Keen amateur videographer & photographer...love all things aviation-related, re-enactors, wartime singers & groups, stately homes...Avid supporter of UK Airshows....THANKS FOR DROPPING BY - PLEASE SUBSCRIBE :-).
My son told me about this video recently with the comment “dad, you’re famous - sort of”. It brought back good memories of volunteering at RAF Museum Hendon. I may be able to fill in some details. This was the first aircraft in which the Museum allowed full public access to the cockpit and the ticket price was kept low to keep it affordable for most visitors. Hendon doesn’t charge an entrance fee and relies on initiatives such as this for extra funding. The Aircraft itself, a MkXVI, was a bit of a bitza, although its history was linked to the site as at one time it was the station commander's personal aircraft. It has often been used as a static display and being dismantled and moved frequently, many of the controls remained disconnected. Inside the cockpit is not complete and, as I said in the commentary, current HSE radioactivity limit controls prevents the use of period instruments as the luminous paint used exceeds current dosage limits. (this is also the main reason most of the aircraft cockpits at the Museum are inaccessible to the general public) Some later and non-standard instruments are used. John, the RAFM’s senior technician, put together most of the interior from available material, and that accounts for oddities such as the gun firing button being incorrect, although the “Twist to fire” ring gave a better Battle of Britain feeling. John actually worked servicing and flight authorising several Spitfires for the 1968 Battle of Britain film at Duxford. As noted in the comments below, the engine start-up sound was taken from David Irwin’s Merlin 20 series / 500 series when being exhibited at the Museum. One of our volunteers recorded it, then built the MP3 player and speaker for the aircraft. Of course for me, sod’s law applied, and it didn’t work as planned when someone was carrying out detailed filming. David’s engine has an interesting history of its own, being built as a 20 series variant for a Lancaster or Halifax and later in life rebuilt as a 500 series for a CASA 211 - the Spanish built Heinkel 111 used by Germany in the Battle of Britain! For me, as I’m not a pilot, it was hard work reading and memorising the Pilot’s Notes, and keeping explanations down to the 15minute limit we had between customers. It was too easy to get involved in a discussion and ramble on. Access required a certain amount of dexterity, and we had been told that we could refuse access if we thought that someone would be unable to manage getting in or out. I did have concerns over one elderly lady and gently suggested that it may be too difficult, only to be put firmly in my place by “..I’ll have you know young man that I flew in a Tiger Moth at Duxford not so long ago, so I can easily manage this”. She did !
Interesting story Ian - I believe it was for £10? I purchased it for my brothers birthday - I think they charge about £45 now - I know David very well, as I’m the unofficial photographer for Historic Aero Engines, so know most of the guys very well - Dave Lee (often David’s safety officer) has just got his engine running after a 15 year restoration - I look forward to seeing it this year. You’ll find plenty of videos I’ve filmed of David’s engine runs over the years on this channel… Thanks for reaching out. Rob
I did read a book where the subject of women being taken along on raids was discussed. It mentioned one pilot who, supposedly, took his WAAF girlfriend along disguised as aircrew and even a German report of finding the body of a woman in a crashed aircraft. The conclusion? It quite possibly did happen but without concrete evidence it remains at the 'maybe' stage.
A shame there are few if any left airworthy now apart from this one if it still is. I imagine it would not be a hard job to make a four seat tourer of it.
To see a Bücker Bü181 fly the way it was designed to be flown is so very rare! - Wonderful display of airmanship and a great video! - Thanks for sharing, Best Regards from Anchorage Alaska!
OAKINGTON NEAR CAMBRIDGE YOU HAVE TO WALK THE NARROW ROAD IN MIDST OF AIRFIELD TO GET TO NEXT VILLAGE FROM OAKINGTON CANT RECALL NAME BUT EITHER SIDE OF THIS NARROW ROAD IS THE OLD WW2 AIRFIELD USED BY ARMY AND RAF ONE THING IS STRANGE I WORKED IN THE WHITE HORSE PUB AND WALKED BACK TO THE CARAVAN PARK IN NEXT VILLAGE BY CUTTING THROUGH THE AIRFIELD IT WAS ALWAYS SO QUIET AND VERY FOGGY THIS ONE NIGHT I STOPPED DEAD IN MY TRACKS AND TURNED TO LOOK IN THE FOG WHICH WAS ABOUT 100 METRES AWAY ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ROAD THAT WAS WEIRD IN ITSELF THE FOG NEVER EVER REACHED THE ROAD I WORKED AT THE PUB FOR 6 MONTHS. ALWAYS THE SAME ANYWAY THIS NIGHT I STOPPED AND LOOKED TO MY LEFT INTO THE FOG AND 99% CERTAIN I SAW WHAT LOOKED LIKE HALF A DOZEN MEN IN AIRCREW GEAR STANDING IN A ROW LOOKING IN MY DIRECTION AND I HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE WHISPERING BUT THESE FIGURES WHERE A WAY OFF AND THE WHISPERING WAS COMING FROM THEIR DIRECTION WELL I WASNT SPOOKED I FIGURED WHY WOULD THEY HARM ME IF THEYRE SPOOKS ? SO I WENT TO WALK TOWARDS THEM AND AS I DID THE WHISPERING GOT LOUDER AND THE FOG GOT THICKER THEN AS I LOOKED AGAIN THE FIGURES HAD GONE NOT A TRACE I WALKED TO WHERE THEY HAD BEEN STANDING AND OF COURSE NOTHING BUT I TURNED ROUND AND COULD SEE WHERE THE FOG SEEMED TO STOP AND THE ROAD CLEAR AS OWT I TOLD MY TALE TO SOME FOLKS AND THE WHITE HORSE PUB USED TO BE FREQUENTED BY AIRMEN IN THE WAR AND ALL OVER THE WALLS AND BEAMS ARE THEIR SIGNATURES LITTLE PICTURES AND DOODLES THEY DID 80 YEARS AGO MANY NEVER CAME BACK IN FACT AN ELDERLY LADY IN THE PUB WAS ONCE THE LANDLADY SAID ON SOME NIGHTS YOU CAN HEAR THE ROAD OF THE LANCASTER'S ET AL COMING HOME FROM MISSIONS CEPT THEYRE NOT THE REAL PLANES THEYRE THE GHOSTLY DRONES OF MACHINES LOST IN FOREIGN CLIMES RETURNING HOME FOR THE LAST TIME I USED TO SIT BY THE AIRFIELD AND LISTEN JUST IN CASE BUT NEVER DID I HEAR ANY ENGINES WAS A BIT GUTTED AT THAT BUT ITS NICE TO KNOW THAT THOSE BRAVE HEROES THAT DIED SO YOUNG ARE STILL HERE AMONGST US LOOKING TO THE SKIES WAITNG FOR COMRADES THAT WILL NEVER RETURN NOT IN THIS LIFE ANYWAY LOL 💙🌈♥️
This is the dumbest video I've ever seen! You've got some guys standing around an airplane, no narration, just "spooky" music. A complete waste of time!
Thank you for a great tour of the Lancaster. As an Aussie, Dads best mate Barney Black was a tail gunner in the Lancaster and he came home again in one piece. Gone now of coarse but a great bloke.
God rest their souls. Forever RIP, Charles and John 🙏 Thank you for your service, John. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them ✝️🙏
Albert Ball made a number of improvements that were adapted to all SE5s. Except for one. He had the Vickers removed and had a second Lewis gun mounted to fire obliquely downward through the floor of the cockpit. That didn't take.
