Master
Gotta love those Allison engines. With a black smoke signature almost as impressive as the B-707’s
Cynical Moi?
Right on, HJ.
I recall Douglas Bader saying during one of his RAF Anniversary Air Shows Commentaries (75th I think it was ??)
It was Bader, but apparently not the 75th Anni. which was in 1983. He died in Sept '82.
Must have been the 70th.
Didn't wish to distort history.
Master
In the early 80's I remember seeing an Anset freight Electra going in to Cairns, they called em wombats?
Swaggie
SubscriberI went on an Electra on my honeymoon from Brisbane to Mackay ( in 1969)where it broke down before going to Proserpine.
We then got a scenic flight on a Twatter very low over the reef, and it was great! Except where the captain pointed out where one had come in too low on a short strip.
I clearly recall that they synchronized the engines on the Electra after the climb out, and the engine notes went from much heterodyning to smooth.
Regards Philip A
Cynical Moi?
Speaking of which, my late uncle ( would you believe his name was Doug?) was a Training Captain with Ansett & flew the first Electra into Adelaide. As it was a novel thing at the time he was given ATC Clearance to circle the Adelaide Oval a couple of times at a reasonable low level before landing at the then West Beach Airport, now Adelaide International.
A bit of pre-arranged publicity for Reg I suppose, as it also was a Grand Final game. "Eyes up".
The same bloke always had an old Astro Compass on his coffee table as a conversation piece. It certainly had me intrigued when I stayed with him in Melbourne.
He had also flown the Dakota "Bully Beef Bombers" in PNG back in WW2 & Post War had opened up a route through the Pacific for the olde BCPA (British Commonwealth Pacific Airways) flying DC6 & 6Bs via Canton Island. Google BCPA) A great bloke who tried to teach me the Morse Code but without much success I'm afraid. He & my Aunt also a licensed flyer, would speak to each other in Morse but it didn't help.
I understand the Electra was not a very sound or reliable a/c for it's time & had two fatal crashes, but it must have had a lot going for it as it later became the Orion 'Mk1' air frame I understand.
Sorry, what was the question?
Master
Dunno about any Australian Electra losses, 4bee? At least 3 Viscounts were lost back in the day.
Although a RAAF P3 was lost off Cocos when some of the wing leading edges separated during a high speed (circa 380kt) beat up that was conducted at low level.
There were a few overseas losses as a result of ‘whirl mode flutter’, but I think the problem was fixed in service.
Cynical Moi?
I didn't specify Oz, HJ, but 3 apparently occurred in the US or according to this report they did.
The Electra entered service in early January 1959 with US operator Eastern Airlines.
Unfortunately, three L188s were to crash with loss of life within the first 16 months of the type’s
introduction to service. The cause, called "whirlpool mode", was eventually identified as a weakness
in the engine mountings which produced excessive engine nacelle vibration, leading to wing flexing
and finally wing separation. Electras were still permitted to operate while the crashes were under
investigation, but their cruising speed was reduced to 255 kts/475kmh. After the fault had been
determined, Lockheed recalled all Electras built to that point and, at its own expense, carried out a
number of modifications including engine mount bracing and installation of additional wing
supports. Each aircraft took approximately 20 days to modify, eventually costing Lockheed a total of
some US$25 million.
Reg Ansett had visited Lockheed
I seem to vaguely remember the Viscount prangs as well.
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