onetrack

Dmech - Yes, I note one historian with a DC3 history website, making that statement about "not paying a cent" for the build rights. But he offers no proof, nor any official references, so the statement can only rate as hearsay until official references are provided. The Americans are usually pretty good at making recalcitrant payers pay up, and they have plenty of ways and means of doing so - they will seize assets, including bank funds, if they so desire.

If the Russians never paid Douglas for the Lisunov Li-2 build rights, this would quite likely feature in some discussions in Congressional Records. I have not yet found it mentioned anywhere, in any CR's.

However, it is interesting, the amount of free War equipment the Americans gave the Russians during WW2 under Lend-Lease. They delivered more free War equipment to Russia, than any other Allied Nation.

There is a list in the article below - but it's far from comprehensive. The article fails to mention the number of locomotives and the amount of rolling stock provided to Russia by the U.S.

The numbers of American locomotives supplied to Russia during WW2 run into the multiple thousands, and rolling stock into many thousands more railway items.

None of this was ever paid for, simply because it was handed over under the Lend-Lease Act, which was a completely different deal to that done between individual American manufacturers and the Russians, before WW2 began.

https://share.america.gov/america-sent-equipment-to-soviet-union-in-world-war-ii/

... a huge export market in Gowk meat to the Chinese, seeing as they were struggling to get enough pork, since Swine Fever had decimated their pork industry. The Gowk meat industry actually started to reverse the outstanding trade imbalance between Australia and China, as the Chinese couldn't get enough of the Gowk meat, and Onetracks Gowk meat business struggled to meet the demand.

This booming business of OT's made Turbo and Cappy look for some way to get a piece of the action - so they decided to start crossing Cats with other feline species, to try and improve the Cats size and meat production and the flavour of the formerly terrible-tasting Cat meat from the Turbine Enterprises Cat abattoirs operations.

But they failed dismally, as the Chinese refused to buy their new offerings, saying they tasted just as bad as the old TE offerings - which were inedible, anyway.

But Cappy, ever the irrepressible raconteur, had a plan. He was going to BS his way into......

It is a Lisunov Li-2. Not a copy, and it was built under licence from Douglas, so I don't know where the story originated about "not paying a cent for licence or copyright". Makes for a good urban legend at the bar, though.

Boris Pavlovich Lisunov and Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev spent more than 2 years working at Douglas Aircraft Corp in the U.S., to translate the design and blueprints into Russian and metric measurements. No mean feat.

The Lisunov Li-2 was so different to the DC-3, there would have been very few interchangeable parts or components. The Shvetsov ASh-62 radial was a Russian development of the Wright R-1820, with 2-speed supercharging and an improved intake manifold. The substantial number of changes to the Lisunov Li-2 over the DC-3 design, were all related to improving operation in bitter Siberian weather conditions, and utilising metric Russian materials and sizes.

The Russians built around 5000 Lisunov Li-2's, which outnumbers the approximately 600 DC-3's built.

But when you add in over 10,000 C-47's built for the U.S. military during WW2, the Russian production of their version is only half of the American factories production.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisunov_Li-2

It just makes you wonder what was going through these entertainers minds, to write such silly nonsense. I guess it's in the realm of Spike Milligan silliness.

I'd have to opine a coolant heated ring between carburettor and manifold would have so little effect on the intake mixture, you wouldn't even notice it in operation.

If it was a coolant-heated intake manifold - well, they've been around for 100 years and they have been proven to offer advantages as regards smoothness of operation, and improved fuel economy.

There's a very intensive 1920 study on a heated manifold on a 6 cyl automotive engine, that's available on the 'net. Their testing was extensive and thorough.

But the testing was all about improving throttle response and fuel economy in the early days of motoring, when the engineers were still coming to grips with manifold designs, mixture flow patterns, and fuel droplet size.

The HR Holdens were fitted with a coolant-heated manifold, which improved throttle response, made for a smoother-running engine and which also improved fuel economy under most conditions.

In high ambient temperature conditions, the advantages of a coolant-heated manifold are minimal.

As regards intake icing in aircraft engines, if there was a good reason for fitting coolant heating arrangements to aircraft engines intakes, to counter icing, it would have been done 90 or 100 years ago.

I don't recall any aviation engine that has ever featured an intake design fitted with coolant heating, but perhaps I've missed it.

....well above the scrawny, runty Eastern-Staters, who surrounded him, looking for leadership. But Onetrack was used to being head and shoulders above the rest, it was just part of his known abilities to lead men when they were directionless and overwhelmed by foreign viruses - as the Eastern Staters currently were.

"A Royal Commission Is Necessary, As Regards This Interference in International Trade!" thundered the headlines in the local Daily Blab - which was funded by Clive Palmer, of course. Naturally, the headline was referring to the Giant Jedi Rat's interference into the Chinese bid for the important numbers - a bid that, if successful, would have meant enough money to buy everyone in Australia a new Foton dual-cab ute, with a new Drifter thrown in as well.

It was little wonder there was general public interest in the Chinese bid. After, the Chinese owned most of Sidknee, didn't they? - as well as swags of prime Australian Farmland, the Port of Darwin, and most of Australia's fishing enterprises. As such, China was as interested in bringing Austlalia "into the fold", the same as they wanted those annoying Hong Kongers returned to full Chinese dictatorsh.... errr, Leadership. But Chairman Dan knew what to do, and he......

...the Chinese, as 19-06 is an auspicious number in the year of the Rat. But Cappy, being the Nice Jedi Rat he is, decided he wanted that number instead, so he ensured the Chinese bid for the number was interminably delayed, stating the COVID-19 virus was responsible for the serious delay in contact from the Chinese, when in fact, Cappy had....

It's only a DG if it's listed on airline DG lists. PLB's can be carried onboard, or in checked baggage, without restrictions.

Just make sure it's packed securely and well-protected, so the mail-handling gorillas can play football with it, without damaging it.

https://www.qantas.com/au/en/travel-info/baggage/dangerous-goods/recreational-and-sporting-petrol-powered-equipment.html#epirbs-and-personal-locator-beacons-plbs

The Smart car crash test at 70mph into a concrete barrier proves up the vehicles crashworthiness, as regards body structural integrity, impact crumple zones, airbags, etc - but the bottom line is, if person had been in the vehicle, they'd still be dead. You can't beat bulkiness around you for protection.

Ahh, you have indicated a little confusion in your mind, as regards bearing load-carrying shapes, OME.

Roller bearings are a whole lot different design to ball bearings - and taper roller bearings and barrel roller bearings, are a whole lot different stories again.

The video is specifically about the manufacture of balls for ball bearings, I didn't see a roller bearing anywhere. But it's a very good explanation of how balls for bearings are manufactured.

A good rule of thumb is that ball bearings are used in lightly-loaded and high speed applications, but roller bearings are used in applications where heavy loads need to be carried.

Taper roller bearings are adjustable for preload, and barrel roller bearings are "all position", and are used when the drive or members flex under extreme loading. The barrel roller allows for the bearing race flexing under those extreme loads.

Flat roller bearings are used when loads are very heavy and they have to endure worn steel particles from other components, such as gears, going through them regularly. They have higher roller to race clearances than any other bearings.

Ball bearings have been relegated to cheap installations today, whereas, before WW2, ball bearings were common in many applications, including wheel bearings.

Wheel bearings on vehicles are typical of an application where ball bearings have virtually disappeared, and the ubiquitous taper roller bearing has replaced them, due to the taper roller bearings superior performance.

I'm often surprised at the lack of interior finish and poor design in many RA aircraft - interiors that could be easily upgraded to offer a much higher level of body protection when you hit it in a crash, if more padding was added and angular shapes rounded.

If you take a look at the HK Holdens, they were the first Holdens to offer a real "driver and passenger safety" design. Simple things such as better dash padding, elimination of sharp edges in interior fittings, a blunt gearstick knob, breakaway interior mirror, and so on.

Many injuries from crashes are the result of the body coming into heavy impact contact with dangerous sharp edges and unforgiving attachments and controls. It's surprising the number of people who were impaled on sharp-pointed gearsticks in prangs in earlier days. Solid steering shafts that were driven through the steering wheel to impale the driver, led to the now-standard collapsible steering column that we take for granted today.

I'm sure that with a little more thought, many RA aircraft designs could be easily upgraded with safety padding (including instrument panel padding) that would lead to better survivability for RA pilots and pax involved in forced landings.

I see many instrument panel edges on current RA designs that look like they belong to 1920's models, as regards sharp edges and a lack of padding.

Of course, if your impact speed is high and the angle of arrival is steep, then no amount of safety features will save you.

I think there needs to be an investigation as to why crash services were so late on the scene. They may have been able to save that little pilot, if they'd been on the scene earlier!

I think that aircraft builder has a potential lawsuit against his adhesive supplier.

A French memorial to Capt. George Rarey in the link below. Damon Rarey, his son, is now also deceased. Makes you realise just how far back WW2, is now.

I noticed the number of WW2 veterans in our Anzac Day march, start to fall away rapidly about 10 or so years ago. It won't be long before the last WW2 veteran is gone.

https://www.database-memoire.eu/prive/en-us/normandy-all-soldiers/64-colleville-r-us/1326-rarey-george-w-379-fs-362-fg

Is that little pilot O.K.???

As my old Sgt used to say - "There's one (would-be comic) in every troop!"

....owers of Turdojuice onto the nearby diners, who recoiled in horror, at the colour of the .....

Interesting reference to (not using) polarised sunglasses in this prang ...

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2002/aair/aair200200548/

These people screeching about the "destruction of the economy" and "unemployment levels like the Great Depression" fail to understand that the largest % of businesses in Australia are doing quite nicely, thank you - despite the COVID-19 restrictions - and many are in boom conditions as regards sales and work levels.

We cannot get workers from amongst the unemployed to go to the rural areas where the work is, because; A: many "unemployed" are "unemployable" - and B: many of the younger generation have had it too good for too long, and place greater priority on having mobile phone contact 24/7/365, socialising with friends, and "hanging out" at the mall - rather than buckling down, practising some self-discipline, and going to rural and remote areas to find some work.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-01/wa-regional-pubs-desperate-for-workers/12512096

If I may comment on Turbo's statement, "get the mines moving again (in W.A.)" - I can assure you that W.A. is currently in a near-normal state of economic activity and business operations (and certainly mining), thanks to McGowan's hard stance on closing the W.A. border and treating every entry into W.A. as a suspect virus carrier.

I have been out in the Wheatbelt and even as far as Kalgoorlie in recent days, and I'm staggered at the amount of general activity. Traffic levels are huge, movements of machinery, fabricated structures, parts and equipment, vehicles (even large numbers of new campers and caravans being transported), huge amounts of road-building is continuing unabated. Building and renovation works are continuing at a good pace.

The only businesses suffering are those associated with mass tourism from overseas visitors - airports, tour agencies, and car hire companies. Even restaurants and cafes are back to near normal (apart from those who have chosen to stay closed).

The cleaning industry has boomed, cleaning suppliers are rejoicing as profits soar, the health industry is booming, with demand for nursing staff, carers and associated health staff at peak levels.

Clive Palmer is rapidly being exposed for the narcissistic bully he is, and I note the Federal Govt, which supported Palmers effort to get W.A. to open its border, has withdrawn its support for Palmers case, after initially supporting it.

It's pretty obvious the Federal Govt raced in to support Palmers lawsuit as political payback for his massive help in getting elected - but now that Victoria's disastrous state has exposed the strength of W.A.'s lockdown moves, they have decided that their support for Palmers case is looking somewhat shaky.

I can tell you, right now, I'm glad I live in the lockdown State of W.A. - and I might add that 96% of West Australians have indicated support for McGowan, and his approach to the entry and control of COVID-19 in W.A.

A CRJ-200ER with the engines on backwards? LOL! Good one! That must be the new Italian fighter jet design! Get away from the enemy at high speed!

I had a good teacher in high school. He used to regularly say - "For all practical purposes" when describing a process involving physics. One day, someone asked, "Sir, what do you mean by the statement, 'For all practical purposes'..?"

"Well", he replied, "Let me give you an example. We place a teenage boy and a teenage girl X distance apart. We continually move them closer together, by halving the distance between them, with each physical move".

"They will never, ever completely touch! But they'll be close enough, for all practical purposes!"

I often wonder how Australians would cope with a real war where 1000's die every day.

And with that dumb statement, you've displayed your faulty logic and erroneous thought processes - whereby you're comparing mankind-initiated War, to a stealthy and deadly virus, which attacks and kills in ways that not even the scientists can yet understand.

There is NO logical comparison between a pandemic and a War. I don't know how you can draw parallels, there are none.

In War, the enemy is identifiable by all, they have stated aims of destruction, they attack with known and understood methods, and those attacked develop strategies that are understood and which work, to defeat the attackers.

In a pandemic, the attacker is poorly or little understood, it attacks randomly, and enters the individuals body unseen, and many stupid people think they are immune to this enemy, or they believe this enemy doesn't exist ("it's a hoax!").

It's not only a problem trying to get a bubble canopy open when you're inverted - there are numerous records of bubble canopies with latching problems causing crashes, too.

A bubble canopy opening in flight on a Lancair creates major control problems. I remember the bloke at Geraldton, W.A., with the Lancair (VH-ALP) who took off with an improperly latched canopy.

He tried to return to the airfield but crashed into the perimeter fence after first hitting a road kerb. It was deemed that the canopy flew partly open, and caused a loss of control. The article below, about the problem, is lengthy.

https://www.lancairowners.com/sites/www.lancairowners.com/files/wp-content/uploads/Legacy-Canopy-Safety-Issue-27-April-2014.pdf

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2013/aair/ao-2013-158/

Yow, I bet that got the Chinook crew's attention pretty sharply!

...... he remembered he had to alter the title to include "from Bunnings Aerospace" - because everyone knows, that as soon as you mention Bunnings, every single person down to the lowliest street sweeper, understands the instructions, immediately and completely.

It took him less than 4 hrs to write the entire set of instructions, and post an advert for the kit on Farcebook. He was immediately overwhelmed by the deluge of inquiries from Farcebook users who wanted to escape from Victorias savage lockdown - and they saw the kit as their heaven-sent answer.

He set to, emailing out the instructions, and watching the money roll into his PayPal account. This was like taking lollies from babies, without the crying!

He jumped around in glee - but there was still a nagging concern in the back of his mind. Would the ......