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Post by bhk on Aug 24, 2007 4:23:24 GMT -5
I've just finished reading a book written by this pioneer of aerial refuelling and learned that, in 1927, Cobham, accompanied by his wife and two others, flew from England, down through Africa and back in a survey for the viability of establishing an air service. Cobham-Blackburn Co. never operated such a service but Imperial Airways and their African associates subsequently did so. But it is Cobham's journey - in a Short Singapore flying boat - which is the subject of a new Flight that I am currently putting together and expect to make available fairly soon. However, I cannot find a Short Singapore model for FlightSim. Does anyone know if there is one available anywhere? If not, I will use Jens Kristensen's Short S.17 Kent ("Scipio") as the central focus. Bruce.
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Post by bhk on Aug 24, 2007 7:19:48 GMT -5
I've learned that the Short S.5 Singapore flown by Cobham & company was the twin-engined Mk.1, which never went into production. I've also discovered a CFS2/FS2002 version of the above-pictured Mk.III....on Sim-Outhouse. Created by 'baldy'. So what I've done is to take this package and replaced the AIR file and the CFG file with that of the HP42, and then made the appropriate adjustments to alter the power, weights, etc. to suit the Mk.1 Singapore specs. It still has four engines but performs like the twin......however it takes off in too short a distance. I also aliased the HP42 panel and the Dh89 sounds but can't do anything about Mrs. Cobham and the other crew manning the gun positions! Interesting also in that the shadow it casts is that of the Sikorsky S-38! So the aircraft is sort of representative of the real thing. Route has been created and is as accurate as I can determine from the information in the book ("A Time To Fly", 1978). Because the vast majority of the stopping places were on rivers or bays or lakes and have no modern land-plane equivalent it is impossible to make a flightplan for use with the default FSim Map, but I will be listing the locations and their lat/longs, which will enable the route to be followed easily enough. FSNavigator users will have no problem in using the route map I've made for that utility. Cripes, it's a long journey! He left London (the Medway River) on 17th. November 1927 and returned to England (Plymouth ) on 31 May 1928! But then, he also flew from Alexandria, down to Kisumu and back, twice - the first time because he was under charter to the British government and the second time for his own benefit as he continued the trip down through and then up the west coast of Africa. It's amazing what these pioneers did and the trials and tribulations they suffered. Bruce
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Post by leylandspurr on Aug 24, 2007 11:38:53 GMT -5
Bruce, There was a working AI version of Baldy's Singapore in Froggy's "Bowness-on-Windermere" scenery. That uses the pale pre-war colours, but there is also a repaint in RNZAF camo colours (I can send you a texture file if you want). She always was 'keen to fly', I asked Baldy about that but he said she went off quickly from the day she was born! You could try reducing the available power. Here's the only picture I have of the aircraft loaned to Sir Alan Cobham: Leyland
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Post by bhk on Aug 24, 2007 16:15:25 GMT -5
Leyland, Thanks for the tip....and also the photo. The specs have allowed me to further adjust the specs of the aircraft in the sim. I've pretty much tuned baldy's all-metal kite to perform as I like it: it feels "unspritely", if you know what I mean, apart from taking off in 50 feet! I think if I reduce the power further it will be detrimental to its performance in the air. I'm tied up over this weekend (sailing) but will try and complete this Flight at night and when I'm happy with it (I want to do a decent write-up) I'll announce it's uploading in this thread. Cobham didn't have an easy time of it, being held up for quite lengthy periods at Malta and near Abidjan, on the Ivory Coast. The first was due to storm damage, which required a new starboard wing being made and shipped out from Blighty. The second was when the crankcase of the st'brd Condor started to fall apart. He landed in a lagoon not far from Abidjan and had to wait for Rolls-Royce to ship out a replacement engine. A hard grind, indeed! Bruce
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Post by cptroyce on Aug 24, 2007 16:27:55 GMT -5
Bruce- Looking forward to flying this one..these IA flights (and their early incarnations) are just "up my alley".
I am familiar with the flight and it's position in an "IA historical" sense...but the book you've mentioned..how annecdotal (sp?) is it as it relates to Cobham's trip?
Regards, Royce
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Post by bhk on Aug 25, 2007 1:33:51 GMT -5
Royce, It is subtitled "The Memoirs of Sir Alan Cobham" and from what I can determine, was published by his estate after his death. The book looks at his flying career in total rather than detailing one aspect of that colourful life. I know he did a book about the African adventure (something like "20,000 Miles Around Africa") and that, I assume, would be extremely detailed, whereas the chapter given over to the African journey in this book is condensed and more than likely contains information available in the dedicated book. It's in Cobhams words so I guess it is accurate and there are some interesting snippets (the bits about Malta and Abidjan, for example) but if you are interested in the tale of the African saga then I'd try and find the "20,000 Miles..." publication. The chapter in the book I bought goes from page 126 to 149 - 23 pages. So it is really just an overview. I hope this has answered your question. Regards, Bruce
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Post by cptroyce on Aug 25, 2007 8:33:14 GMT -5
Thanks Bruce..that's what I was interested in finding out. Looks like the "20,000 miles etc." volume would be more in line to what I was interested in.
Regards, Royce
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Post by leylandspurr on Aug 25, 2007 10:23:49 GMT -5
Hi Royce, It's full title is "Twenty-thousand Miles in a Flying Boat: My Flight Round Africa" by Sir Alan J. Cobham. I checked Amazon.com and they seemed expensive, but Amazon.co.uk have it available as a paperback at a much better price (although you would need to check out the postage costs). Maybe a paperback is available somewhere else in the USA? Leyland
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Post by Admin on Aug 25, 2007 13:43:26 GMT -5
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Post by leylandspurr on Aug 25, 2007 13:51:26 GMT -5
Sorry about that guys, I only spotted 60 dollars and 214 dollars (gold plated, signed by the author, previously belonged to C Lindberg? ) Leyland
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Post by bhk on Aug 25, 2007 16:27:08 GMT -5
Royce, Another good resource for finding new & second-hand books is AbeBooks. That's where I look first, trying to find domestic sellers rather than buying from O/S. I can then purchase through direct deposit instead of credit card. I've just found a rather tatty but readable copy in a bookshop not far from Canberra for less than US$20. www.abebooks.comBruce
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Post by cptroyce on Aug 25, 2007 18:33:25 GMT -5
Thanks guys..Amazon looked fine..just ordered it..now I'm interested in reading it and flying it against your flight Bruce,
Regards, Royce
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Post by bhk on Aug 26, 2007 16:09:05 GMT -5
Thanks guys..Amazon looked fine..just ordered it..now I'm interested in reading it and flying it against your flight Bruce, Regards, Royce Royce, I hope you won't be too critical and will make allowances for the fact that I'm using the abridged version!! I am somewhat puzzled by one link in the route as described in the book I'm using as a reference. He mentions that he flies from Lourenco Marques to Durban and then Johannesburg (thence Capetown), yet the logical sequence would have been to go to Johannesburg before Durban. Perhaps, when you get your book, you could confirm this? I can always issue a revised route. Regards, Bruce
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Post by cptroyce on Aug 26, 2007 20:10:03 GMT -5
Bruce - Should be coming this week..glad to confirm anything that you;d need to make the routing as accurate as possible :>)
Regards, Royce
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Post by bhk on Aug 27, 2007 0:35:50 GMT -5
I succumbed to temptation and bought the copy available here in Oz......or I should say, the cheapest copy! It should be here later this week so I'll hold off completing the Flight until I get a chance to double-check the route details. Bruce
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