Roy Chadwick

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Cacophonix

Roy Chadwick

#1 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:14 pm

Have been reading the Haynes Avro Vulcan Owners' Workshop Manual and what a good read it is. I was surprised to learn that famous Avro designer Roy Chadwick was killed when the Avro Tudor 2 (G-AGSU) he was a passenger in during testing crashed due to crossed aileron cables.

What a sad and unnecessary end for such a great man and designer.

The Avro Tudor didn't look right to my jaundiced eye though. He designed so many much more beautiful aircraft. It seems to be an anomalous mix of DC4 with the outdated wings, tail and undercarriage of the Lincoln bomber. The square windows looked incongruous and begged other questions in terms of pressurisation as well I am sure.

Image

[bbvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZk48bIkz4I[/bbvideo]

[bbvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE-FYJcIfso[/bbvideo]

[bbvideo=560,315]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z68bF0nudY[/bbvideo]

It seems that government meddling and incompetence and Boac shenanigans doomed what might have been a useful design.

Boac what do you have to say about that? ;)

Caco

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Re: Roy Chadwick

#2 Post by Ex-Ascot » Mon Feb 20, 2017 6:21 am

Seems that it was the first British pressurised aircraft. Maybe they learnt from the square windows.
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Re: Roy Chadwick

#3 Post by Cacophonix » Mon Feb 20, 2017 3:35 pm

Reading further on the Avro Vulcan story last night I was following the logistics of the Black Buck Operation during the Falklands war and it seems that the logistics of the operations were mind blowing, pushing aerial refuelling ops using Handley Page Victors to new limits and extremes. The whole thing seemed to have been run on the smell of an oil rag and succeeded by the skin of the RAF's teeth as most of the crew had little or no practice in refuelling or conventional bombing practice as the V force was being run down. If the Argentinians had waited another year for the invasion the operations probably wouldn't have been possible at all.

Chadwick must have smiled to see the result but I wonder if Britain could undertake a similar operation today?

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Re: Roy Chadwick

#4 Post by Boac » Mon Feb 20, 2017 4:47 pm

Boac what do you have to say about that?
- sorry - wrong number. :|

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Re: Roy Chadwick

#5 Post by ian16th » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:25 pm

Caco,

I keep telling people, but they don't listen.

It all worked because of the guy at the top, the Chief of the Air Staff, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael Beetham GCB, CBE, DFC, AFC, DL, FRAeS.

When I knew him he was Wing Commander Mike Beetham DFC and he was my Squadron Commander.

The Sqdn was 214 Sqdn, flying Valiant BK1's. The Sqdn's mission was to evaluate Alan Cobhams probe and drogue flight refuelling system with a view of the RAF using the system.

The trials were a success and the decision was taken to introduce the system into the RAF. 214 then became the 1st operational tanker Sqdn.

During these trials when we were seeing what we could do with this new toy, Mike Beetham became the captain of the 1st a/c to fly non-stop from UK to South Africa and then the captain the 1st a/c to fly non-stop from UK to Cape Town.

For this successful trial and introduction of the probe & drogue system of flight refuelling into the RAF Mike Beetham was awarded the AFC. He was also promoted to Group Captain and posted to a job in Group HQ.

As a result of theses efforts and experienced gained, the Chief of the Air Staff at the time of the Falklands War, was as experienced and knowledgeable as any senior RAF officer about the size and problems of the Black Buck mission.
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Re: Roy Chadwick

#6 Post by Cacophonix » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:47 pm

ian16th what an inspiring Commander (I salute you too) and truly a great strategic thinker as well as tactician. I was waxing lyrical about this in response to BenThere's ruminations on a similar theme reference the USAF and the Russians. Your post makes the point so much better than mine...

viewtopic.php?f=64&t=2281&start=20#p88898

Caco

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