Chipmunk Is Beautiful
Red On, Green On
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I have a princely 10 mins solo in the mighty Chipmunk, courtesy of RN Grading flight. Despite the fact that it wasn't my first solo, it's one I still treasure the most.
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Chipmunk Manual
Lelolo44,
"TC/250262 Chipmunk T10 Student Pilot Guide" would be the thing you are looking for.
A4 size, light blue soft card covers, and around 20mm thick but quite difficult to find these days.
Good hunting.
S
"TC/250262 Chipmunk T10 Student Pilot Guide" would be the thing you are looking for.
A4 size, light blue soft card covers, and around 20mm thick but quite difficult to find these days.
Good hunting.
S
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Don't forget that the RAF still have 2 Chippies on their books...
..... And one of them is very special.
To me anyway.
I did my first solo in WK518 in 1971. (ULAS)
It didn't have the high-conspicuity black paint scheme in those days, of course.
FL
RN Historic Flight:
My first couple of flights with Britannia Flight were in WK608 with Mr Brown, 1st Feb 1968: seems only a year or two ago
Chipmunk T.10 WK608 was built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company at Chester and, following early service with the Royal Air Force, entered service with the Royal Navy's Britannia Flight at Roborough (now Plymouth City Airport) in June 1966. She served with the unit until retirement of the type from service in 1993, transferring to the RNHF at Yeovilton in July of that year, thus becoming the last flying example of the type in RN service.
My first couple of flights with Britannia Flight were in WK608 with Mr Brown, 1st Feb 1968: seems only a year or two ago
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I was at RAF Heany near Bulawayo in the then Rhodesia in the early fifties. 4 FTS used Tiger Moths and Harvards but they phased out the Tigers for Chipmunks. When the FTS was folded in 1954 they auctioned off all the transport, aircraft and equipment. If you were, then, as some people were, you could have got yourself a brand new Chipmunk, in its crate.
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Flying Scholarship
I did my RAF flying scholarship in a 'Chippie' at Castle Donnington, now EMA, in 1965. Great aircraft which forgave a very average pilot. Happy memories.
Still flying, BA Club class.
Still flying, BA Club class.
FarEastDriver
I was stationed at RAF Thornhill (5 FTS) arriving there in August 1951. When I arrived Tiger Moths were used for primary training, but starting in September 1951 Chipmunk T.10s started to replace the Tiger Moths at 5 FTS.
5 FTS was allocated 27 Chipmunk T.10s. Built at Hawarden near Chester, they were crated and shipped out to Durban in South Africa and transferred to rail trucks for the journey to 394 MU at RAF Heany near Bulawayo where they were assembled, flight tested and then flown up to Thornhill.
When the Rhodesian Air Training Group closed in October 1953 flying clubs in South Africa and Australia realised that the many surplus RAF Chipmunks now on offer were an economic alternative to the purchase of new aircraft.
Eleven used Chipmunks were imported into Australia via South Africa. They proved so popular that when the RAF released further aircraft in 1956, W.S. Shackleton Ltd were appointed to purchase Chipmunks on behalf of the Federation of Australian Aero Clubs. In total some 80 ex-RAF Chipmunks were exported to Australia.
Photos below from my album show:
Th first Chipmunk T.10 to arrive at 5 FTS in September 1951
..and others
and the last two Tiger Moths from 5 FTS departing to join the Rhodesian Air Force near Salisbury.
Other fairly long in the tooth Tiger Moths were sold 'as-is' and £15 - £50 each was the going rate. Some locals dipped into their pockets and bought some, but not many - most of the Tiger Moths were scrapped.
I was stationed at RAF Thornhill (5 FTS) arriving there in August 1951. When I arrived Tiger Moths were used for primary training, but starting in September 1951 Chipmunk T.10s started to replace the Tiger Moths at 5 FTS.
5 FTS was allocated 27 Chipmunk T.10s. Built at Hawarden near Chester, they were crated and shipped out to Durban in South Africa and transferred to rail trucks for the journey to 394 MU at RAF Heany near Bulawayo where they were assembled, flight tested and then flown up to Thornhill.
When the Rhodesian Air Training Group closed in October 1953 flying clubs in South Africa and Australia realised that the many surplus RAF Chipmunks now on offer were an economic alternative to the purchase of new aircraft.
Eleven used Chipmunks were imported into Australia via South Africa. They proved so popular that when the RAF released further aircraft in 1956, W.S. Shackleton Ltd were appointed to purchase Chipmunks on behalf of the Federation of Australian Aero Clubs. In total some 80 ex-RAF Chipmunks were exported to Australia.
Photos below from my album show:
Th first Chipmunk T.10 to arrive at 5 FTS in September 1951
..and others
and the last two Tiger Moths from 5 FTS departing to join the Rhodesian Air Force near Salisbury.
Other fairly long in the tooth Tiger Moths were sold 'as-is' and £15 - £50 each was the going rate. Some locals dipped into their pockets and bought some, but not many - most of the Tiger Moths were scrapped.
Last edited by Warmtoast; 20th Sep 2010 at 20:28. Reason: To re-install moved images
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TC/250262 Chipmunk T10 Student Pilot Guide" !! that's the thing ...wellnowi just have to find it....sounds easier with a name...
Warmtoast, seeing your pics and reading your history with the chippie, it makes people realize that we are talking about an 1940's airplane ...and so popular after more than 60 years !! People reactions in that thread tell us about that popularity , to have designed such an aircraft is clearly an achievement .
Warmtoast, seeing your pics and reading your history with the chippie, it makes people realize that we are talking about an 1940's airplane ...and so popular after more than 60 years !! People reactions in that thread tell us about that popularity , to have designed such an aircraft is clearly an achievement .
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Well done lelo44- I am sure you have started a long thread!
The general manual for flying in the RAF is the dreaded AP129 and coincidentaly as I clear up my 'residence secondaire' I have found a 1954 copy which is fascinating.
I flew the Chipmunk in ULAS,RAF and subsequently as 'famil' pilot for cadets, prior to a commercial aviation career, amassing probably over 750 hrs on type. I have some interesting experiences with cadets in the back with access to the rear magneto switches!!
Needless to say we survived happily
Bon chance with the thread- I will look up my logbooks next time in London and see if your baby features
The general manual for flying in the RAF is the dreaded AP129 and coincidentaly as I clear up my 'residence secondaire' I have found a 1954 copy which is fascinating.
I flew the Chipmunk in ULAS,RAF and subsequently as 'famil' pilot for cadets, prior to a commercial aviation career, amassing probably over 750 hrs on type. I have some interesting experiences with cadets in the back with access to the rear magneto switches!!
Needless to say we survived happily
Bon chance with the thread- I will look up my logbooks next time in London and see if your baby features
WE had a 'baby spitfire' Chipmunk for a short time at Honington. During the intervening period between the Valiant being grounded to the squadrons being disbanded Chipmunks were issued to keep the pilots in flying practice. At 90 Sqn we received WP850.
This aircraft had spent a long time in Cyprus being used for reconnaissance duties during the Cyprus Emergency. To this end it had been painted in a standard grey/green camoflage finish with grey undersides. It only had about three hundred hours on so it was virtually new. We painted a 90 Sqn rudder flash on it and we had our minature Spitfire.
A lot of our squadron ground crew found out what it was like to be upside down in flight.
This aircraft had spent a long time in Cyprus being used for reconnaissance duties during the Cyprus Emergency. To this end it had been painted in a standard grey/green camoflage finish with grey undersides. It only had about three hundred hours on so it was virtually new. We painted a 90 Sqn rudder flash on it and we had our minature Spitfire.
A lot of our squadron ground crew found out what it was like to be upside down in flight.
I was fortunate enough to have 4 super years in ULAS flying the Chippie at the beginning of the 1970s!
It should have been only 3, but the lure of flying was so strong that I had to repeat my 2nd year at QMC!
I did a friend's renewal LST in the back of his Chippie a year or so ago - the fee was reduced by £5 per aerobatic manoeuvre that he let me fly. I think we settled on a fiver.
What a super little aeroplane. Just needed about 180-200 bhp and a C/S prop and it would have been perfect.
It should have been only 3, but the lure of flying was so strong that I had to repeat my 2nd year at QMC!
I did a friend's renewal LST in the back of his Chippie a year or so ago - the fee was reduced by £5 per aerobatic manoeuvre that he let me fly. I think we settled on a fiver.
What a super little aeroplane. Just needed about 180-200 bhp and a C/S prop and it would have been perfect.
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I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Chipmunk was originally designed using not the Mosquito but the DH Hornet as some sort of aerodynamic template which would/could help at a time when man-hours available for design work would be hard to come by.
If you look closely and halve the number of engines, it could be true.
Has anyone else heard or read this?
I was lucky enough to have completed my CPL course on this lovely aircraft and went on to become an instructor on type for a couple of years - even had it as my first CPL type rating!
Ahhh, de Havilland................
If you look closely and halve the number of engines, it could be true.
Has anyone else heard or read this?
I was lucky enough to have completed my CPL course on this lovely aircraft and went on to become an instructor on type for a couple of years - even had it as my first CPL type rating!
Ahhh, de Havilland................
Aviator Extraordinaire
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I had the great pleasure of flying a highly modified Chipmunk for a while. It had a 300hp Lycoming engine, a modified bubble canopy, standard hydraulic brakes on the rudder peddles and the vertical stabilizer and rudder size had been increased to handle the torque from the engine.
You could do a inside square loop with no problems, the guy that owned it would do outside square loops, I wasn't that brave, or that eager to pull that many negative Gs for so long either for that matter.
A very sad end to the story of my friend owning that Chipmunk. He got married, started having children and his wife made him sell it.
I never did find out what happened to it after he sold it.
I just remember how much fun it was to fly.
You could do a inside square loop with no problems, the guy that owned it would do outside square loops, I wasn't that brave, or that eager to pull that many negative Gs for so long either for that matter.
A very sad end to the story of my friend owning that Chipmunk. He got married, started having children and his wife made him sell it.
I never did find out what happened to it after he sold it.
I just remember how much fun it was to fly.
The Chipmunk was designed by Wsiewolod Jakimuik who was also heavily involved in the Mosquito project, so similarities are not accidental. Jakimuik escaped Poland during the German WW2 invasion and after the War went to Canada where he also designed the Beaver.
lelalo - I have some documents from my time as a RAF QFI on the Chippy, including the Student Study Guide. PM me with a snail mail address and I will send you a copy.
lelalo - I have some documents from my time as a RAF QFI on the Chippy, including the Student Study Guide. PM me with a snail mail address and I will send you a copy.
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Dan
I think you might find that the Hornet was much closer to the Chipmunk than was the Mosquito. Look paticulaly at the squared off wingtips and tailplane which on the Mossie is eliptical.
All three of course, were wonderful aircraft!
I think you might find that the Hornet was much closer to the Chipmunk than was the Mosquito. Look paticulaly at the squared off wingtips and tailplane which on the Mossie is eliptical.
All three of course, were wonderful aircraft!