Originally Posted by
Nugget90
And to follow your comment on the first take-off, a Beverley pilot I knew told me that he once took off from a grass aerodrome with the parking brake still on - with no noticeable loss of performance!!
Possibly a re-working of our departure from Plymouth Roborough after a BoB display. It was early evenng, Roborough was a grass field and quite wet. To maximise our take-off available run we had reversed right up to the boundary fence (tailplane overhanging the road (!). Tried to set full power for takeoff and, with the parking brake set, we started to slide forward with the wheels locked. Gave up the struggle and went for it (successfully) followed by a V2 climb - one of aviation's more impressive manoeuvres !
Re. 'Timber' Woods, I had the pleasure of watching his retirement flight at Brough. when we went to pick up one of ours after a 'heavy' check. Three dimensional skill and intimate knowledge of variou building heights made for a unique display
