Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-A new series with Fred Dibnah not to be missed.

Tonight on BBC.2 at 8 pm there was the first of a new series featuring that late wonderful man Fred Dibnah,this one which features unseen footage is called 'Fred Dibnahs world of Steam,Steel and Stone' for those who have followed him in his previous programmes this one is a little bit different,for a start it shows his last wife Sheila Dibnah,thankful curators of working museums,and his good friends who stood with him right up to his tour of Britain in his beloved traction engine talking about his love of machines,and in particular those powered by steam.

As he walked along a row of weaving machines his face lights up at the sight of row upon row of pulley belts hung overhead,health and safety would have had a field day,a stray piece of clothing and a limb placed in the wrong direction would spell instant disaster but the mill owners gave nbo compensation back then,there must have been many accidents.

He highlighted the dangers of boilers blowing up with the mill owners having little care for expensive boiler inspections that are required by law today,operators were expected to oil and maintain machinery if they were not to loose their jobs.

And how they guarded against becoming deaf is anyones business ? many did loose their hearing over a few years as the gears and pulleys rattled day after day.

Freds love of the industrial iron age knew no boundaries,one thing struck me as he walked amongst the engines and machinery,he looked the part,just as if a ghost foreman from the past was treading the walkways once again,in some ways he was just born too late,what others saw as a means to an end he saw things in a very different way and witnessed the final demise of the industrial evolution,the great age of steel,he looked at those oily gear wheels as things of great beauty and purpose,it is very true that Fred Dibnah was and still is a national institution,he has re-kindled the interest in steam for the masses and re-opened our industrial heritage with enthusiasm and great passion,and all of this was because he first appeared in a single pilot programme about his job as a steeplejack some thirty five years ago.

Who can forget the gleam in his eyes as he tries driving yet another machine,skillfully thumps a chain link into shape with a lump hammer or pops another hot rivet into the boiler of his restored traction engine ?

This latest offering serves as a fitting tribute to one of our countries most loved eccentrics,sadly there are not many left these days,but Fred has left his legacy forever,dont miss it.

[Guest]

I watched it as well with the same love that I watch all of Freds TV programs.

Particularly interesting was the input from the Managing Director of Iron bridge and all the other living industrial museums mentioned.

I also loved the open crankcase engine which reminded me of a steam recip tug engine we had at college. You had to oil it by hand from an oil can as the engine was running!! I did it as it was ticking over slowly but in reality it had to be done at all speeds, without knowing what the engine was going to do next and in all sorts of sea conditions. Not surprisingly engineers in those days were lucky to retire with a full set of fingers.

[Guest]

sorry to steer off topic a bit here but seeing all those pics of helecopters i remembered the one you have. do you have idea how much it is worth or how much it would cost to make it opperational again?

[wonwinglo]

***Richard,it is only the front cabin section,completly gutted when they robbed her for spares,it is my largest aviation artifact but totally beyond viable restoration to do anything with,if I had the space,won the lottery then who knows what could be achieved ?

sorry to steer off topic a bit here but seeing all those pics of helecopters i remembered the one you have. do you have idea how much it is worth or how much it would cost to make it opperational again?

[Guest]

well you could turn it into a car? lol, if they can make road legal cars out of sofas and bed im sure its worth a try!

[wonwinglo]

***Or I could grow mushrooms inside for my breaklfast !

well you could turn it into a car? lol' date=' if they can make road legal cars out of sofas and bed im sure its worth a try![/quote']

[Guest]

what you should do is try to restore it as a replica cockpit then be able to shut the doors and spend an hour quietly contemplating

[wonwinglo]

***Oddly enough Nigel,the chap who I purchased it from had intentions of making it into an Heinkel 111 conversion,how about that for a vivid imagination ?

If only I had enough room such as a field because over the years there have been loads of relics come my way,on the TV today a chap had a Westland Scout helicopter sitting on his small holding.

what you should do is try to restore it as a replica cockpit then be able to shut the doors and spend an hour quietly contemplating

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-When we really did have an aircraft industry in the UK.

FARNBOROUGH

With Farnborough airshow around the corner once again here is something to remind ourselves of the fine aircraft industry that we once had,see if you can identify some of the aircraft in this nostalgic picture.

Here is something very different,a flashback to Farnborough in the sixties taken by Dave Peace,the SBAC shows are a far cry from the ones held then when British products were the prime reason for this prestigious event,some aircraft just getting in by the skin of their teeth having fulfilled the test flying time in order to appear,it is a great snapshot of Farnborough airshows long since gone but never forgotton.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Fokker Universal recovery from Lake Charron.

Only slightly discouraged after suffering some minor setbacks, the crew working on recovering a historic aircraft from the depths of Charron Lake is certain the airplane will arrive in Winnipeg as scheduled, later this month. Known as the Ghost of Charron Lake, the 1928 Fokker Standard aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on the lake, 310 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg in December of 1931. Bush pilot Stuart McRorie and mechanic Neville Forrest safely escaped and were helped by aboriginal trapper Tom Boulanger before being found by rescuers two weeks later. Their airplane, which had been enroute to Island Lake with mining tools, slipped through the ice the following spring before salvage efforts could be made.

For nearly 75 years after its descent into the deep, rocky-bottomed lake, the historic plane eluded search teams, earning the nickname the Ghost of Charron Lake. Finally, last summer, a search team succeeded in locating the airplane's skeletal remains using sophisticated side-scan sonar equipment.

Since the beginning of July, that same team, joined by other experts from across Canada, has been working on the remote lake to recover the plane. Originally owned by prominent Winnipeg businessman James A. Richardson, founder of Canada's first commercial airline, Western Canada Airways, the Fokker has been regarded by historians as an instrumental part of opening up much of Northern Manitoba to human activity and industry. Once exhumed from its watery grave, the single-engine, open-cockpit plane which is thought to be the only remaining salvageable Fokker Standard in the world will be returned to Winnipeg where it will make its permanent home at the Western Canada Aviation Museum.

After spending the past year formulating a detailed strategy to raise the Ghost plane, the recovery team has been forced to revise those plans after it was discovered that predetermined lift points on the plane had disintegrated during its nearly 75 years underwater.

It's still coming up, said project team leader Patrick Madden, a retired RCMP sergeant adding that the recovery process has also been hampered by unruly weather and equipment problems. We're just having to find new ways to lift it up out of the water.

With the elusive aircraft resting in 120 feet of water, the team had hoped it would not have to send scuba divers down. Instead, they had hoped on using two Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to do the deep-water work for them, using the sophisticated machines to attach cables to the plane's lifting lugs. The aircraft would be slowly raised to just below the lake's surface, and it would be towed to the lakeshore and lifted by a boom onto a specially-built platform. Helicopters would then lift the entire platform to an airport in Deer Lake, Ont., the closest airport able to accommodate the C-130 Hercules tasked with transporting the bush airplane to Winnipeg.

With those original plans scrapped, an experienced crew of deep-water scuba divers has been called in. They are set to arrive on Saturday, pending the availability of a hyperbaric chamber, a piece of equipment used by deep-water divers to treat decompression sickness. They will dive to the airplane's grave, examining it to see if new lift points can be established. If not, they will begin the arduous task of attaching slings under the aircraft that will be used to lift the skeletal frame to the surface.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Exercise Immediate Response.

The crew of the Russian Antonov An124-100 aircraft loaded up a stack of trailers in support of the 492nd Fighter Squadron's deployment to Bulgaria on Tuesday at RAF Lakenheath, England. The squadron will work with their Bulgarian counterparts during Exercise Immediate Response, a two-week training event kicking off July 19.

An Antonov AN-124-100 aircraft dominated the flight line onTuesday, while crewmembers and airmen loaded it with equipment in support of the 492nd Fighter Squadron's deployment to Bulgaria.

About 150 airmen from the 492nd deployed to the Balkan country early Tuesday morning to take part in a two-week training event, dubbed Exercise Immediate Response, which will give the American airmen a chance to work alongside their Bulgarian counterparts.

Troops from the 1st Armored Division, U.S. European Command and the Romanian military will also take part in the tri-lateral exercise.

Roughly 800 military and civilian personnel are to be involved in the exercise, which will incorporate a variety of ground vehicles and aircraft,ten F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets from the 492nd are slated to fly to Bulgaria later this week for the exercise, which kicks off July 19.

Lt. Col. Troy Stone, commander of the squadron's deployed forces, said he looks forward to training with the Bulgarians.

Most of our aircrews haven't seen or flown with a MiG-29 or MiG-21, so it's a good opportunity for the young aircrews to actually see the aircraft we typically train against.

The squadron plans to test-fire laser-guided and general-purpose weapons at a Bulgarian range, as well as conduct air-to-air training with the Bulgarian MiG-29 and -21 aircraft.

The 492nd aircrews are currently awaiting permission on whether they will be allowed to pilot a MiG aircraft as part of the exercise.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-More field trips to get information.

Another trip to catch up with the latest imports at Wellesbourne.



G-PERZ a very smart looking Jet Ranger at Wellesbourne 15-07-2006,the device just above the cockpit is a cable cutter,should the helicopter fly into cables then the knife edge does its work,there have been scores of accidents to helicopters that have flown into various types of cable,the blade stops the rotors getting tangled from unseen cable strikes.

The algae forms on the cable and turns them green thus blending in with the background,many cables are also strung across water and through trees thus presenting a real hazard.



MC Airs Diamond Twin Star DA.42 which appears to live at Wellesbourne,seen here on 15-07-2006,this design has taken twin engined training by a storm,many flying schools now equipping with this carbon fibre machine,they sound great in flight.



W.N.Dores G-OWND R.44 at Wellesbourne on 15-07-2006



G-EGGY R.22 on maintenance at Wellesbourne 15-07-2006



G-KTOL R.44 Clipper with its rather odd looking pontoons at Wellesbourne 15-07-2006



G-OLFO R.44 at Wellesbourne on 15-07-2006



G-GGRH R.44 with taped on registration at Wellesbourne 15-07-2006,the two new Irish Robinson R.44's are just behind.

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-More field trips to get information-Part 2



G-GOUP R.22 on overhaul at Wellesbourne 15-07-2006



G-FUNY R.44 which made a trip to a private site near Mallory Park from Wellesbourne on 15-07-2006



G-PIDG R.44 appears to live at a site at Bromsgrove,she is seen here on 15-07-2006 at Wellesbourne



EI-DRN Serial 1606 at Wellesbourne 15-07-2006



EI-RON Serial 1607 at Wellesbourne 15-07-2006

[wonwinglo]

Wonwings diary-Ode to that elusive missing part.

Us modellers are the rarest beings,

And worthy of the most hilarious scenes,

Like Magpies seeking things to steal,

They never can find that dam spare wheel!

Regardless of hords of parts in a big box,

Some can be just as sly as a fox,

Dear Sir, your kit is very shortcoming,

And to the post office it sent me a running,

No canopy,No decals,what are you doing ?

This kit is far away from any glueing.

Please send me replacements by return,

As your kits are causing me some concern.

Clear the bench for the next project,

But make sure that you can see each and every object !

Nothing worse than parts that go zing,now where exactly is the thing ?

Down on your knees to look at the mosaic coloured carpet,

With magnyfying glass purchased from the market,

Quick check upon the building chart,

Just to confirm that this was the part ?

Set aside the kit in question,while wifey makes a wise suggestion,

Put pen to paper on finest bond paper,

My word this has turned into quite a caper !

Forget that model for some weeks,

Meanwhile why not start a squadron of Zekes ?

If only parts were not so fine and springy,

Then we need not take these steps to request the thingy !

Wonwing.

[Guest]

You are indeed a bard sir!!

Nice one Barry, a story we can all relate to.