Bought a Fairchild 24

[Dave Hadfield]

I took mostly video while in the air. It wasn't a great day for lift, but there were thermals that clung to the rock faces. This was interesting because to catch them we had to do lazy eights, stretching out the middle to run along the cliff with our wingtips 100 ft or so away. Good fun. Fortunately for me I rode with the CFI, and he let me sit in front and try my hand. (That yaw-string is backward -- weird until you get used to it.) Here's a shot of Robin's bird from where we were thermaling up.



Then back to land in the middle of the city. The place is called Vitacura, and it's a wonderful hospitable aviation oasis in anotherwise urban environment.



Extensive rehydration and debriefing were obviously required.

[Dave Hadfield]

Then next day across the Very Big Rocks. Flying over the Andes in a twin is interesting. What will you do if an engine craps out, or if you depressurize? Our Airways Engineering people work out Escape Routes for us, with designated turnback points and MEAs.

On the taxi-out I noticed this. Looks like it's still a working airplane. Probably a coastal-patrol aircraft, and for water-landing in the Chilean Archipelago in the South.



So we took off to the south, climbed up to 22,000 ft, then turned left for Buenos Aires. The rocks are not far away.



Here's a caldera and center cone. I'll bet the world went dark when this thing blew its top...



More later -- gotta get out of the house.

Dave

[Dave Hadfield]

Then on the second 48 of the trip went put together a party of 10, chartered a bus to take us to the coast north of Valparaiso, and rented horses. (Nothing to do with airplanes, but it was fun.)



Wonderful setting. We traversed several miles of raw beach, then headed up a small river valley, and emerged into an area of sand dunes. The rancher's kids and friends were with us -- proper little centaurs, these kids.

The dunes were magnificent -- not like the photo. They were huge lawrence-of-arabia dunes, and we galloped up and down them with total freedom.



Robin having fun.

[Dave Hadfield]

Had 2 flights with VWoC last weekend, supporting Nov 11. In both cases I was on the wing of the Spitfire, John A in the lead.

Day 1 was clear and calm, quite beautiful. One of our stalwart volunteers, Jay Hunt, was in the back seat as a reward flight.

Quite cool weather -- not like the airshow season at all. I had the canopy nearly closed.




Pierre Laprand photos

Then, into the air, form up, and stay on the Spitfire's wing, while theoretically we fly over various Legions and such (I don't know -- all I saw was Supermarine).




Jay Hunt photos

On the Sunday, Day 2, the weather was crappy and John had his work cut out keeping us on track, away from clouds, and missing the towers. He found some clear sky, but all our targets in the city were under a 400 ft overcast, so we aborted.

Here's the break into the circuit. Terry Cooper, another volunteer, was in the back seat, and took this photo. (It's great being able to take up the guys who come out and give tours endlessly and dependably.)



Nice end to the season!

Dave

[Dave Hadfield]

Hah! Just as I finished the last posting Michel Cote sent me a link with many images of the Nov 11 launchings at Gatineau. Nice shots.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1078279520 ... atineauQc#



Dave

[The Inspector]

Then on the second 48 of the trip went put together a party of 10, chartered a bus to take us to the coast north of Valparaiso, and rented horses. (Nothing to do with airplanes, but it was fun.)



Wonderful setting. We traversed several miles of raw beach, then headed up a small river valley, and emerged into an area of sand dunes. The rancher's kids and friends were with us -- proper little centaurs, these kids.

The dunes were magnificent -- not like the photo. They were huge lawrence-of-arabia dunes, and we galloped up and down them with total freedom.



Robin having fun.

Don't know who it's original operator was unless it's an ex FEDEX, but that 727-200 on the ramp has had either the FEDEX engine mod or the VALSAN mod replacing #1 & #3 with -217's and making #2 sort of an extra hydraulic pump mounting point. The big motor mod turned a prosaic -200 into a sky clawing rocketship when empty, we did a lot of them @ BADWRENCH including the first one on N 217FE the last 727 built.

[Dave Hadfield]

This WIX forum can be great. It was a wonderful surprise to have a personal message today, and read that Jim (Myles) had noticed a photo of EKC on ePay, and bought it.



How cool is that! Looks like a photo from her working days in the late 40s, early 50s, when she still had the HF radio and the original "bandit" paintjob.

Now if we only knew where and when...

Thanks, Jim!

Dave

[Dave Hadfield]

I just found out that Jay posted part of our flight on youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q32dfigYV3k

Lots of formation Spitfire footage, although most of it is route-spacing. I didn't realize it would be recorded so well! I have GOT to get a nFlightcam for next year...

The long approach and final is non-standard for a fighter. I was following a Cessna.

Dave

[Pogo]

Very cool! The producers of that motion picture have excellent taste in music!

[Dave Hadfield]

Man I've been busy. Went to Kazahkstan to watch my brother launch in a Soyuz. Which is a superb rocket, launched by people who are utterly expert at what they do. No fuss, no muss. Here they are moving the rocket out to the pad. It was -41C!!! And they moved it from the hangar to the pad, and vertical, in 2 hours. This photo is off the net. Our own proper camera failed in the intense cold, and my backup cellphone photos are fuzzy. I'm one of the people in the crod to the left, standing about 15 ft from the tracks.



Here it is going up. I heard a little engine fire up. It sounded like a Honda generator -- and might well have been one! Then you could hear the whine of a hydraulic pump, and the rocket started pivoting. The arrangement on the railcar is a simple scissors-jack mechanism. Up she goes. Takes only a few minutes.



Then they have this totally simple and cool mechanism for holding the rocket in place -- there are 4 vertical arms that are counterballanced. They splay wide as the rocket arrives. But as the rocket is lowered into their bottom catchments, they pivot. And then the upper part of the arm then rests against -- and grabs -- the body of the rocket. Wonderfully simple! And when it launches, as the weight comes off the lower part of the arms, the counterweights pivot the upper arms out of the way. They can launch in 40 kt winds!

[Pogo]

Don't stop now, it's fascinating stuff!!

[AvroAvian]

Then they have this totally simple and cool mechanism for holding the rocket in place -- there are 4 vertical arms that are counterballanced. They splay wide as the rocket arrives. But as the rocket is lowered into their bottom catchments, they pivot. And then the upper part of the arm then rests against -- and grabs -- the body of the rocket. Wonderfully simple! And when it launches, as the weight comes off the lower part of the arms, the counterweights pivot the upper arms out of the way. They can launch in 40 kt winds!

I've always wondered how that worked. Thanks Dave!

[The Inspector]

In other words, the Russians wanted and got the most foolproof, reliable setup they could get by NOT needing 472 overlapping, over populated layers of mid level clowns like NASA has who are all trying to outdo each other in designing the worlds most complex and muliti part over budget paper clips- 'This works, yes?' DA! it works great and is so simple 'good job.'

[DH82EH]

My favourite example of this is the NASA space pen. No doubt millions were spent to develop a pen that works in zero gravity. The Russians brought a pencil!
Sounds like an awesome adventure Dave. Thanks for the photos. Have you heard from your brother?

Andy Scott

[Kyleb]

In other words, the Russians wanted and got the most foolproof, reliable setup they could get by NOT needing 472 overlapping, over populated layers of mid level clowns like NASA has who are all trying to outdo each other in designing the worlds most complex and muliti part over budget paper clips- 'This works, yes?' DA! it works great and is so simple 'good job.'

You're right. The FUSSR is an excellent example of a well managed bureaucracy.