The "Whistling wheelbarrow"
The poor old aircraft was doomed though. I heard that, after filling up with new stores, post, nurses etc, it went back to Khormaksar where it failed to stop at the end of the landing run. Although there were no casualties, I believe it was blown up in situ.
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Only RAF Britannia to be written off.
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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Re the Britannia pictured above the accident report says it overshot as a result of power being applied after touchdown instead of reverse thrust.
Re the Britannia pictured above the accident report says it overshot as a result of power being applied after touchdown instead of reverse thrust.
BTW. Reverse dwell referred to below was renamed Brakedwell
Good to see KelvinD's tale of the start of the Matsapa/Francistown era, above - my tale concerning its end was posted pages back. Now I only got up to Francistown once myself and I'd be interested to know if anyone else thinks that the RAF Argosy picture used on the Wiki entry for the aircraft might have been taken there? Apart from the clamber up the curve of the hangar there to ATC, the one thing I do recall is that we had to do an overwing refuel and there are plenty of fuel drums in evidence in that photo.
Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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XP444
Wasn't this the VIP on 70 at Akrotiri 1968 until the Hercs arrived
It was still used as a VIP a/c when I saw XP444/70 Squadron/HQ.NEAF. at RAF Brize Norton on the 15th December 1974.
Chiarain.
Wasn't this the VIP on 70 at Akrotiri 1968 until the Hercs arrived
It was still used as a VIP a/c when I saw XP444/70 Squadron/HQ.NEAF. at RAF Brize Norton on the 15th December 1974.
Chiarain.
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LOX hoax!? (JW411 in #218)
My favourite LOX story............The sandwich duly arrived surrounded by the usual finery. I congratulated your man and asked him how it was that the butter in his sandwiches was always beautifully cold and crisp and not running like it usually was in that part of the world. "It's easy, said Tatty Bill, I just put my butter on top of the frozen tank in the nose".
Now those of you who know the devastating results of liquid oxygen coming in contact with any form of grease will raise your eyes to heaven!
I can remember in later life hearing about the AA DC-10 co-pilot who had a moustache. He took a breath of O2 after his lunch and the butter remnants on his moustache caught fire and he burned 50% of his lungs out.
Finally, the most dangerous thing that we ever carried on the Argosy was a mobile LOX Plant.
So the big problem with a mobile LOX plant was that if it started to malfunction, the whole floor of the aeroplane would very rapidly crystalise and fall out of the bottom of what was left of the aeroplane.
Now those of you who know the devastating results of liquid oxygen coming in contact with any form of grease will raise your eyes to heaven!
I can remember in later life hearing about the AA DC-10 co-pilot who had a moustache. He took a breath of O2 after his lunch and the butter remnants on his moustache caught fire and he burned 50% of his lungs out.
Finally, the most dangerous thing that we ever carried on the Argosy was a mobile LOX Plant.
So the big problem with a mobile LOX plant was that if it started to malfunction, the whole floor of the aeroplane would very rapidly crystalise and fall out of the bottom of what was left of the aeroplane.
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- But: Was the hammer in the LOX-show fully degreased and what about the natural 3% grease contended by the banana? - The crucial detail is 'under pressure'!
In difference to the LOX -tank/flask, the cold area in the LOX-circuit is where the inner pressure falls and the cold thing is possible a condenser with big cooling areas to divert the coldness emerged (wich actual is the trick of fridges). Hence there is hardly pressurised Ox where coldness occour! Anyhow with inner pressure, how should oil under the surroundings pressure get in contact with pressurised Ox??
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- Butter in the Mustage!? I'm used to work with Oxy-Acetylen torches and believe me: Pure Oxygene blown on any oily or greasy surface won't create any heat so ever!
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- LOX-plants produces LOX when working - They are not LOX-containers. There are no reason to a LOX-plant should contain any LOX during transport!
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LOX is serious stuff, especially in the near of fire. The oily detail is mostly to be attended around (not)lubricating LOX equipment, wich mostly changes between un-pressurised and pressurised and where oil/grease might get into the later to be pressurised parts!
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The pic of the Brit off the runway at K’sar brings back memories. I was on the Mountain/Desert Rescue Team at Sharjah at the time and we had gone up to Muharraq to catch that particular aircraft en-route to Tehran for Exercise Nejat (an international mountain rescue team exercise). Instead we had an enforced 10 day “holiday” in transit accommodation at Muharraq before there were any spare seats to take us back to Sharjah. 
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Around post #96 there is a short debate about Amazon.
After having been enjoyed by reading this Argosy thread during the last tree days, I find not so ever need of buying books to get curious RAF-stories ;-)
BTW: For the read I've got good use of:
http://natureonline.com/37/56-ap4-glossary.html ;-)
After having been enjoyed by reading this Argosy thread during the last tree days, I find not so ever need of buying books to get curious RAF-stories ;-)
BTW: For the read I've got good use of:
http://natureonline.com/37/56-ap4-glossary.html ;-)
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Front door riveting
Having read through this wonderfull tread, I miss the explanation of the RAF decision of blinding the front load door.
Can Anyone explain more thoroughly why, or tell the story about the possible mishap wich lead to the decision??
Can Anyone explain more thoroughly why, or tell the story about the possible mishap wich lead to the decision??
During the Armstrong Whitworth course at Bagington at the end of 1962 I can't recall ever being given a reason why the front freight door was not fitted on the RAF version, however there was a small round crew door.
Were 'small round rear crew' a feature of Argosy squadrons?
I can't recall ever being given a reason why the front freight door was not fitted on the RAF version
Prompted by this thread to do a little more delving into the history of the Argosy I found this on FlightGlobal's site - includes a lovely photo of a formation of Argosys over Aden (Crater).
1962 | 2920 | Flight Archive
1962 | 2920 | Flight Archive
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As the Argosy actual is of same age as the Lockheed Hercules, I find it (based on the storytelling here) quite inadequate in comparision :-|
Seen from the European continent it could seem rather british-like to try to get the best out of something being archaic at birth but accepted just because it was British!?
Beside the Herc', what had the red's of such kind of transport aircrafts and would the Argosies have been able to do their job in case of a serious east/vest conflict had happened?
'
From the tales I understand that the Argosys climb-rate was miserable, but since
I haven't been able to find the figures on the web I have to ask in wich extent the C/R was, as I have got the impression that it could be outclimbed by a Cessna 172?!
Seen from the European continent it could seem rather british-like to try to get the best out of something being archaic at birth but accepted just because it was British!?
Beside the Herc', what had the red's of such kind of transport aircrafts and would the Argosies have been able to do their job in case of a serious east/vest conflict had happened?
'
From the tales I understand that the Argosys climb-rate was miserable, but since
I haven't been able to find the figures on the web I have to ask in wich extent the C/R was, as I have got the impression that it could be outclimbed by a Cessna 172?!
For what it is worth 4th November 1971 was probably the last operational day of the Argosy, just leaving the Boscome wingwaver. That was the day I picked up Wg Cdr Burberry and crew at Kemble after they had delivered the last Benson aeroplane.