No camera handy for either of these
Three weeks ago, a T6 flew over our home. Absolutely no doubt about it.
Today, I'm almost certain that a Stemme motor glider did a couple of passes over our town. No idea which model, but I've never seen anything self powered in such a glider-like configuration.
Living a short distance from The Imperial War Museum at Duxford, I regularly see North American T6 Texan/Harvard aircraft overhead. The best defining feature is the noise, which is said to be due to the propeller tips breaking the sound barrier. They are incredibly noisy.
I wouldn't have a clue about the motor glider.
Kevin
Stratospheric traces, of our transitory flight.
Trails of condensation, held in narrow paths of white...
Hi Larry,
I'm glad that you have an enquiring mind, and I will try to be more specific in future
Hi Kevin,
I've heard the same about the prop tips; it was that sound that made me crawl out from under the van, and I thought this'll be worth a look.
There are plenty of pictures of the Stemme models on the net. At first, I couldn't understand why it looked like a glider, but had a propellor. A bit of research led me to my conclusion, and I checked that they do operate in Australia. Quite a change from the odd Cessnas and Pipers that stooge around here.
I once took a flight in the rear cockpit of an SNJ-5...the US Navy version of the T6. Much to my disappointment I couldn't hear the propeller growl from inside the aircraft. Still had a lot of fun. The pilot let me take the controls for part of the flight.
I know what you mean. Some years ago, I was at a very small airfield in the UK. Basically, I was the only one watching. Nothing happened for ages and then to my surprise, a UFO landed. My flabber was further gasted, when a hatch opened and out stepped Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and Elvis. And guess what? My camera wouldn't work!
Kevin
Stratospheric traces, of our transitory flight.
Trails of condensation, held in narrow paths of white...
With ungeared engines, you only need a prop of about 8 feet 5 inches diameter to start getting into the transonic region at high rpm. It became a notorious problem with aircraft such as the ATP which, like the Harvard, made a noise like ripping calico !
