Brabazon Film

[Garry Russell]

Film of the Brabazon testing and first flight.......I love the dig at the MP's near the end where they go up as non fare paying passengers.

On the side an intersting insight to the thoughts of failure in aircraft production report of 1958 and a call to get it sorted

There are links as well to the SARO Princess Flying Boat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miRV-SgY ... ed&search=

Garry

[DaveB]

Smashing vid Garry.. love the sound she made ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Garry Russell]

Has that lovely contra rotating prop buzz the Shack had.

You can also hear that on the Proncess film

Garry

[Tomliner]

Thanks for that link Garry.The sounds of the aircraft were superb as was that of the commentator Bob Danvers-Walker.Some of you might say who?.I would just say that to older members,remember the yes-no interlude in 'Take Your Pick' by Michael Miles?Well Bob Danvers Walker was the man with the gong.Oh dear,I feel the need to lie down now after all that nostalgia.ATB EricT.

[Garry Russell]

O certainly remember Take You Pick.....so this guy was the one with the gong eh? ...yes/no game:lol:

Sometimes they played for really big money £20 or more :o ....but of course my Dad brough home about £11 and a car could be got for £15

Garry

[Chris558]

The Brab was a grand and elegant looking. You can see the lineage in the Britannia.

But what about those Ekranoplans! Now they're something I'd love to see. I know at least one is modelled in FS. There was a review in PC Pilot once, where it said that the model actually flies to (Ican't remember exactly) but much higher than it's meant to!!!...i.e a few feet above the sea! :o I wonder why they don't seem to use them these days?

[Garry Russell]

If you look at the wing of the Brab with it's thick section with a straight centre section and from outboard of the engines the taper on the front only to rounded tips, you have and elongated Bristol Freighter wing.

From the front the wing looks a bit Britannia....ish due to their thickness. The Brit was built like a tank with it's thick windscreen bars and enormous tail as well as thick wings.

With the Brab the wings were thick enough to bury the engines :o

Garry

[DaveB]

With the Brab the wings were thick enough to bury the engines :o

Which they managed to do very well. Pity the gearing wasn't up to it :roll:

As I said earlier.. a great film but in all honesty, I've never had much time for the Brabazon. I know we over here like to kick something when it's on it's uppers but even the original air ministry order seemed to be slightly out of kilter with what was going on elsewhere.. almost as if it was doomed from the start. Hindsight again I suppose but £12.5m was a lot of dosh to laugh off in those days :roll:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[Chris558]

The 'Spruce Goose' (Hughs Hercules) also had very thick wings. Now I don't know how thick the Brab's wings were, but you could stand up in the Gooses in-board wings!

[Garry Russell]

Quite a bit of general information can be found in this article

http://www.aviationarchive.org.uk/stori ... m=0&maxp=9

Garry