Plane Tales
343 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 143 ratingsThe View from Our Side of the Cockpit Door
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Legend
December 12, 2020 00:20 - 22 minutes - 26.4 MBMany of my aviation heroes are complicated people of nuance and contradiction but not this man. As I reflect on his life, so recently ended, I remind myself of his uncompromising, direct manner but also of his enormous courage and skill that brought Charles Edward Yeager to the world’s attention. Yeager grew up helping his father out on gas drilling rigs. Yeager joined the Air Force as a Private and became a mechanic but he soon made his way into pilot training. He was initially give...
Bravo November
December 01, 2020 17:13 - 19 minutes - 24.7 MBThe RAF Chinook helicopter has proved to be a versatile and determined workhorse for the British Armed services but none more so than the airframe Bravo November. This remarkable machine was the sole surviving Chinook of the Falklands war and it continued to operate in many operations in the Middle East. Even more remarkable was the bravery of it's pilots, four of whom received the Distinguished Flying Cross. A US Army CH47A. An RAF Chinook. Argentinian forces invade Stanley. ...
The Average Pilot
November 30, 2020 22:16 - 19 minutes - 25.3 MBWhen examining pilot deaths in WWI it was discovered that 90% were put down to pilot errors whereas only 2% were due to enemy action! Things didn't improve in WW2 either. A lowly 23 year old analyst challenged the assumption that cockpits should be designed to fit the Average Pilot. This is the story of Human Factors in Aviation. An RAF pilot's annual assessment of ability. Quételet, the man who invented averages. The University of Ghent. It was the study of Astronomy that gav...
You Couldn’t Give These Away Either!
November 22, 2020 22:10 - 19 minutes - 24.9 MBHaving recently talked about of couple of embarrassingly awful US World War 2 aircraft it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention some from my side of the Atlantic that were knocked together in the jolly old British Isles! Sadly, there are way too many to cover so I’ll just take a deep breath and mention a few! Adverts for Boulton and Paul garden sunrooms. The Wonderful Airfix Defiant model. The ungainly Rhino parachute that the Defiant gunners wore. The Sopwith Camel that Boulto...
Lest We Forget
November 13, 2020 15:40 - 14 minutes - 20.3 MBIt was in the early predawn that Pilot Officer Richard Pryce Hughes crashed his aircraft on the heathland a little less than 500 yards from where I live. That was 78 years ago and I was yet to be born and where my house is was still a pine covered heathland. A marker has been erected to show the location of the crash and as we approach the 11th of the 11th my wife or I place a cross on the small monument in remembrance, lest we forget. The heathland upon which Pilot Officer Richard Pryce Hug...
Orford Ness
November 08, 2020 15:35 - 20 minutes - 24.5 MBOrford Ness is a remote spit of marsh and shingle covered land that sticks out into the North Sea. Part of the chilly, windswept Suffolk coast of East England it became the secret location for a place where boffins could work on the latest experiments in aviation and nuclear weapons. It was also the place where one of the very last pilots to die in WW I would meet his end. In ancient times, Orford Ness was home to smugglers! Orford Ness in modern times, not far from Bungay! The villa...
You Couldn’t Give ‘Em Away!
October 09, 2020 14:54 - 20 minutes - 23.8 MBI’ve done plenty of Tales about the triumphant aircraft of World War 2 that fought in the skies over Europe, Africa Russia and the Far East. Quite naturally, I guess, not so much is known about the horrible failures. Not all of the aircraft we will look at were quite that bad... many were just misguided ideas, old designs or put into the wrong role! Vultee P-66 Vanguard. The Vanguard with its original cowling design which gave insufficient cooling to the big radial engine. The Vangu...
The Wonderful Life of Brien
October 03, 2020 14:52 - 19 minutes - 26.8 MBAny of Brien Wygle’s achievements would be enough for most of us to dine-out on for the rest of our lives. A World War 2 pilot who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy. A man who flew Hump missions in a vulnerable C-47s and who saw three of his comrades go down in a single day. A pilot who volunteered to fly bombing missions for the fledgling Israeli Air Force, who taught Howard...
Holmes and the Battle of Britain
September 25, 2020 14:39 - 19 minutes - 20.8 MBOn the 18th of June 1940, Churchill stood in Parliament and gave a speech in which he stated that what General Weyland had called the Battle of France was over and that the Battle of Britain was about to begin. In the middle of this remarkable conflict was one Raymond Towers Holmes... Sir Winston Churchill Hermann Göring Preparations being made for the invasion of Britain Joseph Kennedy, the US Ambassador to Great Britain Adolf Hitler The Me 110 The Supermarine Spitf...
It’s Not What You Say!
September 19, 2020 14:35 - 19 minutes - 19.9 MBI was recently digging through some old airline paperwork and came across a delightful booklet from my old airline entitled Cabin Address from the Flight Deck - briefing notes and suggestions. The booklet is more than 20 years old so the content might, on occasions, fail to reflect current sensitivities but I thought it worth digging into so that I could share some of its suggestions with you. Images with kind permission of cartoonist Capt John Reed AKA Figment.
Little Nellie and Her Friends
September 13, 2020 14:32 - 19 minutes - 22.7 MBLittle Nellie was a rare breed of aviatrix the name of which has its origins in Ancient Greek. In more modern parlance, we have the familiar name autogyro… literally meaning self-turning. The way they work is the same way as a seed from a tree like a Sycamore flies and flying an autogyro is a novel form of taking to the air but one that saved 007! Juan de la Cierva - the First Count. The world's first autogyro, Ciervas's C1 A replica of the C6 The Cierva C9 The Pitcairn autog...
RAF Form 414, Volume 7
September 04, 2020 13:31 - 19 minutes - 22.6 MBA continuation of the stories from Capt Nick's RAF Form 414... his flying logbook. BAe Nimrod MR2 The Old Pilot and a Bear Norwegen F-5A The Shackleton AEW2 A Canadian CL-28 Argus The Avro Vulcan The Skyflash semi active radar guided missile An AQM37. The Stiletto was an air launched version. A Skyflash missile firing from the F4 Phantom Post missile firing treasure Yours truly Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to The Old Pilot, Dal...
The Band Played On
August 31, 2020 13:18 - 20 minutes - 23.2 MBNow a story about the US Navy Band may not seem to be my usual fare in Tales but bear with me and I must thank serving Band member and APG listener Tuba Tony for suggesting the topic for this story. The United States Navy Ceremonial Band The distant origin of the first Navy musicians. The USS Macon Eisenhower as a General and President A DC3 A US Navy DC6 The Bandsmen lost in the tragic crash Sugarloaf mountain Images under Creative Commons licence with tha...
Dr. Christmas and His Bullet
August 23, 2020 13:17 - 19 minutes - 23.4 MBThere are many things that one might want to be remembered for. A fine physician, a pioneer aviator, a renown aeronautical researcher, an inspired inventor but perhaps not as the greatest charlatan ever to see his name associated with an airplane, even though his scout fighter the Christmas Bullet had a perfect kill record… it killed everyone who ever tried to fly it! The AEA Redwing One of Christmas's Patents The Christmas Bullet The Christmas Bullet The Liberty 6 E...
The Secret Life of 60528
August 17, 2020 01:07 - 20 minutes - 14.8 MBBack in 1997, on a sliver of land wedged between a gas station and a car park, a lone C130 Hercules could be found. It was mounted there near the entrance to the National Security Agency at Fort Mead in Maryland for a good reason. Not the original aircraft, as that crashed on foreign soil, it had been painted with the tail number 60528 to represent it. The memorial to the crew of 60528 The C130 airborne The plot of 60528 and the track of the intercepting fighters. A Mig 17 ...
Names To Conjure With
August 07, 2020 16:47 - 19 minutes - 28.3 MBIf you are anything like the usual aviation enthusiast you’ll have a list of famous names in your head that you can quote at parties to bore your friends like, Wilbur and Orville, Bleriot, Richthofen, Lindbergh, Sikorsky, Whittle, Yeager and such but I wonder if you can place some of the others who deserve recognition. Charlie Taylor Hans Von Ohain Ohain's HeS8 jet engine The He178 The He280 Gloster E-28 Olive-Ann and TravelAir The Staggerwing Doolittle and ...
The Son of Enola Tibbets
August 01, 2020 16:38 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBHe is dead now but you’ll find no stone to mark his grave since he has neither grave nor marker, which is a little odd for a much decorated American hero who fought for his country with outstanding bravery... but it was his wish and his family accepted that. Boeing B-17D The 509th Project Alberta The Trinity Test tower The world's first atomic bomb just prior to the Trinity Test The Trinity Test fireball Little Boy The mission map Detonation Hiroshima ju...
U-134
July 22, 2020 20:56 - 18 minutes - 24 MBIn 1941 the German Navy commissioned its latest submarine, the U-134 and as it slid out of harbour to join the 5th U boat flotilla, Captain-Lieutenant Rudolf Schendel keenly anticipated the mission ahead. You may be wondering why this Type 7C U Boat should feature in a Plane Tale but bear with me as I introduce the K-74. Built a year after the U-134, the K 74 came from a company with an interesting origin, the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation. This is their intriguing story. The Type VIIc U-...
Who Killed Yogi Bear?
July 18, 2020 20:49 - 18 minutes - 20.5 MBThe ejector seat is still a subject of fascination for a lot of pilots, mainly those who have never been strapped to one. It’s often the opinion of folk not part of the small fast jet community that an ejection is a simple matter, you just pull the handle and ‘boom’ you’re safe. The B58 Hustler An ejector seat from the B-58 Hustler Smarter than the average bear! North American Aviation test pilot George Smith. The F100 Vought A-7E-5-CV Corsair II The USS Constellation...
The Rare Redhawk
July 12, 2020 20:47 - 19 minutes - 21.7 MBOn April the 1st 2011, a little known story of intrigue and tension within the usually calm and placid country of Canada came to light. This little known affair which brought the United States and Canada to a breaking point revolved around the purchase of an unusual Fighter for the RCAF. This drama of the 1960s has become notorious in government circles and is variously referred to as, “The Stab in the Back-yard”, “The Fishbed Flap” “The Redhawk Incident” or more ominously “The Canuck Invasi...
The Auger Inn and Other Fine Establishments
July 05, 2020 17:18 - 19 minutes - 28.1 MBI’ve talked a lot about alcohol over the past few Plane Tales and mainly about the negative aspects but it remains one of the few socially acceptable drugs that we can imbibe. With our propensity for travelling the world, fighter jocks, trash haulers, airline crews and the rest, have always managed to find some fascinating watering holes to frequent to let the stress of the day gently drain away in convivial company over a drink or two. With that in mind I asked the crew to tell me about one ...
Life’s Too Short
July 01, 2020 17:46 - 19 minutes - 22.2 MBFlying is an environment where the pilot's senses, coordination and mental faculties are vital to the safe conduct of a flight. Getting airborne having taken something that might impair one’s flying ability is a complete anathema to the vast majority of aviators so it is vital that we look at ourselves and our fellow pilots to recognise those who might need help. The route taken by Aero 311. The Bay of Bothnia. An Aero DC3. The crash site of Aero 311. The JAL 8054 DC8 Frei...
The Well Dressed Aviator
June 20, 2020 03:24 - 19 minutes - 18.5 MBWhen the gentlemen aviators of the First World War were looking for protective clothing to wear whilst doing battle over the trenches of the Somme, they visited establishments such as Alfred Dunhill’s where they were invited to alight for the best equipment. This is the story of such wonderful flying garb as the Sidcot Suit, the Irving jacket and the classic American flight and bomber jackets. A 1930 'Sidcot' suit. The G1 Navy Flight Jacket. Steve McQueen in his A2. Chuck Yeag...
The Bat Bomb
June 13, 2020 03:20 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBNecessity is the mother of invention so it's often during war that the most amazing contrivances are developed... and some of the most ridiculous. This is a look at a few of the less successful wartime inventions! The Bat Bomb. During testing, a few bats escaped and disaster followed! A slab of Pykrete with a bullet mark. The proposed Pykrete aircraft carrier. The Bat guided bomb used in Project Pigeon. The Fu-Go hydrogen balloon bomb. A Fu-Go balloon found near ...
The Ian Palmer Interviews, Part 4
June 04, 2020 13:37 - 20 minutes - 19 MBIn this, the final part of the Ian Palmer interviews we find out about another life threatening concern that Ian had to deal with and how it led to a wonderful relationship. After my many years in the world of aviation there aren’t many people I have met who would be willing to open up their lives in the way that Ian has done. In doing so my regard and respect for him has done nothing but grow. Should anybody listening feel that they want to seek Ian out to ask for his help or advice then p...
The Ian Palmer Interviews, Part 3
May 30, 2020 14:28 - 18 minutes - 17.8 MBThe third Ian Palmer interview deals with Ian's attempts to overcome his condition of alcohol dependance and how his life moved on. Ian rehearsing with his friend and mentor, Steve Gadd. Images with thanks to Ian Palmer.
The Ian Palmer Interviews, Part 2
May 24, 2020 14:27 - 18 minutes - 9.09 MBIn this, the second of the Ian Palmer interviews we continue with Ian's story and he describes his move from a career in music to one in aviation. We also find out how his condition of alcohol dependance starts to affect him. Ian doing aerobatics in an Extra 300. The unusual Piaggio P-180. Ian meets the Iron Maiden drummer, Nicko McBrain. Images with thanks to Ian Palmer and, under Creative Commons licence,Tibboh.
Homage to a Pilot
May 18, 2020 14:20 - 20 minutes - 9.9 MBMy father was beacon that led me into the world of aviation and steered me unerringly through my flying life more accurately than any gauge or needle on my instrument panel. He grew up on the white sand beaches of Western Australia, fought in the Second World War on the Sunderland Flying boats of No 10 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force and continued to fly in peacetime, plying his way around the world on firstly the DC2 and finally the B747. He became a restaurateur, avocado farmer and ev...
The Ian Palmer Interviews, Part 1
May 09, 2020 17:44 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBIan Palmer's life has hardly gone as smoothly as he might have wished. Born into a family of musicians, particularly drummers including Carl Palmer of the band ELP, he started off as a very successful drummer himself. What he didn't know was that he suffered from a condition that carries great stigma and frequently leads to ruin and death... alcoholism. This is the first part of an inspiring and brutally honest interview that follows his life from drumming into aviation. Title image: Ian ...
The Ian Palmer Interviews Part 1
May 09, 2020 17:44 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBIan Palmer's life has hardly gone as smoothly as he might have wished. Born into a family of musicians, particularly drummers including Carl Palmer of the band ELP, he started off as a very successful drummer himself. What he didn't know was that he suffered from a condition that carries great stigma and frequently leads to ruin and death... alcoholism. This is the first part of an inspiring and brutally honest interview that follows his life from drumming into aviation. Title image: Ian ...
Willy Wonka and the Fighter Pilot
May 02, 2020 18:18 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MBBorn in Wales to immigrant parents he would grow to a height of 6’ 6” and climbing into the cockpit of a World War II fighter was going to be a problem… but he managed it and before long had earned the moniker Lofty. He would pen books that charmed children for generations and generations for Lofty, who was an army officer, fighter pilot and spy was better known as the renown author who sold over 100 million copies of his books, Roald Dahl. Roald Dahl. The Gloster Gladiator. Roald...
The Man Who Fell to Earth
April 27, 2020 16:35 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBFifty three years ago a man fell to earth. He came from space having survived the appallingly hostile conditions that exist there. Apart from the hard vacuum, the electromagnetic radiation, the intense cold, the cosmic rays and other damaging particles that exist there. Despite overcoming numerous failures on his Soyuz-1 spacecraft he had achieved the near impossible and piloted a manual reentry... all he had to do now was to wait for the life saving parachutes to deploy. Colonel Vladimir...
The Butcher Bird
April 18, 2020 16:32 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBThe German name for the Shrike songbird is Würger, which also means Strangler and by coincidence, was also the name given to the Focke-Wulf 190, a World War II fighter which quickly became one of the most feared Axis fighters of the 2nd World War. Various dubious plans were made to get hold of one to reveal its secrets but then along came Oberleutnant Armin Faber. Armin Faber's gift in RAF markings. The Shoreham Aircraft Museum. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to...
The Battle of A Sầu
April 13, 2020 16:29 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MBDick Andrews was flying over the battle of A Sầu in Vietnam and feeling deja view as he saw what was going on beneath him. It took his mind back to the day in WWII when he landed his P38 Lightning in a field to rescue his leader who had crash landed there. Now he was watching the same thing happening below except a Skyraider was landing amongst enemy Viet Cong and not German troops. A remarkable coincidence and a remarkable pair of stories. Bernie Fisher wearing his Medal of Honour in...
The Triangle
April 05, 2020 21:17 - 21 minutes - 20.2 MBI was about to enter the Devil's Triangle, the Limbo of the Lost, the Twilight Zone or the Hoodoo Sea… more commonly referred to as the Bermuda Triangle. What dangers awaited, would I disappear like the famous loss of the 5 Avengers of Flight 19! Listen to this terrifying story of myth and mystery! A fine example of a Pseudoscience. The Bermuda Triangle. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Lt Cdr Horace Bristol, US Navy, Alphaios and People's Cyclopedia of Univer...
The A320
March 26, 2020 23:05 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBBoeing was the most successful aircraft manufacturing company on the planet but a European consortium thought they could take on the world's best selling airliner, the B737, with a design of their own. So was borne the A320 family of airliners with the most daring and radical of technological advances that the airline industry had seen since the advent of the jet engine. But the birth of the A320 was marred by a controversial crash that might sink the project before it had got going! A tale...
The Pluck of the Irish
March 21, 2020 20:53 - 18 minutes - 17.5 MBWhat better day to celebrate the aviators of Ireland than on St Patrick's Day. From the crash of Alcock and Brown to a tractor maker and a flying olympic competitor, the Emerald Isles have a fascinating aviation history. Henry Ferguson, perhaps better known as an agricultural machinery maker than a pilot. Lilian Bland piloting her Mayfly. Lady Heath featured top centre amongst the best known aviators of the '30s. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Joseph D. Edd...
Passing More Gas
March 15, 2020 20:35 - 18 minutes - 17.7 MBThe sequel to Passing Gas recalls what it's actually like to plug into a tanker and take on a fighter pilot's life blood... fuel! Of course not every tanker mission goes as planned and some have ended in tragedy and one, by the smallest of margins, was saved from further disaster on an epic scale. Two MH-53E Super Stallion helicopters perform aerial refueling from a KC-130J Hercules tanker aircraft. A K3 VC10 tanker of the Royal Air Force. KC-135 Stratotanker refuels an F-16 during ...
Passing Gas
March 10, 2020 20:32 - 19 minutes - 18 MBThe history of Air to Air refuelling and how the systems that we are now familiar with, the boom and the probe & drogue, came into being. Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter receiving the first mid-air refueling on June 27, 1923. The Question Mark receives fuel during its record breaking endurance flight. A KB-50J refuels a F-101A Voodoo, B-66 Destroyer and F-100D Super Sabre at RAF Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire on Battle of Britain Day, 14 September 1963. A TriStar K1 ...
Goose is Dead
March 02, 2020 20:30 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBWith the prospect of a new movie following the classic Top Gun in the offing, we take a largely 'tongue in cheek' look at the F14 and how Maverick got into a 'flat spin heading out to sea!" F-14A Tomcats of Fighter Squadrons VF-51 "Screaming Eagles", the VF-111 "Sundowners" and F-5E/F Tiger IIs of the Navy Fighter Weapons School. An F-14D Tomcat. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to PH2 Michael D.P. Flynn, the U.S. Navy, LCdr. David Baranak,
Buckeye 2
February 23, 2020 21:43 - 18 minutes - 17.5 MBDuring the Vietnam war, the A6 Intruder was known for making daring, low level attacks in foul conditions and often alone. As such it had more than its fair share of losses. One such loss was due to a lone .303 bullet which gravely injured the pilot and would have killed him if not for the brave actions of his Bombardier Navigator... actions that would result in the award of a Navy Cross. An A6 Intruder on deck. USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63). A pair of A-6As of VA-85 the Black Falcons in ...
The Things on Your Wings
February 17, 2020 21:41 - 18 minutes - 17 MBIf you've ever looked out onto a wing and wondered what the strange looking blades and plates attached to it are? Then wonder no longer! An explanation of Vortex Generators and Wing Fences and why we need them. A fine set of wing fences on the Mig 17. This one can be seen on the deck of USS Intrepid in NY. A line of vortex generators on the wing of an A4 in the hangar of USS Intrepid. The wing of a Skyhawk on USS Intrepid displaying a number of boundary layer control devices. Vo...
The Airman’s Cross
February 06, 2020 22:52 - 18 minutes - 17 MBVisit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stonehenge and you will pass another stone monument. It's the Airman's Cross, placed by his comrades to commemorate the death of an early airman, Captain Eustace Broke Loraine and his Sergeant, who died when he crashed his Nieuport Monoplane near Stonehenge. This pioneer aviator deserves to be recognised not just because of his own place in history but for his friendship with a very special officer who he encouraged to take up flying. The Nieuport...
RAF Form 414 Vol. 6
February 02, 2020 15:31 - 19 minutes - 18.5 MBFun in the Sun continues with part 2 of my first Air to Air Gunnery camp in Cyprus. The work has started and now it's time to become ACE (Allied Command Europe) qualified with the mighty M61 Vulcan cannon. Before long, though it's time to return to reality and, as my first year on the squadron comes to a close, time for my first annual assessment. An unmounted M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon. The shells that the Vulcan cannon fires. As pleased as Punch! Images under Creative Commons ...
RAF Form 414 Vol. 5
January 26, 2020 15:26 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MBDelving back into my RAF Pilot's Logbook, Form 414, it's time for the annual instrument rating and prepare for our first deployment to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Whilst the 'High Ups' sorted everything out for a major detachment, I'm left doing QRA but at last we are heading south for the Mediterranean. My journey, however, is in the opposite of a supersonic fighter jet! The ancient island of Cyprus. Our little corner of the ancient island of Cyprus. A miniature and modern version o...
The A300
January 16, 2020 15:22 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBThis story harks back to the 300th APG show and was rewritten for the Plane Talking UK live show near Heathrow Airport. It is the story of a crippled Airbus A300 that barely survives a missile attack and the excellent work by a phenomenal Flight Deck crew. The DHL A300 that was struck. The landing. The damage done to the A300's left wing. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to dodmedia and Airbus Flight Safety.
Sounds Like a Drag!
January 10, 2020 15:18 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBThe Convair 990 was a financial disaster that cost General Dynamics one of the largest corporate losses in history but thanks to some fascinating aerodynamics it was also the world's fastest subsonic airliner. This is the story of a little known airliner and the transonic design that allowed it to cruise at Mach 0.97! Convair CV 990 displaying anti-shock bodies on the top surface of its wings as it sits on the ramp at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. Listener Ramiro Couto takes ...
The Life of Dieter Dengler
January 03, 2020 15:14 - 21 minutes - 20.2 MBGrowing up in poverty, life in Germany following WWII was hard, but for one young man, dreams of starting a new life as a pilot in America seemed beyond imagination. However, through strength of character and determination, Dieter Dengler would achieve his goal only to have his short career brought to an abrupt end when he was downed flying a secret mission over Laos at the start of the Vietnam war. The story of his subsequent capture, torture and his ultimate fate is a remarkable story. ...
Loop de Loop Flip Flop Santa’s Got an Airplane
December 23, 2019 20:11 - 17 minutes - 18.5 MBFrom one of the lesser known Bee Gee's records comes a bizarre title for a seasonal song that brings to mind the story of Captain William Wincapaw, a native of Friendship in Maine. In his early days of flying float planes around Rockland Harbour he often used the many lighthouses of New England to help him navigate in poor weather. His fondness for the families who tended these lighthouses and Coast Guard stations, often in the most remote of situations, led him to begin a Christmas traditi...
Black Christmas
December 17, 2019 20:00 - 18 minutes - 19 MBAfter WWII many American pilots were employed by the growing Chinese airline industry flying from poorly equipped airfields in China. The weather was often difficult and the terrain dangerous but on Christmas day 1946, struggling to get back to their base at Lunghwa airfield tragedy would strike... not once but three times. This is the awful story of that night in Shanghai. A CNAC Curtis C46. Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to CNAC archives and National Mu...