Chipmunk's 60th
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Chipmunk's 60th
Chipmunk's 60th - did you fly in one or are you a fan??
The Chipmunk Aircraft celebrates it's 60th Anniversary in 2006. There are many Chipmunk Fans and ex Chippy Pilots in the UK and there is a web site called caledonianchipmunks dedicated to "The Chippy" - please help keep this wonderful aircraft in the public eye. Please feel free to tell as many "Chippy" people as you like.
Thanks
Chippy Fan
Mods: sorry if this is posted in the wrong place!!
CF - I have removed the links to a commercial site as per PPRune guidlines. As for posting location, I feel you will fare better on Aviation History, so that's where it is going.
PS
Flew it
Loved it!
The Chipmunk Aircraft celebrates it's 60th Anniversary in 2006. There are many Chipmunk Fans and ex Chippy Pilots in the UK and there is a web site called caledonianchipmunks dedicated to "The Chippy" - please help keep this wonderful aircraft in the public eye. Please feel free to tell as many "Chippy" people as you like.
Thanks
Chippy Fan
Mods: sorry if this is posted in the wrong place!!
CF - I have removed the links to a commercial site as per PPRune guidlines. As for posting location, I feel you will fare better on Aviation History, so that's where it is going.
PS
Flew it
Loved it!
Last edited by BOAC; 8th Jan 2006 at 19:45.
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
C.mon then - join the Chippy Forum and tell them all - we are based at Prestwick - if you are based in "Renfrew" - you could do it again???
Cheers
Happy New Year
Chippyfan
Cheers
Happy New Year
Chippyfan
Last edited by CamelPilot; 8th Jan 2006 at 21:43.
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
Had the pleasure of many flights in the Chippy in the early 80's from Finningley as a CCF cadet on summer camp. It was a great experience.
Happy days.
Happy days.
Gnome de PPRuNe
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
Flew in two with me dad in Kenya in 1970ish - 5Y-KLS which ended up in Florida and which, remarkably, I ran across at Tamiami a decade or so later, and 5Y-KLY which I believe ended up in Rhodesia (well, it was at the time!). Love to renew the acquaintance, short though it was. 
Buttonpusher
Re: Chipmunk's 60th
My first flight flying an airplane was in a Chipmunk as a cadet, throat mike and parachute waddling like a duck to get in...it was a lot of fun in WG417. Nowdays it's a little more sedate in the LH seat of a 7576.
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
I had the pleasure of flying a highly modified Chipmunk with a 300 horsepower Lycoming engine with a 3 bladed prop and hydraulic toe brakes. It belonged to a good friend of mine that used the airplane to perform in air shows.
You had to fly it solo from the back seat due to the increased weight of the engine.
That thing was pure unadulterated fun! I could do a vertical “S” from straight and level flight. I had the option of rolling a half roll in the middle or just pushing to about 2 to 2 and half negative “G’s” to finish over the top. I usually did the half roll, I hate negative G’s. (Plus my flight surgeon told me that I was getting too old to be doing negative G’s. Bloody spoilsport! But I have to admit that I did burst some blood vessels in my eyes.)
What a great fun airplane, and I could fit into it!
You had to fly it solo from the back seat due to the increased weight of the engine.
That thing was pure unadulterated fun! I could do a vertical “S” from straight and level flight. I had the option of rolling a half roll in the middle or just pushing to about 2 to 2 and half negative “G’s” to finish over the top. I usually did the half roll, I hate negative G’s. (Plus my flight surgeon told me that I was getting too old to be doing negative G’s. Bloody spoilsport! But I have to admit that I did burst some blood vessels in my eyes.)
What a great fun airplane, and I could fit into it!
Last edited by con-pilot; 9th Jan 2006 at 01:57.
Re: Chipmunk's 60th
Had great fun in Chippies as an ATC cadet on summer camps, followed by Basic Fixed Wing on my Army Pilots Course (as have a number of ppruners, I suspect). I'd sell the wife for another jolly!
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
Fantastic to hear all about your dynamic "Chippy" expeiences l keep 'em commin. I am away for the next week so don't think I have lost interest.
Cheers
Chippyfan
Cheers
Chippyfan
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
There will be several events during the summer marking the Chipmunk's 60th birthday, the event I organise at North Weald on 17-18 June being one.
Why not come along and join us and swap stories with the owners and crews.
G-APDK
ps If you own a Chippy you will be getting an invite from me shortly, if you fly someone elses and require details drop me a PM
Why not come along and join us and swap stories with the owners and crews.
G-APDK
ps If you own a Chippy you will be getting an invite from me shortly, if you fly someone elses and require details drop me a PM
Re: Chipmunk's 60th
S2,
857 was still there in 1968: and WP856/"904" was at Dartmouth: what an anorak thing to keep in my logbook! My first Chippie was during PPL at Stapleford Tawney, G-AOFE, which we used for spinning training: if you won Neville (?) Browning as your instructor, an inverted 50' run down the strip on return was a bit of an eye opener
A couple of old photos: WP799 from Linton on Ouse, around 1968
And another one on the ground in January 1969, not sure of the S/N
857 was still there in 1968: and WP856/"904" was at Dartmouth: what an anorak thing to keep in my logbook! My first Chippie was during PPL at Stapleford Tawney, G-AOFE, which we used for spinning training: if you won Neville (?) Browning as your instructor, an inverted 50' run down the strip on return was a bit of an eye opener
A couple of old photos: WP799 from Linton on Ouse, around 1968
And another one on the ground in January 1969, not sure of the S/N
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
The Chipmunk - what a magic aeroplane. The control harmonisation is the best I've ever flown...........
I had the plesure as an air experience cadet in the 60's, university cadet 60's and 70's, air experience flight pilot mid 70's and latterly at Shuttleworth. On that subject, we must do something at Old Warden for the celebrations. Anybody any ideas...........
A
I had the plesure as an air experience cadet in the 60's, university cadet 60's and 70's, air experience flight pilot mid 70's and latterly at Shuttleworth. On that subject, we must do something at Old Warden for the celebrations. Anybody any ideas...........
A
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
Had my first engine failure in a Chippy. Malcolm was in the backseat teaching me some low-flying at 500feet over a swamp when the engine started sputtering and was obviously dying. Being my first flight and an ad hoc thing at that, I wasn't familiar with anything, the P-8 compass or the fuel tank selector down on the floor in my front cockpit. Malcolm was a nice chap but he tended to get all excited and stutter badly under stress. When he wasn't stuttering he was stammering. We had Gosport tubes only and through my ill-fitting leather helmet I eventually made out what I thought was the word "fuel". I looked out at the gauges in the wing roots and could only just make out through the dirt and condensation that one of them was flickering on empty. Couldn't make out what the other one was reading. That encouraged me to start looking around and eventually I spotted a likely candidate down in the darkness, on the front cockpit floor. Quickly selected the other selection and was immensely gratified to hear the engine roar back into chippy-song - particularly when I looked up and saw that Malcolm was at 50ft asl aiming at the tree-covered island in the middle of the swamp. When I asked him why later, it was "because he couldn't swim".
He was so shook up that 20 mins later he groundlooped it while landing into a low sunset....so I got a tick in that box as well. After teaching me how to handspin the prop, which was slightly different to the Tiger, He signed me up on it and I had many a fun hour teaching myself aeros and spins. Unfortunately the next Chippy I flew had a completely different configuration and I became a real pain to ATC at a major capital city secondary airport - until, after many NORADIO rejoins, I discovered that it had a Gen Field switch. Switching that on was a monster help and assist to the battery and radio. At age 17 I was immortal and not very tech oriented.
Malcolm Blackshaw, an absolutely tremendous chap. To this day I recall his first words when the engine started coughing and before he started stuttering uncontrollably: "Bloody Hell, rooted by science again".
He was so shook up that 20 mins later he groundlooped it while landing into a low sunset....so I got a tick in that box as well. After teaching me how to handspin the prop, which was slightly different to the Tiger, He signed me up on it and I had many a fun hour teaching myself aeros and spins. Unfortunately the next Chippy I flew had a completely different configuration and I became a real pain to ATC at a major capital city secondary airport - until, after many NORADIO rejoins, I discovered that it had a Gen Field switch. Switching that on was a monster help and assist to the battery and radio. At age 17 I was immortal and not very tech oriented.
Malcolm Blackshaw, an absolutely tremendous chap. To this day I recall his first words when the engine started coughing and before he started stuttering uncontrollably: "Bloody Hell, rooted by science again".
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
Airbedane, nice to see you!
How about a fly in (of course!) with, perhaps, a Chipmunk only aeros competiton?
So sad that Steve "Beauman" Young isn't still with us to celebrate, I seem to remember that he was a serious Chipmunk afficionado.
Cheers
Treadders
How about a fly in (of course!) with, perhaps, a Chipmunk only aeros competiton?
So sad that Steve "Beauman" Young isn't still with us to celebrate, I seem to remember that he was a serious Chipmunk afficionado.
Cheers
Treadders
Just a numbered other
Re: Chipmunk's 60th
FLCH
Oh no, I'm sorry, but you were in an aeroplane that day.
Lovely machine, a small part of one I am priveleged to own. I just hope I can bring her to at least one of the planned meets, as I did for the 50th at Wellesbourne
My first flight flying an airplane was in a Chipmunk
Lovely machine, a small part of one I am priveleged to own. I just hope I can bring her to at least one of the planned meets, as I did for the 50th at Wellesbourne
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
[IMG]mail0006[/IMG] Hope this old photo of Chipmunk G-BDBP taken at Tollerton in the seventies comes through ok if not can anybody tell me the easiest way to put a photo on this site? Cheers, alvin-sfc
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
Did my first flight and first aeros in a Chipmunk as a cadet. Fell in love with them.
When I found out about a flying club with one recently I had to get involved. Superb flying and this one was in almost the same condition as when it left the RAF. And for all you ex cadets out there, the view's a lot better from the front seat!
When I found out about a flying club with one recently I had to get involved. Superb flying and this one was in almost the same condition as when it left the RAF. And for all you ex cadets out there, the view's a lot better from the front seat!
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Re: Chipmunk's 60th
Do you still have to wear one of those really uncomfortable parachutes that the cadets had to wear ? ..... I remember it was a real struggle walking and getting in and out of the Chipmunk .... looking at my old ATC 3822, .....I flew in WP979 & WP805 in the late 70's