Britain's Greatest Pilot - BBC 2 2100 1 June

[Yokel]

The interest in 'Winkle' Brown is justifiably due to his unrivaled experience in deck landings and test flying different types of aircraft. I did feel they could have substantially pruned back the part up to and including his sinking on Audacity.

Disagree. It was flying from Audacity that proved his skill as a fighter pilot and in landing on the carrier, it puts the other things in the context of the wartime Navy, and was the reason he did trials/test flying.

 

[pongo6863]

A DH Hornet was featured taking a header on a deck landing and I understand that when tipping a V1 the wings didn't need to touch, when close enough the airflow over the V1 wing was disrupted causing the flip.

Here's a poem I learnt years ago:
A landing is good, the Air Force will say,
If the pilot gets out and just walks away.
But in the Fleet Air Arm the outlook is grim
If the landing is bad and the pilot can't swim.

Finally, IMO, Eric Brown gives lie to the old adage:
There are old pilots and there are bold pilots but there are no old, bold pilots!

 

[Yokel]

A DH Hornet was featured taking a header on a deck landing and I understand that when tipping a V1 the wings didn't need to touch, when close enough the airflow over the V1 wing was disrupted causing the flip.

Here's a poem I learnt years ago:
A landing is good, the Air Force will say,
If the pilot gets out and just walks away.
But in the Fleet Air Arm the outlook is grim
If the landing is bad and the pilot can't swim.

Finally, IMO, Eric Brown gives lie to the old adage:
There are old pilots and there are bold pilots but there are no old, bold pilots!

Cracking Show, I'm alive
But I still have to render my A25....

 

[pongo6863]

Did you notice the Walrus landing-on? A Walrus FFS!

 

[rampant]

Did you notice the Walrus landing-on? A Walrus FFS!

When you think about it's not that scary, first the Walrus only had a max speed of about 117kn (135mph) an a wingspan of 45' 10", which is less than say a Skua at 46' 2", less than a Barracuda at 49' 2" (also in length by 2') and only 4" more than a Swordfish 45' 6" (121kn 139mph).

So if you could land a Skua, Swordfish, or Barracuda the Walrus would be as easy, dunno what the stalling speed was but all things considered it must have bugger all. Though having the power to escape having screwed then landing would have been a bit worrying - but hey it's designed to float.

 

[pongo6863]

When you think about it's not that scary, first the Walrus only had a max speed of about 117kn (135mph) an a wingspan of 45' 10", which is less than say a Skua at 46' 2", less than a Barracuda at 49' 2" (also in length by 2') and only 4" more than a Swordfish 45' 6" (121kn 139mph).

So if you could land a Skua, Swordfish, or Barracuda the Walrus would be as easy, dunno what the stalling speed was but all things considered it must have bugger all. Though having the power to escape having screwed the landing would have been a bit worrying - but hey it's designed to float.

That's one thing, the other is the visibility from the cockpit - or rather the lack of visibility from the cockpit.

 

[rampant]

That's one thing, the other is the visibility from the cockpit - or rather the lack of visibility from the cockpit.

S'good point, approaching a pitching deck at walking speed half blinded.

 

[pongo6863]

S'good point, approaching a pitching deck at walking speed half blinded.

In something made of tissue paper and balsa wood and full of high-octane petrol!

 

[stapd]

I went to a lecture he gave. He actually flew the Me 163 a frightening aircraft. We were told we could ask questions, I asked "how many times did you fly the 163?

His answer in a strong Scottish accent, "Once was enough laddie!"

The lecture wasn't the recent one he did in Cambridge was it? Cracking speaker up there with anyone I've heard, but to be still at it at his age is forking impressive.

ped

 

[rampant]

In something made of tissue paper and balsa wood and full of high-octane petrol!

Weren't the originals (Seagull V and Walrus I) Aluminium, the Walrus II was wooden though, all built by Saunders-Roe, 191 out of a total of 740 Walruses.

 

[pongo6863]

Weren't the originals (Seagull V and Walrus I) Aluminium, the Walrus II was wooden though, all built by Saunders-Roe, 191 out of a total of 740 Walruses.

I didn't know that I thought all Walrii were wooden...

 

[Magic_Mushroom]

The one I'd not seen before was footage of a P-39 Airacobra deck landing (which immediately followed the Walrus footage).

Regards,
MM


Posted from the ARRSE Mobile app (iOS or Android)

 

[Goatman]

Cracking programme - I had not appreciated that the first jet aircraft deck landing took place in December 1945. A De Havilland Vampire onboard HMS Ocean.

Good to see the Buccaneer getting a mention. They were notorious with US counterparts for their low-flying ability .

There used to be a photograph doing the rounds when these flew the Red Flag/Maple Flag exercises of a Buccaneer passing underneath a pylon line - so what you might say?

Well, when you look closely the pilot has a sandwich in one hand and the other on the yoke...
[if you have a copy of this picture, please post!]

The most umglaublich deck landing I've seen reference to is this one:


http://www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/c130_forrestal.asp

 

[pongo6863]

Cracking programme - I had not appreciated that the first jet aircraft deck landing took place in December 1945. A De Havilland Vampire onboard HMS Ocean.

Good to see the Buccaneer getting a mention. They were notorious with US counterparts for their low-flying ability .

There used to be a photograph doing the rounds when these flew the Red Flag/Maple Flag exercises of a Buccaneer passing underneath a pylon line - so what you might say?

Well, when you look closely the pilot has a sandwich in one hand and the other on the yoke...
[if you have a copy of this picture, please post!]

The most umglaublich deck landing I've seen reference to is this one:


http://www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/c130_forrestal.asp

One of those clips was featured in a 'Jag' episode a few years ago.

 

[rampant]

I didn't know that I thought all Walrii were wooden...

TBF, I don't know whether or not the wooden ones were flown from Carriers or not, though one would think that the Ali-Hull Walruses would have been chosen for catapult and Carrier launch rather than the wooden ones, which may have been preferred for "land based" SAR. You would have to check the records to confirm that though.

 

[Gravelbelly]

The most umglaublich deck landing I've seen reference to is this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Forrestal_%28CV-59%29#1963.E2.80.931967

Given that (according to Wikipedia, so hardly authoritative) the KC-130F managed to land and stop in 81m, and take off in 227m; no JATO, catapult, or arrester was involved; and the Queen Elizabeth class is 280m long (only 20m shorter than Forrestal, and 2m narrower) want to bet that some nutter has worked out whether the RAF could land a Herc on the new floating airbases?

I suppose the big hint would be someone asking Lockheed what the story is regarding C-130J and a ski jump

 

[ZappBrannigan]

Went and did a Youtube search on Eric "Winkle" Brown,several excellent interviews with him even one where he recalls meeting Yuri Gagarin.The BBC program could have added so much more and been at least another hour long,very good program though.

 

[jimmys_best_mate]

Though having the power to escape having screwed then landing would have been a bit worrying - but hey it's designed to float.

Not with 35,000 ton of aircraft carrier that you've just dropped off the front of riding over you at 30 knots...

 

[Cold_Collation]

The one I'd not seen before was footage of a P-39 Airacobra deck landing (which immediately followed the Walrus footage).

Regards,
MM


Posted from the ARRSE Mobile app (iOS or Android)

Caught that, too. Sets you thinking just what wasn't trialled.

 

[rampant]

Not with 35,000 ton of aircraft carrier that you've just dropped off the front of riding over you at 30 knots...

The only carriers we had capable of those speeds were, the Illustrious, Implacable and Courageous and the heaviest of those topped out at 32,630 tons