Lancaster flying over Eccy Road

[buck 11]

Personally buck, I'd rather see the last but one of each type go out as a pile of twisted metal than see them all consigned to rot as pay-per-view static displays.

 

Unfortunately it may be regulation that grounds them before sentiment.

 

It's becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to operate these machines due to pointless European homogenisation rules - more of which are due next year.

 

Already DC3 / DC4 (and JU52?) passenger flights have stopped because of ridiculous regulations that require them to adhere to exactly the same standards as a B747 - no concessions.

 

I'm not talking maintenance and flight safety, they now need impossible conversions to provide silly things like armoured flight deck doors, inflatable escape chutes and instrumentation to fly full IFR. Clearly this is not feasible or affordable in old aeroplanes, so operators are simply not taking passenger flights.

 

Once they stop flying and making money, they will quickly corrode away in the corner of a damp hanger until the scrap man cometh. Lost forever.

Whenever I get a chance to buy British aviation mags I do so. They are very good at, especially, discussing old airplanes. you seem to have a lot of air displays well attended. The only aircraft you're able to get a paid ride in are just what you're talking about, piston engine Douglases, an occasional Ju 52, and I don't know if our FAA is trying to force the modern safety measures on us or not. The last old aircraft I flew in was a 1929 Waco biplane which cost me 20 bucks some years ago. I've ridden in a lot of RN aircraft in my time, but they were current. I even conned a ride in a B 29 which had made an emergency landing at RNAS Lossiemouth from Burtonwood, Lancs. It got me close to Sheffield a lot quicker than the train. Edited August 9, 2011 by buck

[dandydannii 10]

i stood in awe as it flew over my house !! what a beautiful sight and sound ! :-)

[Rupert_Baehr 10]

If you want to go flying in an aircraft - go to Russia. Their rules are 'somewhat more relaxed' than the European rules (but the aircraft are well-maintained and airworthy.)

 

The Farmers and Fiddlers are getting a bit 'long in the tooth' but you can get your hands on a Foxbat fairly readily.

[buck 11]

If you want to go flying in an aircraft - go to Russia. Their rules are 'somewhat more relaxed' than the European rules (but the aircraft are well-maintained and airworthy.)

 

The Farmers and Fiddlers are getting a bit 'long in the tooth' but you can get your hands on a Foxbat fairly readily.

I have a friend who is a test pilot for Bombardier. Their aircraft are fitted out at Bradley field , two miles from here. Learjet is one of their product lines along with bizjets and medium size passenger jets carrying their name. We frequently get visits from Antinovs, the biggest cargo aircraft in the world, where they still come to carry aid supplies to troubled places like Haiti and Somalia. They began first with supplies to Chernobyl and brought in the 6 engined Antinov whose type number I don't remember. When he was invited to take a look around it, he assured me that it was poorly made with loose and bent rivets everywhere, he turned down a ride in the right seat.