Blackburn Beverley Albums
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Could someone kindly explain the issues surrounding "vertical trim". As in, the problems arising from being out of the envelope, and what sort of loading could put you in such a state. Much obliged.
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Could someone kindly explain the issues surrounding "vertical trim".
Thinks, and this is only a guess.
Would the vertical cg have an affect on the aircraft on rotation (or even when they tipped it up to move it sideways into the hangar) such that the cg would move far enough aft of the mainwheels and make the rotation uncontrollable? The Bev afterall was a tall aircraft and it carried quite a load high up in that tailboom.
It also makes me think that finding the vertical cg of the large airdrop loads was partly for the benefit of the aircraft and not just to control the over rotation of the load on exit.
Talking of airdrop lets not forget that it was the Beverley that dropped the heaviest single load from a British aircraft, a Heavey Stressed Platform weighing something like 42 000 lb, which is more than a Herc can carry.
Would the vertical cg have an affect on the aircraft on rotation (or even when they tipped it up to move it sideways into the hangar) such that the cg would move far enough aft of the mainwheels and make the rotation uncontrollable? The Bev afterall was a tall aircraft and it carried quite a load high up in that tailboom.
It also makes me think that finding the vertical cg of the large airdrop loads was partly for the benefit of the aircraft and not just to control the over rotation of the load on exit.
Talking of airdrop lets not forget that it was the Beverley that dropped the heaviest single load from a British aircraft, a Heavey Stressed Platform weighing something like 42 000 lb, which is more than a Herc can carry.
ian16th - Overload tanks?? pumping COLD oil at 8000' to keep the Centauri topped up was no job for wimps (or heavy smokers!!) apart from the limited space in the 'Dog Kennel', cold soaked oil does not like being pumped.
We once went to Elizabethville during the Congo crisis and there were so many aircraft that we were literally queueing to get onto the refuelling points. When out turn eventually came round, the Shell man nearly wept when we asked for 84 gallons for the overloads - it all had to be carried up ladders onto the wing -a gallon at a time. Poor guy had been on duty for over 24 hours and pointed out that the aircraft before us had taken LESS than that amount for his FUEL tanks!! Mind you, it was a Cessna.
We once went to Elizabethville during the Congo crisis and there were so many aircraft that we were literally queueing to get onto the refuelling points. When out turn eventually came round, the Shell man nearly wept when we asked for 84 gallons for the overloads - it all had to be carried up ladders onto the wing -a gallon at a time. Poor guy had been on duty for over 24 hours and pointed out that the aircraft before us had taken LESS than that amount for his FUEL tanks!! Mind you, it was a Cessna.
Early 60's I had the good fortune to be sent on a French Air Force skiing course. There were a load of French Air Force pilots on the course as well.
One recounted his version of the Beverley's first demo flight at Farnborough.
According to him, on the approach to Farnborough, the captain realised there was a crow formating on the aircraft. Captain puts on more power, crow flaps its wings a bit faster, more power, more flapping, etc. Eventually,Bev is flat out, crow is hardly raising a sweat. Captain pulls off the power, and puts down the flaps and raises the nose. Just getting a bit of burble, when the crow flicks and spins in.
Not sure the french were overly impressed.
One recounted his version of the Beverley's first demo flight at Farnborough.
According to him, on the approach to Farnborough, the captain realised there was a crow formating on the aircraft. Captain puts on more power, crow flaps its wings a bit faster, more power, more flapping, etc. Eventually,Bev is flat out, crow is hardly raising a sweat. Captain pulls off the power, and puts down the flaps and raises the nose. Just getting a bit of burble, when the crow flicks and spins in.
Not sure the french were overly impressed.
I had two or three Beverley flights as an ATC cadet, Abingdon being our 'parent' station. On the first occasion, we were seated in the hold area, there being no seats fitted to the tailboom. Soon after takeoff, after we were allowed to unfasten seatbelts, several cadets decided to scale the vertical walls to access the tailboom (no ladder installed - they used the horizontal rungs on the wall) After some time, they came back down looking rather sheepish. One of them told me they'd been sitting on the floor chatting when one of them noticed a lever, and not knowing what it was for, operated it. Inevitably the floor hatch of the tailboom began to open and it took several of them jumping on it to close it again!!
A couple more of my photos of Beverleys. These taken at Abingdon during the summer of 1959.
This one landing
This one taking off with the rear clam-shell doors removed for a heavy drop, at Watchfield I assume.
This one landing
This one taking off with the rear clam-shell doors removed for a heavy drop, at Watchfield I assume.
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A couple of Beverley Pictures from 1956 at Idris during Trials:
and
Plus for Amos Keeto
the following Album has been completely rebuilt and dated correctly:
1968 RAF Abingdon - 19 Pictures
Opssys
and
Plus for Amos Keeto
the following Album has been completely rebuilt and dated correctly:1968 RAF Abingdon - 19 Pictures
Opssys
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Opssys,
I happen to have been very familiar with both types. I worked regulary on transient Beverley's for a year, 57-58 and was then posted to a Valiant Sqdn, twice, for something over 4 years in total.
Keep the pics coming, I'm enjoying them all.
I happen to have been very familiar with both types. I worked regulary on transient Beverley's for a year, 57-58 and was then posted to a Valiant Sqdn, twice, for something over 4 years in total.
Keep the pics coming, I'm enjoying them all.
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Beverley
Here is a picture of the last surviving Beverley, at Fort Paull.
656-697 Paull 5-9-06 Beverley near full side on on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
656-697 Paull 5-9-06 Beverley near full side on on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
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It's hard to read that load sheet on my computer screen but it looks to me as if the heavier the aircraft was the higher the vertical C of G had to be to stay in the envelope. This might be because closing the throttles quickly on a heavy aircraft with a low slung C of G would produce a sharp nose pitch up and posibly a stall, especially as the wing would already be at a high angle of attack. Just a guess.
I recently saw another Beverley thread on this site which reminded me that I took some photos when the last airworthy Beverley XB259, was delivered to Paull airfield around 40 years ago. I dug out the negatives from the loft and scanned them into my PC and then set about searching the web to try and identify exactly when the final flight took place. In the course of doing this I came across this other thread on PPRuNe which seemed a more appropriate place to post the photographs. The date was 30th March 1974 and it was a cold grey day waiting for the Beverley to arrive. A large crowd had also spent the previous Sunday in the cold but for some reason the aircraft did not turn up. However this time we were lucky and here are some of the photos.
Last edited by walbut; 23rd Nov 2012 at 06:55.
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Last time I saw a Beverley was jumping from the tail boom at Weston OTG, one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life, at that time anyway.
Sorry, scrub that, some years later I sat in the tail boom of one on a flight from Bahrain to Sharjah; 3 attempts at take-off, each one stopped due to an engine problem manifesting itself during the ponderous roll, according to the Irish pilot. The boom was quite full and badly ventilated, and I discovered then what was meant by "the smell of fear". On the 4th try it staggered off the ground after what felt like a 10-mile run. I swear that some battle-hardened desert warriors were praying out loud.
Lovely aircraft, of course, so lean and gracious, good example of the adage "if it looks right, it is right".
Sorry, scrub that, some years later I sat in the tail boom of one on a flight from Bahrain to Sharjah; 3 attempts at take-off, each one stopped due to an engine problem manifesting itself during the ponderous roll, according to the Irish pilot. The boom was quite full and badly ventilated, and I discovered then what was meant by "the smell of fear". On the 4th try it staggered off the ground after what felt like a 10-mile run. I swear that some battle-hardened desert warriors were praying out loud.
Lovely aircraft, of course, so lean and gracious, good example of the adage "if it looks right, it is right".
Way back in the seventies the bloke that lived next door to me was a Dan Dare pilot who delivered the Beverley to Hendon. It was outside the RAF museum until it became too dangerous and was scrapped.
I gathered from sources that the RAF never relinquished ownership so they couldn't get in to stop the leaks that were corroding the structure.
I gathered from sources that the RAF never relinquished ownership so they couldn't get in to stop the leaks that were corroding the structure.
I gathered from sources that the RAF never relinquished ownership so they couldn't get in to stop the leaks that were corroding the structure.
I remember the Beverley at Hendon well, but no amount of TLC would have allowed it to survive indefinitely in the open.
The RAFM should have bitten the bullet and found a home for it under cover. Let's hope the Yorkshire one survives.
Dubious about the delivery date of '259 to Paull. I started at Farnborough in March '74 and I'm sure it was a couple of months later that the Gp Capt announced that Flt Lt Rich Rhodes and one other had successfully flown it up from Luton.
But then its 38 odd years ago so maybe my head's gone.
I think Rich delivered the Shackleton to Strathallan later that year; now what's happened to that collection? I can remember the crew practicing short landings at Farnborough during my tower training in readiness for the delivery flight (they didn't want to risk a repeat of the Comet delivery there) and seeing the black smoke pouring from the brakes!
But then its 38 odd years ago so maybe my head's gone.
I think Rich delivered the Shackleton to Strathallan later that year; now what's happened to that collection? I can remember the crew practicing short landings at Farnborough during my tower training in readiness for the delivery flight (they didn't want to risk a repeat of the Comet delivery there) and seeing the black smoke pouring from the brakes!
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Last time I saw a Beverley was jumping from the tail boom at Weston OTG, one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life, at that time anyway.
Sorry, scrub that, some years later I sat in the tail boom of one on a flight from Bahrain to Sharjah; 3 attempts at take-off, each one stopped due to an engine problem manifesting itself during the ponderous roll, according to the Irish pilot.
Sorry, scrub that, some years later I sat in the tail boom of one on a flight from Bahrain to Sharjah; 3 attempts at take-off, each one stopped due to an engine problem manifesting itself during the ponderous roll, according to the Irish pilot.
Early '67 flew RAF Seletar - Cocos Islands - Port Hedland - Alice Springs - RAAF Laverton in the boom of a Bubbly.
4 segment path: 4146 nm
WSSS (1°21'01"N 103°59'40"E) YPCC (12°11'18"S 96°50'02"E) 207.7° (SW) 914 nm
YPCC (12°11'18"S 96°50'02"E) YPPD (20°22'40"S 118°37'35"E) 114.1° (SE) 1348 nm
YPPD (20°22'40"S 118°37'35"E) YBAS (23°48'24"S 133°54'08"E) 106.4° (E) 875 nm
YBAS (23°48'24"S 133°54'08"E) YLVT.OLD (37°51'42"S 144°44'49"E) 149.0° (SE) 1009 nm
Total: 4146 nm
All up included a few days in the Cocos waiting for engine parts. The perfect way to see the Australian red centre from a relatively low altitude. Not a trip I would want to repeat though.
Last edited by alisoncc; 24th Nov 2012 at 07:47.