Grob Tutor vs DHC-1
 

I have to take issue with those who look at the DHC-1 through rose tinted glasses, it is indeed a great aircraft to fly and has many indeering qualities but maintanabilty is not one of them.

The maintenance bill for the DHC-1 is eye watering it is an aircraft full of special parts used in places that standard parts could be used and sometimes these parts are very Labour intensive to fit ( such as having to drill split pin holes in bolts ), and that is before we get to the 1920's engine that can't keep the oil inside.

The GrobTutor has had issues , the propellor selected for the aircraft was not the one recommended by Grob so the forced change to the Grob recommended prop was a bit of an own goal, the current tail cracking issues are well understood and not to difficult to repair by skilled staff, contrast this to the pages of TNS's for the DHC-1 that range from time limited parts to X-ray inspections ( try arranging one of those in a hurry !).

The message is clear, the DHC-1 is an aircraft that by now should be a rich mans toy and confined to sunny summer afternoon flying , it is no longer a viable military training aircraft in both financial and practical terms however the Grob is and the updated Sister aircraft the G120tp will be training RAF pilots for years into the future.

The Portuguese still run DHC-1s in their Air Force Academy very succesfully. They have Lycoming O-360s in them. The Prtuguese turn theirs upside down but those on the UK register cannot as they have never been trialled. I also fly one of these on the civvy register and I get quite a lot of change from £80 per hour.

https://img.planespotters.net/photo/...Net_294792.jpg

Oh, and I believe that 2 FTS under ACTO35 will allow factory built permit to fly LAA aircraft if the documents are presented to them and scrutinised.

The B Word

Quoting RivetGun : "So in the opinion of 2 FTS, the LAA's airworthiness oversight regime is not fit for purpose (at least not for the purpose of flying cadets)."

Hmm, thanks for that. I'd suggest many in the LAA think that 2FTS, or at least its 'leaders', don't appear to be fit for any known purpose themselves - judging by results, or the near total lack of them !

As for the DHC-1, it needn't be impossibly expensive to run, a B Word says. Provide you have plentiful supplies of oil and clothes to wipe her down with... What a shame the Lycomning conversions were never aerobatics approved in UK.

Aren't Chipmunks now under the aegis of the LAA - can they approve aeros for the Lycoming engine ones

Maybe some can follow this example and rather than use Lycomings, use a LOM engine:

http://http://rnzaf.proboards.com/th...gined-chipmunk

Most of my Chippy time is in an aircraft re-engined with a Lycoming. What a huge improvement over the boat anchor POS "Dripsy" Major :ugh:
By the way, last year the Canadian Air Cadet glider program produced over 350 licensed glider pilots, all at or under the age of 17. If the "leaders" of the RAF cadet program want to see a successful youth cadet flying program I highly suggest they come pay a visit to the colonies and see how to do it right :ok:

They don't need to go to that expense, most bga clubs have active junior sections.

Forget the BGA - just get Pippa to Google 'Canadian Air Cadet Gliding Program'....

In fact to save him the effort, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Cadet_Gliding_Program !

Lots of what but no how on Wikipedia, and I think it's the How that's lacking.

Chipmunks in the RAF
 

Would I be correct in thinking the RAF Chipmunks had the carb heat wired ON !!
If so hardly a boost to performance or engine life !!

The Army Chippies did in the early/mid nineties. Not sure why they weren't more concerned about fouled plugs and anemic performance than about whether the pilot would forget the carb-heat. I suppose they might have had a few incidents and felt they had to choose the lesser of two evils?

Flug

"Carb air wired hot" on Towers Chipmunks in the 60s

>"Carb air wired hot" on Towers Chipmunks in the 60s<

And on UWAS Chipmunks in the early 1970s.

Auster,can`t get that link to work...?

Some facebook links the Canadian Gliding Program
https://www.facebook.com/RGSPacific/
https://www.facebook.com/GimliCFTC
https://www.facebook.com/CstcCentral...ingSchoolcrgs/
https://www.facebook.com/CEVCE.CFTCE/
https://www.facebook.com/FlyAtlCadets/

Sycamore:

Try

https://tinyurl.com/krgagly

and more at

https://tinyurl.com/kwxrbj2

The "carb air wired hot" sketch was useful for stretching PFLs!

Because of fouling concerns, in a PFL one had to "open the throttle to clear plugs" every 1000' in the descent IIRC.

Adjusting the duration of the plug clearance procedure was worth a couple of fields!:ok::E

Canadian Air Cadet Gliding
 

I was at RAF Hawkinge doing my week's ATC gliding course in 1959, and having been sent solo on the Tuesday, was asked if I could help take a Sedburgh (T21b to some of you youngsters) with the maintenance guys to Lydd to load into a Canadian Air Force DC3. We managed to get the fuselage in and one wing! Rethink, remove everything and try again! Both wings went in and tailplane, no room for fuselage! It was obvious they were not going to get the whole glider in! So out it all came again. One wing in first this time, then the fuselage, oops no room for the other wing!

The DC3 finally left Lydd with an almost complete T21, to return at a later date to collect the other wing and tailplane👍

The Canadians had been most impressed with our Air Cadet Gliding programme and wanted to try it for themselves with a borrowed T21b.

Wow, they really made a great success of it from such a simple start.

How did our VSOs manage to so royally screw up our Air Cadet gliding for the future generations of British Air Cadets🤔 after leading the world in Air Cadet gliding all those years ago?

The answer is in a very good book, which also provides links to evidence to the Nimrod Review. Recommended reading.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Their-Great...atest+disgrace

dervish:-
Agreed. David Hill's book should be required reading for all serving Military Aviators, be they air or ground, and highly recommended for those of the ex-variety. A highly arcane subject matter perhaps, but straightforwardly told and a glaring example of that age old axiom that evil happens when good men do nothing. There were far too few good men. David Hill is one though, albeit a civilian. Those who are uniformed should brush off those old Military Law lectures that they dozed through and remind themselves that illegal orders are not to be obeyed, even at the cost of one's own career, health, and wealth. Those that forgot that have cost many lives, much money, and the air capability of this nation. They should suffer many many sleepless nights!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Their-Great...atest+disgrace