Author Topic: Interesting or unusual planes? (Read 391868 times)

Steph · « **Reply #325 on:** 11 August, 2012, 02:00:39 pm »

Quote from: TimC on 11 August, 2012, 09:18:56 am

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 07 August, 2012, 02:16:30 pm
I saw one of them recently parked at Filton. That means there must be at least two of them left in the world! It looked surprisingly small in the metal.

There are several. The East Fortune one (G-BOAA) that the CrinklyPride saw; G-BOAB at Heathrow awaiting placing on display at T5, G-BOAF at Bristol Filton, G-BOAC at Manchester airport, G-BBDG at Brooklands, G-BOAE in Barbados, G-BOAD in New York at the USS Intrepid musem, G-BOAG in Seattle, F-BVFF at Charles de Gaulle airport, F-BTSD at Le Bourget, Paris, F-BVFA at the Smithsonian at Washington Dulles airport, F-BVFB somewhere in Germany. Plus the development aircraft G-BSST at Yeovilton, Somerset, G-AXDN at Duxford and a couple in France.

One of my writer friends mentioned this place in one of her stories, and I google-mapped it. The Wiki link shows just a bit of what's there. I want to go! Check out the satellite view.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinsheim_Auto_%26_Technik_Museum

Juan Martín · « **Reply #326 on:** 11 August, 2012, 08:33:30 pm »

Some sort of do on up the road at Headcorn airfield today. This morning the usual light aircraft plus a DH Dragon Rapide; I saw this several times so I assume that they were doing trips from the airfield. This afternoon at about 1600 a Spitfire, painted for PR I think and a (or rather the) Lancaster. Two or three low passes, a few hundred feet I guess, over the house brought my neighbour out - she wasn't happy. I was in the front garden enjoying the sound of the Merlins, she was bending my ear: 'John, can they do that?' Me: 'They're doing it', she: 'they're very low, isn't it dangerous?' Me: 'Well it's a big aircraft it's probably not as low as it looks'. I think she went off to phone the council or the CAA or whoever. But I would be perfectly happy to put up with that sort of disruption on a daily basis!

A little later when out on an early evening ride what looked (and sounded) like a Hurricane in the distance. I assume that the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster passed us and looked in on Headcorn on their way back from the Eastbourne show.

I apologise for the lack of photos but I was mesmerised.

Moose57 · « **Reply #327 on:** 11 August, 2012, 09:08:57 pm »

Juan I was riding by the airfield at about 4.30 something was up in the air, and diving over the airfield didn't think it was a Spit. do you know what it was?

Juan Martín · « **Reply #328 on:** 12 August, 2012, 07:51:02 pm »

I didn't spot anything else of note around that time Moose, I must have missed the one that you saw. By the way, what are you usually riding? I am sure that we must often pass each other. Currently, I am usually the bloke on the tatty blue steel framed thing with brown bar tape.

Today, in the morning, what looked like a Harvard; later in the early another Spitfire. The sound of a low flying jet brought me out of the garage to see briefly between the houses what appeared to be to my un-spectacled eyes a Hawker Hunter with a decidedly un-military paint job, then a couple of Pitts type biplanes. Later on my late afternoon ride an unidentified aircraft with a radial engine and tapered wings. I stopped to look but really only caught a glimpse from the starboard quarter...looked like a wartime US aircraft but I don't know what. The DH Dragon Rapide was still trundling about the place in the late afternoon, providing joyrides.

I presume that most of these, especially the Hunter, were looking in on Headcorn on their way to and from other display - probably Eastbourne.

Steph · « **Reply #329 on:** 12 August, 2012, 11:24:21 pm »

Radial engine and tapered wings could well be a T-6, the Texan/Harvard.

Moose57 · « **Reply #330 on:** 13 August, 2012, 12:03:44 am »

It had a radial and tapered wings so could have been a Harvard. Juan I saw the Hunter fly over my place in Bethersden. My ride this time of year is a Pinarello FP3, in winter a Trek Pilot. I ride with the "Rye Wheelers" we must have seen each other at some time, perhaps at the airfield cafe?

Juan Martín · « **Reply #331 on:** 13 August, 2012, 09:39:51 am »

Perhaps it was a Harvard but the canopy didn't look long enough for a two seater - of course that might have been down to the angle at which I saw it. I'll go with Harvard otherwise I won't stop puzzling over it!

I don't generally get to the airfield cafe as it's just too close to home! I'll keep an eye out for you at the weekends around Bethersden, it's on one of my standard loops so I am often passing through.

Thor · « **Reply #332 on:** 21 August, 2012, 07:42:53 pm »

Over Panshanger airfield today

Adam · « **Reply #333 on:** 21 August, 2012, 09:09:21 pm »

That's a bit different from their usual visitors!

clarion · « **Reply #334 on:** 20 September, 2012, 02:33:12 pm »

At Shoreham Airport. we saw (among others) a Tiger Moth, a Chipmunk, another Moth I didn't identify, and this:

Probably a Douglas SBD Dauntless

Oh, and this, which I think is a classic Piper Cub, just peeping round the corner:

TimC · « **Reply #335 on:** 20 September, 2012, 06:03:54 pm »

Quote from: clarion on 20 September, 2012, 02:33:12 pm

At Shoreham Airport. we saw (among others) a Tiger Moth, a Chipmunk, another Moth I didn't identify, and this:

Probably a Douglas SBD Dauntless

Oh, and this, which I think is a classic Piper Cub, just peeping round the corner:

That top one looks awfully like a faked-up Harvard to me!

Panoramix · « **Reply #336 on:** 20 September, 2012, 06:11:31 pm »

Quote from: TimC on 11 August, 2012, 09:06:04 am

Found this: RN201. Used to be at Duxford, but I think is in the USA now. Is this something like what you saw?

I am a bit late but have the wing been shortened at the end? The ellptical wing seem too squared (well too me at least!) at the end for a spitfire. Or was there a different version with more trapezoidal wings?

John Henry · « **Reply #337 on:** 20 September, 2012, 06:23:35 pm »

Long story short: wing shapes evolved (for a few reasons) as the plane developed, and later marks of Spitfires often had squared-off rather than elliptical wing tips. This started happening from about the Mk V onwards.

RN201 is a Mk XIVe, according to a quick Google. Doubtless Wiki would gives you chapter and verse on the specs.

[Edit: pretty sure it's Griffon engined rather than Merlin, for a start.]

clarion · « **Reply #338 on:** 20 September, 2012, 07:12:47 pm »

Quote from: TimC on 20 September, 2012, 06:03:54 pm

Quote from: clarion on 20 September, 2012, 02:33:12 pm
At Shoreham Airport. we saw (among others) a Tiger Moth, a Chipmunk, another Moth I didn't identify, and this:

Probably a Douglas SBD Dauntless

That top one looks awfully like a faked-up Harvard to me!

I might have thought so too, but I'd seen it earlier parked next to the Texan/Harvard, which is quite a bit smaller.

spesh · « **Reply #339 on:** 20 September, 2012, 08:11:50 pm »

Zooming in on the tail of the aircraft shows SNJ-5 above the four-digit tail number - a quick Google suggests that the aircraft pictured is indeed a Texan. SNJ-5 was the designation for ex-US Army Air Corps AT-6Ds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_T-6_Texan

So whatever you thought was a Texan/Harvard, was something else!

The two clues that it wasn't a Dauntless were that the tail plane position was too high, and there are no perforated dive brake flaps on the wing trailing edge.

clarion · « **Reply #340 on:** 20 September, 2012, 08:19:01 pm »

OK, that makes sense. I wonder what the smaller plane was? It had a cover over it, but it definitely had a long high canopy. I wonder if it was a Yak-52?

ETA: There are some Youtube vids of a Yak-52 at Shoreham, so that's a possibility. It's hard to gauge the scale when riding past.

Panoramix · « **Reply #341 on:** 20 September, 2012, 08:41:38 pm »

Quote from: John Henry on 20 September, 2012, 06:23:35 pm

Long story short: wing shapes evolved (for a few reasons) as the plane developed, and later marks of Spitfires often had squared-off rather than elliptical wing tips. This started happening from about the Mk V onwards.

RN201 is a Mk XIVe, according to a quick Google. Doubtless Wiki would gives you chapter and verse on the specs.

[Edit: pretty sure it's Griffon engined rather than Merlin, for a start.]

Thanks!

spesh · « **Reply #342 on:** 20 September, 2012, 08:43:24 pm »

Quote from: clarion on 20 September, 2012, 08:19:01 pm

OK, that makes sense. I wonder what the smaller plane was? It had a cover over it, but it definitely had a long high canopy. I wonder if it was a Yak-52?

ETA: There are some Youtube vids of a Yak-52 at Shoreham, so that's a possibility. It's hard to gauge the scale when riding past.

Going by the specs on El Wiki, a Yak-52 is smaller than a Texan. If it was a "westernised" one with "tail-dragger" landing gear, it's a good bet for what you saw.

Specifications (Yak 52)
Length: 7.745 m
Wingspan: 9.30 m
Height: 2.70 m

Specifications (T-6G)
Length: 8.84 m
Wingspan: 12.81 m
Height: 3.57 m

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakovlev_Yak-52

TimC · « **Reply #343 on:** 20 September, 2012, 09:14:21 pm »

Yes, a Yak52 is - and looks - a fair bit smaller than a Harvard which, in turn, is a good bit smaller than a Dauntless - though the Harvard and the Dauntless are quite similar. The giveaway is the Dauntless has a three-bladed prop.

Jaded · « **Reply #344 on:** 20 September, 2012, 09:26:15 pm »

What I think was a Lightning, with clipped wings. Just off the A46 north of the junction with the M4. Parked up, obviously.

It was in what used to be a transport depot, with red and white wagons. Can't remember the name. I was going to stop and take a photo, but there was a car up my arse.

Steph · « **Reply #345 on:** 20 September, 2012, 11:37:14 pm »

Quote from: TimC on 20 September, 2012, 09:14:21 pm

Yes, a Yak52 is - and looks - a fair bit smaller than a Harvard which, in turn, is a good bit smaller than a Dauntless - though the Harvard and the Dauntless are quite similar. The giveaway is the Dauntless has a three-bladed prop.

Another giveaway is the position of the tail plane, which is a lot lower on a Dauntless.

TimC · « **Reply #346 on:** 21 September, 2012, 07:33:06 am »

Quote from: Jaded on 20 September, 2012, 09:26:15 pm

What I think was a Lightning, with clipped wings. Just off the A46 north of the junction with the M4. Parked up, obviously.

It was in what used to be a transport depot, with red and white wagons. Can't remember the name. I was going to stop and take a photo, but there was a car up my arse.

Ex-56 Sqn XM173. This thread reveals all.

I'll resist the temptation to comment on your last sentence...

John Henry · « **Reply #347 on:** 29 September, 2012, 04:44:18 pm »

XH558.

No photos, camera batts were dead.

Magnificent.

Jaded · « **Reply #348 on:** 29 September, 2012, 05:06:02 pm »

Glad you saw it - what height was it flying and was it at one of its stop points today, or en-route?

I meant to go see it on the A38 south of Gloucester, but realised that I had messed the timing up and couldn't outrun it!

John Henry · « **Reply #349 on:** 29 September, 2012, 05:15:16 pm »

Quote from: Jaded on 29 September, 2012, 05:06:02 pm

Glad you saw it - what height was it flying and was it at one of its stop points today, or en-route?

I meant to go see it on the A38 south of Gloucester, but realised that I had messed the timing up and couldn't outrun it!

I saw it at Staverton - it did a low pass over the airport east-west, then banked round fairly tightly to the right and did another low pass north-south before gaining some height. I think it was heading for Wales afterwards.