Fairey Delta 2 Inside Out

[pulse1]

BBC1, Inside Out on Monday at 7:30 pm has a feature on the Peter Twiss speed record in the FD2, 1132 mph if I remember correctly.

I believe it is only being shown in the South though.

[PPRuNe Pop]

You do remember exactly. Thanks for the heads up. I missed seeing it when I was putting my marks around progs to watch in the Radio Times. I'll do it now.

PPP

[Footless Halls]

I once had the privilege of sharing a cable retrieve car at Lasham for half a day with Peter Twiss.

What a wonderful gentleman and total aviation person. We talked of this and that and enjoyed watching the flying, but his modesty and my shyness meant that we never discussed the FD2... I mean, how do you slip that one into the conversation?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

I saw FD2 WG774, painted maroon and flown flown by Peter Twiss, at Farnborough in 1957 - awesome display if I recall..

WG777 was the one which broke the speed record - and here's a piccy I took earlier: http://www.brendan-mccartney.fotopic.net/p26052093.html

[WG774]

Many thanks for the info Pulse! Wild horses won't keep me from watching the programme :ok:

[BEagle]

It is being shown on BBC South only as part of the 30 min regional programme. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/south/index.shtml

If you have Sky and live outside the BBC South area, select Channel 954 rather than Channel 101 in order to receive BBC South.

I remember seeing a colour film about PeterTwiss and the FD2 world record when I was still in short trousers in around 1959-60. "Approaching point Able.....".

Shall certainly be watching on Monday!

[PPRuNe Pop]

If you are Somerset way - you can see the famous machine in the FAA museum. Very very thought provoking.

[WG774]

Some FD2 info / pictures in this discussion: http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=128777&highlight=XB70

[JDK]

When I was at the FAAM, they had a contemporary colour film (on a TV loop by the a/c) of Twiss' 'drive to work' at the same speed as the flight - a remarkable period piece. Dunno if it's still showing though.

[WG774]

There's some superb footage of Twiss and the FD2 on the Pathe archive.

If you're not sure how to work the site: use the search to find the footage that's relevant, and add it to your shopping basket. Once at the checkout, select "free preview" and you'll get to download all the clips gratis (albeit at "medium" res).

[BEagle]

For 10 minutes to the great unwashed genpub, the programme gave a brief insight into the way things were back then.

Fascinating stuff - and surely worthy of a more comprehensive documentary?

I also had the 'Observer's Book of Aircraft' hidden in my prep-school desk back then - and my copy of 'Faster than the Sun' is now on order!

[WG774]

Being based within the "Greater London" Beeb area, I tuned into "Inside Out" and duly fell half asleep...

Should anyone have a video copy of the article, I'd be extremely obliged if they could lend it / copy it / host it? Failing that, I'll contact the Beeb and see if there's a way to get a copy; I'm told the Beeb will sell you a tape, but it runs to around £45 :*

surely worthy of a more comprehensive documentary?

You wouldn’t get any argument from me…

[Brooklands]

BEagle wrote
I also had the 'Observer's Book of Aircraft' hidden in my prep-school desk back then
Ahh, so its was you were the school boy surreptitiously reading the book behind his desk lid in the film clip they showed :)
Wonderful piece which I only saw by chance.
Brooklands

[WG774]

There is a rather special event happening at the FAAM in March... FAAM Link (http://www.fleetairarm.com/pages/news/events.htm)

Many thanks to all for the PMs regarding the video :ok:

[Tim Inder]

I've just finished reading "Faster than the Sun" - had it on order for over a year (!) at my local library, but once it arrived, I saw that it was a reprint (2005) with an added section about Peter's wartime experiences. All in all well worth the wait!

[Seloco]

Is the wonderful Peter Twiss still with us? I should know but I don't. He was an instructor at Lasham when I was learning and, as someone else has rightly said, a very modest man, as all the true greats are.

[WG774]

Seloco,

Please check the link in my previous post. The superb Peter Twiss is most definitely with us, and still enjoys flying - albeit at a subsonic pace (gliding) - from what I can gather.

[WG774]

Thanks to a particular member of the group, I was able to watch a tape of the article.

For once, TV got something right. The article finishes on this gem:



"Flying is flying really... There's nothing very dramatic about it... On the whole it's pretty routine stuff..."

Peter Twiss



Priceless :)

[BOAC]

Time to bring this back to the top.

1000mph+ 50 years ago today! Celebration at the FAAM as per WG's link and at Middle Wallop. More on BBC 'South Today' tonight if that makes sense!!:)

Good to see Peter Twiss looking so fit.

[POBJOY]

great day at faam yesterday.three world record holders.p twiss (fd2) n duke (hunter) t egginton (lynx) all very modest, and still joking about thier efforts.
typical british event, sitting underneath concorde,WG774 only a few feet away,all that history and tech excellence,but the pa system comes from car boot sale!
several interesting facts came over,the difficulty in timing the attempt,the lack of problems with the aircraft,the lack of fuel on return to boscombe(only about 10 galls left,not a lot says peter,i would have liked a bit more),the fantastic potential of the design ignored by the uk,and taken up by the french.
i do not think that the fairey team ever received the recognition they deserved, the fd2 was a huge tech jump, and it still looks fantastic today(albeit in 221 mod form)
anyway, well done 50 years ago, and you helped keep the great in great britain.

[BEagle]

But only a year later, Duncan Sandys and his infamous Defence White Paper effectively killed off the once-Great British aircraft industry, as far as manned fighters were concerned.

The Harrier, for all its V/STOL capability, was little more than a clever Hunter with shorter range.

But the Mirage family are all descended from the FD2.

[WG774]

Thanks for filling us in Pob. Alas I couldn’t be there… :{

Beagle - Somewhere in a parallel universe, HM Forces would’ve operated these: FD III (http://www.testpilot.ru/uk/fairey/delta/3/img/fd3_1.jpg)

The artist’s impression comes from This Page (http://www.testpilot.ru/uk/fairey/delta/3/)

Note the translate button in the top left.

I understand the link is from a commercial site, but it’s offering Russian goods and services, so I hope the moderators can make an exception.

[IcePaq]

No mention of the TSR2?

[Conan the Librarian]

BEagle, as so often, raises an interesting point. Memory again and possibly dodgy at that, but weren't quite a lot of FD2 flights done from Cazaux? Was there a formal exchange of data with our garlic munching brethren?

Conan

PS BEags, you should try that descripion of Harrier on the Mil forum... Still sniggering at the thought of the likely results. Could make the Herc K and J series of rants like a tea party.

[green granite]

I remember sitting near the QRA pans entrance to RAE Bedford (excuse me while I wipe away a tear) with several BOAC 707s using the airfield for crew training
when they were told that there would be a 1/2 hr delay on all movements & they could either get airborn or stay on the ground. A few minutes later the Fred
came troting down the runway and took off, it came back about 20mins later low
on fuel as usual a truly wonderful sight

PS: I think it was being flown J.F. but I might be wrong on that

[POBJOY]

THE FRENCH GOT A GOOD LOOK AT THE DELTA BECAUSE THE UK GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT PERMIT LOW LEVEL TESTING OVER HERE.PLUS OUR PEOPLE HAD NO INTENTION TO DEVELOP THE PROJECT IN TO A MILITARY APPLICATION,ALTHOUGH FAIREYS HAD DESIGNED A POTENTIAL WORLD BEATER. (WHOOPS)

ALSO A FRENCH COMPANY INSURED THE LOW LEVEL TESTING FOR A TOKEN AMOUNT WHEN THE UK MARKET WANTED THOUSANDS.(THE FRENCH NEW A GOOD THING WHEN THEY SAW IT)

[Bre901]

BEagleBut the Mirage family are all descended from the FD2The 1st Mirage flew on June 25th 1954 (more inspired by the Convair Delta, initially), whereas the FD2 flew in October 1954. No doubt that Dassault learnt a lot from the FD2 test flights at Cazaux (http://www.freewebs.com/faireyaviation/aviation.htm) (the Mirage III's first fligh was indeed after the Cazaux test flights), but after all, it was the English government who prohibited supersonic flights over Great Britain :rolleyes:

[chevvron]

Supersonic flights were still authorised overland up to 1974/75 according the RAE Bedford flying order book of that period. They used the Bedford Levels as a supersonic corridor; presumably it wasn't too heavily inhabited in those days (can't swear to that though).
This was originally to accomodate the BAC 221 (aka FD2 Mk 2) but was retained 'just in case' after that project ended.

[POBJOY]

WE ALL KNOW FAST THE FD2 WENT, BUT HOW HIGH DID IT GET UP TO!!

[Conan the Librarian]

No expert here, but I would imagine the tropopause for FD2, though Gawd knows where the 221 was aimed. (I suspect not that high, actually)


Conan