The DH2 last flew at the Farnborough Airshow nearly five years ago but her wooden prop broke over the estuary of the Towy, South Wales and I was lucky to make a field. Eighteen inches of tip had come off with a big bang and in the few seconds to switch off for fear of having the five pot radial rip off the mountings, I was runninning downwind with a 15 knot wind on my tail helping me stretch the glide into a steep up hill field. With no brakes I stopped twenty feet from the hedge.
Examination of the engine revealed one mounting torn clean off, two torn across the stainless steel plate, 50% just like wet cardboard. One mounting per pot means that what was left would have parted in the next few seconds!!
She is now nestling in C hangar under a Hercules transport aircraft needing a good clean for puting back together. Mods have been designed for new engine mounts. Hope to fly for PFA Rally at Kemble in July, Fairford Air Tattoo here we come! Incidentally, the lewis machine gun, last made servicable and trained on the CAA Stand at Farnborough, is also being restored for some duck shooting in Ireland next winter as my friends in Kingsway seem to be leaving me alone.
Progress reports and photos when we progress!
- Arrival at RAF Lyneham
- Unloading in hangar under hercules wing
- On the way home from Farnborough
- Just make the field for 14th donkey stop forced landing.
- Farnborough 2000