Plane Tales

Watch the movie 'The Right Stuf' and you will see, portrayed, a desert bar near Edwards Air Force Base where a generation of great Test Pilots drank whisky and bantered with the bargirl.  The lady was Pancho Barnes and she was much more than a bargirl! Pancho and her Travel Air type R Mystery Ship.   Barnes in 1928, the image used on her pilot's license!   Pancho serving at the Happy Bottom Riding Club.   Images under Creative Commons licence; with thanks to the San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives and the Pancho Barnes Trust Estate Archive.

After the Second World War, a tall lanky RAF pilot undertook clandestine missions from Hong Kong in a photo reconnaissance Spitfire FR Mk XIV.  At the absolute limit of its range and despite being pursued by Chinese fighters Flt Lt Ted Powels undertook some remarkable flights.  This is his story.   Images made available under a Creative Commons licence.  Photographer unknown.

An aircraft for the people, the ubiquitous Cessna 172 became, by far, the most produced aircraft in history and secured a place in many pilot's hearts.  This is its story. Images under a Creative Commons licence by Daniel Piotrowski, P Alejandro Díaz and Adrian Pingstone.

The loss of Swissair Flight 111 in the most appalling circumstances wasn't just a tragedy for those onboard and their loved ones, but for a whole community of people in the quiet town of Halifax and even more so for the folk near Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia. The memorial at Peggy's Cove.   Images under Creative Commons licence, by Aero Icarus and Aconcagua.

Every document or book within the Royal Air Force has a Form number.  One of the most precious to a pilot is Form 414, the PILOTS FLYING LOG BOOK.  Inside is a record of every flight a pilot undertakes.  Looking back through a log book brings back many memories.  These are a few of mine.

In the world of aviation, accurate communication is vital and when it breaks down the results can be catastrophic.  In poor weather, the crew of an Avianca 707 struggle to land at New York's JFK airport.   An Avianca B707.   Images under Creative Commons licence, with thanks to Felix Goetting, Veggies and the NTSB.

Not every Plane Tale recording goes quite to plan!  A Merry Christmas to all my listeners! Image under Creative Commons, with thanks to Soerfm.

Landing at the wrong airport is usually considered a bit of a blunder but for One Way Ferguson it was a way to put Buffalo onto the map!     Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Eduard Marmet, US Gov and Atkach24.

A humorous look at the history of the Phonetic Alphabet and brevity codes.   Image with thanks to https://m.johnlewis.com/mclaggan-smith-educational-'nato-alphabet'-mug/p2725715

The tragic loss of Alaska Flight 261 and the negligent events that led up to the crash.   The recovered jackscrew. The spiral "wire" wound around the threaded portion is the remains of the acme nut internal screw thread that was stripped from the nut.   Images under Creative Commons with thanks to Ken Fielding and the NTSB.

A special Plane Tale to celebrate the Airline Pilot Guy's 300th anniversary show, centering on the Airbus A300.                       Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Alex Beltyukov, Eduard Marmet and Warner Bros.

The story of the development of the first Supersonic airliners. The non existent Boeing, the successful Concorde and the disaster that was the TU144, Charger! Boeing 2707 mockup.   The TU144 flying at the 1973 Paris Air Show the day before it crashed.   The last ever flight of Concorde G-BOAF.   Images under Creative Commons licence, Arpingstone - Adrian Pingstone, Ralf Roletschek, RuthAS and Bill Abbott.

The remarkable exploits of the Canadian fighter ace who fought in World War 1.  He remains the most decorated hero in the history of the Canadian armed service. Col Barker, VC, in one of the captured German aeroplanes against which he fought his last air battle in 1919.     Images under Creative Commons licence, Canadian Copyright Collection held by the British Library, Barker, Wm. G and For Valour - The Air VCs Chaz Bowyer.

A late night take off dissolves into a nightmare for a cargo crew flying a venerable Lockheed Electra as, one by one, their engines fail.   Image under Creative Commons licence, RuthAS.

A union dispute against an aggressive and ruthless employer can result in sadness, bitterness and broken lives.  Nij Demery was a senior union representative and then president of such a union during the longest industrial action in aviation history.  This is the final part of his story.