Phil Perry

Interesting history you have Charlie. . . I spoke to a friend at the local airfield today (<othertonairfield.co.uk> ) who had just returned from a 2 week vacation in the States. . .He traded in his 25Khz Icom hand held Radio for a ride in a Stearman,. . .valued there at 170 Bux,. . . he'd have got Fifty Quid here, but ONLY if he bought a brand new Icom rig in the trade in deal. . .He wanted a Yaesu, Japanese jobbie, so he took the Stearman deal instead ! ( He was one of my proteges, ie, I introduced him to flying over a period of around 2 years, ooh,. . back around 1994/6, but didn't 'Teach' him as I didn't have an instructor ticket in the UK ! ). he then paid more dollarz for a ride in a floatplane. . . . Not much use for a floatplane rating around these parts,. .. NO water. . . the canal barge people would get a little upset if we started landing on Canals. . . I gave up riding some years back, after being unseated by ANOTHER tin box pilot who wasn't paying attention. . .that's a score of around nine slides along the unforgiving tarmac on my a$$ since I started riding motorized bikes in 1967. . . Takes too long for the wounds to heal at 68 Yrs old mate. . . .

I'll ask him about it when I get the chance,. . .he wasn't monitoring Hubnetwork.UK this morning,. . .( Must have a life. . .LLOLZ )

Oh I dunno Birdy,. . . I thought that this was the height of 'Chic' fashion in them thar days. . . There's a local motorcycle |Club around here, I see them out and about on Sundays usually. They are all 'Greying Eagles', ie, 'Older Blokes' ! A couple of them had leather jackets with 'Hell's Geriatrics' emblazoned on the back . . . I asked them one morning whilst having my constitutional across Cannock Chase, . . why there were only TWO Harleys in a bunch of twenty or so machines,. .the rest were Chinese / Korean 'Knock Off' Lookalikes. . . . The answer was invariably along the lines of : "State Pension don't go far mate"

I like the oldi Pics very much Charlie. A couple of friends occasionally mail me stuff from 'The History lovers Club' on Twitter. I have not got an account, so this is handy. . . Here's an update and correction ot one I posted on the 'Old Motorbikes' thread on WUA. I said, ( incorrectly that the men pictured were Mr Harley, and Mr. Davidson, . .when in fct there were FOUR of them, 1 x Harley and 3 x Davidsons ! The founders of Harley-Davidson, left to right: Arthur Davidson, Walter Davidson, William Harley, and William Davidson. Photo courtesy of the HD Archives.

One of my Ham Radio friends recorded this, following a group discussion about water landings. . . He lives in Wales, but never said what the location was. . . https://1drv.ms/v/s!Ai18_-ZaSHPeolZOGyQyY_pUFEUL

Has anyone noticed that our Airline Pilot friend ( with the big Pitts Radial ) has been missing for a while ?. . .reason I ask is that I copied one of his posts yonks ago and forgot about it,. . entitled something like, 'Why I don't wanna be a Pilot'. . it was enlightening and funny. I am ashamed that I can't remember his 'Handle' Only , I'd like to republish it on a UK Blog, but I can't do that without his permission. . . . EDIT ** AHHHH. .. I jUst remembered. . DUTCHROLL. I sincerely hope that he is well and still around . . .

Feller I met a couple of times some years ago; had a fatal accident in a Mooney,. . . He was flying back from White Waltham, which is underneath the Heathrow zone, in the London area, it was bright sunshine and CAVOK there, but halfway back, he flew into a front and went IMC. He had an I/R once upon a time, but many years before. . . he was headed for a little WW2 airfield called Sleap, in Shropshire, . . .but between It and Him was an extinct volcano now known as The Wrekin, which topped out at 1,320 feet elevation. He fell into the 'rapidly lowering pressure trap' and failed to compensate for the altimetric difference. Passed over Halfpenny Green ( NOW Wolverhampton Airport ) reporting 1,500 feet. . .and his aircraft struck the 'Eagles Eye' a rock face at the top of the Wrekin, less than thirty feet from the summit. . . The AAIB estimated the impact at circa 150 Kt. . . very little left of it. . . Both he, and his impromtu passenger,. .the airfield handyman, never knew what hit them. . .At least it would have been quick. Two dead. . . .Very sad that. But eminently avoidable with proper planning. I had flown this Mooney once myself,. . . and it was a lovely sports car ride. . . albeit a bit thirsty on the avgas and of course, dangly dunlops to remember. . . . ( Plebs like me are always concerned with the price of fuel. . .) He had owned a small chain of Butcher shops. . . must be money in meat,. . .My mate Merv, in Cannock is a butcher too,. . .he owns a 1/3rd share in a Piper Malibu and NO. . . . he won't lend it to me. . .( Swine ) He says,. . . I can have a go when I get my ticket back. . .

Is that English miles per hour, or American ones,. . their SI units seem different to ours ( ! )

Top pic looks like a Medway Raven with that classic fin,. . . Middle one, too small, (15mm square ) my eyes are not much good ! . . bottom one,. . . the wheel spats remind me of something, is it an early Pegasus ?

Also sold in the UK as Eurofox, but some wags are calling them a BREXITFOX !

I recall a flight with my Father, from Beirut to Baghdad in the early 1960s,. . .we were the only 'Whiteish' passengers on the flight, . . .as one would have expected in those days ( forgive me, I was only twelve years of age ) our landing at Baghdad was loudly applauded by most of the passengers,. . I can't honestly remember if any of the numerous Goats bleated at all. . . ( There were several of these on dog leads in the passenger cabin, . . .I DO remember that the Aircraft had four propellers. . .possibly a DC-6, but the writing on the sides of it was all in uninteligable squiggles )

Sorry, I can't access a Brandmeister gateway or digital repeater from my home,. . .but I have instant access to the Analogue system running Hubnet.UK. . .I work into OZ regularly on that system, WA seems to have a lot of guys who call in regularly to Hubnework UK . . . .I have a 2 metre simplex gateway around 3 Km from home. When I can organize things, I will set up a micro node so that I can access the internet with the Digital radio. as using RF on UHF is impossible from my locality, my mate Rob, G0 DUQ has an node, but it's bloody Yaesu Fusion, and my radio won't do that ! ! ! Thanks for any advice mate,. . greatly appreciated. Phil.

Oh don't get me wrong,. . I have FLOWN lots of aircraft which use this engine,. . .but I have not WORKED on the engines. . . .I try to apply logic to situations, and this time it seemed to work.. . .but I still don't know the WHY of it. Had the engine been a Rotax 377, 462, 477, 503, 532, 582. . . etc,. . .I HAVE experience in stripping / maintaining / rebuilding those old 'Deux Temp' 2 bangers, but none at all on the flat Four machines. ( PS, subject alteration mate,. . .is there an AllStar node number that I could use to access your box ? . . .I should've emailed you about that really. . \.I still have not got access to the Brandmeister DMR network with my TYT MD 380. . .working on a DV mini / Mega to sort that out. Nearest repeater on DMR is Birmingham, but that's bloody Phoenix. . .)

I fronted up at the airfield for my slot as voluntary radio operator a little late today, following a punctured tyre on the batmobile. . . and for some reason, the spare was deflated too ( ? ) . . it was OK the last time I checked around 4 months back, but I digress. A couple of lads had flown in for a first visit to our redoubtable site, in an Ikarus C-42, a German design with is very popular here. It was fitted with the Rotax 912s, 100 hp engine. They had arrived at 0800, one hour before we are legally allowed to operate on a Sunday due to local planning restrictions. ( Oops ) At around 11:30 AM, they had tried to depart, but the engine on the hired C-42 refused to start. I admit that I did see them messing around with it, the cowl was off and they were scratching their heads. but the traffic was rather busy, and I couldn't talk to them about it for three hours, when things began to quieten down. Up until then, I was having to maintain pressure on the PTT and use the term 'BreakBreak' at the end of each specific response call, to differentiate the responses to various aircraft callsigns, whose calls were coming in at a rapid rate. Finally, the Airfield manager gave me a fag / coffee break, after warning me that some idiot had mixed the coffee in the canteen jar with 50/50 normal and DECAF coffee. . . .I said . . Oh crap,. . .that means I'll only stay awake for half the time. . . I asked the lads from Manchester what the problem seemed to be and they had no idea at all. I had to wonder why they had borrowed some tools and removed the engine cowlings, as they said that neither of them had ANY mechanical / technical knowledge of aircraft, engines. . . .? well,. . .why bother taking off the . . . . .oh, never mind . . I suggested that they turned off the main fuel TAP, ( mod censored for using the correct term. . . .) left the fuel booster pump off, and turned it over a few times,. . .it started, and ran until what bit of fuel there was in the line was exhausted. Following this, with the <mod censored> back on, and the fuel pump activated, it started immediately and ran seemingly OK. . . .I had heard of this problem previously on other Rotax 912 powered types, but I admit, I know very litle about the Rotax 912 engine, never having owned one. I wonder if the Brains Trust on RF can give me an inkling with regard to what was causing this problem ? ? the local temperature was HOT ( 25 Deg C ! ! ! ) the crew said that they hired this aircraft on a weekly basis over the last 12 months, and that they had never encountered this problem in the past. Do any of you tecchies have an idea of the cause ? . . .I'd like to know so that I can sound knowledgeable the next time. . . :-)

Dave :,. . .Yes you will, they changed over on May1st. You'll also need about £160.00 for the landing fee, plus around £50.00 for the Ground Handling agent. ALL PLUS 20% VAT . . . Spacey: If you have any probs with transportation to Otherton International in July, give me a call and I'll see what I can do. . .it's only 22 NM from EGBB to Otherton International, . . .Trains to Penkridge ( STAFFORD LINE ) from New Street Stn Brum. . .Arfield only 1.5 NM from Rail Station. Some trains don't stop at Penkridge though, but if you ask nicely, the driver MIGHT slow down a bit on the bend so that you can jump off. . . We have an Evektor Eurostar Fly -In July 20 - 21 - 22, if the weather is reasonable, that will be a big one.

A small snippet of Wartime History. . . Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Aaron VC, DFM (5 March 1922 – 13 August 1943), No. 218 "Gold Coast" Squadron, Royal Air Force. Aaron was 21 years old, flying Stirling serial number EF452 on his 20th sortie. Nearing the target, his bomber was struck by machine gun fire. The bomber's Canadian navigator, Cornelius A. Brennan, was killed and other members of the crew were wounded. The official citation for his VC reads: Air Ministry, 5th November, 1943. The King has been graciously pleased to confer the Victoria Cross on the undermentioned airman in recognition of most conspicuous bravery: 458181 Acting Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Aaron, D.F.M., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 218 Squadron (deceased). On the night of 12th August 1943, Flight Sergeant Aaron was captain and pilot of a Stirling aircraft detailed to attack Turin. When approaching to attack, the bomber received devastating bursts of fire from an enemy fighter. Three engines were hit, the windscreen shattered, the front and rear turrets put out of action and the elevator control damaged, causing the aircraft to become unstable and difficult to control. The navigator was killed and other members of the crew were wounded. A bullet struck Flight Sergeant Aaron in the face, breaking his jaw and tearing away part of his face. He was also wounded in the lung and his right arm was rendered useless. As he fell forward over the control column, the aircraft dived several thousand feet. Control was regained by the flight engineer at 3,000 feet. Unable to speak, Flight Sergeant Aaron urged the bomb aimer by signs to take over the controls. Course was then set southwards in an endeavour to fly the crippled bomber, with one engine out of action, to Sicily or North Africa. Flight Sergeant Aaron was assisted to the rear of the aircraft and treated with morphia. After resting for some time he rallied and, mindful of his responsibility as captain of aircraft, insisted on returning to the pilot's cockpit, where he was lifted into his seat and had his feet placed on the rudder bar. Twice he made determined attempts to take control and hold the aircraft to its course but his weakness was evident and with difficulty he was persuaded to desist. Though in great pain and suffering from exhaustion, he continued to help by writing directions with his left hand. Five hours after leaving the target the petrol began to run low, but soon afterwards the flare path at Bone airfield was sighted. Flight Sergeant Aaron summoned his failing strength to direct the bomb aimer in the hazardous task of landing the damaged aircraft in the darkness with undercarriage retracted. Four attempts were made under his direction; at the fifth Flight Sergeant Aaron was so near to collapsing that he had to be restrained by the crew and the landing was completed by the bomb aimer. Nine hours after landing, Flight Sergeant Aaron died from exhaustion. Had he been content, when grievously wounded, to lie still and conserve his failing strength, he would probably have recovered, but he saw it as his duty to exert himself to the utmost, if necessary with his last breath, to ensure that his aircraft and crew did not fall into enemy hands. In appalling conditions he showed the greatest qualities of courage, determination and leadership and, though wounded and dying, he set an example of devotion to duty which has seldom been equalled and never surpassed. Short Stirling code XT-M of No. 1657 HCU RAF 2 Short Stirling code 7T-P of No. 196 Squadron RAF Transport Command Short Stirling Mk I of No. 7 Squadron RAF N3643 MG-G 1941 Short Stirling RAF heavy bomber of the Second World War. Total production : 2371. bomber, raf, uk.

The Law is a strange animal. Well, let me expand upon that slightly,. . .The INTERPRETATION of LAWS and statutory sentencing upon conviction,. .. , can be amazingly unpredictable to say the least.. I regaled this site a few years back with Story about how I stopped one late evening at a shop in Handsworth ( Birmingham suburb ) to get a drink and a sarnie, and found a 9mm handgun in the gutter. . . .I took it to a police station in the morning, ( the local one had shut for the night ) and the Cops didn't want it (?) I told them that I was fine with that, I'd dump it down at the local tip. They decided to keep it. ( I was the holder of a UK Firearms certificate at the time, . . but that dd not give me the right to hang on to it, as it was unregistered. The most amazing thing was that they never took my details ? ? ? This was in the 80's though. . .not much gun crime about then. . . Fast forward to an incident from two years ago, where a bloke was attacked in a different area of Birmingham by several men but fought them off due to military training. He removed a pistol from one of the assailants and attempted to hand weapon in to the police. He was arrested for carrying an illegal loaded weapon ( you couldn't make this stuff up ! ) and it was only the commonsense of the Magistrate, some weeks later, who discharged him, and thanked him for his diligence. Strange thing, this Law stuff. . ..During the court case, the police said that, "Well your Worship,.his fingerprints were all over it. . . " LESSON HERE. . .If you find a hand weapon in the street,. . .1) Walk away . .2) Use your pocket ballpoint pen and pick it up by sliding the pen into the barrel aperture. ( NO, it Won't go off if you do that ) If you have to handle it, ( larger weapon) wrap it in a kleenex ( other brands will do. . .). Don't feck around with it, or you might kill yourself as it might NOT be a replica. Then at the first opportunity, Hand it in but phone the Cops and tell them you're coming and why, AND phone your lawyer first !

That's what you get from listening to media reports which state that :'Early indications are that there are no survivors' . . . Thanks G. I sit corrected. ( to tired to stand,. . been a long day ) In Mitigation, I was on a 2 week holiday touring Ireland in August 85, ( Middle two weeks of the month so did not follow the report updates after hearing about it on the radio. . . . Not many Irish pubs had TV then ! ! ! )

Another loss of control incident was the Japan Airlines 747. The rear pressure bulkhead failed due to fatigue cracks and the resulting blow-out cut all the control circuits to the tail of the aircraft. That one ended tragically with the loss of the aircraft and all on board. Very sad.

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More research into A. G. Buckham finds this. . .

It can be annoying ! . . That particular Evektor Eurostar is getting on a bit now, a few more hours and it will be a knacker's yard job ! The poor things take a heck of a beating when used for nothing but training don't they, especially ab initio circuits and 'BUMPS'. !. . The wings have been off that one a few times, changing faulty wing root castings due to a Mandatory Mod, and other reasons, so the Pitot tube could have been accidentally bruised earlier. That PVC tubing Does degrade with age of course.

I'm inclined to agree with Mr Jaba & Gravity here fil. . . not worth going DEEP into it unless you REALLY need to know, for a MET exam for instance. . .although I would change your term 'Space' for 'Volume' as air can be more or less dense within the same cubic metre. . . the Pressure in that same volume would ALSO depend upon whether your little 'Block' of air was at sea level, or up at 10K feet ! Get your head into a good reference guide and look up ISA International Standard Atmosphere. All the numbers are there if you REALLY want to go techy . . . . Phil.

Picture from Marshall Dallas ( CEO of the Edinburgh Conference Centre ) Aerial view of Edinburgh taken in 1920. "In order to get dazzling shots like this, the photographer would hang out of the aircraft with his leg tied to the seat with a rope..." ( I hope that the photographer didn't do that whilst flying solo ! ) * * * * EDIT * * * * Further research on this picture. The photograph was taken by a Capt A.G. Buckham (ex-RNAS). He was one of THE pioneers of aerial photography for non-military purposes, and his amazing pictures often have aircraft in them, like the Camel there.