Grey Ladies

[oxenos]

" other worldly", indeed. It's all true, I tell you. It simply relates to a world which has long gone.

[Shack37]

Confession time, I exaggerated about the double mainplane change. We only replaced the starboard wing. I think it's important to be accurate in a thread as serious as this.
Sorry.

[oxenos]

And I can't believe I used the words "excessive speed " in a thread about Shackletons.

[Halton Brat]

There is no such thing as a Wiggins Aerodyne.

There.

I said it.


HB

[Wensleydale]

There is no such thing as a Wiggins Aerodyne.

He certainly wasn't aerodynamic when he fell off his bike and broke his shoulder.....

[goudie]

I was never a 'Shackman' but having read through this enlightening thread, I realise that all the stories I heard, about the exploits of this wonderful aircraft and it's crews...are true!

[jamesdevice]

am I right in thinking the W in Wiggins is pronounced as a V?

[Halton Brat]

James D

That was only applicable to the German licence-built version, of course......

HB

[Blacksheep]

I simply don't believe a formation of 24 Shacks could operate with only one engine feathered. By the time the last aircraft joined the formation the first two would have shut down at least one each, and in the third aircraft the engineer would be having his customary chat about oil leaks with the beam lookouts.

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

There is no such thing as a Wiggins Aerodyne

I believe there was a nose section kept in '4 shed' (need to know, wink wink) at Wyton. It was, of course, Top Secret.

Way ahead of it's time, and typically over-engineered. Like the TSR2, it was responsible for several leaps in technology, but many were hush hush.

Rumour was that the special paint compound was nicked/shared with Lockheed Skunk-chaps. Although it was more the experience that was borrowed a la Comet. Wiggins were trying hard to reduce the radar signature, (which was sucessful) but unfortunately it was radioactive, and luminous !

Memories of a big ginger Irishman on a pushbike pretending to be a Wiggins Aerodyne cause me to wake up in a cold sweat. Marshalling training, my arse. It was downright bullying.

[Shack37]

I simply don't believe a formation of 24 Shacks could operate with only one engine feathered. By the time the last aircraft joined the formation the first two would have shut down at least one each, and in the third aircraft the engineer would be having his customary chat about oil leaks with the beam lookouts.

Blacksheep, a very observant comment, you've almost hit the nail on the head. It was two engines stopped but not feathered thus giving GL12 to GL24 time to join the formation. The engineer to lookouts "chat" was actually more of a "broadcast".

Happy to have clarified this point but please try not to force any further classified material to be published.

[PPRuNeUser0139]

If I didn't know all this to be factual*, this would be a strong challenger for "Whimsical Thread of the Year" which, if it won, would entitle Oxenos to a lifetime parking slot outside the Majunga NAAFI..


* we were the 17th reserve crew

[jamesdevice]

was it related in any way to the Lippisch Aerodyne (see the end of
Lippisch Aerodyne Research )

[Shackman]

As a new baby copilot I was honoured to fly as No 24 in the formation with D.W. who not only demonstrated supreme skill in holding position (although I did wonder why he kept asking where the other aircraft were), but also the exceptional skill of keeping a cigarette in his mouth for so long without the ash dropping off - although it invariably did just before he tried to put it into a paper cup.

At least no one has mentioned the practice when the leader decided he was 30 seconds early so 'disked' all four engines (Fixed wing - think airbrakes +++) without telling anyone else. Chaos reigned and I think we became the de-facto leader for a while, but Don carried on regardless.

Happy Days

PS - The Mk3Cs really did have mainspar problems - had one of the two break on a delivery flight to the fire dump at Leeming!

[PPRuNe Pop]

Enough!!

I did see a whole bunch of 'Grey Ladies' in formation in the latest Harry Potter movie. But I think they might have been a figment of someone's imagination.