The armchair pilot – that’s me – dreaming about the planes I would love to fly.
We’re this side of the pond this morning with Bristol Bulldog, the staple fighter for the Royal Air Force in the nineteen twenties and early thirties.The Bulldog never saw combat duties with the RAF but was sent to Abyssinia in 1935-36 to reinforce the war effort during the then middle east crisis.
The Bristol Bulldog was also the plane that Douglas Bader was flying during unofficial aerobatics at Woodley Airfield near Reading when he crashed, leading to the loss of both legs.
and another bi-plane – an RAF Trainer in the thirties – the Tiger Moth —
As I was heading towards the end of my useful working life I was fortunate to find a job in charge of ground ops on a small airfield down south. When I wasn’t moving and re-fueling the flying school aircraft – cutting the grass alongside the runway – manning the radio – Oscar Tango Foxtrot – and attending to my Chief Fire Officer duties I would pick the bones out of a crashed Tiger Moth dumped in the corner of the hanger looking for useful parts that could be used again. There weren’t many! When these things hit the ground they disintegrate! Most of the body parts look like they were made out of balsa wood on a kitchen table. It’s strength seems to arrive when the skin is stretched over it.
Lovely planes though.
Pictures courtesy of Wilkipedia – thank you.
from-a-distance 