H P Hermes

[Airspeed]

I wasn't going to post this, but as posted elsewhere, "slow news day".
Presumably, if this model was as dirty as Garry's 1-11 freighter, it would be a Herpes?
According to my prop airliners book, there were only 25 of these made, so I hope that still qualifies as CB?
I downloaded from FlightSim, YES, FlightSim, I checked this time!
I then flew from Newcastle to Bradford. Went to export some of the FS Recorder footage, only to find that I should have hit "Start Recording" if I wanted to save other than instant replay.
I told you I get caught out by details. Pity, really as I didn't break anything during the flight or landing. I guess that means that the flight dynamics are no good, if a light aircraft enthusiast can land it?
The VC works, but is rudimentary by today's standards. Maybe could be jazzed up with some real interior photos?
Paint includes BOAC, haven't checked legitimacy, like whether it's a BOAC registration for an Auster or something.

[Garry Russell]

Hi Mike

We won't be changing anything because it's not one of our models

The BOAC batch was G-AKFP, G-ALDA-G-ALDY...less Q of course

[DaveB]

The only Hermes I know of is by JensBK who's a member here and oft pop's in

I'm not sure if Jens actually goes for 'as real as it gets' with the flight dynamics Mike.. they're sort of 'ball park' if you get my drift. What you DO get is up to date models that have either not been made or not been made for some time and usually, a representative set of paints

I'm not a VC'er in any shape or form so couldn't comment on the VC as I've only seen it while hitting the 'S' key to move through the views Pity they don't have a 'photoreal' 2D as that's where I live. It's like the comments made on the 146/RJ thread. There are 4 basic things we all look for.. 5 if you include the subject matter. Does it look right on the outside, does it look right on the inside, does it fly ok and does it sound ok. As for the 5th.. the subject matter, I've never been a particular fan of the Hermes so the other 4 would have to be something outstanding to drag me into the front of one!

ATB
DaveB

[Garry Russell]

It will be Jens, who is a member but by not one of ours I was meaning it's not a CBFS project

The Hermes main claim to fame is probably the fact that it was perhaps the worst British airliner to go into full service

Using the excessively heavy Halifax wing economics didn't even feature.

BOAC couldn't wait to ditch them and did so as soon as the Canadair Fours came fully on line with the Comets to follw, after about18 months to two years service.

Unfortunately for BOAC they didn't quite achieve that as the loss of the Comet 1 meant a reduced fleet of Hermes had to be pulled back into use and retained to cover . They did serve with the independents as they were cheap and available but no longer than they could before other four piston types took their place.

The Tudor, although rejected by BOAC was also a bit of a disaster but more use than the Hermes especially as a freighter in a modified form.

Using Bombers as a basis for airliners is not always bad. The Viking, which used the Wellington wing and Warwick tail, was, for a stop gap, a very successful machine A sort of "Super Dakota" but hard to imagine that now.

[Airspeed]

As usual, you guys are spot on, it's a JBK.
I read elsewhere that Q is not used in registrations, but there was no explanation. Garry confirms that. Can you give a reason for this please? Is it reserved for the Queen's aerobatic weekenders?

[Dev One]

It probably dates back to pre-radio days when a 'Q' could be mistaken visually for a 'O', or vice versa. If I remember correctly the same goes for UK car registrations, although at one time Imports were a Q followed by a number as opposed to the then 3 letters & 3 numbers.
By the way, When Airwork used the Hermes for trooping flights with rear facing seats, they always seemed underpowered & took a long time to get to altitude & would circle Blackbushe whilst gaining height. They also bought (& I think converted) the Theseus (?) Hermes V back to a IV. (My father was the licenced Service Manager there, but its a long time ago for my poor old brain!)
Keith

[Airspeed]

Thanks Keith, I wondered about that, but thought no, I could be T, E an F etc. I think this is yet another task for my underworked and unreliable brain to focus on for another five minutes!

Correct, the V model had Theseus turboprops, but they suffered jet pipe troubles according to my book. Only two Vs were built, G-ALEU lasted from 23/8/49 until 10/4/51, when it landed wheels up and was scrapped. Sounds like one of mine, but this was not. G-ALEV lived from 6/12/50 till being grounded as a test airframe in September 1953, at Farnborough.

[Garry Russell]

The Q is not used because of the use of Q codes of the time and confusion with an O and D

It was originally used but after G-EBTQ the practice was stopped.

The two Theseus Hermes were built as such and never converted one way or the other.

The original Hermes I (G-AGSS) which was a tail wheel machine more similar to the Hastings and in fact a common prototype for both types, crashed on it's first flight.

Going back to confusion, I once saw an Air France A.300 (F-BVGO) at LHR and about twenty minuets later another A.300 landed and that was F-BVGO too.

Only when I put binoculars on the first one, parked fairly close could I see the O had a small tick in the bottom right and was in fact Q.

[Dev One]

Possibly then 'LEU was bought from Farnboro to be used as spares, I certainly remember seeing it alongside Airworks Hangar......How it got there though is anyones guess! ( I know senility & memory can play tricks, but thats a big one....)
Keith

[Airspeed]

The Q is not used because of the use of Q codes of the time and confusion with an O and D.....etc.

Garry,
I did not doubt your explanation. I just wanted to see how it was officially described on the public CAA information. I couldn't find it, so asked them to set me straight, receiving the following:
ICAO Annex 7 which covers registration marks says the following at 2.6

2.6 When letters are used for the registration mark, combinations shall not be used which might be confused with the five-letter combinations used in the International Code of Signals, Part II, the three-letter combinations beginning with Q used in the Q Code, and with the distress signal SOS, or other similar urgent signals, for example XXX, PAN and TTT.

For simplicity, the UK has avoided issuing the letter Q altogether.

Regards
Robert Ferris
Head of Aircraft Registration
Civil Aviation Authority


Thought some readers might be interested in seeing this confirmation of your knowledge.