OK FOLKS... IT'S ABOUT TIME WE INTRODUCED A BIT OF A CHALLENGE HERE, SO, HERE'S THE FIRST ONE FOR YOU:-

WHAT IS IT?
(ANYONE SAYS "HALIFAX" WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!)
WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT TYPE OF HALIFAX IT IS, AND WHO THE AIRCRAFT BELONGS TO.

NO PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED FOR THE CORRECT ANSWER.

OVER TO YOU...

Ian
57 R

OK - So here's my best guess (I don't mind being wrong - much!!!).

I say Mk III Poss. Serial EB155 with 1663 HCU

Cheers

Eddie

Knowing you as I do, its probably the model that you hung off the washing line with nylon thread and photographed from behind the shrubbery.

In view of the opinion of the Webmistress, I'll take a stab and say Airfix and Ian!! :-)

Piece of cake:

This is a Halifax Mk.V Series 1 Special coded for 1663 HCU Rufforth. Close enough?

Hi Robert,

I have the same book haha

Cheers

Cees

Robert wins!! Well done!! Yup, she's a Mk V Srs 1 (Special) (look closely at the undercarriage) & 1663 HCU Rufforth, who's unit codes were OO & SV.

Pah!! Washing line indeed!! (actually that was my Mk III "Willy the Wolf")

Do we want another??

Anyone else care to join in & post a piccy??

Ian
57 R

It was a nice pic but the Dowty Undercarriage as evident opposed to the more standard Messier gave it away - "OO" was one of the assigned codes of 1663 HCU.

I just knew I shouldn't have messed with the experts

Eddie

Never mind Eddie, lets put our anoraks on and go t'pub :)

OK - HERE'S ANOTHER ONE...

THIS TIME WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT TYPE OF HALLY SHE IS, AND HOW YOU CAME TO THAT CONCLUSION

ENJOY
Ian

Hmmm,

It's a Mk V, just have a look at the undercarriage.
It has the D-type rudders to cure the rudder lock that persisted with the early Halifaxes as well as the streamlined perspex nose. Both pointing into the direction of the series Ia
The four blades props were rarely used and only for the coastal command or glider towing duties.
These were fitted to cure vibration although four bladers on the outer engines and three bladers on the inner engines were also used.
Underneath the tail there is the glider attachment.

So my guess would be a Mk V series Ia used for towing gliders.

Cheers

Cees

Hmmn... I'm making these FAR TOO EASY!!

Yes, well done Cees (I would have shrieked if you had got it wrong!!)

Correctly identified, and with all the right answers too, she's a GT Mk V Series 1a, serial No: LL439

.... Okay, we're gonna make this game a bit harder now!!!

(anyone else want to post a pic??)

Ian

Linzee, the undercarriage is the easy bit. Dowty undercarriage looks like re-cycled clothes line props, and the proper, expensive Messier undercarriage makes them look like they are wearing bootees or leg warmers.
The Dowty thing was due to shortages and some bright spark thinking it was a cheapo solution. Good idea at the time, but they used to collapse. If it looks as though the wheels could snap off, its probably a mark five, like what Cees said.

OK folks - underneath the fuselage, near the tail is a small aerial.

My question is "What is it for?"

the little black thing pointing downward is the main indicator of where the ground is when flying right-side-up, this was a field mod done by the tech reps of Handley Page for all Mk IV's (only a handful, mind you) and prevented many hispeed inverted passes over Allied aerodromes. See AP 1313BS for further details.

Karl you are a BAD boy!!

it's not: ABC, it's not,"Fishpond", it's not Monica.

It could be "Boozer" but I don't think so. It could be a secondary Pitot head but I don't think so either. Evidently it is an aerial but apparently not outfitted on every aircraft. I think we need a WAG or WOP to answer this one.

Its one of those anti- motion sickness devices, like what cars have.

Gee folks, I thought this one would be simple

Anyone else care to have a go??

It's aerial type 90 used for the ARI 5025 installation.

Cheers

Cees

Yes, Cees, thats it. If you have a look in the Halifax Mk IV maintenance book AP 1313BS it says that ARI is for Attitude Right-side-up Indicator and this is that particular model.
Unfortunately I have only been able to work on a Mk III and Mk VII so do not have much experience on the MK IV.

Cheers, KK

K.K. was only half-kidding about the inverted flying! Did this aerial provided orientation to the Pilot's artificial horizon or to what instrument did it convey it's "information" and how did it work?

I've seen them on Lancs, too, but it appears they were not present on all Halifaxes or all aircraft - why, or was there another mechanism that had the same function?

If it is an "aerial" as such did it work electronically or how?
Obviously there are definite experts on this forum able to ascertain details we hobbyists are totally clueless about. It'd be interesting to learn more.

Karl,

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Mk IV was only an experimental type with a stronger and redesigned bombbay and was never built.

You mean the Mk VI? Or are you referring to the steampowered Halifax version (very hush hush).

Cheers

Cees

No one picked up my clue then... "GEE" hehehehe

Ian
57 R

Is it the bit you put in your mouth to blow it up out of the box, like a beach ball?

L/O

Greg

"You can take the boy out of Wales,
But you cannot takes Wales out of the boy"

well, it probably is for that very purpose.... on Lancasters!

Oh dear me no, you've gone off track there!! Lancasters relied on slightly more state of the art technology to get airborne than hot air

L/O

Greg

"You can take the boy out of Wales,
But you cannot takes Wales out of the boy"

Well, you rely on hot air!
Or were you thinking of the stunning technical feat of lashing two lollipop sticks together to make a guague(?) that just matched the distance between the dam towers at the correct height and distance to drop the bomb?
This was, of course, originally thought of by Halifax aircrew and passed along to Gibbo and his chums as a good will gesture because the Lancaster needed some positive publicity to justify all the money the Air Ministry had spent developing something that was just an extravagance.

Hmmn... ***INTERVENTION ALERT!!***

I HATE to do this boys & girls, BUT, I fear we are losing our way on this particular thread, and as much as it galls me, (as everyone knows how much I like to poke fun at Lancasters!) I think we REALLY should get back on topic & leave the "WE HATE LANCASTER" comments for a different thread.. I'm sure 'Lancasterman' will (oddly enough) agree with me for a change.

HEY - I'm not calling a truce or anything like that, it's just that THIS particular thread was intended to be a semi-teaching / learning thread to help out with some Hally identification of odd's & ends.

Both me & 'Lancasterman' go back a good few years, and we both know how to have some VERY good natured & well intended humour & poke fun at each other's life long loves, and LONG MAY IT CONTINUE - THE HALIFAX IS THE BEST KITE EVER INVENTED - HURRAH HURRAH HURRAH! Now we'll move on to some slightly more serious "What's this bit for" next....

Toodle pip
Ian

If you have never heard of the 'Sixpenny Bombsight', Darling, it is not my fault. Just because you have not heard of it does not mean that it can not exist, or that my post was not educational.