Post World War 2 aviation

[gassed budgie]

A interesting clip from the NSFA on how things used to be done during a more genteel time in our aviation history.

https://youtu.be/6UCFAwJ7Ts8

Well worth the 25 minutes.

[aroa]

Thanks for that glimpse into the recent past. First flight as a kid was in an ANA DC 4.
Another favourite aircraft was the Convair. Can’t beat the music of multiple radials in full song.
How times have changed.

[tail wheel]

The DH84 Dragon VH-AAO appearing in the first few minutes of the film had an interesting life, including the two pre war owners being arrested and jailed en-route between the UK and Australia.

The Dragon's demise is also somewhat unusual:

20.12.47: The aircraft was parked at Coonamble airport, NSW when a violent wind storm bore down on the airport. The aircraft was tied down with ropes and chains but despite those precautions the aircraft was picked up by the storm, lifted over trees around the airfield and deposited over a mile away into the Castlereagh River. Aircraft was totally destroyed. The event was reported (with photographs) in the Sydney Morning Herald on 23.12.47. Date quoted incorrectly as 23.12.47: this was the date of Sydney Morning Herald reported on the windstorm with photos of VH-AAO in the Castlereagh River and Tiger Moth VH-BGK wrecked.

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/205253

[First_Principal]

I was quite taken with the pedal-powered radio. Even though we'd probably never use such a thing today, with modern electronics drawing so much less current it'd be much less of a chore!

Sad to read that AKF met with a fatal accident in 1950, possibly not long after filming here. According to this information (https://nzcivair.********.com/2009/05/) components of it morphed into AHB, then ZK-BAR which also met with a double-fatality accident :(

Update with source data (https://www.aviation.govt.nz/assets/publications/fatal-accident-reports/ZK-BAR_Fatal.pdf) stating that "De Havilland Services Limited (DHSL) have reviewed this accident report and have advised that serial number 1123 is not recognised in any record keeping by De Havilland, England or De Havilland, Australia .... the precise history of serial number 1123 can only be traced back to the aircraft registration VH-AHB, and that VH-AHB seems to have been the product of a rebuild made up of parts mostly from VH-AKF which itself had experienced a previous accident."

FP.

[megan]

Dc-4 didn't waste any time getting the gear up on take off, I'm sure one of them had pulled it up before the gear left the ground and was relying on the micro switches. The video answered one question that was asked here a while ago regarding altimeter settings in Oz, Mascot tower at 17;00 used inches when the DC-3 was doing an engine out, hold over from war time I'd guess when the USAAC would have had influence on operations.

Anyone any idea the altitudes QF flew the Constellation at, seemed fairly low on the video, I believe they didn't use the aircrafts altitude capability in order to take it easy on the engines.

[PiperCameron]

Thanks for posting. It's interesting to see Sydney Airport without all of the flash terminals and sprawling suburbs there are today.

[43Inches]

Anyone any idea the altitudes QF flew the Constellation at, seemed fairly low on the video, I believe they didn't use the aircrafts altitude capability in order to take it easy on the engines.


Not sure on QFs policy for the prop-liners but they generally were very performance limited in the early stages of a long flight anyway. Considering they would peel back from Full, to METO to MCP, in the first 100 feet and then back to somewhere near 50% power for the enroute climb to save the engines. The film may not be indicative of real operations as most seem to be staged scenes. Probably why the fast, low, quick gear retract, take-off as they knew it was part of a film. Interesting to see the Convairs featuring and the North Star for CPA, wondering whether those actually made it to Australia. The royals seemed to like the North Star/Argonaut for their tours, so maybe.