T66
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 09:54 AM |
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WW2 Coastal Command - Pictures
Beaufighters, Sunderland Flying boats, amazing pictures....
http://www.apacheclips.com/media/36594/RAF_COASTAL_COMMAND_-_part_1/
http://www.apacheclips.com/media/36595/RAF_COASTAL_COMMAND_-_part_2/
http://www.apacheclips.com/media/36596/RAF_COASTAL_COMMAND_-_part_3/ (PIC2 = 12 aircraft in the picture-scary close)
http://www.apacheclips.com/media/36598/RAF_COASTAL_COMMAND_-_part_4/
http://www.apacheclips.com/media/36601/RAF_COASTAL_COMMAND_-_part_5/
http://www.apacheclips.com/media/36602/RAF_COASTAL_COMMAND_-_part_6/
[Edited on 9/11/11 by T66]
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bobinspain
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 10:35 AM |
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FWIW. In the early 70's I used to fly with an old WWII engineer called Joe Major. He served on Sunderlands and said it was something of a
novelty to do your b/f (before flight) inspection in a rowing boat.
Just finished 'Fighter Boys' and 'Bomber Boys,' both by Patrick Bishop. Very well researched and written. About 6/7 years old
now, but at 400 pages each, they're authoritative without being repetitive. Highly recommended.
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bmseven
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 10:36 AM |
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Thx Interesting site 
BMW 7 Resource
Bures Pit anyone?
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scootz
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 10:37 AM |
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It's Evolution Baby!
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T66
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 12:03 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by bobinspain
FWIW. In the early 70's I used to fly with an old WWII engineer called Joe Major. He served on Sunderlands and said it was something of a
novelty to do your b/f (before flight) inspection in a rowing boat.
Just finished 'Fighter Boys' and 'Bomber Boys,' both by Patrick Bishop. Very well researched and written. About 6/7 years old
now, but at 400 pages each, they're authoritative without being repetitive. Highly recommended.
Ive picked both books up and put them down several times, I will get there eventually.
Its great when you find these old guys with a tale to tell, my first wifes Grandfather was WW2 pilot, trained in Canada on Tiger Moths, then ended up
on Beaufighters for a while, finished off on a pathfinder squadron flying Mosquitoes - He once loaned me his log books, in one sortie they were
attacked by 3 x Junkers 88s over the North sea, they shot 2 down and the other did off. Other entries were left blank for security reasons
...excellent reading.
He's dead now bless him, I used to see him about twice a month for years, and never knew what he did, I could talk to him all day he was
fascinating.
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RK
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 01:17 PM |
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I was flying Canso PBY-5A's right into the 80's. Waterbombing gave them a second life. I quit flying because I didn't see any good
jobs around; you know, ones with relatively MODERN airplanes. Haven't looked back very often and made the right choice. Many guys I flew with,
in all sorts of airplanes, died flying. Ironically, being a pilot paid my way through university!
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watsonpj
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 01:34 PM |
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grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Block reason: Forbidden Category "Violence/Hate/Racism"
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mrwibble
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 02:25 PM |
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nice pictures, seems to suggest they're available on british war museum web site?
not surprised it blocked you, bit of a gun nut website...not sure the guys who flew those missions / were on the receiving end, would be talking about
the "excitment in the photos"...
[Edited on 9/11/11 by mrwibble]
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T66
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 03:20 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by RK
I was flying Canso PBY-5A's right into the 80's. Waterbombing gave them a second life. I quit flying because I didn't see any good
jobs around; you know, ones with relatively MODERN airplanes. Haven't looked back very often and made the right choice. Many guys I flew with,
in all sorts of airplanes, died flying. Ironically, being a pilot paid my way through university!
Working on aircraft for a living is fine, but if they dont inspire absolute confidence in their ability to remain airborne, why would you want to work
on them. My boss has just retired, and his parting shot was that he had looked after the maintenance/servicing for nearly 16 years, and his whole
purpose being there was to ensure the aircraft was safe to operate. Its not a world where corners can be cut, its dangerous enough.
I see amateur fliers leave aircraft out in all weathers, leaving them unchecked. Weeks go by and they dont move, then a few guys turn up, quick walk
round it, kick the tyres , spend more time with their maps, then off they go flying.
Scary...
PBY5s - Wheres your pictures then ? must have some ...
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bobinspain
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 03:41 PM |
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T66
Some of the tales and archive stuff are wonderful. I trained as a navigator in the late 60s at RAF Finningley. In the main corridor, we had on the
wall a facsimile of one of the 617 Sqn navigators' logbook, 16/17 may 1943, from Operation Chastise. It was just less than one page long for a 6
hour sortie. I forget the precise time, but written in block capitals beneath more 'mundane' entries were the words, 'BOMB GONE.
WIZARD!'
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T66
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 04:15 PM |
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A navigator before GPS - you any good with maps & maths then ?
I was at Oxford Kidlington a couple of years ago, and we gave the guy who restored the Hurricane a push back into his hanger,he found it in India
and brought it to the UK to restore. It is very nice, likewise the guy is also very friendly.
The BBMF Dakota was also there, so we managed a swift look over that aswell.
Classic metal (and sticks)
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bobinspain
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 05:18 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by T66
A navigator before GPS - you any good with maps & maths then ?
I was at Oxford Kidlington a couple of years ago, and we gave the guy who restored the Hurricane a push back into his hanger,he found it in India
and brought it to the UK to restore. It is very nice, likewise the guy is also very friendly.
The BBMF Dakota was also there, so we managed a swift look over that aswell.
Classic metal (and sticks)
The secret to competent navigation is rapid arithmetic (not necessarily maths). I realise your question's rhetorical, but it's
interesting.
I used GPS in 1980 on a trial when it was in its infancy and with only 6 satellites, whilst on the GD Aerosystems course at RAFC Cranwell.
Fast Fourier transforms and higher mathematics don't help a jot in the air. When you're doing 8 miles a minute the ability to stay calm
and get a close 'guestimate' out in seconds and refine it in minutes is the order of the day.
As an instructor, I can attest that many a graduates' brain turned to mush as soon as things started to unravel when flying at 35,000 ft and
doing 400kts.
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T66
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 09:29 PM |
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Yes I can imagine the silence on the intercom - as the helmet fires start, normally the first sign of the pressure building.
Our nav is normally within our own "bubble" so we tend to know where we are, workload goes up when we go off the patch. So the GPS gets us
into the area, then we use an A-Z for the local stuff. So its nothing approaching nav as you know it, , more technology with a bit of map stuff at
the end. Workload goes up and down depending on what we are doing.
Relying on gps is great until it doesnt work, we all use 250k / 50k or even the A-Zs for getting about, the GPS is a backup.
So was it Dominies in the 70s ? must of been at 400kts..
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bobinspain
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 09:41 PM |
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T66.
Spot on. Cruise was 360kts. Lovely little aircraft, (HS 125 in its civilian guise). A bit cramped, but a great teaching platform. The pilot was in
total control, including navigation, as you'd imagine, but the 'nav students' were in charge as far as they were concerned.
It's all history now, (rightly). I can't imagine anyone needing to airplot their way out of trouble these days. That said, I have one very
grateful student who had major INAS problems on his way out to the far east and was thankful for DR and airplot I'd taught his course. (he was
in a Tornado GR1), back in the 80s.
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T66
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| posted on 9/11/11 at 10:16 PM |
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Just read a book on holiday - About a WW2 Spitfire pilot, age 19 .
Guy was sent out to cover convoy movements, 600' cloudbase at night over the North sea east of Kent . His radio went down, lost his mate chasing
a German into cloud.
Then realised he was right up the creek - descended until he "thought" he could see the sea, and flew west till meeting the coast.
Then followed the coast till he recognised the shape of the river inlet feature, the river went past his base . He followed the river inland till he
over flew the fires lit at his airfield, and landed.
No radio, no maps , nothing...
Just Big balls
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