by Nick Anderson | May 16, 2021 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
The Vulcan bomber only had ejector seats for the two pilots… the rear crew made do with an escape slide, a level if inequality that killed many and resulted in questions being asked in Parliament. This is the story of the Vulcan and a look at the USN Skyknight which had a similar escape system.
The rear crew compartment of the Avro Vulcan
Malta
Malta
The Vulcan
The Vulcan air brakes
The crash site
Avro Vulcan XV770
The Vulcan rear crew escape hatch
The F3 Skynight
Skynight bailout trials
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Isaac Bee, Anton Zelenov, NASA, DFST, RuthAS, the RAF, Roland Turner, US Navy, Ultra7 and the USAF.
by Nick Anderson | May 8, 2021 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
The noise of flying machines can be a source of joy or annoyance. Let’s have a look at what makes that noise and how much progress has been made over the years!
The F-84F Thunderbirds team
The XF-84H ‘Thunderscreech’!
The Boeing Dash 80, prototype of the B707
Noise creating vortices coming from an airliner’s flaps
The Bypass section of a RR Trent
A possible Airbus blended body design
An APU exhaust
The Gyrodyne Rotorcycle
Images are displayed under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Dreamstime.com – Airbus, the USAF, Boeing Dreamscape, David Monniaux and the US DOD.
by Nick Anderson | Apr 29, 2021 | Plane Tales
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The final few letters of a look at aviation through the alphabet.
A model of the original Flettner 282 Helicopter
Flettner helicopters have the unfortunate potential to decapitate the unwary!
A cutaway of the Spitfire with it’s remarkable Rolls Royce Merlin V12 engine.
The Allison V-1710 V12 engine
The Daimler-Benz DB600 V12.
The X Planes
The Napkin ring
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Raobe001, Ball wallpaper, the National Archives UK, the Smithsonian archive, the USAF, NASA,
by Nick Anderson | Apr 19, 2021 | Plane Tales
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After last week’s tale, here are a few more letters of the Alphabet to ponder on!
The Martin Baker Mk7A seat with adjustable rocket pack!
The US Army working under flares
Aircraft registrations
Working on the RR Merlin engine
The aircraft convenience!
Varig Flight 820
The Queen’s Flight
Rolls Royce
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Martin Baker, US Army, Richard Stone, David, Sapeurs Pompiers de Paris and the MOD.
by Nick Anderson | Apr 12, 2021 | Plane Tales
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The language of aviation is treasured by those of us who use it, especially since it separates us from those poor earth bound souls who don’t spend their lives with their eyes cast skyward. In the spirit of fairness, particularly to spouses who stand impatiently, eyes rolling as we converse with our avgeek friends about how pretty that Wedgetail is, here are a few pointers to help you join in the conversation.
The axes of an aircraft
Flight Bag
Drag!
An Empennage
Flaps
A Chinese Follow-Me car
A world record hail stone
Hi is for Hangar
The angle of incidence
The F8 “Last of the Gunfighters’.
The Jetway!
Images under the Creative Commons licence with thanks to M9matr0902, ZeroOne, Comicship, Olivier Cleynen, NiD29, NOAA and Wallsworth.
by Nick Anderson | Apr 4, 2021 | Plane Tales
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I apologise to you all but it’s time for my tatty old RAF log book to come out of the cupboard again. It was a sad, sad situation but for the recently promoted Flight Lieutenant Anderson, his departure from flying the Phantom on 43 Squadron was a reality that he had to face up to. Central Flying School is an august establishment that will proudly inform anyone with an interest (or not) that it is the world’s longest existing flying training school. It was to this anachronistic institution that I was bound!
The crest of the Central Flying School of the Royal Air Force
The Staff of the Central Flying School
The Red Arrows
The island of Anglesey
The Britannia Bridge
The BAE Systems Hawk T1
Flying the Hawk
The Great Orme and Llandudno Pier
Llandudno Pier
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to CFS, the RAF, the National Library of Wales, Tim Felce, Defence Imagery, Google Maps, Noel Walley and images within the Public Domain.
