Wednesday, May 2, 2012

le Strutteur


It is great to hear that the remarkable French Memorial Flight association have flown their rare Sopwith 1&1/2 Strutter.  It's a magnificent restoration (though nothing less is expected from these craftsmen) and bears what is one of the most eye-catching schemes from any era of aviation.


 Another neat thing is the Strutter is one of the first (probably the first) aircraft fitted with a dedicated 'airbrake' system.  A video (here) on the Flight's website shows (on the ground) how it worked.


Perhaps even more impressively, the test pilot appears to be wearing a beret.  Sometimes life exceeds art.

[Photos from the Memorial Flight's news blog here, reproduced with acknowledgement.  Details of the Flight here and the Strutter here.]

No comments:

Post a Comment