Plane Tales

A rookie B17 pilot on his first mission over Germany struggling home in his crippled aircraft and a veteran Me109 fighter pilot with 27 kills and over 400 combat missions flown, meet in the air.  The result should have been obvious but... Boeing B-17F radar bombing through clouds over Bremen, Germany, on Nov. 13, 1943. (U.S. Air Force photo)   A B17 formation over Germany.   An Me109 of Jagdgeschwader 27.   Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the US Gov and the Bundesarchiv.

Two tragic stories of aircraft losses that, in the most benign of circumstances, may well have resulted from letting a family member sit at the controls. An EC135.   Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Michel Gilland and the US Gov.

Hansard in the document that contains, what is referred to as, the substantially verbatim account of every speech made in the Houses of Parliament since 1909.  It's pages reveal some remarkable stories such as these military aircraft that were stolen... they included the purloining of a USAF B45 Tornado nuclear bomber!   North American XB-45 cutaway drawing. (U.S. Air Force photo)   A pair of A4 Skyhawks.   The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, nicknamed the Huey.   The missing B727 registration N844AA. Photographs under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the US Gov and RuthAS.

Stories of aircraft that vanish without trace are bound to fascinate us.  The controversial disappearance of House Majority Member Boggs, seen in the title image with President Lyndon B Johnson, gave rise to much speculation as he was part of the Warren Commission which was investigating the assassination of JFK.  In another story we look at the life of the Flying Bandit... a gentleman Canadian gold thief! A Cessna 310 The Flying Bandit   Images shown under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the US Gov, Rob Hodgkins and Skol fir.

The Modernist dream that was the Bijlmermeer had its problems and the last thing it needed was for a crippled aircraft to wreak destruction amongst its dwellers.  This is the tragic story of El Al 1862 and the fate of the Amsterdam neighbourhood it fell into.   Images made available under a Creative Commons licence and GNU Free Documentation Licence by Maaike98, D Frame and Torsten Maiwald.

The last of the 3 part interview with Sir Glen Torpy.  We chat about his work in some of the most demanding jobs to be found in the RAF, culminating with his appointment as the Chief of the Air Staff.  If you want to find out about the decision to remove the Harrier from service or what's happening to the RAF Museums then this is one to listen to.

We get to the point in Sir Glen's interview where he is heading to the Gulf to start flying operations and he recalls the the words spoken by Recce pilots of old, "Alone, unarmed and unafraid!"  If you want to hear what it's like hand flying a Tornado over enemy territory, facing multiple air to air missile and AAA threats, at 150 feet above the ground, in the pitch black, at over 500 knots then wait no longer!   Photograph courtesy of Sir Glen Torpy.

Sir Glen Torpy GCB CBE DSO started his life within the Royal Air Force as most pilots do. At the end of his training, he was posted to a Jaguar reconnaissance squadron, the start of a great career. In this interview, he gives us a chance to follow his progress to the point where he takes Command of No.13 Squadron, flying the Tornado GR1A, and is about to deploy to the Gulf on operations. Sir Glen during his basic flying training at RAF Linton on Ouse, middle rank under the U and 3 heads to the right of the Old Pilot!   Sir Glen after his Wings parade the furthest on the left of the photograph.   Sir Glen Torpy Chief of the Air Staff.

The 1st of April 1918 saw the formation of the world's first independent Air Force.  Capt Nick takes a look at the Royal Air Force’s history and is joined by Sir Glen Torpy GCB CBE DSO past Chief of the Air Staff who gives his thoughts on the past 100 years and the upcoming celebrations.  

Suspicious of the Polish pilots who, after their country was invaded by Nazi forces during the Second World War, had fled to the UK, the high command of the RAF eventually allowed them to become operational.  No 303 Polish Squadron joined the RAF fighter units desperately fighting the overwhelming forces of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain.  The results stunned everybody. The score of German kills (Adolfs) claimed by No 303 Polish Squadron during the Battle of Britain.   Images under creative commons licence from the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum London.

The billionaire explorer Paul Allen rediscovers the aircraft carrier Lexington and an F4 Wildcat deep under the surface of the Coral Sea.  This is the story of the Lexington and the Wildcat's last pilot.   USS Lexington shortly before WWII.   F4F-3 Wildcat in non-reflective blue-gray over light gray scheme from early 1942. Images with thanks to Paul G Allen, via Creative Commons, the US Navy and Felix c.

Air travel is, statistically, the very safest form of transport but it wasn't always that way.  Imagine living in Elizabeth, a suburb near New York's Newark airport in 1951 when, within a period of only 3 months, aircraft began raining from the sky onto your neighborhood.   The crash site of Flight 1678M.   An American Airways Convair CV240.   A National Airways CD6.   The City of Elizabeth today.     Images under Creative Commons licence, US Gov Bureau of Aircraft Accidents, Dagrecco, Jon Proctor, Bill Larkins.

Capt Nick delves into Volume 2 of his RAF Form 414... the PILOTS FLYING LOG BOOK.

Towards the end of the Second World War, Nazi scientists developed a series of futuristic weapons to use against England aimed to bring the British people to their knees.  Named Vengeance weapons, their presence in the skies over London was another German threat that had to be dealt with. A German Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 H-22. This version could carry FZG 76 (V1) flying bombs, but only a few aircraft were produced in 1944. Some were used by bomb wing KG 3.   A cutaway of the V1 created for the USAF.   An image of a Spitfire using its wing to turn over a V1 flying bomb.   A recreation of a V1 launch ramp on display at Imperial War Museum, Duxford.   Images shown under a Creative Commons licence with thanks to Nick D, the Imperial War Museum, the Bundesarchiv and the US Gov USAF Museum.

President of France, Charles de Gaulle is on a state visit to the United States of America and he asks to meet a French hero who holds the Légion d'honneur and who lives in New York.  Eventually, retired lift operator is found and brought to the President.  The man is Eugene Jacques Bullard and is almost unknown in the country of his birth but he holds a remarkable place in the history of aviation. Bullard in his Corporal's uniform during the WW1.   Bullard in 1917 beside a Nieuport while with Escadrille 93.   Bullard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, 1954.   Title image by APG listener Jonathan Alexandratos who lives near Flushing Meadows cemetery and who took the time to visit the grave of Eugene Bullard which can be found in Section C. Other images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Sus scrofa, Wikimedia Commons, US Gov USAF.