Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Raptor05121 on June 05, 2012, 12:56:51 AM
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Supposedly the only known still-existing example in the world.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ace_1338726717
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Awesome...wish I could understand Norwegian.
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Awesome...wish I could understand Norwegian.
I like to imagine their words echoed my thoughts, and that in their own tongue they were saying what I was thinking:
"HOLY CRAP!!!!"
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First he's talking about the various roles the plane was used in, torpedo plane, search and rescue, recce etc. He then explains how the plane got its floats ripped off and sank during landing due to pilot error. He goes on telling how they are going to disassemble the wreck into five parts and submerge them in a freshwater tank for 2-3 years to get all the salt out. If they don't the salt will crystallize and expand, causing more damage to the structure.
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First he's talking about the various roles the plane was used in, torpedo plane, search and rescue, recce etc. He then explains how the plane got its floats ripped off and sank during landing due to pilot error. He goes on telling how they are going to disassemble the wreck into five parts and submerge them in a freshwater tank for 2-3 years to get all the salt out. If they don't the salt will crystallize and expand, causing more damage to the structure.
Thank you for the summary. :aok
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Happy to serve :)
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That's really a cool find.
I'm surprised the condition the vertical stab is in for resting upside down on it for so long.
First he's talking about the various roles the plane was used in, torpedo plane, search and rescue, recce etc. He then explains how the plane got its floats ripped off and sank during landing due to pilot error. He goes on telling how they are going to disassemble the wreck into five parts and submerge them in a freshwater tank for 2-3 years to get all the salt out. If they don't the salt will crystallize and expand, causing more damage to the structure.
Sorry to hear it's going to take so long before they can even get started, but thanks for the translation.... did they go into much detail on precisely how the pilot erred and ripper his floats off (too fast, bad weather/landing conditions)?
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I hope they will be able to restore her to flying condition. :aok It's a LONG stretch, but one can hope, right?
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If it were a land plane, I could see maybe doing that... But the fact that it's a floatplane IMO makes it almost impossible that will ever happen.
Why? Well aside from the fact they don't have the floats, it's an entirely different danger-level to take off in a sea plane, let alone a restored/rebuilt/fabricated design that hasn't ever been tested. A choppy surface and you could lose all that work/money.
It was dangerous even back then to take off in one of those things. Heck, the prototype Ar196 had a hard wave and the engine mounts snapped off and the rest of the airframe caught fire from the leaking gas. It was lost (crew got out, though).
From a liability, cost-v-reward aspect, and several other aspects, I don't see it happening. Just my personal opinion, though.
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Unbelievable shape for being submerged so long, I was really surprised by it's good condition.
:salute
BigRat
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That's really a cool find.
I'm surprised the condition the vertical stab is in for resting upside down on it for so long.
Sorry to hear it's going to take so long before they can even get started, but thanks for the translation.... did they go into much detail on precisely how the pilot erred and ripper his floats off (too fast, bad weather/landing conditions)?
He didn't go into more detail than to say that the pilot came in "a bit crooked" and tore the floats off.
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If it were a land plane, I could see maybe doing that... But the fact that it's a floatplane IMO makes it almost impossible that will ever happen.
Why? Well aside from the fact they don't have the floats, it's an entirely different danger-level to take off in a sea plane, let alone a restored/rebuilt/fabricated design that hasn't ever been tested. A choppy surface and you could lose all that work/money.
It was dangerous even back then to take off in one of those things. Heck, the prototype Ar196 had a hard wave and the engine mounts snapped off and the rest of the airframe caught fire from the leaking gas. It was lost (crew got out, though).
From a liability, cost-v-reward aspect, and several other aspects, I don't see it happening. Just my personal opinion, though.
It would also be quite irresponsible in my opinion since it's the only known He 115 in existence. Would be better to build a replica and put the original in a museum somewhere safe. They would most likely have to replace most of the structure anyway if they rebuild it. It will probably end up in the aviation museum in my home town.
http://www.luftfart.museum.no/Engelsk/Velkommen.htm
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Maybe they'll put her next to this old lady. :)
(http://www.luftfart.museum.no/Utstillinger/Images_fly_2006/Najaden_AU.jpg)
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It is clear that that thing won't fly. I'm sure it'll get restored beautifully like many Luftwaffe aicrraft found from Norway's territory that have found the way to Gardemoen's museum for example.
Regarding sea planes, they take off and land hundreds/thousands of times each day without an incident. Alaska is full of them working their butts off. Certainly there are issues to deal with when landing in water but with proper procidures and traning it's just as safe as any means of transportation.
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Flying boats are generally very safe in calm sea state yes, but float planes are far more sensitive to weather and sea state, and with little or no margin for pilot error.
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First he's talking about the various roles the plane was used in, torpedo plane, search and rescue, recce etc. He then explains how the plane got its floats ripped off and sank during landing due to pilot error. He goes on telling how they are going to disassemble the wreck into five parts and submerge them in a freshwater tank for 2-3 years to get all the salt out. If they don't the salt will crystallize and expand, causing more damage to the structure.
Thanks again for the summary. Still wish I could understand any of those words he was saying.
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If it were a land plane, I could see maybe doing that... But the fact that it's a floatplane IMO makes it almost impossible that will ever happen.
Why? Well aside from the fact they don't have the floats, it's an entirely different danger-level to take off in a sea plane, let alone a restored/rebuilt/fabricated design that hasn't ever been tested. A choppy surface and you could lose all that work/money.
It was dangerous even back then to take off in one of those things. Heck, the prototype Ar196 had a hard wave and the engine mounts snapped off and the rest of the airframe caught fire from the leaking gas. It was lost (crew got out, though).
From a liability, cost-v-reward aspect, and several other aspects, I don't see it happening. Just my personal opinion, though.
Krusty has a point about it being afloat ever again, however if wheels could ever be soundly engineered and then fastened to the bottom of some replica floats... different ball game. That's still a real long-shot imho though, chances are good some museum or collector will buy this last example and want it restored to historic acuracy and put on display... it is the last.
He didn't go into more detail than to say that the pilot came in "a bit crooked" and tore the floats off.
Thank you, still that does shed a bit more light into it being pilot error and the lack of one engine beign attached.
Maybe the pilot had been out drinking too late the night before with some Stuka drivers. :aok I hope he lived to talk about it or write a book so that some of our P38 drivers in AH can hear about how the pros used to do it.
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Read an article that had more info on the accident. Apparently only one of the floats were torn off in the botched landing. The crew all survived and the plane stayed afloat long enough for the Germans to salvage one of the engines. The plane has been recovered and will be restored by the aviation museum at Sola, which fittingly, and somewhat ironically, used to be the He 115's base during the war. The plane was submerged only 2-3 kilometers from an aviation museum for all this time; another irony.
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First he's talking about the various roles the plane was used in, torpedo plane, search and rescue, recce etc. He then explains how the plane got its floats ripped off and sank during landing due to pilot error. He goes on telling how they are going to disassemble the wreck into five parts and submerge them in a freshwater tank for 2-3 years to get all the salt out. If they don't the salt will crystallize and expand, causing more damage to the structure.
Thank you for the translation. Truly an unusual and beautiful aircraft. I believe it also did mine laying duty.
Is my memory correct?
Hajo
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Read an article that had more info on the accident. Apparently only one of the floats were torn off in the botched landing. The crew all survived and the plane stayed afloat long enough for the Germans to salvage one of the engines. The plane has been recovered and will be restored by the aviation museum at Sola, which fittingly, and somewhat ironically, used to be the He 115's base during the war. The plane was submerged only 2-3 kilometers from an aviation museum for all this time; another irony.
Very interesting and good to know where it'll eventualy go. Thanks again!
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The liveleak site is blocked by my DNS service so I went looking and found this on youtube of the recovery operation (there are others):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_euk9XC1Bc&feature=related
The history hunter with video of operational Heinkels:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqucJPclIfI&feature=endscreen
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I'm not sure Hajo. I suppose it's plausible it was used for mine laying since the plane was in a "coastal" squadron, in case of an allied invasion. Otherwise, mining the Norwegian coast would only hinder their own convoys carrying iron ore from Sweden.
In the second video posted by Chalenge you can see them escorting/submarine-spotting for a German convoy, so I think that was probably their primary mission. Similar to what the RAF Coastal Command was doing in British waters.
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A better video of the salvage operation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk9XzdfYbbI&feature=youtu.be
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Wow, amazing time capsule. Great job on the recovery.
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Outstanding to see they found another relic hidden away after all this time.
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Lots of aircraft discoveries this year. Somewhere in Russia/Sibiria they found a C-47 (not a Li-2!) that crash landed there in WW2.
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Lots of aircraft discoveries this year. Somewhere in Russia/Sibiria they found a C-47 (not a Li-2!) that crash landed there in WW2.
That's a big plane to just misplace for 70 years.
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I am going back to Norway in May, Last time I was in Bodo on the way to Stamsund, i missed the museum, not this time. Nice quisling / resistance museum in Oslo. Ha I just realized that was recovered Near my Cousin's home in Stavanger.... small world.
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Small world indeed! If you don't mind me asking, are you a Norwegian expatriate or a second generation immigrant?
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An excellent video