One for Bob

[paddy]

48K views · 1.7K reactions | Comet in the blue sky | Keith Jones Airshow Videos

Comet in the blue sky

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[moon puppy]

Thanks Paddy, I gotta find the youtube of this.
I found the blokes youtube channel but no Comet!!
But I can hear it purr!

 

[Sharkmouth]

Here's the video...

 

[paddy]

Thanks Saul.

 

[moon puppy]

Absolutely lovely aircraft! Thanks again Paddy and Saul.

 

[paddy]

When you look again at this and remember this was built in 1933 at a time when all the state of the art fighters in the RAF were still biplanes it makes you think. TBH it doesnt look out of place today in that flypast.. Also look at the landing at 3.30 and i think Shuttleworth needs to flatten their runway

 

[moon puppy]

Paddy that's what attracted the Comet to me when I saw the box art. I really thought it was post war design. I was shocked to learn it was such an early design. I mean look at all the designs it was racing against, DC2...Not a DC3, but the DC2. The only thing that looked close to a race aircraft was the GeeBee R6.

FAQ 5 : What aircraft flew in the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race and the results? |

These are the details of the twenty aircraft that took part in the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race and how they finished. The rules of the race were complex and involved handicapping rules that can make the results look incorrect. MacRobertson 1934 Air Race : Mildenhall to Melbourne Official...

www.cometracerproject.co.uk

 

[paddy]

Its odd because i have looked it over several times in the hanger at Shuttleworth and it looked a little ungainly but i have never seen it fly and the clip i posted of the fly by just struck me how graceful it looked in the air

 

[Rhino]

A lovely, purposeful design. I get antsy when I cain't see over the nose. I wondered about a RAF PR version.
Do you suppose those little bitty twin oil coolers are responsible for the audible whistle as she passes by?
THe DH. 89 in the background is just cool!

 

[paddy]

From Wiki
Here is why the DH.88 Comet racer makes this sound:

• Air Intakes & Oil Coolers: The prominent, specialized intakes on each side of the wings, which supplied air for the oil coolers and the superchargers, produced a siren-like noise during high-speed flybys.
• Aerodynamic Resonance: The sound is akin to blowing across the top of a bottle—a phenomenon where air vibration is created, particularly under high-G maneuvers or high-speed, low-level flights, as noted in discussions on high-speed aircraft.
• Engine Type: The aircraft utilized two specialized, high-performance engines designed specifically for the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race, which, when combined with its exceptionally clean and aerodynamic airframe, allowed for high speeds that generated this distinct sonic signature. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

 

[paddy]

Shuttleworth Collection - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

When my brother retired from the Army after 24 years he was a regimental Sgt major (WO1) , its as high as you can go without officer training but ironically, you train the officers. Because of this he was offered a post as the Queens equity but that meant staying in the service and his wife had set her mind on leaving the forces. Instead he took a job as a hotel and event inspector for the Royal automobile club. On one occasion he wrang me up and said he was doing an inspection of the Shuttleworth house and grounds etc, would i like to tag along. Of course i did and we spent the day there looking over the house and the airfield and collection. These visits were "under cover" He would asses the place, everything from disabled access to facilities and so on then write a report on what could be improved and return, this time with an appointment to discuss with management his recommendations, then the facility would receive a grade and up to 5 stars. The Shuttleworth story was a classic English family story with the big house, the wealth, the sons in the Forces and the amazing lifestyle of these people that was killed off after the war. a lot of the guys that were called up worked for these estates and when they returned home they didnt want to go back into service for these estates, moreover the families in these estates had mostly lost their incomes during the war which were mostly overseas based like ?Coffee and tea plantations and mining, copper gold diamonds etc. throw backs from the empire. The irony was that Richard Shuttleworth had the foresight to see all these early aircraft being scrapped as outdated in the 1920;s and decided to keep what he could and form a collection. So although they are all original vintage aircraft, when he collected them they were modern but outdated. Of course living in a house and ground where you could build your own airfield was a huge bonus Sadly he was killed in a Fairy Battle in the battle of France in 1940

 

[Rhino]

02.08.1940 No 12 OTU (Operational Training Unit) Fairey Battle I L4971P/O. Richard (Dick) Ormonde Shuttleworth

Personal history of Allied forces aircrew and support services serving 1935 - 1945 including original research.

aircrewremembered.com

An interesting article about Mr. Shuttleworth.

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Very interesting Paddy. Thanks for the little history lesson.

 

[paddy]

Amazing Chris , i always thought he was killed in France, thanks for posting.

 

[Sharkmouth]

Remember, this is the same company that has the Tiger Moth... Seems like DeHavilland offered Battista Pininfarina (I bet @paddy know who this is) a chance to morph it into a race plane!