Plane / Planes / Aircraft / Aeroplane / Airplane appreciation

https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/blog/the-sunderland-unwrapped2/

Good museum of flight. Don't know what improvements the RAF100 improvements will brinv.

As in these ones? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felixstowe_F.2

I know a bit, but probably not a huge amount more than you'll be able to pick spending an hour or two trawling Wikipedia. OTOH I know a chap who will probably be able to point me at the really specialist stuff. What was it you were looking for; operational histories and the like?

Just a general understanding of what Felixstowe did and therefore what my great grandfather may have done.

Also makes me want a flying boat even more than I did before!

Always thought Saunders Roe were interesting...

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^ I've got some nice pics somewhere of that moored up on the Thames for the Festival of Britain; it is of course also interesting as being one of the few types to use the Metrovick F.2, the first UK axial jet engine, as a powerplant. /Spod

So AIUI up until the end of the First World War Felixstowe was both an experimental station specialising in flying boat R&D and an operational station that operated seaplanes for anti-submarine duties over the Channel and the North Sea. The experimental station designed a series of Flying Boats that were built under contract by aircraft manufacturers as 'Felixtowe' flying boats. In April 1918, with the formation of the RAF, all Naval air assets were handed over to the new service, and the base became an RAF station. The experimental seaplane work was stopped in 1919, but restarted in 1924 when the RAF's Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment moved to Felixstowe; they stopped doing their own aircraft designs though. Do you know what rank your great-grandfather was?

I think Donald Campbell's Bluebird K9 started off with a Metro-Vickers F2?

Yep; though when I was researching it, nobody seemed to be quite sure where he got it from! I've seen it suggested that it was one of the S.R.A.1 Beryls sold as surplus, but never found any documentation to confirm that.

https://theaviationist.com/2018/08/08/spanish-eurofighter-typhoon-accidentally-fires-live-air-to-air-missile-over-estonia-25-miles-west-of-the-russian-border/

“Air Mechanic”, apparently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBpqvPujZgM

That cat def used up a life there...

Sorry, missed this at the time. 'Air Mechanic' was one of the Royal Naval Air Service enlisted ranks, so that would be the first place to look; if your great-grandfather was transferred to the RAF he'd also have an RAF service record. The National Archives have some decent online guides to tracing family service members - the RNAS one's here: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/royal-naval-air-service-ratings/ - which suggests using the search forms here: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/royal-navy-ratings-service-records-1853-1928/

For any eventual RAF service records, they suggest the best place to look is on Findmypast, which has digitised most of them.

That went were over tit as if the gear was down. Seems an odd choice for landing in a field.

In the interview he specifically states he put the gear back up. Wingtip hit a concrete post that slewed it round but stayed right side up although I agree doesn't seem that way from the footage

It's well worth watchung the full interview were he discusses what he did wrong

104 seconds from first engine issue to touching down in the field. The interview was brilliant.

Follow up to the mustang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtfUoCo1EiU

engine out to crash in 60 seconds

https://youtu.be/cYkL5C-xJ5U

I was sent almost that same video by my sister - her apartment is right by there. Looks bonkers.

Is that actually legal?

Australia.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BKtQJZsT8ws

They don't give a shit

youtube comment:
I’ve met a C-17 pilot and regularly fly in Amberley airspace (with approval always from 452SQN) and I was discussing with him how at 400ft we would always be well below their flight line. He responded with we are certified to fly at 280ft... in the day time, 180ft at night! So I ask why lower at night? His response was you can’t see powerlines during the day but they standout like dogs balls with night vision! Respect! I’ve never seen the RAAF fly that low and close to the buildings before, but I know it’s standard operations for them. Still, be surprised if they are allowed to do it again next year, the smallest inclining of danger and the RAAF won’t want poor public relations.