What oddballs have you flown or been flown in?

[SOSL]

I am an engineer - never flown for a living but military aviation has been my life and my first love.

When I was about 7 years old I flew in a BOAC Super Constellation from LHW to Kano via Paris, Rome and Tripoli. I have the flight logged and signed by the captain in my BOAC Junior Jet Club log book (even though it wasn't a jet!).

When I was 16 I soloed in a Sedbergh and a Kirby Cadet (at Catterick).

When I was 17, and in the Air Training Corps, I was lucky enough to get a Flying Scholarship from the RAF and learnt to fly powered aircraft at Carlisle Flying Club. I did my circuits and stuff in a Cessna 150 but I learnt my aerobatics in an Auster Aiglet.

Later that year I managed to get on to an International Air Cadet Exchange and was flown from Northolt to USAFE Rhine Main (sp!) in a RAF Britannia and from there to Lisbon in a Spanish Air Force Junkers 52 (the 3 engine jobber made out of corrugated alloy). I persuaded the Captain to let me have a go and can claim 15 minutes flying a J 52. It was surprisingly light on the controls (well surprising to the 17 year old me!).

We were flown all over Portugal in a Portugese Air Force DC3 in vip fit - it was magic.

Then I joined the RAF and in 1969 was taken out into Akrotiri bay in a RAF marine branch launch and dumped into the sea, only to be rescued by the valiant winchman of an ancient Whirlwind. When we were about 10 ft above sea level the ac suffered a major hydraulics problem and we were dumped back into the sea. The marine branch launch turned round and picked us up. Later that evening I experienced my first (of many) brandy sour in the Akro mess.

So I list the gliders, the super constellation, the Auster, the Junkers 52, the VIP DC3 and nearly the Whirlwind (and the brandy sour - not an aeroplane but it did make me fly).

What about your oddball aircraft?

Rgds SOS

[Brian Abraham]

Spanish Air Force Junkers 52 (the twin engine jobber made out of corrugated alloy)Don't think anyone would be able to better that oddball aircraft. :E

[Mk 1]

Ju-52's left the factory with 3 engines didn't they? It was careless of you to lose one.

Unusual aircraft? Hmmm, Papua New Guinea Defense Force DC-3 in 1976 as a young tacker. Have flown in and taken the controls for a short period of a DeHavilland Caribou in 1988 as a young subbie.

F-28 flying from Port Moresby to Lae over the Owen Stanleys was an interesting trip - climb like buggery, 5 mins of level flight with hosties throwing out OJ at the rapid fire rate, then decend like a brick into Nadzab. Pesky mountains.

[AR1]

Unusual? Perhaps for our Uk lads but:
Ch53 Super stallion with the USMC.
C141 MAC Starlifter dropping USN Seals from some ridiculous height.

Non military, CAP10 and an Extra 300.

[pulse1]

As an ATC cadet, a USAF Fairchild C119 Packet, when we landed with 30 less souls than we took off with. Apart from that, an air test in a stripped out Avro Lincoln. Both from RAF Llandow.

[chevvron]

I did 15 minutes in the prototype Edgeley Optica including the landing (at Farnborough) and I once owned and flew a Monnet Moni all metal homebuilt (30hp 2-stroke engine cruised at 90mph IAS).

[airborne_artist]

I did a night jump out of an MC-130H in Florida - does that count ;)

[FantomZorbin]

First helicopter flight ... Belvedere!!

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRQZlVJkthFDV2kGqpaZeOIV2PAUFJNOAaOCHZRJ2H F22cbhkx2

[CoffmanStarter]

Not odd ... but the only one in the RAF ... check ride Sep 1978 with Boss John Shelton.

http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/airshow02/abingdonII/Husky.jpg

[charliegolf]

Balloon up to 800' at WOTG, one way ticket.

CG

[622]

Couple of Jollies in a Catalina out of Dunsfold.

[airborne_artist]

Balloon up to 800' at WOTG, one way ticket.


I'll raise you Hankley Common and Hullavington from the blimp plus three jumps before breakfast from the Mighty Wokka.

[Finnpog]

When Southampton UAS was based at HMS Daedalus at Lee on Solent we were neighbours to the Hampshire Police Optica, and at least one of our studes had a shotty in that.

Not flown in, but I spent about an hour on the Vickers Varsity when it was on a ground display at Bruntingthorpe. It was only a coule of weeks before the tragic accident.

[Rossian]

...apart from the empennage arrangement. Two hours display practice with the Patrouille de France along the north cornish coast in the days when they flew the Fouga Magister.
Absloutely mind blowing.
The "get out in a hurry drill" didn't inspire one with confidence; static line fixed to bulkhead behind one "OK I roll inverted you get rid of your canopy then undo straps and I push - d'accord?"
I loved it.

The Ancient Mariner

[cyclic35]

G-APFA Turbi Sport at Pendeford.

T5 Lightning at Wattisham.

JP 3a and Mk5 Linton-on-Ouse

Varsity at Oakington.

[Courtney Mil]

RAF Hastings, flown by my bro-in-law when I was an Air Cadet. Interesting stuff. We even had a real engine fire in flight.

[pontifex]

Argentinian Pucara after the little nastiness. An Airspeed Oxford when I was a CCF cadet and biked up to Kenley on spec one summer hols. A primary glider (Looks like a Bleriot but with high wings) towed up to 2000ft behind a Chipmunk at Dishforth. Grass had just been mowed, I wasn't wearing goggles, got grass in both eyes so couldn't see and couldn't locate the release knob. Just in time got slight vision in one eye so here I am! A Heron (four engined Devon).

[teeteringhead]

At the risk of thread drift, I must emphasise that a number and variety of these experiences have been as Air Cadets.

Much has changed in the Air Cadet Organisation (ACO) since some of the posters (or me!) were cadets, but much hasn't.

Cadets still solo in gliders at 16, still get flying scholarships when they are 17 or 18, and still get the chance for overseas visits with the International Air Cadet Exchange, which now includes more exotic destinations such as Israel, Ghana and the Phillipines!

Cyprus camps can still include SAR helo rides, but one hopes without ditching!

But the ACO can always use more volunteer support to make these things happen - so think about it!

I would say that, wouldn't I! ;)

[airborne_artist]

An experience trip in a Wasp shouldn't end with a dunking, but for a Dark Blue mate who was on a pre-joining warship acquaint it ended with a tie.

The embarked pilot decided a would-be WAFU needed a fright so showed him a torque turn, except he over-cooked it and they both had to swim for it. Dougie deployed his kit and received a tie for his efforts. Made for some odd looks at CU when he wore it as a Midshipmite on 705 :ok:

[DeepestSouth]

No doubt about it - RAFGSA Fauvel flying wing glider at Bicester ca. 1974. The deal was that you only got to fly the Grunau (which was a beautiful, if chilly, experience) if you also flew the Fauvel - it otherwise spent long periods in the hangar . Pitch trim was very important, especially loads of nose-down for take-off or you'd end up oscillating in and out of the ground effect as it gathered speed. I was tasked to brief a certain Very Important 1* (his view, not mine!) for his first flight in it, he decided to ignore the 'advice', and set off behind the tug. Lift off and he immediately started oscillating up and down like billyo before the tug pilot pulled the release on him. The thing is - I got a bo*****ing for not briefing him properly and I flippin' well did! 1* word versus Fg Off word - no contest! Still, as I was bo*****ed, I did get a sly wink from the CFI!

[SOSL]

Anyone notice that I've now added an engine to the J52 in the OP. I've often wondered what that funny twirly thing on the front was!

Rgds SOS

[Lightning Mate]

T5 Lightning at Wattisham.

What's oddball about that cyclic?

[Wander00]

My one trip as a pax in Bassett left an indelible memory! As did being way down the back of a 56-aircraft JP formation as a stude!

[langleybaston]

Army Scout out of Nicosia, Comet IV ditto, Britannia seated backwards, Topcliffe Varsity, Beverley.

Shows my age nicely.

[althenick]

Got a Flight in this Crate at the age of 11 on the 1st January 1975
http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1028849M.jpg

Not unusual granted but it was the Aircraft HRH Prince Charles learned how to scare the sh1t out of instructors in :E

[clicker]

Not a pilot but had some fun as a passenger.

1st flight ever was in a Comet C4 XR398 (1972), later I flew in the same airframe but as G-BDIW (1978). Only time as the same a/c and different ID's.

Also has some pax time in Chipmunk WK518, now with the BBMF (1977).

DC-3 G-AMCA, sitting on mailbags in the back from East Midlands to Gatwick.

[rolandpull]

A Tristar K.1 I suppose......

[cuefaye]

What's oddball about that cyclic?

Applies to most of this pointless thread LM - in my opinion that is :uhoh:

[SirToppamHat]

I'd never heard of a Fauvel Flying Wing, but there's a picture of it here:

RAFGSA Fauvel Flying Wing Glider (http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1058731/)

STH

[Fitter2]

I thought a C-47 was a vintage aircraft, until our charter ride out of Vung-Tau (S Vietnam in '79) was a C-46 (Curtis Commando) with a suspiciously oil stained starboard wing. Single pilot operation. I asked if I could ride along in the right hand seat, and the pilot said he was looking foir a volunteer to back up the throttle friction on take-off. Delighted to do so. After take off, which took most of the available runway and reaching 500 ft, the pilot started progessively throttling back the no 2 engine and winding on left rudder trim. Once stabilised at 1,000 ft we crossed the gulf of Thailand and then tracked down the Malaysian East coast where he let me fly it until we arrived in circuit for Seletar.

Otherwise the only oddballs are RAFGSA gliders like the Gull 1 and Rheinhart Cumulus.

As an ATC cadet, I had a fair number of hours in Lincoln, Hastings, Beverley and Comet 4 as well as the obligatory Chipmunk and Piston Provost, but didn't fly in anything particularly interesting while in the RAF.

From deepestsouth's post I can identify the 1* and possibly DS - there were a lot of people around that day. Oh how we laughed.

[BBK]

B17...only as a passenger of course!!

BBK

[CoffmanStarter]

Althenick ... CRATE !!! That is a Chipmunk ... CRATE indeed :suspect:

[smujsmith]

I had the joy, whilst a member of Four Counties RAFGSA at Syerston, to fly Tony Povey's T45 Swallow. I can't remember why he let me fly it, but he was not best pleased with me finding a stubble fire and keeping it "afloat" for nearly 30 minutes. I spent longer cleaning it. Lightning T5 with Henry Ploszek out of Akrotiri, circa 1974 had to be the bees knees for the pond life that I was.

Smudge

[CoffmanStarter]

Going back to "Short Trouser Days" ... has anyone hopped in one of these on the end of a bungee ? Never got the chance myself :(

Confucius say ... You want fly young glasshopper

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/images/collections/slingsby-type-38-grasshopper.jpg

[sycamore]

C-S,you`ll need your bicycle clips for that one,and a `flat-cap`...

[N.HEALD]

As oddballs go this is what I fly most wekends, only 18 ever built and G-VIZZ the sole UK example, Sportavia-Putz RS180 Sportsman
Photograph of Aircraft G-VIZZ (http://www.caa.co.uk/applicationmodules/ginfo/ginfo_photo.aspx?regmark=G-VIZZ&imgname=G-VIZZ001&imgtype=jpg)

[Tarq57]

As an ATC cadet, a few flights in a T-31.
Soloed aged 15 in a Rhonlerche.

Other slightly oddball a/c since then (flown, or flown in) include the Airtourer (several versions - they were built in my homeland), Beagle Pup (only one in the country) Piel Emeraude, Devon, Chipmunk, and a few Bristol Freighters (got to have a play, once.)

Does an R22 count?

[Wander00]

Henry Ploszek - there's a name to conjure with

[smujsmith]

He surely was, I think OC B Flight on 56 when I was there. I also flew with him in a Bulldog when he was the Unit test Pilot on the Jags at Abingdon. A smashing bloke if ever there was one.

Smudge

[zetec2]

Can claim the following oddities, Primary at Bicester along with the Windrushers before it became the RAFGSA in 1958, the Fauvel flying wing (when it belonged to the Rhine Army Gliding Club) did my 5 hours Silver C in it at Dunstable as well !! that was bum numbing, Avro York, King Husseins Airspeed Ambassador, C82 Packet, Helio Courier, Mk1 Jet Provost (long legged one) back of a French Skyraider & JU52 out of Djibouti, Heinkel 111 (ok the CASA variant) Wildenrath, T28 Trojan at Chino, then back of P51, Grace Spitfire, B25 Grumpy, Duxford , Broussard, plus about another 150 types through 40 years of aviation scrounging, Paul H, Bicester.

[oldmansquipper]

The Fauvel

You could loop it on the trim and the thing just rotated around the main spar! Trim setting for landing was "lean head forward" and for thermals it was "push your head back" - Great fun!:ok:

Britten-Norman Defender

Crossing the Thames just East of Tower Bridge at 1500` Air Tragic asked "what type of aircraft? - Military? " (I understand Military aircraft were not allowed to transit at that time. Before London City too)

Looking out at the SNEB pods on the wings and the Machine gun mounted in the door (There were actually bullet holes in the port spats from earlier less than successful trials) we replied "Erm...No ...Just an Islander":ooh:

Beverly boom

Out of Waddo on the way to Luqa - fully laden when an engine went to auto-feather. Thank God for the Lincoln edge as we were able to dive over it to gain enough speed to get back on the runway...never forget looking (from a very shallow angle) at the fire truck & ambulances charging across the grass trying to get to the scene of the accident before we did. 6d/half-a-crown (Squeaky bum) time

In the same Beverly (after it was fixed) at `nearly` 9000 ft heading South to refuel at Istres and following the Rhone valley into a stiff Southerly wind. Looking down I noticed we were being overtaken by Southbound cars on the roads below us..:rolleyes:

[xtp]

Flew a circuit in one (grasshopper) off a winch launch to around 800 ft at Cranwell in the early 60s. Best ever view, but it glid rather like a brick. Good fun, though.

[Flugplatz]

As pax:

Super Frelon on Ex. with the French.

Kamov KA32 on a lifting job at Dover two years ago. I am still missing 'intermeshing' (Kamen style) and tilt-rotor in order to fly in all configurations of rotorcraft

[Georgeablelovehowindia]

SOSL your flight to Kano certainly has some distinctly oddball things about it. It took place circa 1957, yes? The normal aircraft type on the west Africa run at that time was the Canadair Argonaut. Strictly speaking, BOAC never operated Super Constellations, only the 049, 749 and 749A variants, and I've only ever heard of them being on the Atlantic and Far East routes. You staged via Paris, Rome and Tripoli? The latter two I can buy. Paris, I don't think so. I can't remember BOAC operating via Paris, on any route in that era.

Was this was a one-off charter perhaps ... and is the registration recorded in your Junior Jet Club logbook?

[SOSL]

Good question - 1957, yes. I wasn't planning to go into this much detail.

The flight you ask about was a special, laid on routinely, in those days, for the start of the boarding school summer hols. Kids (who were aged from 7 upwards) from boarding schools all over the UK, whose parents were serving abroad (Diplomatic Service or Colonial Service) would be put onto trains (my prep school was near Matlock so my cohort all travelled from Derby) bound for London, by their school staff.

We were met at one of the London RW stations by BOAC employed nannies. How did the nannies know who was who? We all had baggage labels attached to our blazers and the nannies stood on the platform with signs so we could congregate on them and I think there was a sweeper up nanny to prevent escapes.

We were then all bussed to the BOAC/BEA Victoria terminus, (unwisely) given a drink of lemonade and then bussed out to Heathrow. Where the nannies spent a lot of time taking little boys and girls to the loo. The nannies kept an eye on us and helped or scolded us as appropriate.

When we boarded the aircraft some of the nannies also came on board, dealt with our little problems during the flight and made sure we got off at the right airport, with our baggage.

We landed in Paris, for sure, because there were a few youngsters on the flight whose parents were on the staff of the embassy - same in Rome and same in Tripoli.

There were about 10 of us went all the way to Kano. My Dad was the District Officer for Abuja; a small rural village at the time. During the hols the Emir of Abuja sent 2 of his horse and grooms to our residence and took me and my sister pony trekking around the village - we saw some Duiker deer and 2 huge scary monitor lizards IIRC.

You must be right about the Super Constellation - I didn't mean to mislead, just the sands of time affecting my memory! It had a long sleek fuselage with stylish wings and a very broad tail with three fins.

Travelled in an Argonaut LHW to Kano for easter hols.

This is a long way from Mil aviation but it answers a question which only touches on part of my OP.

Rgds SOS

[Oldsarbouy]

1954 out to Malta in Hunting Clan Vickers Viking, return flight 2 years later in Short Solent 3 of Aquila Airlines.

[AR1]

If it were a contest surely that Fauvel wins... Never seen or heard of it! Until now. A self build job it seems.

[Arclite01]

Fauvel was a factory build !! - not a self build............

Arc

[jbcarioca]

Almost everyone here has me beat. Skipping some of the ones that should have been oddities, like a Cessna 411 and a Lear 23, the oddest one I have flown is a Beagle 206 SII. In a fit of insanity I bought this one when it was in serious need of care, fixed it up, painted it in my traditional colors and flew it around South Florida and the Bahamas for a couple of years before selling it. This photo was taken by the new owner who stuck taht odd decal on the tail. IIRC, there were six of them remaining on the world registries when I had this one. I flew several of those. The type certificate was owned by South Florida aircraft which bought almost all of them. Prince Charles got his multi engine rating in one.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=LJ_m-pjWdfYmRM&tbnid=fpe9TJgTas0wBM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FBeagle_B.206&ei=K2Y_UcyWIo2-9QTqnoHADA&bvm=bv.43287494,d.dmQ&psig=AFQjCNGvwYIl31sJUKYtLIHSk1_drbXncA&ust=1363195810280211

[DeepestSouth]

FItter2


I've PM'd you!

DS

[DeepestSouth]

Slightly off thread, but if you Google "Fauvel flying wing" you'll find that there were quite a few designs. Lots of information on the designer, too.

DS

[brokenlink]

Teeteringhead - fully agree about needing more volunteers for the ACO. More staff = more activities for the cadets.
Mods - Apologies for the further thread creep.

[blaireau]

Eastleigh to Alderney in a BEA DH Dragon Rapide. 1953 IIRC.

[Trim Stab]

FAA Ranquel Dinfia IA46. Now that will get you googling!

[Rosevidney1]

My first flight (as an ATC cadet) was in Lancaster H-D from MOTU and my final flight in a 4 piston engined type was in the B-17 Sally B - which was very much quieter!

[brokenlink]

Just found my old 3822 from ATC. Lists Chipmunk (AEF @ Manston), Zedburg & Kirby Cadet (both West Malling), Rapide, Dove & Heron (Biggin Hill, last 2 Fairflight a/c).
Apart from that several flights in Anthony Huttons Beech 18 out of North Weald and some "interesting" manoeuvres in a yellow Sea King.

[smujsmith]

Aaaahhh,

The Ranquel DINFIA IA 46, a nice puddle jumper if I ever saw one.

[ShyTorque]

One of the strangest aircraft I flew was also one of the first I flew in. I was given the chance to fly in an "Ercoupe", from Ipswich Airport, in 1973.

It was a small, SEP, low wing monoplane with a twin fin tail. It had coupled ailerons and rudder and the control "wheel" steered the aircraft on the ground, like a car, via the nosewheel.

It had so little power / climb rate that when I put one arm out of the "targa top" window it stopped climbing. Great fun, but didn't feel very safe.

[longer ron]

I had a few trips in a Fokker Goevier 2 seat glider in zimbabwe in the 80's during a holiday back to visit my old gliding club,quite nice to fly and apparently (according to Chris Wills) pretty rare as it had the original fuselage dimensions (later a/c had a slightly shorter rear fuselage I believe).
Not really an oddball but Jacko very kindly let me fly in the Lanc after they had a weather related diversion into Abingdon in 1982ish,had a lovely flight in the bomb aimers posn...low pass along Lutons RWY and displays at Belton,Nottingham and Duxford :)

[chevvron]

My first civil aircraft flight was in a DH Dragon, no not a Rapide, a Dragon (GADDI) with a woman pilot no less!
Nobodie's mentioned the Anson so I will. 2 flights from Bovingdon in the mid 60s; Bovingdon - Benson return and Bovingdon - Tangmere return.
Also flew in a few other prototype demonstrators at Farnborough as well as the Optica I mentioned before, Boeing 757 prototype and De Havilland Canada Dash 8 prototype plus the original Dauphin Helicopter prototype with a tailwheel (production versions having a nosewheel)

[longer ron]

Shy Torque

I also had a flight in a friends Aircoupe,the wheel was so close that I actually found it easier and more comfortable to fly the damn thing using the opposite wheel :).
But it was a great little flight and helped us to cope with having watched a fatal Hunter crash that day :(

rgds LR

[Frelon]

Did my Flying Scholarship in an Aircoupe at Surrey and Kent Flying Club. Nice little aeroplane, simple to fly, solo after two hours! (Had done a little gliding before, though!)

[longer ron]

At least they have a nice comfy footrest that doesn't move about :ok:

[reynoldsno1]

Italian Air Force Grumman Albatross
C2 Greyhound COD
Mi-8 diversion Lukla to Syangboche, Nepal - 12600ft night stop. Gasp ....

[NutLoose]

First flight was in a Dan Dare 727... odd ones Fouga Magistair back seat and several SF260 flights.

Proudest achievement, have been all over this rock we live on and so far in near enough forty years in the industry, I have never ever paid for a single flight. :ok:

[SOSL]

Well spotted. You will note my damage limitation I suspect.

Rgds SOS

[Dan Winterland]

I too have had the 'pleasure' of the Fauvel and the primary at Bicester. They were dragged out during my instructor course and we were told to stop whimpering and get in/on and fly them.

The Fauvel had one saving grace in that it climbed on a fart - and after the scariest aerotow I've ever done, I had a pleasnat hour's soaring. The twitchiness in pitch was quite disconcerting and having been briefed on the 'flick loop' wasn't keen on trying it.

It did used to get winch launched - a process which required a yolk as there were two hooks, one either side of the canopy. The stability problem really came to the fore in the winch. One pilot, Pete R##k (RIP) who weighed about 50kg didn't get it under control and the thing pitched up from the ground, the cable back released where the thing did a flick loop at 200' and landed straight ahead. The oft told story mentions they couldn't persuade him to get out so towed him back to the launch point still in it. He was just sat there with a fixed starre, gripping the controls shaking! Seem to reacall it had it's wing tip ''accidently'' run over run by a later CFI on the retrieve tractor who wasn't keen on anyone flying it.

The Primary was fun - in a scary sort of way. Didn't so much glide but plummet. Some pilots did a "Primary Streak'' - flying it naked. One was towed down Bicester High Street at 200'!

[Flightwatch]

Another one here who did a Flying Scholarship with S & K in 1963 on the Aircoupe. However there were significant differences between the Forney built version that we used and the original Ercoupe. The latter had the coupled controls and steering, the Forney version had conventional rudder pedals which controlled the nose-wheel steering.

Neither would stall or spin though, the control surfaces were too small.

[2 TWU]

The Peak 100, a one off 2 seat glider around in the early 60's; had one flight in it from Camphill in Derbyshire. I believe the airframe is still in existence but don't know where.

[sisemen]

From the log book:

26 Mar 93, Lancaster, PA 474, Supernumerary, Coningsby-Marham-Coningsby, 75th Anniversary practice flypast 1.5 hours

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/4BA2887D_5056_A318_A827B9C3339E21CD.jpg

[Mk 1]

sisemen - Damn! Just a tad green with jealousy...

[retrosgone]

Flying circuits and bumps at the controls of a French Navy Nord 262 Fregate at Ajaccio airport in 1980. Exchange visit from METS at Finningley. Engine fail procedure involved a huge trek through the Corsican mountains to reach the sea, due to the imperceptible climb rate on one Turbomeca Bastan(it wasn't a whole lot better on two).

Those Frenchies know how to live - they sent two Fregates to Nimes to bring 70 ladies over for the weekend party in our honour! Seldom been so well hosted.

[SOSL]

Just remembered; when I was at Church Fenton in 1980/81 one of the studes took me for a spin round York in his own Gypsy Moth. Still think about that from time to time - thanks mate, hope you read this.

Also flew from Aberdeen (Dyce) to Shetland (Sumbrugh) in a BEA DC3. Many times - used the brown bag most times - tended to get a bit rough up there - same on the St Clair but no brown bags.

Rgds SOS

[zetec2]

Believe the Bicester (ex Rhine Army GC & RAFGSA) may now reside at Dunstable, no info re flyable ? any one confirm, PH.

[Basil]

Beverley again; Malta and back in the boom.
WHAT A BL**DY RACKET!!!

Changed my life: I'd been thinking of volunteering for Shacks but, after that experience, decided I didn't fancy four piston engines banging away and went to Argosies instead :ok:

[NutLoose]

In case you all don't know, if its powered and you have a registration or details etc you can see its fate here, ie if it still flies or was withdrawn,

See

GINFO Database Search | Aircraft Register | Operations and Safety (http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=searchnoresult)

[mary meagher]

In 1944, Keesler Field, Gulfport, Mississippi, my father was in command of the air-sea rescue craft, and wangled for me a visit to a B17, but only on the ground.
He had a trip in one from Keesler to St. Pete, Florida, and the pilot spent most of the trip at 100 feet, chasing cows; my Dad never flew again after that in anything!

In l956, flew on a DC3 in Mexico, the trip was from Chihuahua to Casas Grandes. The pilot was a full blooded Tarahumara Indian; the door to the cockpit left wide open....and the descent to the airstrip tucked between a couple of substantial mountain ranges was memorable....

An Eastern Airlines Electra, engine coughing and spluttering on the taxi to takeoff at Washington National. Captain came on blower and announced to the pax "I suppose you have noticed that we're having a little problem, so we have changed our mind about leaving for Boston" and they rolled out another Electra that worked well enough. And another Electra, flying across the mountains in Puerto Rico, passing through the middle of a nasty cu-nimb, the passengers all praying sincerely....

But on this thread I am most impressed by all the exotic gliders mentioned. Nobody yet mentioned the Schweizer 2-33, which is a real dog.

I prefer to fly aircraft that other people have flown extensively and thoroughly,
say the J3 on floats, or the Supercub. Now there is a well tested design!

[LowObservable]

VFW 614, with an M45H screaming in one ear and a VFW-Fokker PR guy in the other, yelling that THE PRODUCTION AIRCRAFT WILL BE MUCH QUIETER... Also back seat in the Norman NDN-1 Firecracker, which is still around... And a night flight over Vegas in a "stealth" quiet S-55.

http://http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Ntps-firecracker-N182FR-090107-01-cr8.jpg

[ihoharv]

Hour of circuits & bumps (& more bumps..) in John Travolta's old DC3 in Mojave.
ME seaplane rating in an Apache on floats.
Many fun hours in a Steen Skybolt! (poor mans Pitts). Happy days

[Old Fella]

For me, the ODDEST was the Bristol Freighter. Not only the oddest, but also the dirtiest. Powered by two Bristol Hercules 2000 HP Oil Pumps they leaked as much oil as they burned. Remember a Nav being a bit anxious to open the clam-shell doors while still taxying. Result, two chopped up doors and two damaged props. Maybe he was affected by the Carbon Monoxide which used to leak into the cockpit area through the wing roots.

[Basil]

Mary,
the J3 on floats
Now you've reminded me of an hour in one at Jack Brown's.
As they pumped the float bilges, I remarked that the climb performance had been less than startling and it was pointed out to me that I should have tried it before they had the bigger engines fitted :eek:

I'd recommend that as a way of passing the afternoon on an Orlando nightstop.
I pitched up said I knew nothing about floats and did they have an 'Idiot's Guide' I could read. They did and twenty minutes later I performed my first ever landing on water. (I wasn't in the Aden Argosy ;))

[cyclic35]

Lightning Mate

Quote:
T5 Lightning at Wattisham.
What's oddball about that cyclic?

Def: "Oddball" - Out of the ordinary; one of a kind...

quod erat demonstrandum

[mary meagher]

Hello Basil - yep, Jack Brown's, and I got the rating but they wouldn't let me go by myself! you had to buy your own.

Apropos of pumping out the float bilges, it was something overlooked by Sir Francis Chichester (The Lonely Sea and the Sky)...the aircraft just got heavier and heavier until they came to grief....

[Tinribs]

At RAE Bedford we had an odd one, supposed to be a Nimrod AEW developer with a radome at the front but forgot the one at the back. Big stability problems, hours and hours of droning arround over three years then someone said this is a waste of time and we scapped it

[Dan Winterland]

As a passenger, a Carvair from Southend to Rotterdam as a 10 year old kid. I had good view of the left wing and was very "impressed" to see large ball of flame emit from the exhaust of the number 2 engine everytime the pilots throttled back.

[India Four Two]

But on this thread I am most impressed by all the exotic gliders mentioned. Nobody yet mentioned the Schweizer 2-33, which is a real dog.

Mary,
I wouldn't classify the 2-33 as exotic or even oddball. 579 were built between 1967 and 1981.

I agree with you about it being a bit of a dog. However, it was very good at what it was designed for - teaching students to fly and preparing them for flying a 1-26. Too easy to fly and too forgiving though. Pilots in my club had to graduate to a Blanik for many flights before they were ready to transition to a more exotic single-seater.

The thing I remember most was the stark contrast between the roomy, comfortable front-cockpit and the cramped "monkey-cage" for the instructor in the back. ;)

[ShyTorque]

Re Ercoupe (not Aircoupe):

At least they have a nice comfy footrest that doesn't move about

They did, they had no rudder pedals!

Just checked my (now falling apart) first logbook from 40 years ago. The one I flew in (on 10/8/73) was G-AVTT, made by ERCO in 1947. According to G-INFO it was de-registered after it was "temporarily withdrawn from use" - eleven years ago!

On the same day I flew in G-AIZY, an Auster Autocrat, with the ill-fated Cliff Barnett, who had not long previously put his reputation on the line by sending me on my first solo in a Cessna 150. Cliff was tragically killed in a flying accident in a twin engined aircraft some years later; I believe it crashed into a hangar at Hannover after a mid-air collision.

[R J Kinloch]

RNZAF: DC3, Strikemaster and TA4K Skyhawk.
Skydiving: Cessna 150, 152, 172, 180, 182, 185, 190, 206, 207, 208, 402. Cherokee 6. De Haviland Domine, De Haviland Drover, DC3, De Haviland Caribou. De Haviland Twin Otter, De Haviland Beaver. Piper Cub.
Air Transport: Hercules, 707, 747 and 767.
Training: Messerschmidt Bolkow Blom and Piper Tomahawk plus a couple of Gliders.
Bell Jet Ranger and Long Ranger. Chinook.

Total of 29
Plus a Casa. 30 total
Some more: Boeing 717, 737, UH1H Iroquois and a Banderante.
Total 34

[bcgallacher]

Edgar Percival EP9 - they dont come much odder than that - looked like something built in a backyard.

[sandozer]

On my first detachment to Creuil in France, with 74 Sqdn. Flew out in a soon to be 3 engined Argosy, very low as I remember and primed and ready to launch a diesel Houchin off the ramp into the North Sea.
Came back in a rattling Nord Noratlas. Must have been one of the last squadron swaps as they left NATO around `65. Creil was a Force de Frappe airbase then, with beautiful Mirage IV bombers.

[BEagle]

Without a doubt, the oddest thing I’ve ever flown was a 2 seat Quickie. This is a Rutan canard design, reasonably lightweight and pretty speedy. But rather odd. The low-set canard wing is well forward and includes the main undercarriage in spats at the extreme tips; it also includes pitch control surfaces. The shoulder mounted upper wing is the same span as the canard and sits just behind the side-by-side cockpit, it includes the ailerons. There’s a tailwheel and rather a small rudder.

This particular aircraft had been bought by an RAF pilot who’d decided to get himself a PPL and commute between Cornwall and British West Oxfordshire by air. We went up to collect it from Teesside with a Quickie ‘expert’, the idea being that he would fly back and show the new owner how to fly it and I’d bring the other aircraft back. No sooner had we got to Teesside though, when the expert admitted that he hadn’t flown this version for a long time and would sooner get himself up to speed on the way home solo..... Which led me to wonder about both the ‘expert’ and the aircraft.

Some months later, the owner asked me whether I fancied a trip in it. Of course I accepted – who wouldn’t? So we strapped ourselves in.... My first impression was of the abysmal rearward visibility – almost as bad as the F-35. Anyway, we started up and charged off down the runway – it used up an enormous amount of runway to get airborne, but seemed nice and nimble and we were soon up at about 6000 ft. I then suggested that we should fly a bit lower, as the owner only had a low chart with him (the CAA produced such things in those days). The aircraft rushed about at about 150 KIAS and I thought that the control response was quite superb, particularly in roll. “Is it aerobatic?”, I asked – when I received an affirmative response I tried a barrel roll which went fine. The owner had a go – and promptly fell out at the top! So we just looked at stalling, which was very benign, as were max rate turns.

Then he explained the mysterious lever next to the single, centrally mounted control column. It seems that earlier Quickies didn’t like flying in rain and the canard would lose lift... So rather a lot of ‘up elevator’ was then needed to persuade them to fly level, which made landing interesting as there wasn’t much pitch control left with which to flare the little beast. The solution was a tailplane incidence control (TPI), which included a small horizontal tailplane control surface at the top of the fin. This had a lot of authority, due to the moment arm. One effect of this T-tail was that you could fly straight and level at the same IAS at a variety of pitch attitudes – having set the TPI, you pitched to achieve straight and level, then trimmed out the residual load. But that had the interesting effect of moving the control column neutral point! The owner planned to find the best IAS and TPI combination for economic cruising; however, it reminded me a bit of the Gnat in manual, where you were exhorted to set the Standby Trim so that the control column was ‘load-free / central’. After playing with this device for a while, we returned to the circuit with the TPI set to give plenty of pitch movement available for the flare. TPI nose-up, control column forward and trimmed load-free, but I discovered that the view of the runway was almost non-existent until you were down to about 50 ft! The owner tried a touch and go, but this became a series of lurches across the runway as he was using the control column as well as the rudder to keep straight, putting all the weight on alternate wheels in the process. He then offered me a go and I found it fairly simple, apart from the fact that the only throttle was on his side and the approach speed was about 85 KIAS. After my touch and go, he did the final landing which was fine.

As we chatted in the clubroom, I asked him how he spelled his name for the ‘PIC’ column of my logbook. “Well, I don’t actually have my PPL yet, so you were the Captain!”, he told me.....

Later, when reading up on this aeronautical oddity, I discovered that UK-registered Quickies are not approved for aerobatics.....

An oddball, certainly. But quite a nice little aeroplane really. Although I’d hate to have to force land one with that approach speed and poor view.

[zetec2]

Should have added this to my earlier list, Tri-Motor at Oshkosh some years ago , it was this or the Collinges B17, did I make the right choice ?, Paul H:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/zetec2/img016.jpg

[SOSL]

Thanks guys. Brilliant anecdotes.

Rgds SOS

[Al-bert]

I flew The Bear a couple of times, when he was AOC Scotland & N Ireland. Does that count? :}

[SOSL]

Long time ago he ordered me to get my hair cut. How proud of me he would be today!

Rgds SOS

[longer ron]

Hi Shytorque...

Re Ercoupe (not Aircoupe):

Confusingly the aircraft had 2 names and it depended on which company had built the a/c :)
Those built by Forney were named Aircoupe

rgds LR

[FantomZorbin]

Looking at logbook, the last 'Aircoupe' I flew featured on the front of Flyer a while back although the Reg. had changed since it was at Surrey & Kent.

The "footrest" was very useful for taxying!!