View Full Version : Miles Whitney Straight at Defford Air Day
matspart3
27th Jun 2009, 16:43
The star of the show at the Defford Air Day last weekend was, without doubt, the Miles Whiney Straight. Very relaxed, friendly fly-in raising funds for MAF and the local Air Ambulance.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/matspart3/Defford/DSC_0030.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/matspart3/Defford/DSC_0208-1.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/matspart3/Defford/DSC_0212-1.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b274/matspart3/Defford/DSC_0218-1.jpg
HEATHROW DIRECTOR
27th Jun 2009, 19:50
Beautiful aeroplane. I've seen two but not the one at Defford (wherever that is).
cambioso
27th Jun 2009, 23:47
Only one flying in the world Bren.
PM me and come up to Turweston and have a flight in her any time...............
Regards,
Jez
tinpis
28th Jun 2009, 08:52
Was one in Kiwiland in the early 60's
Went for a jolly in it :ok:
tinpis
28th Jun 2009, 08:57
Oh :(
ASN Aircraft accident 26-JUN-1966 Miles Whitney Straight. ZK-AUK (http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=63830)
Fareastdriver
28th Jun 2009, 10:18
Maybe somebody will know. I had a go at possibly a Whitney Straight at the Cambridge Private Flying Group in 1962. Whatever it was it used to be operated by Smiths so it had effectively a modern flying panel. Vicious stall characteristics put me off private flying for life.
emeritus
28th Jun 2009, 11:01
Ugly looking thing.:( There used to be one ( VH-AAT) in the back of the hangar where I worked whilst learning to fly. Edgar Percival got it right when he designed the Proctor/Mew Gull.:D
Emeritus.
tornadoken
28th Jun 2009, 13:40
LHR/D: depending on the gravity of your maturity...you will have seen G-AEUJ, still extant, stored Midlands; G-AFGK, which went off in 1977 to US and is now in rebuild in Canada; and/or G-AEWA, which crashed in France in 1961. Or Monarchs G-AFJU, G-AFLW, or G-AIDE (G-AFRZ).
FED: was it a Monarch at Teversham? Smith's Flying Unit had a Gemini.
blackburn
28th Jun 2009, 13:53
Tin
there was another one (ZK-AXD) at the Auckland Flying School at Ardmore during 1965 - was used mainly for private hire.
My memory of it is that it was reasonably fool proof and a pleasant economical cross country machine with that beaut smell of old leather and oil.
Think it finished up as a museum piece somewhere in South Auckland.
Blackburn
Fareastdriver
28th Jun 2009, 19:34
tornadoken.
That rang a bell. Thanks.
matspart3
28th Jun 2009, 22:53
Emeritus
'Ugly looking thing.' Are you serious?
From the country that bought us the GAF Nomad and the Transavia Airtruk:eek:
HEATHROW DIRECTOR
29th Jun 2009, 08:36
The Airtruk is the most awful abomination of a "flying machine" I have ever seen. In fact none of those I saw were flying, surprise surprise!
The Straights I've seen were G-AEUJ Biggin Hill, May '63 and G-AFGK Lakenheath May '65.
emeritus
29th Jun 2009, 08:38
Matspart3...
Yes, serious.... although I accept that beauty is in the eye etc,etc. It had an ugly one piece windscreen as I remember and from memory only had a gypsy major or maybe a gypsy 6 so would not have had a sparkling performance, certainly not here in Oz in summertime.
So... nice set of wings, pity about the fuselage.
Nomad and Airtruck...yes not pretty but they are utility a/c after all.
Interesting thought....What was available at the time and the relative costs.
Presumeably DH,Miles,Auster and Percival were all flogging their latest and greatest.
Emeritus
tinpis
30th Jun 2009, 20:15
Blackburn. Yes that must have been it. Thanks .:ok: