What really unusual/different/old/new/exciting aircraft have you flown?
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As a pilot:
As a passenger:
- Zlin 726. The nicest handling aeroplane I've ever flown.
- Pitts S2A. Would love a go in an S1, but don't want to have to buy one first!
- RF4. Less than 40hp, but almost as much fun as the last 2.
- Jodels on skis.
- Dagling primary glider. Bungee launched, to an altitude of about 6ft, which was plenty high enough!
As a passenger:
- DH Fox Moth, at an airshow in Rochester sometime in the 80's.
- Pipistrel Sinus microlight motorglider, with many-times microlight world-champion Philippe Zen at the controls.
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Unusual : Zlin 42 
Different: Tucano microlight :o
Old: L-18
New: DA40
Exciting : Harvard, Chippie, Cap 10
plus the usual Fuji, Cessna, Piper, Tecnam, Katana, Partenavia .....
Ciao,
AE
Different: Tucano microlight :o
Old: L-18
New: DA40
Exciting : Harvard, Chippie, Cap 10
plus the usual Fuji, Cessna, Piper, Tecnam, Katana, Partenavia .....
Ciao,
AE
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My first post was aeroplanes that I'd flown, this is a list of those interesting types that I've flown in
As crew:
Dominie (HS125)
JP5
Avro Vulcan
as pax:
the most unusual was on the fold down "engineer's seat" in the hopper of a Zlin crop duster!
Stik
As crew:
Dominie (HS125)
JP5
Avro Vulcan
as pax:
the most unusual was on the fold down "engineer's seat" in the hopper of a Zlin crop duster!
Stik
Registered User
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Regarding the Chinook. I used to work on the fifth floor of a building opposite the Honourable Artillery Company on City Road, and sometimes Chinooks would fly in there, often passing our window so low we could wave to the pilot.
AND THEY WERE F**KING LOUD!!!!
AND THEY WERE F**KING LOUD!!!!
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And how on earth was Kentish Fledgling able to get scared in an AX3? Bored and uncomfortable I can understand, but scared?
At one point, we hit a little bump, and it lost nearly all flying speed.
tKF
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"Different" aircraft
Glad Aeros has mentioned the little RF4.
A strap-the-wings-on-your-shoulders sort of aircraft.
Beautifully balanced controls - just think your way around the sky.
Wondrously graceful aerobatics....
Turn off the noise and whisper-soar....
Land on a sixpence....
My favorite, I think.
WS
A strap-the-wings-on-your-shoulders sort of aircraft.
Beautifully balanced controls - just think your way around the sky.
Wondrously graceful aerobatics....
Turn off the noise and whisper-soar....
Land on a sixpence....
My favorite, I think.
WS
Ah, the RF4. Owned one of those - cheap flying at £8 an hour. But you had to have large gonads to switch the engine off and soar it. P!ss poor gliding performance and no way of starting the engine in flight (on mine anyway). Got caught out once - landed in a big field, hand swung the motor and took off again!
List of interesting types and comments:
Gliders - 30 types including:
EoN Primary - Chilly.
SF26 - yuk!
Fauvel AV36 - very very scary, not to be repeated!
Nimbus 3 - Awesome performance, just don't try to turn it!
Some power stuff.
Chippy - Over a thousand hrs. Ahhhh, DeHavilland!
Jet Provost - Good kerosene to noise converter.
Jetstream - Quirky, especially the ones with that daft French engine.
Hawk - Ye Hah!
Victor - Marvellous - all that power, but bl**dy uncomfortable on long trips.
Rallye - as owner. Very underated but you could hear it corroding on a quiet day!
Nord 3202 - Vintage French military trainer - marvellous.
Bolkow Junior - Lots of fun.
Tucano - Spitfire performance and great handling.
Harvard - Nice, buy noisy.
Gazelle - A sports car that can hover.
Wessex - Like trying to fly a 2 story house while looking out of the upstairs toilet window!
Husky - Short take off performance, but then drag defeats power.
Robin 400 - All American designers should be made to fly one of these so they know how a GA aeroplane should be!
Slingsby Firefly - Nice effort, but lacking something.
VC10 - A British Classic, impeccable big jet handling. Should have done better commercially, but lost out to the inferior 707 due to Boeing's negative publicity.
Rockwell Commander - Nice.
Seneca - Horrid.
Cessenas Various - Hmmm!
PA 28s - Better than Cessenas, but only just.
Boeing 747-400 - Very clever, but very dull on long flights. Tendancy to eat too much!
Boeing 747 Classics - Less dull, more to do. But have to put up with abuse from an FE!
The worst - has to be some of the gliders, but a microlight I once flew was very bad.
The best - Close run thing between the Hawk, the Tucano and the Chippy. But DeHavilland wins. Ahhhh!
List of interesting types and comments:
Gliders - 30 types including:
EoN Primary - Chilly.
SF26 - yuk!
Fauvel AV36 - very very scary, not to be repeated!
Nimbus 3 - Awesome performance, just don't try to turn it!
Some power stuff.
Chippy - Over a thousand hrs. Ahhhh, DeHavilland!
Jet Provost - Good kerosene to noise converter.
Jetstream - Quirky, especially the ones with that daft French engine.
Hawk - Ye Hah!
Victor - Marvellous - all that power, but bl**dy uncomfortable on long trips.
Rallye - as owner. Very underated but you could hear it corroding on a quiet day!
Nord 3202 - Vintage French military trainer - marvellous.
Bolkow Junior - Lots of fun.
Tucano - Spitfire performance and great handling.
Harvard - Nice, buy noisy.
Gazelle - A sports car that can hover.
Wessex - Like trying to fly a 2 story house while looking out of the upstairs toilet window!
Husky - Short take off performance, but then drag defeats power.
Robin 400 - All American designers should be made to fly one of these so they know how a GA aeroplane should be!
Slingsby Firefly - Nice effort, but lacking something.
VC10 - A British Classic, impeccable big jet handling. Should have done better commercially, but lost out to the inferior 707 due to Boeing's negative publicity.
Rockwell Commander - Nice.
Seneca - Horrid.
Cessenas Various - Hmmm!
PA 28s - Better than Cessenas, but only just.
Boeing 747-400 - Very clever, but very dull on long flights. Tendancy to eat too much!
Boeing 747 Classics - Less dull, more to do. But have to put up with abuse from an FE!
The worst - has to be some of the gliders, but a microlight I once flew was very bad.
The best - Close run thing between the Hawk, the Tucano and the Chippy. But DeHavilland wins. Ahhhh!
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My RF4 had a big red handle that you could pull to start the engine in flight. As the engine had a small tendency to stop when it had had enough, the handle was quite useful!
As my previous foray into aircraft ownership had been a Slingsby Swallow glider, I didn't find the soaring performance too bad!
WS - land on a sixpence, yes.... just as long as you didn't want to take off again! I once needed most of Sywell's longest runway on a particularly hot day....
If the RF4 had had an extra 20hp, inverted fuel & oil, and carburettor heat, it would have topped my list.
As my previous foray into aircraft ownership had been a Slingsby Swallow glider, I didn't find the soaring performance too bad!
WS - land on a sixpence, yes.... just as long as you didn't want to take off again! I once needed most of Sywell's longest runway on a particularly hot day....
If the RF4 had had an extra 20hp, inverted fuel & oil, and carburettor heat, it would have topped my list.
That big red handle was an exhaust valve decompressor which worked on the right hand cylinders. It boke the pneumatic lock and allowed the engine to start turning, firing once the mag had been switched on. My RF4 had an engine change sometime in it's history, the previous owner omitted the decompressor to save money, so no amount of diving would get the engine to start.
All in all, the 4 is a great aeroplane, good cheap flying. I used to negotiate a 50% discount on landing fees as it only had one mainwheel, run it on 4 star and put Castol GTX in the engine (approved - honest!) which then went in my Fiat Uno after 25 hours!
I have a lovely entry in my logbook which says Denver to Boston, RF4, 30 minutes. A CFI in the States was checking by book prior to a BFT renewal. He expressed amazement - I kept quiet, allowing him being very impressed without telling him it was from Denver, Norfolk to Boston, Lincs in a motor glider at an average speed of 80 knots!
I've flown a Slingsby Swallow as well. Didn't so much glide, as plummet.
All in all, the 4 is a great aeroplane, good cheap flying. I used to negotiate a 50% discount on landing fees as it only had one mainwheel, run it on 4 star and put Castol GTX in the engine (approved - honest!) which then went in my Fiat Uno after 25 hours!
I have a lovely entry in my logbook which says Denver to Boston, RF4, 30 minutes. A CFI in the States was checking by book prior to a BFT renewal. He expressed amazement - I kept quiet, allowing him being very impressed without telling him it was from Denver, Norfolk to Boston, Lincs in a motor glider at an average speed of 80 knots!
I've flown a Slingsby Swallow as well. Didn't so much glide, as plummet.
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Aeros - have you met the RF7 (RF4 with clipped wings and more horses - a little Spitfire...))
M. Fournier produced some lovely aircraft. The International Fournier Club in Germany have a superb collection. Don't seem to be many around in UK now.
WS
M. Fournier produced some lovely aircraft. The International Fournier Club in Germany have a superb collection. Don't seem to be many around in UK now.
WS
The Original Whirly
Thread Starter
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Well, I started the thread, and I did say "flown", but since it seems to have got extended...
A couple of jump seat rides to North Sea oil rigs, in an S61 and a Super Puma.
Back seat of Genghis' Raven.
I probably mentioned everything else before.
A couple of jump seat rides to North Sea oil rigs, in an S61 and a Super Puma.
Back seat of Genghis' Raven.
I probably mentioned everything else before.
Health Warning: This thread is capable of inducing severe jealousy 
In the fleeting year of my involvement(such as it was),
C150B (razor back with manual flaps)
Tripacer
C195 (first radial and taildragger)
Chipmunk
Tiger Moth
Dragon Rapide
Thorpe T18
Wirraway
and I was too callow a youth to appreciate the opportunities I had been given.
(Training was in more modern C150's , 172's, 182's and PA28)
In the fleeting year of my involvement(such as it was),
C150B (razor back with manual flaps)
Tripacer
C195 (first radial and taildragger)
Chipmunk
Tiger Moth
Dragon Rapide
Thorpe T18
Wirraway
and I was too callow a youth to appreciate the opportunities I had been given.
(Training was in more modern C150's , 172's, 182's and PA28)
Grandpa Aerotart
M14P
I've got a few hours in Helio Couriers, the HC250 to be exact...in 15kts of headwind I could land and takeoff well within the length of the piano keys on 14 at Port moresby. Used to enjoy reversing along beaches @ about 20' in SE Trades just to coonfuse the natives
Nil wind I would think 100m was sufficient if light.
The Twin Otter is my all time fav bush plane, with over 2500 hrs on type still the aircraft I've flown the most.
DHC7 is the only 4 engined prop aircraft I've flown lots...very much a 50 seat Twin Otter.
F28 my first jet...wonderfull pilots aircraft with the best speed brake in the business....lots of smoke and noise on departure too, a boys aeroplane
Fav jet is Falcon 200...like a fast, sporty F28.
C185...the SE aircraft I've flown most by a long way...what a machine!!
Nicest SE aircraft I've flown is an A36, I own one.
Most unusual...30minutes RH seat in a B25...bloody noisy but nice on the controls...much lighter than operational weight so probably bares no relationship to what they were like in WW2.
A few hours RH seat DC3....ponderous but wonderfully nostalgic...loved looking out the open window at that BRT (Big Round Thing) Interesting to taxi
Tiger Moths lots...they really are a crap aeroplane but just for circuits on grass a helluva lot of fun.
Chipmunks...lovely controls.
Pitts S2 a few hours (about 5) few things more fun for aeros.
Decathlon easiest taildragger I've ever flown... fun for aeros and more comfortable.
Memory fading/brain hurting
Chuck.
I've got a few hours in Helio Couriers, the HC250 to be exact...in 15kts of headwind I could land and takeoff well within the length of the piano keys on 14 at Port moresby. Used to enjoy reversing along beaches @ about 20' in SE Trades just to coonfuse the natives
Nil wind I would think 100m was sufficient if light.
The Twin Otter is my all time fav bush plane, with over 2500 hrs on type still the aircraft I've flown the most.
DHC7 is the only 4 engined prop aircraft I've flown lots...very much a 50 seat Twin Otter.
F28 my first jet...wonderfull pilots aircraft with the best speed brake in the business....lots of smoke and noise on departure too, a boys aeroplane
Fav jet is Falcon 200...like a fast, sporty F28.
C185...the SE aircraft I've flown most by a long way...what a machine!!
Nicest SE aircraft I've flown is an A36, I own one.
Most unusual...30minutes RH seat in a B25...bloody noisy but nice on the controls...much lighter than operational weight so probably bares no relationship to what they were like in WW2.
A few hours RH seat DC3....ponderous but wonderfully nostalgic...loved looking out the open window at that BRT (Big Round Thing) Interesting to taxi
Tiger Moths lots...they really are a crap aeroplane but just for circuits on grass a helluva lot of fun.
Chipmunks...lovely controls.
Pitts S2 a few hours (about 5) few things more fun for aeros.
Decathlon easiest taildragger I've ever flown... fun for aeros and more comfortable.
Memory fading/brain hurting
Chuck.
Last edited by Chimbu chuckles; 19th Jan 2003 at 09:29.
Old ones:
Tiger Moth
L4 Cub
Stearman
Harvard
Auster
Passenger:
Tu-134A that brings me to work every month!
Favourite:
A319 (B767 in the summer) that takes me home every month - the Bloody Mary Express
Tiger Moth
L4 Cub
Stearman
Harvard
Auster
Passenger:
Tu-134A that brings me to work every month!
Favourite:
A319 (B767 in the summer) that takes me home every month - the Bloody Mary Express
Phantom?
Did (work again) Leuchars overhead to Boscombe Down overhead once in 35 minutes, so I'd have thought so.
Secret's in the use of altitude, higher you go, the greater TAS for a given IAS. When you can go up to FL490 (the usual limit without a pressure suit) you can cover a remarkable amount of turf quite quickly.
G
Secret's in the use of altitude, higher you go, the greater TAS for a given IAS. When you can go up to FL490 (the usual limit without a pressure suit) you can cover a remarkable amount of turf quite quickly.
G
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Hi White Shadow,
No... more's the pity! It sounds like the perfect fun machine. In fact I didn't even know that there had been an RF7 (and was there ever an RF8?)
I'm put out that I never thought of Dan's 50% landing fee argument.... it never occured to me!
Aeros - have you met the RF7 (RF4 with clipped wings and more horses - a little Spitfire...))
I'm put out that I never thought of Dan's 50% landing fee argument.... it never occured to me!
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Fourniers
Hello again, Aeros
Take a look at //cfi-ev.scram.de/
or search for Club Fournier International
Masses of information
WS
ps Just checked G-INFO UK Registrations Data
There are actually 38 Fourniers of various sorts on the UK Register
I just haven't been around enough recently ....
Take a look at //cfi-ev.scram.de/
or search for Club Fournier International
Masses of information
WS
ps Just checked G-INFO UK Registrations Data
There are actually 38 Fourniers of various sorts on the UK Register
I just haven't been around enough recently ....
Last edited by White Shadow; 19th Jan 2003 at 22:22.