WWII War Birds - pics and video
- Thread starter Sharps '63
- Start date
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
More often, the cats threw stuff like the Fairey Albacore:
Not pretty. She was to replace the faithful old Stringbag, but never did. The Swordfish outlasted her in service.
One remains, a composite built from two partial airframes, including the tail from N4389, which was shot down over France.
Not pretty. She was to replace the faithful old Stringbag, but never did. The Swordfish outlasted her in service.
One remains, a composite built from two partial airframes, including the tail from N4389, which was shot down over France.
An older gentleman I worked with flew Swordfish off the Arc Royal. He just missed the Bismarck episode for health reasons in some hospital.
Immigrated to Canada after the war and worked with Canadian Vickers and Canadair as a draftsman on the CF104.
Quite a change in speed over his aviation career.
Back to Swordfish:
"A disarming quirk or two
'The office' in question... that of Swordfish stationed at Arbroath in September 1943. (IWM A 19540)
During my first trip in a Swordfish, I remember being somewhat disturbed because I couldn’t find any obvious way to check the fuel level. Even the fact that I felt an unbound (if misguided) confidence in my ability to put the Swordfish down in any of the open fields below didn’t remove the anxiety. It was only after the flight that I learned the fuel gauge was viewed through a hole in the dashboard, and only then after it had been illuminated by switching on a special electric light.
The particular Swordfish which our unit held ran at quite alarmingly high oil temperatures too. This was another source of minor anxiety, as I progressively reduced the already low boost in an effort to keep the figure below a supposed danger mark. Evidently our Swordfish was one that had had its oil cooler modified for Arctic flying conditions. Either that, or someone had simply failed to connect up the oil cooler properly.
In touch with the elements
Swordfish Mk.1 L7701, from 'The RAF In Pictures, Including Aircraft Of The Fleet Air Arm, 1941, prepared by Major Oliver Stewart. (Courtesy Jenny Scott | flickr.com CC BY-NC 2.0)
Accustomed as we were to rushing around the sky in little transparent canopies, within which there were no particular sensations of either motion or connection with the outside world, you truly felt as if you were airborne when you were sitting in the open cockpit of a Swordfish.
Not only could the air be almost seen as it passed over the wings, but the continuous draught was a reminder that even speeds as low as 90 knots could produce quite a gale.
And up front, beneath the narrow-chord engine cowling, the valve gear could clearly be seen in action, while the metal airscrew flailed around quietly to the accompaniment of a very typical reduction-gear rattle from the trusty Bristol Pegasus engine.
Next post, I’ll step things up eight-fold – in terms of engines; if not weight, power, speed, armament, crew numbers, etc – with Indicator’s comparison of the B-17 and B-24 in RAF service. Two heavies for the price of one! (And then I think we’ll leave the 1940s for a while…)
This review first appeared in Flight magazine of August 29th, 1946,
as part of their In The Air series by ‘Indicator’."
Immigrated to Canada after the war and worked with Canadian Vickers and Canadair as a draftsman on the CF104.
Quite a change in speed over his aviation career.
Back to Swordfish:
"A disarming quirk or two
'The office' in question... that of Swordfish stationed at Arbroath in September 1943. (IWM A 19540)
During my first trip in a Swordfish, I remember being somewhat disturbed because I couldn’t find any obvious way to check the fuel level. Even the fact that I felt an unbound (if misguided) confidence in my ability to put the Swordfish down in any of the open fields below didn’t remove the anxiety. It was only after the flight that I learned the fuel gauge was viewed through a hole in the dashboard, and only then after it had been illuminated by switching on a special electric light.
The particular Swordfish which our unit held ran at quite alarmingly high oil temperatures too. This was another source of minor anxiety, as I progressively reduced the already low boost in an effort to keep the figure below a supposed danger mark. Evidently our Swordfish was one that had had its oil cooler modified for Arctic flying conditions. Either that, or someone had simply failed to connect up the oil cooler properly.
In touch with the elements
Swordfish Mk.1 L7701, from 'The RAF In Pictures, Including Aircraft Of The Fleet Air Arm, 1941, prepared by Major Oliver Stewart. (Courtesy Jenny Scott | flickr.com CC BY-NC 2.0)
Accustomed as we were to rushing around the sky in little transparent canopies, within which there were no particular sensations of either motion or connection with the outside world, you truly felt as if you were airborne when you were sitting in the open cockpit of a Swordfish.
Not only could the air be almost seen as it passed over the wings, but the continuous draught was a reminder that even speeds as low as 90 knots could produce quite a gale.
And up front, beneath the narrow-chord engine cowling, the valve gear could clearly be seen in action, while the metal airscrew flailed around quietly to the accompaniment of a very typical reduction-gear rattle from the trusty Bristol Pegasus engine.
Next post, I’ll step things up eight-fold – in terms of engines; if not weight, power, speed, armament, crew numbers, etc – with Indicator’s comparison of the B-17 and B-24 in RAF service. Two heavies for the price of one! (And then I think we’ll leave the 1940s for a while…)
This review first appeared in Flight magazine of August 29th, 1946,
as part of their In The Air series by ‘Indicator’."
Last edited:
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
Very cool link, Diopter - thanks for that.
Isn't this a great shot:
Geese and Wildcats, very early on.
Isn't this a great shot:
Geese and Wildcats, very early on.
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
ANBO VIII - domestically designed and produced WW2 light bomber/recce aircraft of Lithuania:
Pretty conventional stuff for 1937-38.
Like a Baltic Aichi D3.
Pretty conventional stuff for 1937-38.
Like a Baltic Aichi D3.
HAWKER SEA FURY FOR SALE
Type: Warbird
Price: £590,000.00
VAT: 5% applicable if imported
A/H: 4hrs since complete restoration
E/H: 4 hrs SMOH
P/H: 4 hrs SMOH
Hangared ?: Yes
Has Cover: NA
Paint: Ready to be specified by new owner
Link:
http://spiritinthesky.co.uk/product/hawker-sea-fury-for-sale/
My Great Uncle had a P-40 Kittyhawk... Such a beauty of a machine. Wish it was I that got it after he passed away.
The Corsair is another fine looking bird.
- Location
- chilliwack BC.
that Sea Fury and Corsair are awesome!
HAWKER SEA FURY FOR SALE
Type: Warbird
Price: £590,000.00
VAT: 5% applicable if imported
A/H: 4hrs since complete restoration
E/H: 4 hrs SMOH
P/H: 4 hrs SMOH
Hangared ?: Yes
Has Cover: NA
Paint: Ready to be specified by new owner
Link:
http://spiritinthesky.co.uk/product/hawker-sea-fury-for-sale/
Wow that was a bargain!(as I reach in to my pockets and pull out lint and a couple washers).
Don't understand all the modern instruments and white interiors in warbirds...
Safety and modern radio equipment makes sense, but some 70's avionics and modern EFIS display in the middle take away from what it is IMHO. Insurance and regs have nothing to do with those.
Like putting a red dot sight on a single action army.
Just my dumb observation
There used to be, and may still be a Hawker Sea Fury based in Victoria.
The owner used to fly over the Point Roberts Marina from time to time as his son worked there.
That would be between 2000 and 2006.
The Hawker Fury,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIyGIQs8bSI
The owner used to fly over the Point Roberts Marina from time to time as his son worked there.
That would be between 2000 and 2006.
The Hawker Fury,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIyGIQs8bSI
Safety and modern radio equipment makes sense, but some 70's avionics and modern EFIS display in the middle take away from what it is IMHO. Insurance and regs have nothing to do with those.
Like putting a red dot sight on a single action army.
Just my dumb observation
Does this make you cringe?
http://silodrome.com/the-waco-ymf-5d-biplane/
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/aviation/iconic-warbird-features-modern-garmin-avionics/
Dark Alley Dan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Darkest Edmonton
If one finds that Waco aesthetically objectionable, they're just flat out wrong. However, I think get what wbaad is saying.
A big part of this thing we have for these old girls is the romantic time-travel aspect of the object. The closer they are to exactly how they were, the closer we can get to being back there ourselves. The nostalgic appeal is diminished when we start making modern changes, even for the very best and reasonable of reasons.
A ME109 G is a thing of beauty, but a Buchon with its very practical RR Merlin engine is somehow "less", at least to my eyes. And a ww2 fighter with a glass cockpit is like Rita Hayworth with implants. It ain't how it was, and so is not quite right.
A big part of this thing we have for these old girls is the romantic time-travel aspect of the object. The closer they are to exactly how they were, the closer we can get to being back there ourselves. The nostalgic appeal is diminished when we start making modern changes, even for the very best and reasonable of reasons.
A ME109 G is a thing of beauty, but a Buchon with its very practical RR Merlin engine is somehow "less", at least to my eyes. And a ww2 fighter with a glass cockpit is like Rita Hayworth with implants. It ain't how it was, and so is not quite right.
