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Post by planeimages on Jan 13, 2009 19:02:33 GMT 12
Alberto Santos-Dumont's 14bis was a collection of Hargrave boxkites. He was the first to attain man-carrying, powered flight in Europe but missed the main bus by just under three years to the Wrights.
However, do not start an argument with a Brazilian about this. They staunchly believe that Santos-Dumont was first to fly.
The book on Santos-Dumont by Peter Wykeham is a fascinating tale of Dumont's adventures with balloons. He use to fly around the streets of Paris visiting his home and other establishments just above street level.
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Post by planeimages on Jan 12, 2009 23:34:53 GMT 12
Dave,
Thank you for your kind thoughts.
Yak2:
Thanks for the compliment.
Martin would have appreciated the cap story. He had a wicked sense of humour. I believe he told me about that incident.
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Post by planeimages on Jan 12, 2009 19:40:52 GMT 12
Martin Robson, 100 miles an hour, never standing still, human dynamo. dear friend. "Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth...." J.G.Magee
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Post by planeimages on Jan 12, 2009 19:23:06 GMT 12
Martin was a very dear friend. He very generously gave me the opportunity to participate in an extensive series of air-to-air sorties out of Tyabb two years ago in his Piper Lance and other machines. Martin and Virma were our gracious hosts at Easter last year and Gaye and I offer our most heartfelt condolences to Virma and Martin's many friends in the Peninsula Aero Club. Martin drove my Formula Fords last year with his friends, Brian Jones and Rob Black. Martin was an most accomplished pilot, experienced in air-to-air photography, aerobatics and parachuting. He will be sorely missed. Peter Finlay planeimages.smugmug.com/gallery/1223126_7gQYs#57384237_mzHVw-A-LB
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Post by planeimages on Dec 12, 2008 21:16:37 GMT 12
Gee, many thanks Shamus and Dave,
Any chance of being able to have a good-sized scan of the b&w pics please to my personal email: peter@finlays.com.au ?
Ulm was given some flying lessons in NZ by the NZPAF in one of the Bristols which were used to transport CKS, et al, around NZ while the Southern Cross was having some repairs.
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Post by planeimages on Dec 8, 2008 14:18:04 GMT 12
Thanks Col or is it Gly?.
Bingo. I spoke with Ross McWilliams today and he has agreed to assist my search for details. Gee, this forum is good. Many thanks to Dave, too.
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Post by planeimages on Dec 6, 2008 21:47:16 GMT 12
Many thanks Dave,
Not a Tasmanian. He married Smithy's niece but I can see where I did not define sufficiently.
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Post by planeimages on Dec 6, 2008 8:40:16 GMT 12
Does anyone have any information on John Stannage who flew with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and married his niece, Beris?
Dave, ring a bell at all?
I am still looking for information on Tom McWilliams and Harold Litchfield.
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Post by planeimages on Nov 28, 2008 23:08:38 GMT 12
Which exhaust system will you use? Note that over-wing exhausts were fitted to the outer engines for one of the NZ trip.
You could nick the finished model which is on display at Sydney(KS) airport terminal building but it doesn't carry enough fuel to fly to NZ.
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Post by planeimages on Nov 28, 2008 23:03:46 GMT 12
Thanks Ron and Dave. The people at MOTAT have resolved the outstanding queries with copies of relevant publications. McWilliams and the 1000.00 pounds fee.
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Post by planeimages on Nov 25, 2008 0:11:16 GMT 12
The moving radial reminds me of a girl I once knew.
Oh, what a pity about those Omegas.
I believe there is one at Shuttleworth but only in a mock workshop display.
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Post by planeimages on Nov 23, 2008 21:17:53 GMT 12
Beaut shots Gavin.
Peter
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Post by planeimages on Nov 17, 2008 20:24:27 GMT 12
Hi Craig,
Sorry to take so long to reply. Yes, I was chatting with a former RAF Harrier pilot (Henry) who later flew B.747s for Cathay. He now drives in historic motor sport events. You should have said Hi. We did have a lot to say but I hope we weren't too loud. I was with another friend (Ric) who drove me there in the luxury of his Mercedes Benz. I was impressed, I thought Benzes were slugs and had no sporting road-manners to speak of. I stand corrected.
SW was there. I saw him briefly and two other chaps who contribute to Aero. The magazine did not have a display stand.
PF
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Post by planeimages on Nov 17, 2008 19:11:23 GMT 12
Bill Taylor (and John Stannage on one occasion) climbed out of the open spaces behind the windscreen. For them to have climbed out of the cabin windows would have been impossible. One: the sliding plastic windows were far too small to let a man climb through, Two they would have had to climb past the wind-driven generators to reach the cross bar which braced the wing-mounted motors and three, the distance from the window to the strut is over 6 feet. Best of luck.
They had to clamber over the elevator control wires which ran right past the cockpit.
Smithy and his co-pilots normally exited the Southern Cross via the horizontal strut and landing gear, using the engine as a hand hold on the way.
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Post by planeimages on Nov 17, 2008 18:46:15 GMT 12
Ah so, now we know what you look like Dave.
I had a similar experience in 1998. Gaye and I went for the flight out of Lake Tekapo in a C.206.
Gaye sat in front, as she doesn't handle light aircraft too well. I should have known better, streaming mare's tails off Mt.Cook suggested strong westerly winds.
A Japanese couple, Mr.Fujii and his wife, boarded with us and a young local lass sat in the back with Mama San. It's a long way back in a 206.
Mt.Fujii spoke English well and we swapped business cards. I jokingly asked him if he owned that mountain in Japan and he thought it was very funny.
Airborne over the green lakes Mr.Fuji ran out of film for his camera, it was beginning to get bumpy and I thought "This will be good all the way up to 10,000 +".
I offered him a roll of Fuji Pro 400 but he declined. I said I would take the shots and send him some prints. I clicked away and then a big bump hit us and we dropped very suddenly. Even I, reasonably used to jigging around, felt slightly uneasy.
Mr. Fujii leaned across conspiratorially and asked "Is this safe." I nearly said to him "If that strut out there holds we'll be OK" but I couldn't be so unkind.
We survived to the summit of Mt.Cook and the rewards were worth it.
I sent Mr.Fujii copies of the images and a little later he thanked us by posting back two beautiful framed watercolor paintings he had done using my photos as reference. Lovely.
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Post by planeimages on Nov 14, 2008 8:15:58 GMT 12
Any idea who flew the other Bristols around the country with Smith and Ulm in 1928? Would Smithy and Ulm flown in one machine while RNZAF staff and perhaps a mechanic have been in the others?
Not to forget Tom McWilliams and Hal Litchfield.
Thanks
Peter
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Post by planeimages on Nov 13, 2008 20:59:25 GMT 12
Any idea who flew the other Bristols around the country with Smith and Ulm in 1928? Would Smithy and Ulm flown in one machine while RNZAF staff and perhaps a mechanic have been in the others?
Thanks
Peter
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Post by planeimages on Nov 12, 2008 19:50:42 GMT 12
Many thanks
Peter
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Post by planeimages on Nov 11, 2008 18:18:13 GMT 12
Many thanks Dave,
As I said, from what I have read here it was promoted that they were going to fly to Wellington initially. That could easily have been someone getting the story wrong in the office or in a newspaper.
Ulm's log is very illuminating and we have used that in the story. It is evident from that they intended landing at Wigram and just paid their respects to Wellington after honoring Moncreiff and Hood on the way.
It would seem that Tom McWilliams' name was spelled with the "s" if the probate record is that of him (TH) and their spelling is correct.
Do you have copies of the newspapers or have you looked them up in a public resource facility?
Anything you can send me in hard copy or email would be very much appreciated.
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Post by planeimages on Nov 11, 2008 18:07:08 GMT 12
Many thanks Dave .TH sounds like him and the date would be in the ballpark.
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