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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1604.PDF
Straight & Level roger.bacon@flightinternational.com Low Lightning Thanks to the many nephews and nieces who have emailed, written, called and sent heavily loaded pigeons with details of the "WIHIH" Lightning picture used in the 10 August Straight & Level. Nephew Steve Gyles wins the best explanation contest, having been the pilot member of the inquiry board! The unfortunate Lightning XN730/J, an F2A owned by 92 Sqn, was involved in a prang at RAF Gutersloh in 1971. The hinge pin in the port undercarriage suspension broke on take-off, allowing the main wheel to spin in ways not intended by the designers. The stress fractured the leg attachment bracket, giving the pilot- Fit Lt Norman Barker - a red light when he tried to retract the gear. Rather than eject as recom mended, Norman struggled to lower the gear for an almost an hour before attempting a landing with the port wheel angled at about 45°. The result was the image of the violent landing, captured in what turned out to be a clandestinely taken photograph from outside the base fence by the "duty spy". Honourable mentions to Harry Worth, who tells me Norman later became "Minister without Port Oleo", and Nephew Denis Calvert, who recalls an accom panying note that came with a copy of the photographs, saying "it was taken by my friend with a 400mm telephoto lens". Thanks also to messrs Lawrence, Paxton and Sergeant for helping clear up the mystery and also to Niece Sue Isherwood who recalls a tale of her father, the late Keith Isherwood, having to land a Canberra at Warton under similar cir cumstances. Although not able to recall the actual event, Sue says her mother apparently watched the circling aircraft for some time and was mystified because: "Dad had said nothing about a display that day so wondered why he was spending a lot of time in the air!" A P-3 almost lands gear up at McCall, Idaho earlier this month Let it rain Monty Orangeball: "It says here that a US agency is thinking of using unmanned air vehicles to monitor climate change." Stewart Sidewinder: "Which agency?" Orangeball: "NOAA...the oceanic and atmospheric administration." Rex Stocks: "Are you sure it's not NOAH? With all this bleedin' rain, a UAV could stand for 'uge ark-like vessel." ...and on the subject of oddly named UAVs. (Overheard in the Budgie News office) Rex Stocks: "What's with all these dragon names for UAVs? Dragonfly, Dragon Eye, Dragon Wing - and what's this toilet-shaped micro-UAV called?" Bruce Strewth: "Dragon Dunny." ...and from our unmanned watcher Ah-Hawker comes a suggestion for a new, more upmarket name for the worthy band of UAVers. How about the society of unmanned air vehicle engineers - or SUAVE? Realpolitik Russians say it how it is. Baltia Airlines, the new start-up carrier planning New York-Russia services, has come up with a stunningly catchy name for its fre quent flyer programme - Freeloaders. AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FLIGHT 27.8.1954 Strength in Depth It is natural that Canada should work in close co operation with the great ally across the border, but it will not be to the exclusion of her ties with the home country. Many of her most flourishing avia tion organisations are the daughter companies or partners of British concerns. The same is true of those in Australia. It is in turn a comfort for us to know that, should these islands ever suffer atomic attack, great industries abroad to which some of the best British brains and hands have been dispersed would be ready again to take over with materials as well as men at any point where help were needed. 50 YEARS AGO Astronautical To the tune of rumours that the Russians had sent a guided missile around the moon, the International Astronautical Congress got off to a flying start at Innsbruck. K. A. Ehricke, of the Bell Aircraft Corporation, showed that a small satellite can be established capable of maintaining four men in space. Dr. Hubertus Strughold said that space flight is now a reality. N.H. Langton showed that meteorites could be thermally dissipated by special screens. On the other hand, protection of humans from the heavy nuclei of cosmic radiation beyond the atmosphere was shown by H.J. Schaefer to be impossible. It is gathered from the congress that Man will fairly soon make short hops into space and that missiles will also be probing beyond the atmosphere. How soon true interplanetary flight will follow is a matter of con jecture. It would seem that the end of the century might still be a conservative estimate for circum navigation of the moon. Two Accidents On August 23rd a DC-6B of K.L.M., PH-DFO Willem Bontekoe, descended into the North Sea some 17 miles north-west of the Dutch coast with the loss of 12 passengers and nine crew. On August 22nd, a Braniff International Airways DC-3 crashed at Mason City, Iowa, with the loss of 11 people. I at an unaisciuacu lucauon within range of Iraq D Four Tristar air-to-air refuellers at a secret base D 12 Tornado GR4s with Paveway bombs and an HS125 at another undisclosed base D Four Hercules C130s at another secret location D Two Nimrod MR2s based on ships D The helicopter force includes six Chinooks, seve. From the Times, London, UK www.fliqhtinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 24-30 AUGUST 2004 61
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