Caption competition
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During Happy Hour it had seemed like the answer to the RAF Chinook MK3 issues. In the cold light of day and £8 million later the AOC wasn't so sure!!!
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All Worthy Caption Contestants
Blow me down with a Sonic Boom out here beyond the Black Stump!!
Judging is a few days hence to give me time to entertain Tony Blackman, a UK TP of some renown, visiting us in Oz and of course I am preoccupied in barracking our young Lleyton Hewitt tennis player as he plays to win the final of the Oz Open.
So time for a few extra captions. Following the judging I'll post a copy of a report on the way that machine flew.
Blow me down with a Sonic Boom out here beyond the Black Stump!!
Judging is a few days hence to give me time to entertain Tony Blackman, a UK TP of some renown, visiting us in Oz and of course I am preoccupied in barracking our young Lleyton Hewitt tennis player as he plays to win the final of the Oz Open.
So time for a few extra captions. Following the judging I'll post a copy of a report on the way that machine flew.
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Really sorry for interupting the flow but I've got to say that this thread has got to be the best I've read for ages, has had me in tears more than once and has kept the family amused for hours.
Please please PLEASE keep it going!!!!
Please please PLEASE keep it going!!!!
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Judging Time
Incredible 44 entries from 40 entrants and around 1500 visitors and much amusement all round.
What with the concerned concentration of the observers on the seat something unusual had to be there so this just had to become the source of the caption.
45 years on I haven't a clue as to the source of any real concern over the seat.
Had some trouble trying to decode some of the acronyms used so I guess others had the same problem. Perhaps explanations outside of the Caption would help for future entries.
Excellent entries all round giving renewed faith in the continuing sense of humour of aviators.
So congratulations to Trumpet_trousers for his win with
"Look sonny, come back in a few years when you've grown a little, and we'll let you have a go then....... Now b*gger off out of the seat and let Bloggs here get on with it !"
And I liked "Pay attention, 007" by Dart Nigel and was unable to work out what it was that John Farley thought should be tightened.
Meanwhile Tony Blackman is close to heading back to the UK and may see you next week John Farley.
Reckon this thread beats crosswords so we now anticipate Trumpet_trousers' entry. Anyone with a nickname like that just has to be quite a character !
Milt
Incredible 44 entries from 40 entrants and around 1500 visitors and much amusement all round.
What with the concerned concentration of the observers on the seat something unusual had to be there so this just had to become the source of the caption.
45 years on I haven't a clue as to the source of any real concern over the seat.
Had some trouble trying to decode some of the acronyms used so I guess others had the same problem. Perhaps explanations outside of the Caption would help for future entries.
Excellent entries all round giving renewed faith in the continuing sense of humour of aviators.
So congratulations to Trumpet_trousers for his win with
"Look sonny, come back in a few years when you've grown a little, and we'll let you have a go then....... Now b*gger off out of the seat and let Bloggs here get on with it !"
And I liked "Pay attention, 007" by Dart Nigel and was unable to work out what it was that John Farley thought should be tightened.
Meanwhile Tony Blackman is close to heading back to the UK and may see you next week John Farley.
Reckon this thread beats crosswords so we now anticipate Trumpet_trousers' entry. Anyone with a nickname like that just has to be quite a character !
Milt
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Ok then. I said I would describe how it was to fly that machine for the first time.
During October 1960, I became involved with airworthiness of gyrocopters. Civil aviation authorities did not know-how to handle a developing problem with a small band of enthusiasts, who had constructed a couple of gyrocopters. Several of these enthusiasts were members of the RAAF. It was not long before some pressure was being applied to the RAAF's Aircraft Research and Development Unit for some engineering and aerodynamic support. As a test pilot I was offered a tethered flight, initially with a glider version.
So, one Sunday afternoon, I found myself sitting in a contraption having a mast rising behind an elementary seat. On the mast, free to rotate, was a two bladed rotor. I had a control stick rising to the hub of the rotor to vary the disk angle of the rotor. My feet rested on the ends of an extended axle through a small nose wheel. Wind was about 15 kts down the runway. A Volkswaggen car was positioned on the other end of a 300 ft tow rope, further down the runway. I found, by holding the stick hard back whilst someone started the blades rotating, that they would continue to rotate and slowly increase RPM by auto-rotation in the wind. After reaching a steady RPM on the blades, I was ready to fly. After a wave to the car driver, he accelerated down the runway, taking me with him. The blades rapidly increased RPM with the increasing air speed and within about 100 feet I left the runway in quite a steep climb. Some movements of the control soon gave me some feedback as to its effects and I soon began to smooth the control inputs.
All too soon, with the end of the runway now much closer, the driver of the car started to slow down. As my speed also reduced, I concentrated on getting down in one piece. A few moments of over-control and I found the runway surface with the two main wheels. All went well until the nose wheel touched down with a little left steer applied. Instinctively, I applied right rudder by pushing forward with my right foot, not immediately appreciating that steering control was now acting in reverse to normal. Some wild swerves resulted as I sorted out this control reversal situation whilst subsiding to a stop.
During the following week, I had the opportunity to fly the powered version of this gyrocopter. Essentially the same configuration as the glider version, it had been fitted with a pusher four cylinder air-cooled McCullock two-stroke engine, just behind the seat at about head height. A two bladed wooden prop, about three feet long, provided thrust and also provided airflow at slow speeds to a small rudder aft of the assembly.
The engine was started by swinging the prop. Sitting in the seat wearing a flying helmet, I found the noise level from the open exhausts of the engine just behind my head to be extremely high. An elementary throttle provided control over the engine. Instruments consisted of an RPM gauge, an altimeter and an airspeed indicator. The nose wheel was further forward than on the glider version and small rudder pedals now operated in the correct sense.
As with the glider version, once the rotor blades were rotating, they continued to gain RPM by auto-rotation in the wind. A little experimentation with taxying soon had me ready to fly. Full open throttle produced a terrific din from the engine and after a very small run, I could feel a readiness to fly. A little back stick was all it needed and I soon found that the control was similar to that of the glider version.
It was initially very disconcerting to be sitting in a chair in the open roaring around at low altitude over the airfield and associated buildings. But I was soon confident enough to feel my way through its flight regime which included trying it at various speeds and climbing rates. Of lingering concern was inadequate feel for any accuracy in direction of air flow. Wrapped up in flying suit, helmet and goggles, one could not accurately sense flight direction. There was insignificant directional stability and balanced flight in cross wind near the ground was awkward.
I started to enjoy the challenges of the experience and flew back and forth a few times over my house on the base, where the family returned my hand waves. I then tried a few landings before climbing to try a normal airfield circuit. As I climbed above a few hundred feet, my inadequate sense of airflow became a problem. At 1000 ft, I had little feel of speed and became most uncomfortable. I was glad to descend nearer to the ground. I could appreciate that experience would eventually develop some sensitivity to airspeed and airflow direction. However, this would always only be approximate.
Power off landings were a challenge. With the engine power at idle and with a forward speed of about 25 kts, the angle of descent was about 45 degrees. The rotor blades continued to spin at a normal RPM and there was enough momentum in the blades to provide for only one flare on to the ground. During the flare, there was a rapid decay in rotor RPM but enough lift could be generated to allow for a smooth touch down. Forward run after touch down was insignificant. Because of the steep gliding angle there was limited choice of landing space in the event of a forced landing although the small landing run compensated to some extent. Forward speed at touch down was also low making for a readily survivable forced landing even on to adverse surfaces.
A few months later this gyro-copter and its owner came to fatal termination performing some manoeuvre outside of its ill-defined flight envelope.
Gyro-copters continue to be built by small bands of enthusiasts. Airworthiness authorities continue to grapple with safety aspects and have little effect on a steady string of crashes, more often than not, having fatal consequences for the would be aviator.
During October 1960, I became involved with airworthiness of gyrocopters. Civil aviation authorities did not know-how to handle a developing problem with a small band of enthusiasts, who had constructed a couple of gyrocopters. Several of these enthusiasts were members of the RAAF. It was not long before some pressure was being applied to the RAAF's Aircraft Research and Development Unit for some engineering and aerodynamic support. As a test pilot I was offered a tethered flight, initially with a glider version.
So, one Sunday afternoon, I found myself sitting in a contraption having a mast rising behind an elementary seat. On the mast, free to rotate, was a two bladed rotor. I had a control stick rising to the hub of the rotor to vary the disk angle of the rotor. My feet rested on the ends of an extended axle through a small nose wheel. Wind was about 15 kts down the runway. A Volkswaggen car was positioned on the other end of a 300 ft tow rope, further down the runway. I found, by holding the stick hard back whilst someone started the blades rotating, that they would continue to rotate and slowly increase RPM by auto-rotation in the wind. After reaching a steady RPM on the blades, I was ready to fly. After a wave to the car driver, he accelerated down the runway, taking me with him. The blades rapidly increased RPM with the increasing air speed and within about 100 feet I left the runway in quite a steep climb. Some movements of the control soon gave me some feedback as to its effects and I soon began to smooth the control inputs.
All too soon, with the end of the runway now much closer, the driver of the car started to slow down. As my speed also reduced, I concentrated on getting down in one piece. A few moments of over-control and I found the runway surface with the two main wheels. All went well until the nose wheel touched down with a little left steer applied. Instinctively, I applied right rudder by pushing forward with my right foot, not immediately appreciating that steering control was now acting in reverse to normal. Some wild swerves resulted as I sorted out this control reversal situation whilst subsiding to a stop.
During the following week, I had the opportunity to fly the powered version of this gyrocopter. Essentially the same configuration as the glider version, it had been fitted with a pusher four cylinder air-cooled McCullock two-stroke engine, just behind the seat at about head height. A two bladed wooden prop, about three feet long, provided thrust and also provided airflow at slow speeds to a small rudder aft of the assembly.
The engine was started by swinging the prop. Sitting in the seat wearing a flying helmet, I found the noise level from the open exhausts of the engine just behind my head to be extremely high. An elementary throttle provided control over the engine. Instruments consisted of an RPM gauge, an altimeter and an airspeed indicator. The nose wheel was further forward than on the glider version and small rudder pedals now operated in the correct sense.
As with the glider version, once the rotor blades were rotating, they continued to gain RPM by auto-rotation in the wind. A little experimentation with taxying soon had me ready to fly. Full open throttle produced a terrific din from the engine and after a very small run, I could feel a readiness to fly. A little back stick was all it needed and I soon found that the control was similar to that of the glider version.
It was initially very disconcerting to be sitting in a chair in the open roaring around at low altitude over the airfield and associated buildings. But I was soon confident enough to feel my way through its flight regime which included trying it at various speeds and climbing rates. Of lingering concern was inadequate feel for any accuracy in direction of air flow. Wrapped up in flying suit, helmet and goggles, one could not accurately sense flight direction. There was insignificant directional stability and balanced flight in cross wind near the ground was awkward.
I started to enjoy the challenges of the experience and flew back and forth a few times over my house on the base, where the family returned my hand waves. I then tried a few landings before climbing to try a normal airfield circuit. As I climbed above a few hundred feet, my inadequate sense of airflow became a problem. At 1000 ft, I had little feel of speed and became most uncomfortable. I was glad to descend nearer to the ground. I could appreciate that experience would eventually develop some sensitivity to airspeed and airflow direction. However, this would always only be approximate.
Power off landings were a challenge. With the engine power at idle and with a forward speed of about 25 kts, the angle of descent was about 45 degrees. The rotor blades continued to spin at a normal RPM and there was enough momentum in the blades to provide for only one flare on to the ground. During the flare, there was a rapid decay in rotor RPM but enough lift could be generated to allow for a smooth touch down. Forward run after touch down was insignificant. Because of the steep gliding angle there was limited choice of landing space in the event of a forced landing although the small landing run compensated to some extent. Forward speed at touch down was also low making for a readily survivable forced landing even on to adverse surfaces.
A few months later this gyro-copter and its owner came to fatal termination performing some manoeuvre outside of its ill-defined flight envelope.
Gyro-copters continue to be built by small bands of enthusiasts. Airworthiness authorities continue to grapple with safety aspects and have little effect on a steady string of crashes, more often than not, having fatal consequences for the would be aviator.
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If we're into flying in silly machines, hands up if you've ever done this !!
Yes, I know the harness is undone but I did do it up before aviation took place. And yes, I'm game for captions, bring em on!
Yes, I know the harness is undone but I did do it up before aviation took place. And yes, I'm game for captions, bring em on!
Last edited by Incipient Sinner; 2nd Feb 2005 at 23:08.
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If we're into flying in silly machines, hands up if you've ever done this !!
What? You mean posting really huge pictures? No, never done that.
As adr says, it messes up the message formating. Maybe you could consider re-sizing the graphic, thanks.
What? You mean posting really huge pictures? No, never done that.
As adr says, it messes up the message formating. Maybe you could consider re-sizing the graphic, thanks.