Sunderlands, Sandringhams and Hythes

[britfrog 180]

As requested here are a few pic's of the flights my father flew from Poole Harbour to Hong Kong. Most of the flights actually stopped at Rangoon because they were regularly intercepted by pirates if they flew onto HK or Haiphong. However here is a scan of just one flight.

 

 

the entry to the right of the entry for bangkok and return was because of a typhoon !the flight was Honh Kong, Haiphong, Bangkok, Singapore, Rangoon, Calcutta, Karachi, Bahrain,Basra, Cairo, Augusta, Marignane (Marseille), PooleAs a matter of interest all these air boats carried a locked chest under the pilots seat full of Queen Juliana gold florins (to pay off the pirates!!! )The photo of the ryanair sandringham is the plane that kermit boughtthe photo of the bridge shoes my dad and the engineerthe engine change was a dual one after they hit a felucca in the red sea, as you can see the leading edge of the wing hinges forward allowing a walkway and place to mount the hoists etc, just dont drop a spanner !

[allardjd 1,853]

Great stuff, BF. Two feathered in that last shot. Any story on that?

John

[britfrog 180]

Great stuff, BF. Two feathered in that last shot. Any story on that?

John

 

If I remember the story correctly they were having some air to air photos done by a famous photographer , Capt E Brown? or some Captain Brown at any rate, and my father being the mischievous type turned to his copilot and said "i wonder what will happen if we feather two engines, do you think he will notice"  I think they were considering feathering a third when they were told that he had taken enough pics and to head for home.

The stories these guys can tell of this period of time are legion, I will give you one or two that I can remember in the next few issues

[mutley 4,498]

Thanks for sharing Nigel,

Those really were the halcyon days, pilots like your father were true pioneers of inter-continental travel and paying off the pirates? OMG! 

Thanks again for posting 

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

Fantastic photos and memories there, thanks so much for sharing them. Re the servicing platforms, you can get a good view of how they looked in the Solent Sky album that I posted on here. It really was not a workshop for the faint hearted, especially in British waters!

[brett 2,315]

That is just too cool.   Thanks for posting, I really enjoyed checking them all out. The logbook is very interesting to study as is the selection of photos, each having their own stories. You are lucky to have the pic of your dad in the cockpit bridge, pretty neat.   

 

I never saw that before with the forward section of the wing folding forward for servicing purposes. Do you know if that was unique to that aircraft or is it a common thing that just made me look stupid?

[allardjd 1,853]

I think one of the German seaplanes had that too.  Not sure who copied who.

 

John

[brett 2,315]

Thanks John. Seems like a good idea, especially in war craft of the era and am surprised it wasn't implemented more. Maybe a design and weight thing.

[britfrog 180]

One of my fathers favorite stories that he used to tell, gives some idea of how life was on international flights back then.

As a young sprog out of the RAF albeit with the rank of squadron leader, he was instructed to get to Poole Harbour and there to make ready for a few flights of acclimatisation, which he flew around the area. When he was finally scheduled for his first flight to Rangoon he was to fly as copiolt to a rather well known but pedantic  old crone .  cheerfully he arrived at the a/c and was quietly taken aside by the engineer who asked him if he had bought the captains mint jujoobs as they were his favorites and it was the custom of them to be supplied by P2. My Father thought about this and dismissed it as he was no ones lacky and took his place on the bridge and the passengers climbed on board and off they went. An hour or so later when crossing the Bay of Biscay a right arm and hand was extended in my fathers direction with the order "my joojubes " my father tried to ignore this but when it became evident that there were no jujubes forthcoming the Captain turned the plane around and flew back to Poole Harbour where my father was sent up on the hard with a flea in his ear to buy the said sweets. 10 minutes later with an embarrssed smile he informed the passengers that they had had a minor technical issue and that the flight would now continue without furthewr ado.

Needless to say the flight to Rangoon was flown in a frosty atmosphere up front.

[allardjd 1,853]

I'd have marinated them in Croton oil for him.

John

[mutley 4,498]

I would have ignored that request too thinking it was a prank. 

Turning back from Biscay because he didn't have his jujubes beggars belief!

 

[hurricanemk1c 195]

Interesting stories there Nigel!

[Quickmarch 488]

I read a story: "Sky Gods" by Robert Gandt - written about the demise of Pan Am.

 

Some of the old "Captains" were terrible tyrants. Co-pilots were treated as serfs. The sad part, and the end of the cockpit reign of terror came when one of the Sky Gods flew a 707 into a mountain.

[Quickmarch 488]

@JA - very bad idea (Croton Oil). He was sharing a cockpit with the guy.

[allardjd 1,853]

I assume he'd have had time to make a dash for the head and spend most of the rest of the flight there. Anyway, he deserved a comeuppance, hard, soon and often.

John

[brett 2,315]

Good story Britfrog.   I would have dunked "my joojubes" in his joojubes and inwardly laughed every time he took a sip.