DH82a
Speechless Two.
Sept.25th.1961. BB694. Also soloed XL714. Are they still around ? Would be fascinated to know.
Have, since then, in the last 8-10 years, flown some 700 hours in Tigers for Avia Special and Delta Aviation. The most recent was some film work a couple of months ago in the ex-Ted Lay aircraft,G-ANMO, K4259, built in 1935 and still going strong.
Are we not lucky to have been able to experience such amazing flying ?
Sept.25th.1961. BB694. Also soloed XL714. Are they still around ? Would be fascinated to know.
Have, since then, in the last 8-10 years, flown some 700 hours in Tigers for Avia Special and Delta Aviation. The most recent was some film work a couple of months ago in the ex-Ted Lay aircraft,G-ANMO, K4259, built in 1935 and still going strong.
Are we not lucky to have been able to experience such amazing flying ?
`Give me a Tiger,moonlight and goosenecks`.....
Once upon a time ,long ago,5 Dec`76,down at the `Tiger Club`on a brilliant but freezing day,after `thawing-out` from giving a check-ride in a Tiger `DC`to a gentleman,who used to have a `Beta`,then a Harvard, and now a Yak-?,but who shall remain nameless, the conversation turned to night flying(we may even have adjourned to the pub,for a few `cokes`..).`It`s a lovely night for flying`,`It is ,isn`t it`,nice and clear,and a full moon,see for miles`,`why don`t we go for some night flying?,`cos the Jodel(lights) is at the back of the hangar`,`Michael`s not here(Jones..Boss)`,We could use the Tiger as it`s at the front`.....`I`m sure I`ve seen a set of lights for a Tiger in the workshop`.......An hour or so later`DC`emerges from hangar sporting a combined set of battery powered nav.lights atop the fuel tank;someone had also dug out the `gooseneck` lamps and laid them out along the side of the runway,flaring merrily,and one to keep us warm at the hangar..As I was current night,I was volunteered to check out the others,so off we went...the moon had now risen in the East,and the dew was now frozen,like icing,reflecting the moonshine,as we weaved out to take-off..
Line-up with the flares off the left,aiming for the middle one at the other end
and then seeing the yellow exhaust change to red and then blue at full power..heady stuff... you could read the instruments,as the moon was behind,but once downwind there was just a black hole,still,keep the flares off the left wing tip,1900 rpm,by ear,and look at the horizon,count to `five` after the last flare,power to idle,trim ,65kt(ish) gentle turn,now you can read the altimeter,look for the lights,and the `picture`,see the aircraft shadow,just follow it and gently flare......greaser...fullpower,orft we jolly well go for another one...and so it went on for 50 mins checking out Smith,Reagan and Joyce,and then having to prise my frozen body out to let Smithy check out a few more `intrepids`.....Absolutely fabulous on such a night.....and the beers tasted much better later....and I don`t recall if the`Boss` ever knew..Syc....
Line-up with the flares off the left,aiming for the middle one at the other end
and then seeing the yellow exhaust change to red and then blue at full power..heady stuff... you could read the instruments,as the moon was behind,but once downwind there was just a black hole,still,keep the flares off the left wing tip,1900 rpm,by ear,and look at the horizon,count to `five` after the last flare,power to idle,trim ,65kt(ish) gentle turn,now you can read the altimeter,look for the lights,and the `picture`,see the aircraft shadow,just follow it and gently flare......greaser...fullpower,orft we jolly well go for another one...and so it went on for 50 mins checking out Smith,Reagan and Joyce,and then having to prise my frozen body out to let Smithy check out a few more `intrepids`.....Absolutely fabulous on such a night.....and the beers tasted much better later....and I don`t recall if the`Boss` ever knew..Syc....
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Bill Lucas
I had my first lesson with Lucas Snr. (always with several degrees of dihedral in his moustache) in Auster G-AJUM, 14/2/1958. (Yes, I know this is a DH82a thread - but it was February, B. Cold and I went for the saloon luxury of the Auster.
There was another character at Roborough in the early sixties, with whom I did fly in one of theTigers. (G-ANJD, 25/4/1963) Henry Pidduck was an ex-crop-duster who also flew R/H seat on the Dan Air Heron; turned up, one day, to fly the schedule, wearing sports jacket and ratting cap!
Other names mentioned in this thread - O'Brien (Treaders) and the anonymous owner of a Beta (Sycamore) - I bear the responsibility for launching both of these gentlemen on their first solos.
I just love these nostalgia threads - just wish I could decipher some of the 'noms de keyboard'. I'd be surprised if I couldn't connect with anyone. If anyone wants to blow their cover, I'll watch the PMs.
There was another character at Roborough in the early sixties, with whom I did fly in one of theTigers. (G-ANJD, 25/4/1963) Henry Pidduck was an ex-crop-duster who also flew R/H seat on the Dan Air Heron; turned up, one day, to fly the schedule, wearing sports jacket and ratting cap!
Other names mentioned in this thread - O'Brien (Treaders) and the anonymous owner of a Beta (Sycamore) - I bear the responsibility for launching both of these gentlemen on their first solos.
I just love these nostalgia threads - just wish I could decipher some of the 'noms de keyboard'. I'd be surprised if I couldn't connect with anyone. If anyone wants to blow their cover, I'll watch the PMs.
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Sycamore - great tale... did you by chance have anything to do with those wooden bladed helicopters??
Agaricus - I have Old Buck on my list of places to fly to! Hoping to fly to Duxford today first; unbelievably the weather might be reasonable today (end of moan). A trip to Vintech at Gransden is on the cards too; one of the engineers there races a Manx Norton, so I'm hoping for a good poke around the workshops (I race a Dresda and a Velocette).
I hope we can generate a few more Moth stories; as I said at the beginning of the thread, there must be loads of interesting tales to be told.
I came back to Tigers this year, and I flew my first solo in a fixed wing since 1991 on my birthday, 3rd May, in G-ANFL. It was a coincidence that it was my birthday; also that my wife shares the same day for hers - so she bravely came up for a ride too. The last time she went up in a Tiger was a surprise birthday present I bought her in Delta's G-ADGT in '03. She was petrified, because she was given the stick for a short time. Having flown many times in helicopters, she thought that if she let go, the stick would fall to the nearest corner of the cockpit and take the aircraft with it! Anyway, she knows better now...Here's a picture of us post flight.
Agaricus - I have Old Buck on my list of places to fly to! Hoping to fly to Duxford today first; unbelievably the weather might be reasonable today (end of moan). A trip to Vintech at Gransden is on the cards too; one of the engineers there races a Manx Norton, so I'm hoping for a good poke around the workshops (I race a Dresda and a Velocette).
I hope we can generate a few more Moth stories; as I said at the beginning of the thread, there must be loads of interesting tales to be told.
I came back to Tigers this year, and I flew my first solo in a fixed wing since 1991 on my birthday, 3rd May, in G-ANFL. It was a coincidence that it was my birthday; also that my wife shares the same day for hers - so she bravely came up for a ride too. The last time she went up in a Tiger was a surprise birthday present I bought her in Delta's G-ADGT in '03. She was petrified, because she was given the stick for a short time. Having flown many times in helicopters, she thought that if she let go, the stick would fall to the nearest corner of the cockpit and take the aircraft with it! Anyway, she knows better now...Here's a picture of us post flight.
Aah - de Haviland.
I was lucky enough to get a full PPL in 1958 on an RAF flying scholarship flying Tigers at Herts and Essex flying club at Stapleford Tawney. All our equipment - gloves, helmet, boots etc - were provided by the RAF, and we needed it when flying early on winter mornings. My first instructor was John Lamb, who later became an early hovercraft pilot, and later the redoubtable Neville Browning. The aircraft were G-ANKU and G-AIDS, on which I first soloed. Do they still exist?
Later, in the Navy, I did a summer camp at Arbroath, also with Tigers. A Cadet with a flying licence was highly unusual at that time. My instructor would turn up looking hungover, point to an aircraft and say ''Take that aircraft, piss off, and I don't want to see you until lunchtime". Afternoons were much the same. Never was taxpayers money better used!
I was lucky enough to get a full PPL in 1958 on an RAF flying scholarship flying Tigers at Herts and Essex flying club at Stapleford Tawney. All our equipment - gloves, helmet, boots etc - were provided by the RAF, and we needed it when flying early on winter mornings. My first instructor was John Lamb, who later became an early hovercraft pilot, and later the redoubtable Neville Browning. The aircraft were G-ANKU and G-AIDS, on which I first soloed. Do they still exist?
Later, in the Navy, I did a summer camp at Arbroath, also with Tigers. A Cadet with a flying licence was highly unusual at that time. My instructor would turn up looking hungover, point to an aircraft and say ''Take that aircraft, piss off, and I don't want to see you until lunchtime". Afternoons were much the same. Never was taxpayers money better used!
Gnome de PPRuNe
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I did my PPL at Perth in 1958. I went solo in G-AHUE (no longer with us) and also flew G-AHUV and G-ANNG.
I did my final handling test with the fearsome Wg Cdr "Pooch" Nugent and that was a story in itself.
I had been hoping to do my final check ride with Tommy Blyth the CFI but "Pooch" had decided that he wanted to do it.
He was out front swinging and swinging the prop and the engine was quite dead. He roared at me:
"Do you know what is wrong with this aircraft young man?"
"Sir, I think the impulse starter has jammed".
"And just what do we do about that do you think?"
"Sir, I would open the starboard cowling and hit the impulse casing with one of the wooden chocks."
Well, "Sir" went berserk and I got a very firm lecture about how this was no way to treat a beautiful flying machine.
He then roared (and I mean roared) for the chief engineer. Charlie Delbridge came out in his white coat and overalls, listened to the problem, opened up the starboard side of the cowling and hit the impulse casing with a chock!
It started first time but I would have to say that I would really rather have hidden myself about 100 feet underground at that point.
However, the rest of the check went well and I passed and here I am boring the backsides off you 50 years later!
I did my final handling test with the fearsome Wg Cdr "Pooch" Nugent and that was a story in itself.
I had been hoping to do my final check ride with Tommy Blyth the CFI but "Pooch" had decided that he wanted to do it.
He was out front swinging and swinging the prop and the engine was quite dead. He roared at me:
"Do you know what is wrong with this aircraft young man?"
"Sir, I think the impulse starter has jammed".
"And just what do we do about that do you think?"
"Sir, I would open the starboard cowling and hit the impulse casing with one of the wooden chocks."
Well, "Sir" went berserk and I got a very firm lecture about how this was no way to treat a beautiful flying machine.
He then roared (and I mean roared) for the chief engineer. Charlie Delbridge came out in his white coat and overalls, listened to the problem, opened up the starboard side of the cowling and hit the impulse casing with a chock!
It started first time but I would have to say that I would really rather have hidden myself about 100 feet underground at that point.
However, the rest of the check went well and I passed and here I am boring the backsides off you 50 years later!
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Norwich - yes, that's the strip.
LowNSlow - they seem to be everywhere. Owning a company like Vintech, he should have a very nice Tiger. I flew to Little Gransden yesterday afternoon; no Tigers, but lots of Yaks and some very impressive (and pristine) American vintage aircraft. The airstrip there is lovely; it's just a pity there was nobody there to watch me grease the Moth on to 28!
JW411 - sounds typical of the type of instructor one had to call 'Sir' all the time. That's a lovely story and I'm sure it doesn't bore the pants off anyone! My PPL was also at Perth, courtesy of the RAF Flying Scholarship scheme in 1969. I was one of the last of 2 to go through on the Chipmunk (G-APLO now in Jersey and G-ARCR, destroyed). The rest of my course had to go through on spam can 150s. I don't remember feeling particularly privileged at the time, but I certainly was. My man was Gordon Lockhart, a fiery Scot, allegedly an ex sub-mariner, who seemed to be very ancient to me...
WW
LowNSlow - they seem to be everywhere. Owning a company like Vintech, he should have a very nice Tiger. I flew to Little Gransden yesterday afternoon; no Tigers, but lots of Yaks and some very impressive (and pristine) American vintage aircraft. The airstrip there is lovely; it's just a pity there was nobody there to watch me grease the Moth on to 28!
JW411 - sounds typical of the type of instructor one had to call 'Sir' all the time. That's a lovely story and I'm sure it doesn't bore the pants off anyone! My PPL was also at Perth, courtesy of the RAF Flying Scholarship scheme in 1969. I was one of the last of 2 to go through on the Chipmunk (G-APLO now in Jersey and G-ARCR, destroyed). The rest of my course had to go through on spam can 150s. I don't remember feeling particularly privileged at the time, but I certainly was. My man was Gordon Lockhart, a fiery Scot, allegedly an ex sub-mariner, who seemed to be very ancient to me...
WW
