Goosequill & AT6
Try flying Bostons ordered by the French to their specifications but delivered to the RAF (Swanton Morley 226 Sqdn.1942) after the French surrender. The aircraft itself was one of the heaviest on the controls that I ever flew. Each member of the three man crew was completely , physically , isolated from the others , Navigator, Nose cone, Pilot, Cockpit, M/U Gunner, turret. and , for a VERY short time, the throttles (Two) worked the opposite way to normal . i.e. Fully Closed...T/O. Fully Open...Idle. Use your imagination to visualise the type of accident(s) this produced !
I, also flew the AT6 for over 60 hours when training at Advanced Training, Turner Field , Albany. GA. in 1941 Jan.1942. It was the end of the training that gave us 200 hours of the best available training in the world, at that time. We, most of us, found the Harvard a good but demanding plane. You had to keep your wits about you all the time especially on the landing run as "Ground Loops" were common with the semi-steerable tailwheel that was fitted. It was a good trainer because of the slightly unforgiving characteristics of the aerobatics which had to be performed correctly to avoid unpleasant but still recoverable situations.
Regle.
WanderOO. You should know , living in France, what that "silly grin" signifies. It is worn by most Pilots after completing a satisfactory flight, sometimes inwardly if that is possible. It is sheer "Joie de Vivre ".
Last edited by regle; 29th Jul 2009 at 11:08.