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Air Mobility - 1960's style


Wez

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Chanced across this video, lots of Transport Command stuff strutting its funky stuff - Beverley's, Comets, Britannias, Pioneers (Single and Twin - oh yeah), Argosy and SH showing how its done with Whirlwinds

 

 

Edited by Wez
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3 hours ago, 72modeler said:

I was disappointed that there was only a brief appearance by the dreaded' Whistling Tit' at the end!

I have fond memories of the Argosy, it was one of the types I worked on in trade training during the final airfields phase.  This was the phase where we learnt how to do fault find on aircraft.

 

We worked faults on Canberras, Shackletons, Gnat, Hunter and the dear old Argosy amongst other contemporary types.  The bigger aircraft all had a smell I only associate with British aircraft of that vintage, a combination of the paint, oils and other products used in their manufacture and equipment I guess.

 

Climbing up the ladder from the freight compartment into the cockpit in the Argosy seemed a bit surreal to this then neophyte technician.

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Excellent film with some very good shots of the Pioneers taking off and a Bedford QL lorry, which I did not think would still be in service then, but according to friend who was serving then. EL Adem was one of 'a**e end of the world' stations. At the end of the film, when YouTube helpfully suggest other films the first one is called 'Routine Adventure' which was filmed in Aden in 1965. It has Twin Pins, Whirlwinds, Belvedere, Hunter FGA9s and a 37 Sqn Shackleton MR2, complete with 20mm nose cannon. There is also good footage of 105mm pack howitzers (I think that's what they are, Britain's did a  diecast of one I think) and RAF Regiment chaps firing SLRs at the desert with local troops equipped with Lee Enfields and a Vickers machine gun. The best thing is that it is in glorious sixties colour! 

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44 minutes ago, Mr T said:

Excellent film with some very good shots of the Pioneers taking off and a Bedford QL lorry, which I did not think would still be in service then, but according to friend who was serving then. EL Adem was one of 'a**e end of the world' stations. At the end of the film, when YouTube helpfully suggest other films the first one is called 'Routine Adventure' which was filmed in Aden in 1965. It has Twin Pins, Whirlwinds, Belvedere, Hunter FGA9s and a 37 Sqn Shackleton MR2, complete with 20mm nose cannon. There is also good footage of 105mm pack howitzers (I think that's what they are, Britain's did a  diecast of one I think) and RAF Regiment chaps firing SLRs at the desert with local troops equipped with Lee Enfields and a Vickers machine gun. The best thing is that it is in glorious sixties colour! 

Yes, that is an excellent film. I love them both. What great machines we once had :)

 

Martin

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4 minutes ago, Truro Model Builder said:

Real aeroplanes. None of your high bypass turbofan and curvy propeller claptrap.

But also aeroplanes with a very high ratio of maintenance to flying hour too.

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Thanks for sharing Wez. Superb film with lots of Beverley content. I've wanted a Beverley in 1/72 for a while. Seeing this, along with a youth often spent clambering around inside the Southend airframe, has just put the Bev to the top of the list. 

 

Struck me just how Storch like the Pioneer is watching the film.

 

Steve

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1 hour ago, fightersweep said:

Struck me just how Storch like the Pioneer is watching the film.

There's only so many ways aerodynamically you can skin that particular cat, big flaps, slats, high lift wing, pretty much every STOL aircraft has those features.

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Lovely bit of film, thanks for posting. Lots of stuff to see.

Old trucks, a retro Mini Moke (cut down something or other, yet it had RAF number plates) and chaps marshalling still wearing hats!

Not a pair of ear defenders in sight either.

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4 hours ago, Wez said:

There's only so many ways aerodynamically you can skin that particular cat, big flaps, slats, high lift wing, pretty much every STOL aircraft has those features.

That is very true. I must pay more attention at the back! 🤣

 

3 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Not a pair of ear defenders in sight either.

...Or any high vis jackets! Nice to see all the vehicles as well, and especially nice to see the QL soldering on. I liked driving the QL. Found the cab a little cramped though. Always fancied trying out the RL.

 

Steve

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The oldest truck I ever drove was a 1945 Austin. We had a 1944 David Brown tow tractor at Odiham when I got there in '76.

Nowadays it's very easy to forget how crude they were back then. No syncro, heating etc. Starting handles and all that. 

Winter was a driving misery  when I was younger, I think it was around the 70's when things started to get better.

Though I remember having to spray ethanol down intakes to start RAF Escort estates etc. How many of todays drivers have used a choke?

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Gosh! Can't remember the last time I used a choke. What was the Austin you drove? I used to own a 1945 Austin K4. That was a nice truck. All basic stuff though and the lack of syncro took a little getting used to and the heating all supplied by the warmth of the engine...not that it helped much. If the GMC 6x6 was anything to go by, the Americans had it far easier!

 

Steve

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On 11/23/2019 at 7:47 PM, fightersweep said:

I used to own a 1945 Austin K4.

That sounds about right. It was a long time ago and I only went around the block. Rounded bonnet/wings? I think there was a Dinky model.

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On 23/11/2019 at 19:17, Pete in Lincs said:

We had a 1944 David Brown tow tractor at Odiham when I got there in '76.

Things hadn't moved on that much when I arrived there in '85, the tractor was newer (1970's vintage), but it was still an open top affair with linies clinging on for dear life when the towing team went out on the line to bring a cab in.  Misery in the rain, utter misery in winter.

 

I remember when we got a closed cab tractor, youngsters like me used to get hoiked out of the cab because I hadn't done enough wet towing teams so I hadn't earned my chops!  Strange to see two grown men tustling over who was going to drive the tractor when it was lashing down with rain (rank didn't even come into it)

On 23/11/2019 at 19:17, Pete in Lincs said:

How many of todays drivers have used a choke?

My first car, an Escort 1.3L Estate, it had an automatic choke but it never worked so I replaced it with a manual one - much better!

 

My wife's first three cars had manual chokes too, they really weren't better days even if wearing rose tinted specs.

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On 11/23/2019 at 3:44 PM, Pete in Lincs said:

Lovely bit of film, thanks for posting. Lots of stuff to see.

Old trucks, a retro Mini Moke (cut down something or other, yet it had RAF number plates) and chaps marshalling still wearing hats!

Not a pair of ear defenders in sight either.

Yes , ear defenders a must when fire watching a Belfast engine run for an hour! How do I know? That was still whistling in my head twenty four hours later, but I never forgot them again. My dad put his hearing loss down to Vampires and Meteors in the early fifties and I don't doubt it 

 

Keith

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