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?

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

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.

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. :bored: )

PS. Flap 40. Snap!

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

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.

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. :confused:

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

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

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

Knock knock?

Papa Sierra

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

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.

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 Page Hastings
 

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

"Watch what happens when I do this!"

Actually, The aircraft was authorised to fly at the standard low level height of 250 feet above the sea.

I seem to remember that the Captain, "R" , actually said. "Pop into the astro-dome Nav, and let me know when you can see the prop wash on the water" Which the Nav duly did.

Unfortunately, not only did he see the prop wash, he also saw some splashes amongst the wash as the inboards started to clip the water.

It then required "R" to call for full power on the outboards to overcome the drag on the inboard modified props so that he could make it back to base. Hence the need to change all four donks.

Amusingly, his subsequent Court Martial was enlivened by the Court Martial of a member of the original Board of Enquiry who managed to have his Landrover nicked. The latter defendant was fined more than "R" I seem to recall.

The total bill was for four engines burned out, four engines shock loaded, eight bent propellors (four bent one way, four the other?), one complete Hastings airframe and a clapped out landrover!

Great Photos
 

These are great photos. I am currently preparing a presentation on "The Right To Wear The Brevet" - also called the para wings. I did my course at Abingdon in 1960 while in the TA, and jumped from both the Beverley and Hastings aircraft. in those days we jumped from the boom of the Beverley, in addition to the side doors - 70 troops in all. Boom exits were later stopped due some accidents. My lecture covers the history of military parachuting up to the present. I plan to insert your photo of the two aircraft on the tarmac. Incidentally, I went on to train as a pilot at Hamble in 1962 and retired from BA in 1997.

Hastings nostalgia
 

I was an engine fitter having served at Colerne on 36sqdn and 48 at Changi...in 64-67..we used to accompany the a/c on flights across the far east which may involve several overnight stops thus groundcrew were necessary at times!!
One such trip took me to Tachikawa which was a follow up to an earlier mission..which we flew to HK ,onto Naha then to Tachikawa..a great trip especially passing Mt Fuji was very picturesque..shame I lost the photograph!
at Naha which had an enormously long flightline our Hastings was parked among a load of US military a/c of all types ..a jeep which was passing along the flightline suddenly stopped and an young USAF captain jumped out and said what in the 'goddam name' is this airplane! I said it was a RAF Handley Page Hasting ..which increased his knowledge tremendously!
The previous mission was grounded for a while and had to have a fuel tank change which when we arrived I hope we would get the same problem..it was not to be but we had a great time and were well looked after by the Yanks!
Rgds

Patkinson:ok:

Patkinson,
if you look at the 'Global Aviation 60 years of the Hercules' thread you will see a pic of Fuji and also a pic of the Hastings. May bring back memories.

Hastybird
 

You get around don't you. I'm hooked now.

Hastybird
 

This might bring a tear to the glass eye of any old Hastings crews. I think it was sung to the tune of " a bird in a gilded cage."

"She has no jet engines, she just burns crude oil,
There's a creak in her dirty old spine,
But when she's ten thousand high, she's the Queen of the sky,
She's that Handley Page Hastings of mine."

It was often followed by a hangover some hours later!

I love those old aeroplane songs. I know this is a Hastings thread but as a former RAAF pilot who flew Wirraways, I thought Pprune readers would like this wartime ditty sung countless times in the Mess:

The Wirraway Song
To the tune of 'Bless 'em All'

They say there's a Wirraway out on the line
All set for a cross country flight
Hydraulics leaking and missing its revs
It's hoping to get there alright
There's many a cylinder running a temp
Through having no oil in its well
With good navigation and much concentration
You get there and back just like hell

Bless us all, bless us all
From Mildura right through to Rabaul
Bless the instructors who taught us to fly
Bless the OC and CGI
So we're saying goodbye to them all
Let the Wirras and Mildura recall
The scenes of emotion when we get promotion
So cheer up my lads bless them all

They say the Japs have some very nice crates
Now we are no longer in doubt
So if a Zero should get on your tail
This is the way to get out
Be cheerful, be careful, be calm and sedate
And don't let your British blood boil
And don't hesitate just go straight through the gate
And you'll blind the poor buggers in oil!

Oh Wirraways don't worry me
Wirraways don't worry me
Oil blowing buggers with flaps in their wings
Buggered up spark plugs and buggered up rings
So we're saying goodbye to them all
As back to the workshops they crawl
There'll only be elation and wild celebration
When we say goodbye to them all.
..................................................

,

Learned contributors,
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. I have established that Squadron Leader K.R. "Jacko" Jackson MBE, AFC flew 4 heliotrope sorties whilst squadron commander of "1066 squadron" at Scampton, and now know that TG517 flew 4 of the missions, though can not ascertain that these were the same four, or that TG517 was the Boss's ship back then. TG 517 has 4 dayglo fish on her nose as mission zaps, has anyone any record of these marks on other Hastings?
Which other aircraft were involved, from where were the missions flown, all from Scampton? Has anyone ever written a book about these ops?
Thanks in anticipation, for your time and trouble,

Be lucky
David

I had no idea that the Duxford Hastings had been re-painted and moved indoors. Another visit is long overdue!

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps3545c0d5.jpg

TG 528 at Staverton shortly after retirement from the RAF. Now at Duxford in the colours worn during Op Plainfare.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psdc63ad21.jpg

Palisadoes (as was) Jamaica. Complete with appropriate crew transport.

Does anyone remember which was the last Hastings in service? I was at Scampton in August 77 when it flew off to a museum but I can't remember which museum.

Was that 1877 or 1977 :E

Maybe 77 AD.
But no, I'm pretty sure it was 1977. The same week Elvis Presley died.

Cosford claim that TG511 has the honour http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/document...ings-TG511.pdf

Thanks Innominate, fascinating stuff.

Hastings IRIS 2 - TG560
 

A photo from my album showing Hastings IRIS 2 (TG 560) making its annual visit to RAF Thornhill, S. Rhodesia in 1952. IRIS 2 was based at RAF Watton.
This IRIS (Inspectorate of Radio Services) Hastings carried the Group Captain CO of IRIS and his team in their specially adapted aircraft to check whether signals standards and Air Traffic Control procedures at RAF Thornhill were up to standard.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...ISHastings.jpg


.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pse75e8c30.jpg

This pic was taken shortly before the squadron disbanded.

Avgas
I cannot help you with your questions regarding the Cod War operations other than say that the active T5 fleet had been whittled down to just TG503, TG505, TG511 and TG517.
I have only ever seen pictures of the fish symbols as applied to TG517.

Richard

I was lucky enough to fly in 505 once. Sadly it was the only one of the final four not to survive.