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Plane Tales

Capt Nick

The View from Our Side of the Cockpit Door

leisure aviation

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19:48

Bravo November

Plane Tales ·

2020/12/01

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 Distinguished Flying Cross. A US Army CH47A. An RAF Chinook. Argentinian forces invade Stanley. British

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19:40

The Average Pilot

Plane Tales ·

2020/11/30

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. Quételet, the man who invented averages. The University of Ghent. It was the study of Astronomy that gave rise

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19:34

You Couldn’t Give These Away Either!

Plane Tales ·

2020/11/22

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 model. The ungainly Rhino parachute that the Defiant gunners wore. The Sopwith Camel that Boulton Paul

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14:55

Lest We Forget

Plane Tales ·

2020/11/13

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 monument in remembrance, lest we forget. The heathland upon which Pilot Officer Richard Pryce Hughes

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20:05

Orford Ness

Plane Tales ·

2020/11/08

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 Ness was home to smugglers! Orford Ness in modern times, not far from Bungay! The village of

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20:11

You Couldn’t Give ‘Em Away!

Plane Tales ·

2020/10/09

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 with its original cowling design which gave insufficient cooling to the big radial engine. The Vanguards at

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19:10

The Wonderful Life of Brien

Plane Tales ·

2020/10/03

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 pilot who volunteered to fly bombing missions for the fledgling Israeli Air Force, who taught Howard Hughes

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19:18

Holmes and the Battle of Britain

Plane Tales ·

2020/09/25

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 Joseph Kennedy, the US Ambassador to Great Britain Adolf Hitler The Me 110 The Supermarine

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19:10

It’s Not What You Say!

Plane Tales ·

2020/09/19

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 you. Images with kind permission of cartoonist Capt John Reed AKA Figment.

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19:56

Little Nellie and Her Friends

Plane Tales ·

2020/09/13

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. The world's first autogyro, Ciervas's C1 A replica of the C6 The Cierva C9 The Pitcairn autogyro

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19:29

RAF Form 414, Volume 7

Plane Tales ·

2020/09/04

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 Phantom Post missile firing treasure Yours truly Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to The Old Pilot, Dale

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20:23

The Band Played On

Plane Tales ·

2020/08/31

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 The Bandsmen lost in the tragic crash Sugarloaf mountain Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to

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19:31

Dr. Christmas and His Bullet

Plane Tales ·

2020/08/23

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 One of Christmas's Patents The Christmas Bullet The Christmas Bullet The Liberty 6

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20:00

The Secret Life of 60528

Plane Tales ·

2020/08/17

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 The C130 airborne The plot of 60528 and the track of the intercepting fighters. A Mig 17 Gun

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19:55

Names To Conjure With

Plane Tales ·

2020/08/07

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 engine The He178 The He280 Gloster E-28 Olive-Ann and TravelAir The Staggerwing Doolittle and the

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19:21

The Son of Enola Tibbets

Plane Tales ·

2020/08/01

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 prior to the Trinity Test The Trinity Test fireball Little Boy The mission map Detonation Hiroshima just

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18:57

U-134

Plane Tales ·

2020/07/22

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 interesting origin, the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation. This is their intriguing story. The Type VIIc

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18:51

Who Killed Yogi Bear?

Plane Tales ·

2020/07/18

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 Aviation test pilot George Smith. The F100 Vought A-7E-5-CV Corsair II The USS Constellation during

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19:53

The Rare Redhawk

Plane Tales ·

2020/07/12

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 in the Back-yard”, “The Fishbed Flap” “The Redhawk Incident” or more ominously “The Canuck Invasion

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19:15

The Auger Inn and Other Fine Establishments

Plane Tales ·

2020/07/05

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 in convivial company over a drink or two. With that in mind I asked the crew to tell me about one or two

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