Plane Tales

Many of my aviation heroes are complicated people of nuance and contradiction but not this man. As I reflect on his life, so recently ended, I remind myself of his uncompromising, direct manner but also of his enormous courage and skill that brought Charles Edward Yeager to the world’s attention. Yeager grew up helping his father out on gas drilling rigs.   Yeager joined the Air Force as a Pr...

The RAF Chinook helicopter has proved to be a versatile and determined workhorse for the British Armed services but none more so than the airframe Bravo November. This remarkable machine was the sole surviving Chinook of the Falklands war and it continued to operate in many operations in the Middle East. Even more remarkable was the bravery of it’s pilots, four of whom received the Distingui...

When examining pilot deaths in WWI it was discovered that 90% were put down to pilot errors whereas only 2% were due to enemy action! Things didn’t improve in WW2 either. A lowly 23 year old analyst challenged the assumption that cockpits should be designed to fit the Average Pilot. This is the story of Human Factors in Aviation.   An RAF pilot’s annual assessment of ability. &#16...

Having recently talked about of couple of embarrassingly awful US World War 2 aircraft it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention some from my side of the Atlantic that were knocked together in the jolly old British Isles! Sadly, there are way too many to cover so I’ll just take a deep breath and mention a few!   Adverts for Boulton and Paul garden sunrooms.   The Wonderful Airfix Defiant m...

It was in the early predawn that Pilot Officer Richard Pryce Hughes crashed his aircraft on the heathland a little less than 500 yards from where I live. That was 78 years ago and I was yet to be born and where my house is was still a pine covered heathland. A marker has been erected to show the location of the crash and as we approach the 11th of the 11th my wife or I place a cross on the small m...

Orford Ness is a remote spit of marsh and shingle covered land that sticks out into the North Sea. Part of the chilly, windswept Suffolk coast of East England it became the secret location for a place where boffins could work on the latest experiments in aviation and nuclear weapons. It was also the place where one of the very last pilots to die in WW I would meet his end. In ancient times, Orford...

I’ve done plenty of Tales about the triumphant aircraft of World War 2 that fought in the skies over Europe, Africa Russia and the Far East. Quite naturally, I guess, not so much is known about the horrible failures. Not all of the aircraft we will look at were quite that bad… many were just misguided ideas, old designs or put into the wrong role! Vultee P-66 Vanguard.    The Vanguard w...

Any of Brien Wygle’s achievements would be enough for most of us to dine-out on for the rest of our lives. A World War 2 pilot who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy. A man who flew Hump missions in a vulnerable C-47s and who saw three of his comrades go down in a single day. A pil...

On the 18th of June 1940, Churchill stood in Parliament and gave a speech in which he stated that what General Weyland had called the Battle of France was over and that the Battle of Britain was about to begin. In the middle of this remarkable conflict was one Raymond Towers Holmes… Sir Winston Churchill   Hermann Göring   Preparations being made for the invasion of Britain  ...

I was recently digging through some old airline paperwork and came across a delightful booklet from my old airline entitled Cabin Address from the Flight Deck – briefing notes and suggestions. The booklet is more than 20 years old so the content might, on occasions, fail to reflect current sensitivities but I thought it worth digging into so that I could share some of its suggestions with yo...

Little Nellie was a rare breed of aviatrix the name of which has its origins in Ancient Greek. In more modern parlance, we have the familiar name autogyro… literally meaning self-turning. The way they work is the same way as a seed from a tree like a Sycamore flies and flying an autogyro is a novel form of taking to the air but one that saved 007! Juan de la Cierva – the First Count.  ...

A continuation of the stories from Capt Nick’s RAF Form 414… his flying logbook. BAe Nimrod MR2   The Old Pilot and a Bear   Norwegen F-5A   The Shackleton AEW2   A Canadian CL-28 Argus   The Avro Vulcan   The Skyflash semi active radar guided missile   An AQM37. The Stiletto was an air launched version.   A Skyflash missile firing from the F4 Ph...

Now a story about the US Navy Band may not seem to be my usual fare in Tales but bear with me and I must thank serving Band member and APG listener Tuba Tony for suggesting the topic for this story.   The United States Navy Ceremonial Band   The distant origin of the first Navy musicians.   The USS Macon   Eisenhower as a General and President   A DC3   A US Navy DC6...

There are many things that one might want to be remembered for. A fine physician, a pioneer aviator, a renown aeronautical researcher, an inspired inventor but perhaps not as the greatest charlatan ever to see his name associated with an airplane, even though his scout fighter the Christmas Bullet had a perfect kill record… it killed everyone who ever tried to fly it!     The AEA Redwing...

Back in 1997, on a sliver of land wedged between a gas station and a car park, a lone C130 Hercules could be found. It was mounted there near the entrance to the National Security Agency at Fort Mead in Maryland for a good reason. Not the original aircraft, as that crashed on foreign soil, it had been painted with the tail number 60528 to represent it.   The memorial to the crew of 60528 &#16...

If you are anything like the usual aviation enthusiast you’ll have a list of famous names in your head that you can quote at parties to bore your friends like, Wilbur and Orville, Bleriot, Richthofen, Lindbergh, Sikorsky, Whittle, Yeager and such but I wonder if you can place some of the others who deserve recognition.   Charlie Taylor   Hans Von Ohain   Ohain’s HeS8 jet engin...

He is dead now but you’ll find no stone to mark his grave since he has neither grave nor marker, which is a little odd for a much decorated American hero who fought for his country with outstanding bravery… but it was his wish and his family accepted that.   Boeing B-17D   The 509th   Project Alberta   The Trinity Test tower   The world’s first atomic bomb just...

In 1941 the German Navy commissioned its latest submarine, the U-134 and as it slid out of harbour to join the 5th U boat flotilla, Captain-Lieutenant Rudolf Schendel keenly anticipated the mission ahead. You may be wondering why this Type 7C U Boat should feature in a Plane Tale but bear with me as I introduce the K-74. Built a year after the U-134, the K 74 came from a company with an interestin...

The ejector seat is still a subject of fascination for a lot of pilots, mainly those who have never been strapped to one. It’s often the opinion of folk not part of the small fast jet community that an ejection is a simple matter, you just pull the handle and ‘boom’ you’re safe.   The B58 Hustler   An ejector seat from the B-58 Hustler Smarter than the average bear!   North American...

On April the 1st 2011, a little known story of intrigue and tension within the usually calm and placid country of Canada came to light.  This little known affair which brought the United States and Canada to a breaking point revolved around the purchase of an unusual Fighter for the RCAF. This drama of the 1960s has become notorious in government circles and is variously referred to as, “The Stab...

I’ve talked a lot about alcohol over the past few Plane Tales and mainly about the negative aspects but it remains one of the few socially acceptable drugs that we can imbibe. With our propensity for travelling the world, fighter jocks, trash haulers, airline crews and the rest, have always managed to find some fascinating watering holes to frequent to let the stress of the day gently drain away i...

Flying is an environment where the pilot’s senses, coordination and mental faculties are vital to the safe conduct of a flight. Getting airborne having taken something that might impair one’s flying ability is a complete anathema to the vast majority of aviators so it is vital that we look at ourselves and our fellow pilots to recognise those who might need help.   The route taken by Ae...

When the gentlemen aviators of the First World War were looking for protective clothing to wear whilst doing battle over the trenches of the Somme, they visited establishments such as Alfred Dunhill’s where they were invited to alight for the best equipment.  This is the story of such wonderful flying garb as the Sidcot Suit, the Irving jacket and the classic American flight and bomber jackets. &#...

Necessity is the mother of invention so it’s often during war that the most amazing contrivances are developed… and some of the most ridiculous.  This is a look at a few of the less successful wartime inventions!   The Bat Bomb.   During testing, a few bats escaped and disaster followed!    A slab of Pykrete with a bullet mark.   The proposed Pykrete aircraft carrie...

In this, the final part of the Ian Palmer interviews we find out about another life threatening concern that Ian had to deal with and how it led to a wonderful relationship. After my many years in the world of aviation there aren’t many people I have met who would be willing to open up their lives in the way that Ian has done.  In doing so my regard and respect for him has done nothing but grow.  ...