Handley Page Hastings

[papa_sierra]

I was stationed at Akrotiri mid 60's doing second line maintenance on the Canberras. One day a Hastings appeared in the circuit making a much more pronounced noise than usual. When it taxied in and shut down, the reason for the pronounced noise became apparent.
The propellers on the inboard engines were twisted out of shape, caused by contact with the sea on a transit from Nicosia to Akrotiri, thus the aircraft flew the rest of the way on the outboard engines. It was rumoured that the Captain had been demonstrating to the copilot the difficulty of judging aircraft hight over a flat calm sea.
A four engine change ensued.
Does anyone else remember the incident?

[John (Gary) Cooper]

Re the props hitting the 'glassy sea' there is a photo and report at the bottom of this page The Royal Air Force

[Flap40]

I remember reading something about Typhoons in the Channel catching their props in the sea and that the blade tips were bent forward (water being denser than air) not back.

I'm not doubting that this incident happened but I find it strange that there is a difference in the bend direction.

[forget]

I don't understand why the prop tips are bent rearwards. If the engines were developing any power shouldn't they be bent forwards?

( I know I may regret this but something's not right. )

PS. Flap 40. Snap!

[brakedwell]

Perhaps the rearward force of the water was greater than the forward reaction to the thrust from the tips of the props.

[Lou Scannon]

The aircraft was subsequently fitted with four new engines and props.

On its first trip after the air test it was supposed to drop some paratroops, but when the wind increased to above the para limit it landed at El Adem.

I seem to remember that one or more spars that held the undercarriage in place was then found to have been damaged by the props hitting the sea. The gear collapsed and ,though no one was injured, the aircraft was Cat5.

...and another one bites the dust.

[forget]

The claim is that a Hastings was doing 250 knots at sea level. That would mean all engines contributing to pulling it through air. The prop tips dip into the water and, suddenly, the tips are pulling the aircraft through water. The only direction the tips will move is - forward. I don't believe this tale. On the other hand, I can't think of what might move the tips backwards.

[John (Gary) Cooper]

We can't be sure that the bent prop job was TG575 or not, but she later came to grief at El A and these pictures taken by the late John Brignell shows the props bent forwards and back tg575 ela pictures from aviation photos on webshots

[forget]

pictures taken by the late John Brignell shows the props bent forwards and back

John, All I see is props bent back, as you'd expect with a wheels up and engines running. What am I missing?

[John (Gary) Cooper]

On enlarging the photo to 400% you are of course correct, my mistake the props are forward as stated

[forget]

... my mistake, the props are forward as stated.

Knock knock?

[goudie]

Does anyone else remember the incident?

Papa Sierra

Remember it very well, I too was working in ASF at the time.

[wileydog3]

A few nights ago one of the channels here was doing a series of Peter Sellers movies and one was "The Man in the Cocked Hat" about a small fictitious island in the Pacific, Galardia. Anyway there is a goofy intrigue and the British decide to send troops and there for a few seconds is a shot of a Hastings taking off.

[The AvgasDinosaur]

Please can anyone tell me about the "Operation Heliotrope" flights by 230 OCU Hastings, unofficially 1066 Squadron, during the 1976 Cod War versus Iceland ?
I understand up to twenty sorties were flown dropping supplies to RN ships at
sea defending/protecting British trawlers in disputed waters off the Icelandic
coast.
Which aircraft were involved, from where were the missions flown, has anyone
ever written a book about these ops.
Thanks in anticipation,
Be lucky
David

Please note I have High Stakes by Vic Flintham. One of the Heliotrope girls is now preserved at Newark.
Hope some one can help a bit.
Be lucky
David

[Handley]

Proplinerman you have started a very interesting thread. I must be one of the few people who helped to build Hastings and then fly in one while serving in the RAF. This is how it happened.
I joined Handley Page as an apprentice at Cricklewood in 1951 and began by working on the Hastings fuselage assembly line. From 1955 to 1957 I was serving with RAF MEAF Command and when I was posted from RAF Habbaniya in Iraq to RAF Nicosia in Cyprus on 22 April 1956 (in time for the Suez crisis) I flew there in a 70 Squadron Hastings TG621 with great confidence, knowing how well built it was. Happy days!

[lamax]

Unless an aircraft is lowered vertically under power into water the propellors will always curve rearwards when entering water due to the resultant force of forward airspeed.

[forget]

.... the propellers will always curve rearwards when entering water due to the resultant force of forward airspeed.

Eh? If the prop is producing thrust (as in this case) it is doing so by hurling air backwards, particularly at the tips. If the tips then try to hurl much denser water backwards they will bend forwards. No doubt. What you're saying is that the aircraft airspeed is greater than the thrust airspeed coming off the prop tips. In this case the aircraft was doing 250 Knots so .......... prop tips go forwards.

[papa_sierra]

The report says that aircraft was at 250 feet, not 250 knots. I saw the inboard prop blades as photo, maybe Goudie will confirm also. A drift down with throttles back would be a likely scenario.

[forget]

The report says that aircraft was at 250 feet, not 250 knots.

You're quite right, but this doesn't make things any clearer. If they thought they were at 250 feet over the sea they'd hardly have the throttles pulled back.

[diginagain]

Originally Posted by forget

If they thought they were at 250 feet over the sea they'd hardly have the throttles pulled back.

"Watch what happens when I do this!"