Good little aircraft, they are used as trainers at my local airfield.
Modern light aircraft are taking cognizance of the strides made in survival cells/crumple zones etc. made in the automotive industry, not least because these crash safety design techniques are now mandated by the relevant aircraft certificating authorities.
My last thread drift I promise. I was so determined to find out what had caused this aircraft to lose two engines on take off at Coltishall, that I purchased "De Havilland Mosquito" Crash Log, compiled by David Smith, which was published in 1974 and retailed at the princely sum of £2.50 then. Infuriatingly the entry for what is now known as the "People's Mosquito" (what an appalling name) reads "Complete power failure after take off"... It was the second loss of a Mosquito at Coltishall in 1949, although the pilot and navigator both walked away from the first accident unscathed.
What the book does show is the high number of loss of control accidents that occurred in the long haul between Vr and Vmca (174 knots). If one didn't get the wheels and flaps up promptly, you could sit in no man's land indefinitely at +- 135 knots in the climb and any failure on the critical port engine could leave you turning to your doom in that direction in a nanosecond.
The Mosquito clearly didn't suffer fools gladly judging by the accident carnage demonstrated on these pages.
As a member of the local history society, I am apt to visit Kew to look at the records once in a blue moon (not last year of course). I will ask to see the the official report on RL249 (I get like this about details sometimes)....
Re: Another Navy Wings article...
Posted: Fri May 07, 2021 10:10 am
by TheGreenGoblin
The Sea Fury has been recovered to the heritage hangar by the Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transportation Squadron (JARTS) working closely with the Navy Wings team. JARTS were working in the area on a training exercise and provided their expertise and experience to help us recover the aircraft. The aircraft is now secured and we await the next stage of the investigation process to start. Images of the recovery process can be seen below
We are very pleased to confirm that our Sea Fury pilot was discharged from hospital over the weekend and we were delighted to welcome both pilots back to the Navy Wings offices....
I don't think you can get anything but Blue these days.
PP
Very late here with an irrelevant comment but in the year dot when I flew the Bell 47J2 it used Avgas 100/130. Often away on a week's detachment I drove home at the end in my 2 litre Vauxhall VX4/90. Used to get odd looks when I put some 2* in it at the local garage before setting off. When I eventually did a head overhaul the valve heads were all green. Funny that.
Re: Another Navy Wings article...
Posted: Sun May 09, 2021 8:09 pm
by Pontius Navigator
C16, was that similar to the Cresta?
Joe L'Estrage of Vulcan fame had one. Said that if you jacked the car up with the doors open you couldn't shut them properly once off jacks.
No, it was a more sporty version of the Victor and had twin Stromberg carbs and electric overdrive. This is the only photo of mine, the FD version, that I can find and was taken when I was working in Cork when some friends came to stay in 1974. My late ex-wife in the dark top. It was a great car which I bought in 1971 when it was a year old and I had it for 8 years. A rare Vauxhall from those years which didn't disintegrate with premature rust!
A rare Vauxhall from those years which didn't disintegrate with premature rust!
After the disastrous F-type (which rusted prolifically), Vauxhall went overboard with corrosion-protection, so by the time your model was produced there was probably the best in the industry.
Re: Another Navy Wings article...
Posted: Sun May 09, 2021 10:31 pm
by CharlieOneSix
I bought a new Cavalier after the VX4/90. That had such severe piston slap after about 9 months that a new engine was fitted under warranty following a real hard tussle with Vauxhall. I gave up on Vauxhall after that.
Re: Another Navy Wings article...
Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 1:01 pm
by TheGreenGoblin
Another great edition from the Navy Wings team on the the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck on 27 May 1941...
I wouldn't get too bothered, PN - artistic license? The tin fish isn't even aligned with the airflow! Try a different 'perspective'?
Re: Another Navy Wings article...
Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 5:34 pm
by CharlieOneSix
The late John 'Jock' Moffat died age 97 in 2016. He was credited with disabling the Bismarck's rudder when he dropped a torpedo from his Swordfish. Here's a video of him 5 years ago at the 75th anniversary of the sinking where he describes the action. In 1996 FD2 and I had the honour of talking to him at length at Perth Airport - the Scottish one - when he was in the Scottish Aero Club crewroom prior to him going for a flight. To celebrate his 90th birthday he went flying and did some aerobatics!
Re: Another Navy Wings article...
Posted: Thu May 27, 2021 7:26 pm
by FD2
The hairs were standing up on the back of my neck during that chat with Jock Moffat C16. What a privilege.
Always good to read about 819 Squadron and HMS Gannet, as PaWoody was on the extremely stressful Belfast, Edinburgh Aberdeen feeder service on BOAC Viscount 701’s and so had plenty of time to socialise. Then of course there’s the time that my Scout troop had to call out Mountain Rescue on the Isle of Arran and one of the party was airlifted to hospital by SAR
Re: Another Navy Wings article...
Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2021 4:52 am
by FD2
Sad news from a Navy Wings email:
Following the Sea Fury T20 accident on 28 April 2021, when the aircraft was extensively damaged as a result of engine failure coming into land at RNAS Yeovilton, the insurance underwriters have formally assessed the aircraft as a write-off. Sea Fury T20 G-RNHF (VW 281) has given exceptional service flying with great élan at air shows and events around the country and has been a much cherished aeroplane. However, the cost of repairing her, particularly rebuilding her complex Bristol Centaurus 18 engine is beyond the financial resources of the charity. With the costs of repair higher than the cost of replacing her, the Trustees have taken the decision to sell the aircraft and use the proceeds to help towards the acquisition of a replacement - funding the future. A lengthy rebuild would also mean a valuable aircraft out of the programme for several years. As the charity is fortunate to have a second Sea Fury already in the collection, an exciting acquisition being considered is the possibility of a Seafire, the naval variant of the Spitfire. The charity doesn't make these decisions lightly and none of our aircraft are treated as just another aeroplane, but important examples of the compelling story of naval flying and the skill, courage and sacrifice of those who flew and maintained them. The hope is to have another iconic historic naval aircraft flying in the skies of the UK soon!
Following the Sea Fury T20 accident on 28 April 2021, when the aircraft was extensively damaged as a result of engine failure coming into land at RNAS Yeovilton, the insurance underwriters have formally assessed the aircraft as a write-off. Sea Fury T20 G-RNHF (VW 281) has given exceptional service flying with great élan at air shows and events around the country and has been a much cherished aeroplane. However, the cost of repairing her, particularly rebuilding her complex Bristol Centaurus 18 engine is beyond the financial resources of the charity. With the costs of repair higher than the cost of replacing her, the Trustees have taken the decision to sell the aircraft and use the proceeds to help towards the acquisition of a replacement - funding the future. A lengthy rebuild would also mean a valuable aircraft out of the programme for several years. As the charity is fortunate to have a second Sea Fury already in the collection, an exciting acquisition being considered is the possibility of a Seafire, the naval variant of the Spitfire. The charity doesn't make these decisions lightly and none of our aircraft are treated as just another aeroplane, but important examples of the compelling story of naval flying and the skill, courage and sacrifice of those who flew and maintained them. The hope is to have another iconic historic naval aircraft flying in the skies of the UK soon!
That is a shame, but it is not surprising I guess. The Sea Fury, or rather the Bristol Centaurus engine, seems to have been a finicky beast at the best of times but at least nobody was seriously injured. I note that, the previous accident to this aircraft that has just been written off aside, another Sea Fury was lost in 1990, and despite being written off, rose like a Phoenix from the ashes under the tender ministrations of the New Zealanders and the US dollar.
