Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb

[Windy Militant]

The High ball was indeed spherical been done here http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...sted-land.html

Anyone got a link to the movie mentioned in the last post.

[langleybaston]

spherical much better in theory because it has no "edge" to lead into water, and thus no chance of deviation from straight line. The levelling of wings is critical for an accurate run of a dustbin shape.

[LowObservable]

This is the only place where you will hear in one thread the word "soliflucation" and discussion of Ms York's uniform-shirt-and-stockings scene in BoB.

[BEagle]

'soliflucation' - good Scrabble word that!

Meanwhile, I give you:

[adr]

Thank you, BEagle

This is the only place where you will hear in one thread the word "soliflucation" and discussion of Ms York's uniform-shirt-and-stockings scene in BoB. -- LO

Not just in combination, either. Believe it or not, it's also the only discussion thread where I've encountered the word solifluction.

adr

[Trogger]

Originally Posted by aviate1138

The reason why the A26 was included is a mystery [other than an editor that doesn't have any interest in aeroplanes].

Maybe to make the point that dropping bouncing bombs from too low can be catastrophic - just warning that doing so may result in getting your tail feathers a bit damp might not be enough (as evidenced by the DC-4 suffering a bit of splashback on one run)...

[Pontius Navigator]

Originally Posted by aviate1138

The reason why the A26 was included is a mystery [other than an editor that doesn't have any interest in aeroplanes].

The A26 footage showed better than any verbal arguement that speed and height were critical to safe delivery. Interestingly the DC4 was below the critical height; one wonders if they showed the bush pilot that earlier film?

Perhaps not as he might have chickened out.

[Charlie Time]

The pilot was simply dangerous and placed the whole trial at risk. Interesting programme that highlighted why properly conducted trials have the safety hurdles in them that they do. Cockpit gradient too........I reckon the guy with 37,000 hours could have flown them both into the lake and the co-pilot would have kept quiet.

[Tourist]

Charlie

"Interesting programme that highlighted why properly conducted trials have the safety hurdles in them that they do."

Interesting point, though you should note that the original trials had none of these safety hurdles either, but the programme was a spectacular success.

Misguided though he may have been, the canadian pilot had very good handling skills.

[langleybaston]

Charlie Time, totally agree ...... a terrifying old boy, and a meek lad, cringe-making.

Give me Ms York

NOW!

[The Old Fat One]

Why is so many "educated" people don't understand that the media (TV, newspapers, whatever) show you want they want you to see. How do you think a program about large trucks and even larger truckers driving up and down a very boring, very cold road gets on prime time TV?

Answer, clever editing and dramatic music.

Same deal for the bouncing bomb program...interesting though it was, it is the job of the editor to spice it up for the larger audience, most of whom haven't a scoopies about the safety regimes for trials flying.

Give the guy a break...he probably spent days going over the safety procedures and parameters...wouldn't have made for great TV to show all of that though would it.

PS At the risk of treading on my own point...

Re the release point and the hard impact. Yep spotted that.. I wonder if the boffin briefed effectively. His comms skills did not appear to be all that.

[Tankertrashnav]

Give me Ms York

NOW!

Unfortunately you're about 4 months too late Langleybaston.

I should think most FO's would be a bit meek with the knowledge that the guy on their left hand had notched up the equivalent of over 4 years in the air! Yes he cut the odd corner, but he's certainly disproved the old adage about there being no old and bold pilots.

[MightyGem]

Not in suspenders, but in the shower:

[MightyGem]

I've no idea why it shows twice.

[adr]

I've no idea why it shows twice.

Skilful editing?

I'll get me coat.

adr

[FTE Pruner]

Interesting point, though you should note that the original trials had none of these safety hurdles either, but the programme was a spectacular success.

I am not sure that is the point. Especially when you consider the video shown of aircraft crashing during the (admittedly post-war) testing.

Even if they did do safety assessments (which clearly wouldn't be shown on TV since they are generally tedious) I doubt the crew had sufficient specialist training to allow them do it correctly (evident from their actions during the testing).

Decisions like spinning up the bomb to full speed for the very next drop after a stores release hang-up (which could have ended in disaster) showed that the team were time pressure driven, on what was hardly a UOR!

However good the pilot was at flying, by deviating from the release parameters he exposed himself and his crew to unknown risk and also meant that the required data was not gathered!

If I were Dr Hunt, I would have been mightily annoyed that he ruined the only permitted opportunity to achieve the desired test point by making an uneducated decision.

That said, it was a good programme.

[LookingNorth]

Fascinating viewing but that pilot's judgment was appalling. If it had been a real bomb he and his crew would be dead (on the real raid one store hit a dam in similar circumstances and went off immediately, taking out the Lanc that had released it); as it was, the splash on the live drop alone must have come pretty close to taking his tail off.

[anotherthing]

If it had been a real bomb he and his crew would be dead

Irrespective of comments on judgement it wasn't a real bomb and was never going to be... complete non statement above

[Pontius Navigator]

While wikipedia etc state that a bomb contains a destructive substance and is designed to explode, the 'store' dropped from the DC4 was by modern usage a BOMB.

A 1000lb Inert Bomb, with no explosive, is still a bomb. Low altitude releases can result in bounce and the splash can down an aircraft, both shown in this programme.

Regardless of whether it was a replica explosive bomb or this scaled replica store it was still capable of downing the DC4.

Had the release mechanism of the rotating store failed is some manner it could have been catastrophic.

[MAINJAFAD]

Fascinating viewing but that pilot's judgment was appalling. If it had been a real bomb he and his crew would be dead (on the real raid one store hit a dam in similar circumstances and went off immediately, taking out the Lanc that had released it); as it was, the splash on the live drop alone must have come pretty close to taking his tail off.

The Lanc that dropped the Upkeep that exploded on impact with the Eder Dam (AJ-Z, flown by Sdr Ldr Maudslay) was damaged, not destroyed. Though the damage mot likely resulted in the aircraft having to limp home as far as the German/Dutch boarder, where it was shot down by light flak. In fact I do recall reading somewhere that Maudslay was flying one of the aircraft in footage of the two Lancasters being hit by the water splash from the released Upkeep when senior 617 crews practiced with the weapon a couple of days before the raid.