Grumpy Old Nasho

Well there's design quality also, that can keep the weight down. I suspect the Americans were more thorough with their R&D than the Poms. The DC3 was perhaps a perfectly designed craft, in all aspects of it's design, and therefore excessive weight was possibly eliminated in the overall structure by reducing stress through correct design. Not like that silly long counter weight for the tail plane in the Hawker Typhoon, did you read about that? The counter weight was susceptible to harmonic vibration and eventually broke the plane in half, killing unsuspecting pilots. Some times the Poms got things right, but other times got things horribly wrong.

I'm sorry, I don't fully understand what you're getting at here.

I believe the DC-3 was intentionally over engineered, for what reason/s I'm not sure, but probably because it was initially designed for passenger carrying and needed to be safe and reliable.

Great success story Nev, I wish I could post a similar one about my self. I was born with autism but I did complete a 5 year machining apprenticeship at DeHavilland Engineering at Lidcombe (later to become Hawker DeHavilland Engineering). I learned a lot about metal fatigue and why the Comets fell out of the sky. Don't believe it was only just an existing crack that caused it. A crack had to start somehow, It was unequal stresses around the squarish window corners, THEN the metal cracked, after repeated expansion and contraction, and the resultant cracks progressed till disaster struck, very sad. DeHavillands was like a wonderland for young enthused apprentices, it had everything, miles of all types of machines, a testing laboratory, aero engine reco section, heat treatment, electro plating, polishing section, a micro measuring section - it had it all. I loved working there but unfortunately I wasn't allowed to stay there, I was asked to go to a staging point and be transported to a camp, just like a European Jew. Here's something I put together recently to compare 1) Conscripts in Australia in the 1960s were told to assemble at a staging point for transportation to a camp. (Jews in Nazi Germany were told to assemble at a staging point, for transportation to a camp) 2) On arrival at the camp, new conscripts had to have their hair sheared off. (Jews in Nazi Germany had their hair sheared off) 3) Conscripts had to wear a uniform. (Jews had to wear a white with blue stripes uniform) 4) Conscripts were under threat of punishment for disobeying orders. (Jews were under threat of punishment for disobeying orders) 5) Conscripts were sent away to sacrifice their lives, on the orders of politicians. (Jews were killed, because of politicians) Thankfully, for the sake of future Australian generations, these grotesque abuses will never happen in Australia ever again. Your children's children and so on, will be safe.

I'd happily donate if I could find a "Donate" button, but there doesn't seem to be one in this site.

I stayed in Oz, I was left languishing in a field workshop at Ingleburn, close to home, with absolutely nothing to do for the last 12 months of my two years, I made foreign orders for myself and did machining work on parts for my mate's racing car. I was first in Signals, then in Reame which was the right corp for me but had to wait a year before finally being transferred to a Reame workshop.

This one? It helped to spread agent orange. We've gone off topic, better cease now. Hope you had a good Xmas and Boxing Day. I live alone but that didn't stop me from rustling up a scrumptious Christmas dinner and downing a few beers.

Crikey, was that safe?

Merry Christmas to everyone from this appreciative newby. Are you all pilots? I wanted to be one but never made it. Over the years, I've been a passenger in a DeHavilland Dragonfly, a Canadian Caribou (Very exciting when landing on a short dusty runway, tighten your seatbelts!), a Lockheed Hercules (for the sole purpose of a low altitude joy ride over Sydney Harbor, still vividly imprinted in my aging memory bank, Opera house and all ), a Boeing 727, and a high wing Cessna type flying through picturesque valleys on my way to connect with a commercial jet for a final destination flight. All of these flying events were a Christmas to me. Thank heavens we have the ability to remember the good things in life.

New to the boards This is the most credible explanation about these drones I've seen so far. https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/news-selections/national-news/drone-mystery-solved-u-s-military-naval-air-warfare-center-aircraft-division-nawcad