Military Archives - Golf Hotel Whiskey

Only surviving German Dornier Do 17 to be raised from the English Channel

Salvage operations have begun to raise the last surviving German Dornier Do 17 (an aircraft known as “the flying pencil”) from its resting place off the Kent Coast where it crashed in 50 feet of water after being shot down in the Battle of Britain. A floating crane was towed into place on Friday and divers are expected to start building a steel frame around the wreckage this weekend with the hope the aircraft can be lifted onto a barge within three weeks.

Sonar images have confirmed the Dornier Do 17 is in good condition with its tyres still inflated and the fuselage, wings, engines and propellers still there, but its missing bomb doors, cockpit glazing and undercarriage doors which were all damaged or torn off upon impact.

The Dornier Do 17 was shot down over the Goodwin Sands in August 1940 with the pilot and his observer being taken prisoner while the bodies of the other two fliers were washed ashore. Few Dornier 17’s survived the war as they were scrapped for their valuable aluminium frames – meaning the one off the Kent coast is the only surviving example but raising the aircraft won’t be easy as divers can only work for 45 minutes at a time and they will need to deal with the tides plus other challenges.

The Guardian has a great interactive with the following screens showing where the aircraft was downed and how salvagers intend to lift it:

In addition, the RAFMuseum YouTube Channel has the following video posted with an animation made from the sonar scans of the aircraft:

Finally, it should be mentioned that the RAF Museum is seeking to raise another £250,000 to help support conservation of the aircraft and major donors will be offered the opportunity to witness the raising of the Dornier first hand. To learn more about making a donation, click here.

Restoring a Mosquito bomber in New Zealand

The AOPA Pilot blot recently mentioned the Fighter Factory in Virginia will adding a flying restored de Havilland Mosquito KA114 bomber to its collection that was built with recovered parts and new tooling by Avspecs, Limited, at the Ardmore Airfield in Auckland, New Zealand. Avspecs happens to be owned by a husband and wife team who also made sure they did a photo and video shoot of the whole restoration process with the photos and videos posted on MosquitoRestoration.com.

In case you aren’t familiar with the history of the British conceived Mosquito, it first flew on the November 25, 1940 and soon outperformed all other Allied and Enemy aircraft. In fact, it was 23 MPH faster than the Spitfire and so versatile that it performed in every role (e.g. bomber, fighter, fighter bomber, night fighter, photo reconnaissance etc). However and due to their wooden construction, only a few of the 7,000 or so Mosquitos built have managed to survive.

So as you can imagine, restoring a Mosquito to airworthy status from parts sourced and recovered from all over the world was no easy feat as the following short video shows:

Nevertheless, here is a video showing the end result – a Mosquito being flown for the first time in at least 15 years:

Finally, the MRC Aviation blog in New Zealand has found and posted this video of what appears to be the same Mosquito being dismantled in preparation to be shipped to the States:

Sounds like a good trade…

High-performance jet fighter, fully armed with missiles, guns. ECM equipment, fresh paint (stars and bars painted over), single seat, 97% reliability rate, will outclimb, outturn F-16, outrun F-14, low fuel burn (relatively), all digital avionics, radar, terrain following, INS, GPS, Tacan, used only for testing and sales promotion. Now in storage. Contact Northrop Corp. Will trade for Mig-25 and home address of Air Force Acquisition officer.

— ad found in ‘Pacific Flyer’ magazine, shortly after the F-20 program was cancelled

McDonnell Douglas military aircraft warranty registration and customer survey card…

This was posted very briefly on the McDonnell Douglas Website by an employee there who obviously has a sense of humour. The company, of course, does not have a sense of humour, and made the web department take it down immediately (for once).

The ‘IMPORTANT’ note at the end is worth a read too.

Thank you for purchasing a McDonnell Douglas military aircraft. In order to
protect your new investment, please take a few moments to fill out the
warranty registration card below. Answering the survey questions is not required, but the information will help us to develop new products that best meet your needs and desires.

1. Title/Name/Location
[_] Mr.
[_] Mrs.
[_] Ms.
[_] Miss
[_] Lt.
[_] Gen.
[_] Comrade
[_] Classified
[_] Other

First Name: …………………………………
Initial: …….
Last Name:…………………………………..
Password: …………………….. (max. 8 char)
Code Name:………………………………….
Latitude-Longitude-Altitude: …………………

2. Which model of aircraft did you purchase?
[_] F-14 Tomcat
[_] F-15 Eagle
[_] F-16 Falcon
[_] F-117A Stealth
[_] Classified

3. Date of purchase (Year/Month/Day): 20……./……./……

4. Serial Number:……………………………

5. Please indicate where this product was purchased:
[_] Received as gift / aid package
[_] Catalogue / showroom
[_] Independent arms broker
[_] Mail order
[_] Discount store
[_] Government surplus
[_] Classified

6. Please indicate how you became aware of the McDonnell Douglas product you have just purchased:
[_] Heard loud noise, looked up
[_] Store display
[_] Espionage
[_] Recommended by friend / relative / ally
[_] Political lobbying by manufacturer
[_] Was attacked by one

7. Please indicate the three (3) factors that most influenced your decision
to purchase this McDonnell Douglas product:
[_] Style / appearance
[_] Speed / manoeuvrability
[_] Price / value
[_] Comfort / convenience
[_] Kickback / bribe
[_] Recommended by salesperson
[_] McDonnell Douglas reputation
[_] Advanced Weapons Systems
[_] Backroom politics
[_] Negative experience opposing one in combat

HMS Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales: Making sense of their scale

Hat tip to David Cenciotti for posting a couple of graphics on his Aviationist blog that give an idea of just how big the HMS Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy’s future flagships, will be:

As David pointed out, the Royal Navy’s future aircraft carriers will not be as big as those in the US Navy; but at 280 meters and 65,000 tons, they will pack a punch. In fact, the aircraft carriers will be as long as 28 London buses and three times the size of Buckingham Palace.

In addition, the Daily Mail has posted this computer generated video of the aircraft carriers:

James Bond’s helicopters: The AgustaWestland AW101 and AW159

David Cenciotti, the blogger behind the Aviationist, has brought our attention to the AgustaWestland AW101 – one of the major toys in the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall. The helicopter, known as “Merlin” in aviation circles, is used by Bond’s enemy but its also being used by the militaries of several countries around the world, including the UK. In addition, the movie also featured an AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat which has been ordered for the British Army and Royal Navy.

According to Wikipedia, the AgustaWestland AW101’s origins date back to 1977 when the UK Ministry of Defence issued a requirement for an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter to replace the Royal Navy’s Westland Sea Kings. The helicopter was then jointly developed by Westland Helicopters in the UK and Agusta in Italy as well as manufactured in facilities located in Yeovil (south Somerset) and Vergiate (Italy). The AW101 ultimately replaced many older helicopters like the Sikorsky S-61 for medium-sized transport and anti-submarine warfare roles.

The AgustaWestland AW159’s origins date back to 2002 and its an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx military helicopter. Its intended roles include battlefield utility, search and rescue and anti-surface warfare.

AgustaWestland itself is playing up the James Bond connection with a dedicated page on its website that notes the aircraft in the movie were flown by their test pilots and filming required very precise flying due to the proximity to the film set and camera helicopter. In fact, 15 hours were spent rehearsing and shooting the scenes involving the helicopters and they have even put together the following video posted on the AgustaWestland YouTube video channel: