Bought a Fairchild 24

[Dave Hadfield]

[Thomas_Mac]

Always neat to see the local breakfast spot on my favourite warbird forum Dave, did you ever visit when it was called The Screamin Spitfire? Since it has become Flippin Eggs it is seeing much more fly-in traffic which is awesome. It is pretty quiet otherwise since Sky Harbour refinishing closed.

A few years ago the Huron County Museum scanned a collection of photos taken around Huron County during the BCATP you can see here.

https://digital.huroncounty.ca/collection

[Dave Hadfield]

Tom, I can't remember my first trip to Goderich it was so long ago. But I do remember at about age 5 being scrunched into the baggage compartment of a C-172 (that had 4 adults in it) for a flight from Sarnia to there. And not minding! -- in fact I went to sleep!

I remember Hoppy Hopkinson a bit, and the hangar before the fire, with all the model aircraft, and skinless wings and fuselages hoisted up to the rafters. And I happened to see the Goderich Lancaster fuselage being choppered to Hamilton, from the window of my grandparent's house in Ayr.

But I never made it to the Screamin' Spitfire -- maybe not a great name for a restaurant?

Dave

[airknocker]

Love the song and the video ain't bad...
https://vimeo.com/237832227

[Dave Hadfield]

The song doesn't do it for me -- the singer needs to open his mouth and pronounce the words. I couldn't understand anything he said.

But I enjoyed the video -- I know some of the people featured in it, and have flown many of the airframes. Thanks for the Link! I'll forward it.

Dave

[Dave Hadfield]

David G, whose Waco YOC I flew and featured here, sold it and bought a BT-13. This aircraft is almost unknown in Canada. We didn't use it in the BCATP. But he bought this one and now keeps it at Edenvale.



He hasn't owned anything quite like this before, so I volunteered myself to help him get checked out. (I'm an airplane slut.) (But I can quit anytime I want.) A valiant sacrifice on my part. (!)

I even liked the tractor a JD "M". (I own a 1939 JD BN.)



We had an exploratory flight in it. I liked it. Great ground handling with a very steerable tailwheel. Got off the ground quick and climbed well. The stalls were extremely well-advertised by the airframe buffet which gives the airplane its nickname of "Vibrator". And on the rollout it is gentler than a Harvard/T6.

And it's nice to only have to pay for 450 horses instead of 600 when you go for a toot.



The only flaw is the wet-wing. It leaks. It leaks a lot. In fact it leaks it ALL if you give it long enough. David knows of someone in Minnesota who has a fix -- next year.

Dave

[Dave Hadfield]

I glued up some chocks for it this afternoon. (I love being retired!)

[airknocker]

Thought you might appreciate the video. By the way the band is British, Mumford and Sons.

[Dave Hadfield]

Mumble, and Sons, more like.

But I have been referred to that video several times by other AC pilots. The images are good -- and everybody can spot someone they know and airframes they've flown. A pleasure.

The chocks worked out, although I could have made the cord longer. (The ends are glued in -- I drill out a larger hole than the rope, chamfer the edges, insert the rope end, then pour in epoxy and let it set.)



I met my folks at a Flying Farmer's fly-in, Blacks, near Grand Valley, last weekend. Lovely day and a good turnout. Wonderful strip and barn.



It's often snowing there this time of year. We had a cold wet summer, but it's been a lovely Fall.

[Dave Hadfield]

Then I beetled back to Edenvale -- and if anyone accuses me of intercepting a Tiger Moth and flying formation for a while, I deny everything (it was some other F-24W!) -- and got up in the BT-13 again.

I found it much easier to do a roll with 2 hands on the stick. You need that last inch of stick movement to make it happen at a reasonable rate of rotation, and it takes a bit of a push. It does lovely Chandelles and Lazy Eights and max-climb-180-turns.

Next day I trundled down to Burlington and completed Scott K's checkout on the Canuck. Good fun on pavement trying to watch him keep his over-large feet on the bottom of the pedals to avoid brake use. Nice job.

When near the ground, "your feet should not cover the Fleet".



Here's a photo of me in the Canuck from years ago, a photo shoot with Eric Dumigan.



more at http://www.airic.ca/html/fleetcanuck.html

One of these things is not like the others... (at Burlington).



After which I went back to Edenvale and met my wife in the RV6a as she taxied-out. So I swung around and followed her, and watched her from above at Collingwood as she wrestled with the strong crosswinds that day. (I do love that paint job!)

A few weeks ago we visited friends via RV6a east of Trenton ON, and parked at the old BCATP airfield, then called Deseronto, now run by the Mohawks and called Tyendinaga. The verge might soon need a trim.

[DH82EH]

[quote="Dave Hadfield"]Then I beetled back to Edenvale -- and if anyone accuses me of intercepting a Tiger Moth and flying formation for a while, I deny everything (it was some other F-24W!)



I don't know nuffing Govner!

[Dave Hadfield]

You know 'nuff to fly straight.

Good on you!

[Dave Hadfield]

We had a great formation photo-shoot day with Eric Dumigan. The Plan was to meet him at Alliston, then fly up in the Fairchild to Owen Sound and photograph Gord Price's Yak-50. Meanwhile Eric's wife Bernie would drive up to Edenvale, meet up with Robin, and the two of them would fly in the RV6a towards Owen Sound where we would join up, formate, and photograph on the way back to Edenvale.

Surprisingly, it worked! We met and all was ready for the briefing. I've known Gord since I was a teenager -- in fact he was competing for the Nationals at the 1980 aerobatic contest where I met Robin. (I competed Sportsman, and walked away with a trophy and a partner.) (Or maybe she did...)



This is the first Yak 50, serial number 001.



We had a gorgeous summer day, and no airplanes broke down!



The Fairchild is by no means perfect for aerial photography, but the side windows roll down, so the shots can be from right-front, or right-rear, with no struts or glass-glare in the way.

[Dave Hadfield]

A lovely aircraft, and flown superbly!

Then we managed to spot the RV6a. You'd think it would be easy -- it's red and white, right? Well it wasn't. The RVs are such tiny little things, we circled Thornbury several times before we could rejoin. (Makes you think, about traffic avoidance...)

Eric took shots of them, and Bernie took shots of us...

[Dave Hadfield]

It's amusing to see cameras pointed at each other, taking pictures of taking pictures...





Success!



And back to Alliston, making the photographer work.