Pilot Chat - Gloster Gladiator

Shuttleworth Pilot Rob Millinship with the Gloster Gladiator at Pilot Chat at the Military Pageant 3 July 2016

[@jameswebb4593]

South African born Pat Pattle notched up 15 of his victories in WW2 flying the Gladiator, he was eventually killed in a Hurricane. He was credited with over 40 kills and some believe the true figure nearer sixty . He was of English descent and joined the RAF before the war.

[@davidcompton7559]

These 'Pilot Chats' are wonderful ... and priceless ... for aviation enthusiasts, history buffs, and/or/especially private pilots with a few years, and a few thousand hours of flight time -- thumbs up!!!

[@allinmyhead]

I am such a fan of the Gladiator and of Shuttleworth

[@Finchy67]

What a first class commentary. He gave so much interesting information with a big sense of humour. Sort of guy you could listen to all day long. Thank you.

[@ironseabeelost1140]

What an enjoyable presentation. Ya'all need to advertist a bit more. From the hometown of the "Blue Angels", Thanks!😀

[@szilardtoth8814]

When I was kid I remember reading some old WW2 reprinted comics and surely the Gladiators had been included into the story about battles in the Mediterraneans.

[@AndyB59]

A brilliant talk about one of my favourite aircraft .

[@SuperMarkbrewer]

I really enjouy these chats they are so informative many thanks guys

[@johnblunt1834]

A wonderful lecture, thank you! (Many years ago, and I'd hate to tell you how many, I saw this aircraft do a vertical stall turn at Duxford. It scared me as I thought it was impossible to recover it from that hight. Quite an aeroplane, quite a pilot!).

[@petermcgarrymusicandflying]

One of my favourite aircraft. Brimming with character.

[@Swaggerlot]

Its been 40 or so years since I was at Shuttleworth. Great place, shame that I live so many thousands of miles away these days.

[@basiltaylor8910]

The pilot talk video i found very interesting , but he made a few mistakes regarding the Gladiator,s past history, first the Bristol Mercury mark 8-9 is rated at 840 bhp at 2,650 rpm not 850,and fitted with a dual power Claudelll Hobson Master Control Caburettor, at cruising rpm and mixture a main jet is used and when required in a dog fight or escape an accelerator jet is brought into action at high power settings. As you rightly know flying such a gorgeous beast careful throttle control is essential with this type of dual power carburettor . Sharp violent throttle openings can cause the accelerator jet to override the main jet and inject an over rich mixture in which the engine cannot accept resulting in a rich cut and loss of power. Second six countries bought Gladiators , Belgium, China ,Sweden,Portugal,Norway,and Latvia, Russia never bought them ,as the VVS had Nikolail Polikarpov,,s excellent I-15 and1-153 Chaika Gull,only acquiring the ex Latvian Gladiators when Russia overran Latvia in the early 1940,s. Third i am sorry to say the Gladiator is not one of the ultimate biplane fighters, that title falls to Nikolai Polikarpov,s I-153 Chaika (Gull) a tidy upgrade of of his earlier I-15 which acquitted itself admirably fighting in the Spanish ,and Second Indo-China Civil Wars. Thanks to its 1,100 hp M-62 radial , cloned copy of a Wright SGR 1820 Cyclone and a neat retractable undercarriage, the Chaika will clock up 275-280mph.In the early 1930,s Glosters like many uk aircraft companies had very little experience regarding retractable undercarriages, so ,had no alternative but design a low drag fixed gear with George Dowty,s clever internally sprung wheels . The brakes are operated by a bicycle brake lever fitted on the joystick, an engine driven Heywood air compressor charges an air tank much like a lorry that supplies air to two air piston, one on each each rudder pedal. As he rightly says ,on landing rollout directional control is marginal applying left and right brake using the air pistons on the rudder bar to keep straight as the Gladiator lacks a lockable or steerable tail wheel ,like that fitted to a Stearman PT-17 Kaydett. No 72 Squadron based at RAF Debden took delivery of their Mk 1 Glads in February 1937, a classic example of the marked reluctance on part of the Air Ministry,s part to accept into RAF service high speed monoplane fighters with retractable undercarriage a good two years earlier.

[@gunner678]

Great comment!don't forget Finland also flew the gladiator and the hurricane. Possibly the former was from captured stock.

[@Payne2view]

I've forwarded the link to this video to a friend of mine (hello Mr B) who, as I am, is a great fan of the Gladiator. Oh and I subscribed naturally.

[@granskare]

It is a great airplane. I saw one in a museum in Halifax. I thought it was huge!

[@gunner678]

I love this old bus....'faith hope and charity'! Finland and Russia had them and they confronted each other in the 1939 Winter War. A robust aircraft.

[@kenjohan]

The Bristol Mercury does NOT have a greater displacement than the R/R Merlin. It's actually 2 litres smaller!

[@monochromaticlightsource9153]

Sydney Camm. Take the top wing off the Gladiator, fit a Merlin, and you have a Hurricane.

[@billycaspersghost7528]

That`s the Fury your thinking of

[@williamkoppos7039]

Russia? No China Finland Latvia Portugal Sweden Norway

[@lkgreenwell]

This would be a very good talk, except for some unfortunate jargon. “Swap ends” etc?

[@olamarvin]

Aircraft with tailwheels have a tendency to swing round like a shopping trolley, mostly when the pilot doesn't want it to. Hence "swap ends".

[@lkgreenwell]

@@olamarvin Ta

[@jonathanparker1845]

The general public don't know what a ground loop is, so swap ends is comprehensible to them.

[@lkgreenwell]

HiWetcam Sorry, not even tail skid Heath Robinson Faragos! PS - what is the precise location of that ‘wetness’?

[@tobyrobson2939]

Jargon? I'm guessing you're not British. 'Swap ends' is a well known slang term here - it can also refer to a car skidding and doing a 180