Wanna be a Blenheim Pilot?

I would be glad to help anyone who wants to learn the Blennie,
(& become a statistic...)
(stats are for fighter pilots...)

I will be glad  to show you what I have learned,
but it is still a process, you never stop learning  unless you are dead!

But,
to get you in the mood,
here is a training film on the B26 from 1944 (47 min.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSIsoj1QPAc

The purpose of this training film
is to make you grateful that you do not have 4 years worth of
bells and whistles to deal with!

& to make sure you do not have an engineer that accidentally dumps your fuel...

P.S., re: last 2 seconds, it is still ok to check out her Gams if you are quick...

Hi Dave

Is this invite open to non-TWC pilots? I'd be interested in learning more on the intricacies of this aircraft. I've maybe logged half a dozen hours on it so far, and actually went on a successful mission tonight, my first in this craft. My time zone is Pacific Standard Time which is GMT-8, plus I work shift work. I'm just finishing up days and will be switching to 4 weeks of afternoon/evenings beginning next week.

Let me know if this is possible so we can try to work out some sort of schedule.

I am Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5)
so we are three hours apart.

I am Mr. Mom so I am available pretty much 24-7
(or busy 24-7...)
just give me a heads up as to when you would like to get together
& I will try to be there.

I check the Forum every day at 4pm GMT  (11am EST)

Regards,
TWC_Dave

That sounds good. I'm changing to afternoons/evenings next week. That usually allows me to get online around 0900 to 0930 (PST) which should be 1200 to 1230 (EST). Once online, I'm usually good for an hour to an hour and a half. We could try this coming Monday, November 25th.

Anything you need me to prep for/with? Will we be using Team Speak for comms, or would you prefer Discord?

I had forgotten all about Team Speak!

Still trying to figure out Discord, 
but I guess the best way to figure it out is to use it...

P.S. The time to copy and rename your Clod files is NOW!
that way the auto update will not affect your renamed copies.

I have also had times when my screen resolutions and assigned keys/window placements etc.
have gone absolutely wonky for no good reason.

I think I straightened that mess out 3 times before I wised up and made back up copies.

Padre,
Sorry, I am away from home Tuesday morning for business
that came up unexpectedly.

Hope to see you on the air waves soon.

Regards
Dave

Padre,
Sorry, I am away from home Tuesday morning for business
that came up unexpectedly.

Hope to see you on the air waves soon.

Regards
Dave

No worries Dave

Guess I should have checked here first

Went online and did some practicing with what we went over yesterday while I was waiting for you to show, so it wasn't a total loss. I'll be on again tomorrow if you happen to be around.

Hi Dave

Haven't seen you for a while to continue with the training, will continue to look out for you when time is available. I do have a quick question for you: the other day I was practicing on the Blennie, and after take off, I noticed my landing gear failed to fully retract (I observed this by watching my my unlocked views track afterwards). It created some awful drag and made for a very slow, shaky, mission. How can I avoid this from happening, and what are my options when it does happen? I remember reading somewhere that there may be a hand pump option.

Thanks for your help.

Dunno about the hand pump, there may be,
but when it happens to me, if the gear is not damaged,
I just fly upside down for a bit and gravity pulls them in.

I did recently damage the gear enough that they would not retract at all
and I was heading back to base to get another plane, somehow the
combination of slow landing speed, full flaps, and shaky plane 
shook the gear into full down position, & then from there they retracted easily
& I kept going as if nothing had happened.

The only way to avoid stuck gear is proper take off procedure:
Neutral trim for take off
full boost, fast prop.
rotate at +100 MPH,  (assuming 40% fuel load)
retract gear asap, & at the same time turn prop pitch to zero
(you can keep boost on 110% anytime you are below 2,000 feet
& cowl flaps no less than 40%)

And here is the important part:
DO NOT EXCEED 140 MPH until you have a full gear up indicator.
(reduce throttle if necessary)
(avoid hard climbs/turns during retract as  gravity is not your friend...)

P.S.
I tried the auto fighter cover commands & they worked great.
(will try to post video)

P.P.S.
I tried the Blennie auto-start (which worked great)
but I was curious as to how far the auto-taxi would take me.
I auto taxi'd right up to the end of the runway,
& into a bunch of parked Spits at Wilmington!
*&%^%$^%
(Do not trust Auto Pilots on the ground!)