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Plane Tales

Capt Nick

The View from Our Side of the Cockpit Door

leisure aviation

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18:05

The Airman’s Cross

Plane Tales ·

2020/02/06

Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stonehenge and you will pass another stone monument. It's the Airman's Cross, placed by his comrades to commemorate the death of an early airman, Captain Eustace Broke Loraine and his Sergeant, who died when he crashed his Nieuport Monoplane near Stonehenge. This pioneer aviator deserves to be recognised not just because of his own place in history but for his friendship with a very special officer who he encouraged to take up flying. The Nieuport

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19:39

RAF Form 414 Vol. 6

Plane Tales ·

2020/02/02

Fun in the Sun continues with part 2 of my first Air to Air Gunnery camp in Cyprus. The work has started and now it's time to become ACE (Allied Command Europe) qualified with the mighty M61 Vulcan cannon. Before long, though it's time to return to reality and, as my first year on the squadron comes to a close, time for my first annual assessment. An unmounted M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon. The shells that the Vulcan cannon fires. As pleased as Punch! Images under Creative Commons licence

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19:30

RAF Form 414 Vol. 5

Plane Tales ·

2020/01/26

Delving back into my RAF Pilot's Logbook, Form 414, it's time for the annual instrument rating and prepare for our first deployment to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Whilst the 'High Ups' sorted everything out for a major detachment, I'm left doing QRA but at last we are heading south for the Mediterranean. My journey, however, is in the opposite of a supersonic fighter jet! The ancient island of Cyprus. Our little corner of the ancient island of Cyprus. A miniature and modern version of the

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20:02

The A300

Plane Tales ·

2020/01/16

This story harks back to the 300th APG show and was rewritten for the Plane Talking UK live show near Heathrow Airport. It is the story of a crippled Airbus A300 that barely survives a missile attack and the excellent work by a phenomenal Flight Deck crew. The DHL A300 that was struck. The landing. The damage done to the A300's left wing. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to dodmedia and Airbus Flight Safety.

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19:15

Sounds Like a Drag!

Plane Tales ·

2020/01/10

The Convair 990 was a financial disaster that cost General Dynamics one of the largest corporate losses in history but thanks to some fascinating aerodynamics it was also the world's fastest subsonic airliner. This is the story of a little known airliner and the transonic design that allowed it to cruise at Mach 0.97! Convair CV 990 displaying anti-shock bodies on the top surface of its wings as it sits on the ramp at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. Listener Ramiro Couto takes a

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21:32

The Life of Dieter Dengler

Plane Tales ·

2020/01/03

Growing up in poverty, life in Germany following WWII was hard, but for one young man, dreams of starting a new life as a pilot in America seemed beyond imagination. However, through strength of character and determination, Dieter Dengler would achieve his goal only to have his short career brought to an abrupt end when he was downed flying a secret mission over Laos at the start of the Vietnam war. The story of his subsequent capture, torture and his ultimate fate is a remarkable

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17:42

Loop de Loop Flip Flop Santa’s Got an Airplane

Plane Tales ·

2019/12/23

From one of the lesser known Bee Gee's records comes a bizarre title for a seasonal song that brings to mind the story of Captain William Wincapaw, a native of Friendship in Maine. In his early days of flying float planes around Rockland Harbour he often used the many lighthouses of New England to help him navigate in poor weather. His fondness for the families who tended these lighthouses and Coast Guard stations, often in the most remote of situations, led him to begin a Christmas tradition that

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18:18

Black Christmas

Plane Tales ·

2019/12/17

After WWII many American pilots were employed by the growing Chinese airline industry flying from poorly equipped airfields in China. The weather was often difficult and the terrain dangerous but on Christmas day 1946, struggling to get back to their base at Lunghwa airfield tragedy would strike... not once but three times. This is the awful story of that night in Shanghai. A CNAC Curtis C46. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to CNAC archives and National

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17:46

RAF Form 414, Vol 4

Plane Tales ·

2019/12/10

The very next installment of my flying logbook stories has me attempting my first arrester wire engagement, paying tribute to the Bell Rock Lighthouse and meeting the USAF's 527th Aggressor Squadron for combat training. Armed Phantoms of No 43 (F) Squadron, RAF Leuchars. Three F-5E Tiger II aircraft from the 527th Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron, RAF Alconbury. Bell Rock lighthouse under construction. Bell rock lighthouse as I remember it! Images under Creative

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20:43

Landshut

Plane Tales ·

2019/12/01

In the 1970's, Germany was in the grip of a terrorist nightmare, led by a far left militant group known as the Red Army Faction or the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Their most audacious act was, with the aid of Palestinian terrorists, to hijack a Lufthansa Boeing 737 named Landshut. For the passengers and crew this was the start of a 5 day nightmare during which they were subjected to awful treatment and murder. This is the story of flight 181. Hanns-Martin Schleyer in captivity following his

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19:24

If It Ain’t Boeing…

Plane Tales ·

2019/11/24

Wilheim Böing, emigrated to the United States in 1866 and, after becoming a wealthy lumber merchant, sent his son William to an elite school in Switzerland and then Yale University. Now named Boeing, William followed his father into the timber business and in his spare time became one of America's first pilots. Soon he was putting his wealth and engineering background to the development of his first aircraft, the Boeing and Westervelt B&W1. This was the start of the enormously successful company

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18:50

The Highest Honour

Plane Tales ·

2019/11/19

Two men who risked everything to save their aircraft and, because of their bravery, were awarded their countries highest honour. These are stories which truly invoke the often misused sobriquet, hero. Jimmy Ward of No 75 (New Zealand) Squadron. The hatch that Jimmy climbed out of and the holes he made to crawl over to the blazing engine. Henry Erwin, recipient of the Medal of Honor. "Red" Erwin in 1995. The B-29 Superfortress. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks

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19:36

Gawd ‘Elp All of Us!

Plane Tales ·

2019/11/09

It was the year 1919 and Billy Hughes, the Prime Minister of Australia, was travelling to attend the Paris Peace Conference. He cabled his Government, “Several Australian aviators are desirous of attempting flight London to Australia they are all first-class men and very keen, your thoughts?” The undertaking was momental since the longest distance ever achieved by an aircraft to that point was only a third of the required 11,000 miles, let alone attempting the journey in less than 30 days!

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20:23

The Mig 007

Plane Tales ·

2019/11/03

The Mig-21, NATO codename Fishbed, was to become the most produced supersonic fighter in aviation history. In the 1950s, its secrets were being tightly safeguarded and Western military forces were very keen to find out more. Here is a spy story, more dramatic and blood thirsty than most fictional ones but one that put the new fighter right into the hands of the Israeli Air Force. Mig 007 in the Hatzerim museum. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Oren Rozen, US Gov DIA,

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18:59

Hirsute Across the Channel

Plane Tales ·

2019/10/27

A narrow body of water separates England from the rest of Europe... between Dover and Calais it's only 21 miles wide. Crossing it has become a bit of a right of passage for many forms of transport and aviators, with or without moustaches, have been no exception. These are the stories of some of those early attempts! Jean-Pierre Blanchard rows across the channel in a balloon! Louis Blériot sporting a fine aviator's moustache! Blériot completes the first crossing of the Channel by a heavier

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20:23

Après Moi le Deluge Part 4

Plane Tales ·

2019/10/19

The Upkeep mine was at last working and 617 Squadron had worked up to a level of skill that was unmatched amongst the Bomber Command units. The waters of the Ruhr dams had reached their peak and the moon was waxing gibbous towards being full. At last, all the preparation and training was going to be put to the test and the Dambusters raid was on! At last... Upkeep had proved itself capable of being successfully dropped. A painting depicting the attack. Air Vice Martial Cochrane, Wing

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20:09

Après Moi le Deluge Part 3

Plane Tales ·

2019/10/14

This is part three of a quadrilogy of stories about the Dambuster's raid on the great dams of the Ruhr valley by No 617 Squadron. Wallis faced an uphill struggle to convince the Air Ministry that his idea of bouncing a huge mine across the surface of the reservoirs, over torpedo nets and right up to the dam walls was feasible. When finally given the go ahead he only had a few months to complete testing and then build a successful weapon. In the meantime, a new Lancaster squadron had to be formed

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19:46

Après Moi le Deluge Part 2

Plane Tales ·

2019/10/07

A man renown for his genius as a designer and inventor, Barnes Wallis turned his mind to helping Britain to win the Second World War by creating weapons that could defeat the industrial might of Germany. From his ten ton bomb Tall Boy to the bouncing bomb Upkeep, his remarkable talent ran from designing Airships to supersonic aircraft. This is his story. Barnes Wallis as a young man in Naval Service. Wallis's geodesic design employed in the Wellington bomber allowed it to survive despite

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19:58

Après Moi le Deluge

Plane Tales ·

2019/09/29

This is the first of the four part story of Operation Chastise, the bombing of the great dams of Germany's Ruhr valley during the Second World War. This Tale examines the life of Wing Commander Guy Gibson, VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar who took on the task of forming the Squadron of Lancasters which would achieve world wide fame following the attack. Gibson was, to some, a flawed character but his leadership, skill and determination to achieve his aim was never in question. Guy Penrose

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19:02

Well Defined

Plane Tales ·

2019/09/22

A break from Tales of death and destruction with a little bit of aviation word play. What was your score?

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