Bring back the good old days

[HurricaneSmith]

Ahhh, the Dove! That brings back memories, RoadTrek Boy!

Here's a picture I took our our De Havilland Dove Mk5 in Nigeria, back in 1975.

She had inverted Gipsy Queen engines, and spat out clouds of oil smoke when fired her up.

She was finally scrapped at Southend, four years later in 1979.

 

[2cv]

One for sale Here

 

[HurricaneSmith]

I didn't say I liked her that much. From memory, she was a money pit.

Warning lights at finals showed only two greens, but fortunately for us, all three were down.

Some weeks later, the port engine blew a piston on the runway and we had to fly out a qualified mechanic from GB to continue.

We did completed the project, but she was a tired plane, and dismantling her was probably the right thing to do.

 

[trevskoda]

Everything can be renewed except people, I can never understand how slow revving low power engines blow up when the japs can make things rev to 20th rpm and stay in one bit, whats there max reves 2800 or abouts and HP per litre.

 

[HurricaneSmith]

Fair point Trev, but we should remember she was built in 1955, only 9 years after the war, when everyone was on their knees, financially. The Comet disaster was in 1954, failing from a (then) unknown metal fatigue of its square windows.

Using your Jap analogy, Datsun were still to churn out some (in my view) dreadful rust buckets. Although I accept that whilst the cars fell to pieces, the engines were bullet proof.

 

[2cv]

Everything can be renewed except people, I can never understand how slow revving low power engines blow up when the japs can make things rev to 20th rpm and stay in one bit, whats there max reves 2800 or abouts and HP per litre.

The Gypsy Queen does originate from 1936, before Honda was even started. Link