know why they had frosted glass in the toilet window, after all, no ones going to see you at 65,000ft and if they do, who cares?

BA did close to 50,000 flights with them while they were in service. Thank god I never got stuck with the fuel bill.

Just that crackling roar as they raced down the runway used to make the hair on back stand up. The VC10 was the same.

Bloody noisey, but still a thing of beauty.

tomorrows stage will be Grampians, to Warrnambool, down to The 12 Apostles, then up to Ballarat, just to top up the main tanks, then up to Mildura, and if time weather permitting, then up to Bindara Station near Minindi Lakes. quote]

hope you post a few pics when you get back.

Take care and have a great trip, sounds great to me Rob.

Geez! Alan

I remember that incident as well, you're stirring my memory now.

About four years after that event, I flew out of Gerona Airport (Costa Brava) in a British Eagle Brittania on our way back from holiday and all the seats faced backwards which at first seemed strange. We were told that all aircraft would probably be that way in future for safety reasons.

I reckon, it was so we could look back on a good holiday, after it was all over:tongue in cheek:

Welcome to the forums Pistol Pete.

Hopefully your avitar does not refer to your drinking habits:cheers: prior to flying?

There's a few larrikins here, and lots to learn.

Great to have you with us.

Kind Regards

Planey

I got a top-of-the-range migrane from being the only bloke amongst seven women who had'nt caught up with each other for years.

Had to cancel trip to Melbourne to see daughter and grand kids late Christmas Eve as they all came down with a gastro virus.

Next year i'll have a plan 2.

I reckon I have Christmas every day of the year when I fly. I've got a fantastic wife who loves to come flying with me and when she can't she just say's " fly safe & have a good trip love" .What more can a man want?

BPN

Where would we be without you Nev? Always love your responses.

It was just a thought.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas mate, and don't forget to log on next next year, or there'll big big trouble.

Kindest Regards

Alan