Fantome
24th Nov 2011, 06:55
QANTAS AT WAR page 9
DH86 crash Longreach, Queensland. Weirdo's letter.
Hudson Fysh recounts how in November 1934 Qantas's second DH86 on her delivery flight from England crashed shortly after takeoff from Longreach. Holyman's had lost one of theirs in Bass Strait only the month before. Although speculation as to the cause or causes was rife for a while, and as Fysh says, was still a contentious issue thirty years later when he was writing 'Qantas at War', DH86s went on to give excellent service for some ten or more years. In the weeks following the loss of the Qantas aircraft Fysh received several crank letters including the following one. It surely raised a needed wry smile or two around the Qantas head office.
Dear Sir
The trouble with DH86 four engined biplane to my knowledge are as follows. The engine spars having insufficient strength to take the stress of the powerful engines causing the joy stick to bend up and down. It happens so sudden and being not prepared, mind on something else, changing controls, seats. This will cause over elevation, dihedral too little increasing positive incidence on the tailplane.
In conclusion the machine is faultily constructed.
p.s. With the Holyman 'Miss Hobart', she would dive like a submarine and settle on the bottom of the sea intact. She can be salvaged.
Their are many intriguing passages in 'Qantas at War', not least a reflection by Fysh
on a stanza of Homer's. At the time, in 1936, Fysh was on board an RAF Short Singapore surveying potential seaplane bases between Singapore and Sydney. There were ten on board, recounts Fysh, not counting 'George', the automatic pilot, then somewhat a novelty. (Among the crew was one Flying Officer MD Thunder - no relation of Rolling Thunder, one presumes - who went on to become a Wingco and achieve acclaim for his Catalina survey flights between Ceylon and Perth.)
Fysh thought Homer in the Odyssey might have foreseen the advent of 'George' -
So shall thou quickly reach the realm assigned,
In wondrous ships, self-moving, instinct with mind,
No helm secures their course, no pilot guides
Like man intelligent they plough the tides . . .
DH86 crash Longreach, Queensland. Weirdo's letter.
Hudson Fysh recounts how in November 1934 Qantas's second DH86 on her delivery flight from England crashed shortly after takeoff from Longreach. Holyman's had lost one of theirs in Bass Strait only the month before. Although speculation as to the cause or causes was rife for a while, and as Fysh says, was still a contentious issue thirty years later when he was writing 'Qantas at War', DH86s went on to give excellent service for some ten or more years. In the weeks following the loss of the Qantas aircraft Fysh received several crank letters including the following one. It surely raised a needed wry smile or two around the Qantas head office.
Dear Sir
The trouble with DH86 four engined biplane to my knowledge are as follows. The engine spars having insufficient strength to take the stress of the powerful engines causing the joy stick to bend up and down. It happens so sudden and being not prepared, mind on something else, changing controls, seats. This will cause over elevation, dihedral too little increasing positive incidence on the tailplane.
In conclusion the machine is faultily constructed.
p.s. With the Holyman 'Miss Hobart', she would dive like a submarine and settle on the bottom of the sea intact. She can be salvaged.
Their are many intriguing passages in 'Qantas at War', not least a reflection by Fysh
on a stanza of Homer's. At the time, in 1936, Fysh was on board an RAF Short Singapore surveying potential seaplane bases between Singapore and Sydney. There were ten on board, recounts Fysh, not counting 'George', the automatic pilot, then somewhat a novelty. (Among the crew was one Flying Officer MD Thunder - no relation of Rolling Thunder, one presumes - who went on to become a Wingco and achieve acclaim for his Catalina survey flights between Ceylon and Perth.)
Fysh thought Homer in the Odyssey might have foreseen the advent of 'George' -
So shall thou quickly reach the realm assigned,
In wondrous ships, self-moving, instinct with mind,
No helm secures their course, no pilot guides
Like man intelligent they plough the tides . . .