Relatively rare airplanes.

[Colonel]

Oh yeah.  I've logged PIC (see the journey log, and wrenched)
on a DH 87 Hornet Moth.  Only three in North America, and not
many of those fly.  Here's my buddy Larry:

[img width=500 height=363][/img]

Whitworth hardware and a fully swivelling tailwheel and
folding wings.  Pre-war cabin biplane.  Designed to be flown off
a large square grass field always into wind.  Larry was a good
enough stick to fly it off pavement with a crosswind - with a
swivelling tailwheel.  Maybe 10 pilots in Canada with that much
stick & rudder skill.  Maybe not.  Perhaps 8 now that Eric and I
have been disenfranchised by TC.  Still looking for that authority
in the Aeronautics Act.

Go to your local FTU and ask about Whitworth hardware and a
checkout on a Hornet Moth and a Royal Gull.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_S ... _Whitworth

[Colonel]

It sure as hell didn't used to be a rare airplane, but one
airplane I really enjoyed checking myself out on, was the
(450hp R-985) Stearman.  Inverted systems!  Smoke!

[img width=500 height=362][/img]

A big old biplane.  Built like a tank.  A very rare sight these days.

[Colonel]

On the subject of airplanes that didn't used to be rare ...

Harvard / T-6 / SNJ

[img width=500 height=375][/img]

This one was weird.  Wings were clipped, ailerons snatched.  Huge
geared 3-bladed prop with all the gyroscopic precession that you
can imagine, and more boost than the jugs could take.  Short zoomies
made it LOUD without prop tip noise.  P-51 retractable tailwheel and
virtually no prop tip-to-ground clearance during a wheel landing, esp
with compressed main gear.  Too many mods to list.

Everyone was scared of it, but I loved it.  Checked myself out in it,
flew surface acro in it, first flight.  Hammerhead was interesting.

[Colonel]

Another example of an aircraft that sure as hell didn't used to
be rare, but you never see any more:

[img width=500 height=333]https://generalaviationnews.com/wp-cont ... e-ramp.jpg[/img]

I actually didn't much like how the P-51D (TF-51) flew.  Heavy
ailerons at speed - needed servo tabs.  Bled airspeed badly when
you put the G on - fast, but not a turning machine.  Needed work
on the wingtips!

It was so under-developed, I couldn't believe it was a "D" model.
What the hell had they been working on, for the A/B/C?!  One
flight, and I noticed those two serious flaws, both of which as a
really stupid fucking engineer (compared to all the self-proclaimed
genius princesses in Canadian aviation) I could immediately
propose fixes for.

You should never meet your heroes.

[Colonel]

Rare in Canada (4 or 5 C-registered?) but common as water everywhere
else in the world:

[img width=500 height=332][/img]

Nice airplane, but the spool-up will kill you.  Ask the guy who
crashed a T-33 800 feet short of an 8000 foot runway at Hamilton -
TC thought he was a GREAT stick and wouldn't give FernV a type
rating on it.  What the fuck ....

[Colonel]

T-bone.  Don't see many on the ramp these days.

[img width=500 height=375][/img]

Not many left.  Geared engines.  Everyone but me hates them.

They sound orgasmic and have a solid feel.  Was never a fan
of the piano keys though.  Great fun during the usual self-checkout.

[img width=500 height=332][/img]

[Colonel]

Not sure this counts as rare or not:

[img width=500 height=302][/img]

First Lancair III that flew in Canada.  Speedy but IMHO had
pretty demanding flight characteristics, esp without the wingtips.

I would recommend both jet and taildragger experience for
anyone that wants to fly one.  Most people would shit their pants
if they ever stalled it.  NLF wing reminded me a lot of the P-51 stall.

I never bothered getting dual or a type rating.  This one
overheated every time I took off - I was always redesigning
the oil cooler outlet to try to get more pressure differential
across it, but remember I'm pretty stupid compared to a
Canadian pilot.

[Colonel]

Enough with the airplane pictures.  How about some food?

[img width=455 height=500][/img]

I like this kind of rare:

[img width=281 height=500][/img]

[img width=457 height=500][/img]

[img width=500 height=410][/img]

[img width=375 height=500][/img]

[img width=500 height=375][/img]

[img width=375 height=500][/img]

[img width=375 height=500][/img]

Here's a rare Delorean I drove past at 88 MPH.  It
was a bit tricky to get the photo:

[img width=500 height=374][/img]

Oh, all right.  Something on topic.  Ok, here's what a Lycoming
looks like after you let it sit for a year.  Owner told me he had so
much money, he didn't care about the trashed 540.  Must be nice
to be a rich Canadian:

[img width=500 height=375][/img]

One-wheel crosswind landing fun in a taildragger:

[img width=500 height=375][/img]

I probably shouldn't post so many pictures, and I probably wouldn't,
except airline pilots are apparently irritated by them.  So ....

[Chuck Ellsworth]

[quote]. Did you fly the Anson JAW Chuck? [/quote]

I can't remember, the Ansons I flew in 1966 were owned by Austin Airways they had four of them flying mag. work.

[quote]The Turbo Goose is what I would consider rare. The  total production of the Goose ,Mallard and Widgeon didn’t total much over 700. BCI was a great machine. [/quote]

Yes BCI was a real nice machine did you fly it for Air West Airlines?

[Chuck Ellsworth]

I don't know if the Sea Bee is considered rare but it was my first flying boat flying  (1954 to 1957 ).