German WWII bomber successfully raised from the bottom of the English Channel - Polidicks

[img]http://imgkk.com/i/wf1l.jpg[/img] [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22846645[/url] [quote]A German World War II bomber has been raised from the bottom of the English Channel. The Dornier Do-17 aircraft was shot down off the Kent coast more than 70 years ago during the Battle of Britain. Believed to be the only intact example of its kind in the world, it has lain in 50ft (15m) of water on the Goodwin Sands. Attempts by the RAF Museum to salvage the relic had been hit by strong winds over the last few weeks.[/quote]

Damn that's amazing. I love WW2 planes.

And the tyres are still inflated

[QUOTE=Complifused;40980275]And the tyres are still inflated[/QUOTE] Breathe in that 1940's air.

[QUOTE=Ninja Duck;40980508]Breathe in that 1940's air.[/QUOTE] Can you imagine how fucking bad it must smell by now 70 years of it just fermenting in rubber

looks like the poop i just took

[QUOTE=Complifused;40980275]And the tyres are still inflated[/QUOTE] pretty sure the tire isn't inflatable

[QUOTE]Believed to be the only intact example of its kind in the world[/QUOTE] Doesn't look very intact to me, but hey, they might've found more and be able to restore to display-condition.

[QUOTE=Rofl_copter;40980559]looks like the poop i just took[/QUOTE] I'd go see a doctor if your shit looks like a plane mayun

I wonder what the rotting corpses look like... yuck.

[QUOTE=smurfy;40980205][img]http://imgkk.com/i/wf1l.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] i like how the guy in the picture holding the rope just looks like he casually raised the plane from the sea single-handedly after attaching it to a pulley system of sorts "ooof. i'm done here"

[QUOTE=zacht_180;40981179]I wonder what the rotting corpses look like... yuck.[/QUOTE] [img]http://www.humanrace.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Skeleton11.jpg[/img] The fish would have picked any corpses clean.

[QUOTE=Riller;40980592]Doesn't look very intact to me, but hey, they might've found more and be able to restore to display-condition.[/QUOTE] that's because it's been sitting collecting gunk for years. once that's off I'm sure it will look fine besides all the instruments being fried

[quote]Two of the four crew members died and were buried elsewhere, and two - including the pilot - survived to become prisoners of war.[/quote] So no spookiness. Also, they're going to restore it. Should be pretty awesome to see when it's done.

[QUOTE=Rofl_copter;40980559]looks like the poop i just took[/QUOTE] you must have have one wide asshole

Good. Now restore it to flying condition.

[QUOTE=TestECull;40989731]Good. Now restore it to flying condition.[/QUOTE] I wouldn't wanna fly anything that's been on the bottom of the sea for 70 years, restored or not. Display condition, sure, that'd be cool, but the construction won't ever be strong enough to take it flying.

The boomers are at it again. [thumb]http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110511144310/fallout/images/b/bb/Volare!.jpg[/thumb] [img]http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101228002348/fallout/images/0/04/Loyal.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=Complifused;40980275]And the tyres are still inflated[/QUOTE] German Engineering at it's Finest

[QUOTE=Riller;40990028]I wouldn't wanna fly anything that's been on the bottom of the sea for 70 years, restored or not. Display condition, sure, that'd be cool, but the construction won't ever be strong enough to take it flying.[/QUOTE] "Restoration" is a bit of a misnomer on old aircraft. Aircraft in that bad of shape have everything replaced with new parts. It's basically a new aircraft using the old one as a template. There have been several aircraft resurrected from bogs, lakes, glaciers (P38 "Glacier Girl") that were completely rebuilt to flying condition. Glacier Girl: [thumb]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/P-38_Lightning_head-on.jpg[/thumb]

[QUOTE=CoolCorky;40981304][img]http://www.humanrace.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Skeleton11.jpg[/img] The fish would have picked any corpses clean.[/QUOTE] These bodies were already recovered and buried. Even if they were left there the bones might actually be gone now. Just like with the Titanic, the only thing left of the bodies are pairs of shoes.

The Germans'll never see it coming when we start bombing them with their own planes!!

[QUOTE=markg06;40992491]The Germans'll never see it coming when we start bombing them with their own planes!![/QUOTE] It took over 70 years, but the English will have their revenge!

[QUOTE=Complifused;40980275]And the tyres are still inflated[/QUOTE] I don't know about back then but modern airplane tires are filled with nitrogen.

[QUOTE=zerglingv2;40995831]I don't know about back then but modern airplane tires are filled with nitrogen.[/QUOTE]Probably just normal air, especially during wartime production.

[QUOTE=Sgt Doom;40995866]Probably just normal air, especially during wartime production.[/QUOTE] Probably caused them a lot of problems because air filled tires tend to exploded when they get really hot.

[QUOTE=Riller;40990028]I wouldn't wanna fly anything that's been on the bottom of the sea for 70 years, restored or not. Display condition, sure, that'd be cool, but the construction won't ever be strong enough to take it flying.[/QUOTE] I wouldn't hesitate. You'd never get it past aviation authorities...not sure what the UK's version of the FAA is called...unless you had repaired it properly. If it passes inspection and is declared airworthy why care about where it sat for the past 70 years? It's structurally sound [i]now[/i], and that's all that matters.

[QUOTE=TestECull;41000882]I wouldn't hesitate. You'd never get it past aviation authorities...not sure what the UK's version of the FAA is called...unless you had repaired it properly. If it passes inspection and is declared airworthy why care about where it sat for the past 70 years? It's structurally sound [i]now[/i], and that's all that matters.[/QUOTE] It's not the airframe you have to worry about, it's the engine and engine accessories (Turbo Super Charger, oil pump, innercoolers, aftercoolers, PRTs, etc.) that you have to worry about. All of those are generally original equipment and have the original problems that plagued aircraft in the 1940s. The old big radials (R2800, R3350, R4360) use a large amount of magnesium alloy and were subject to spectacular engine fires. If the engine caught on fire while it was turning over, it needs to be blown out or put out before it has a chance to become hot enough to ignite the crank case. If you get that magnesium burning, it's literally impossible to put it out, you just got to let the thing burn. I've read old flight logs where engines caught on fire mid flight and burned hot enough to ignite the magnesium in the crank case. Within short order the engine burned through the wing spar and the entire wing parted company with the plane and down it went. The R4360 was probably the most troublesome, it had a tendency to burn tons of oil or get oil fouled (think replacing 56 spark plugs.) The B36 Peacemaker had 6 R4360s, each with a 100 gallon oil tank. It wasn't uncommon for one engine to burn through the entire tank and the flight having to be ended with that engine shut down.

[QUOTE=GiGaBiTe;41001541]It's not the airframe you have to worry about, it's the engine and engine accessories (Turbo Super Charger, oil pump, innercoolers, aftercoolers, PRTs, etc.) that you have to worry about. All of those are generally original equipment and have the original problems that plagued aircraft in the 1940s. The old big radials (R2800, R3350, R4360) use a large amount of magnesium alloy and were subject to spectacular engine fires. If the engine caught on fire while it was turning over, it needs to be blown out or put out before it has a chance to become hot enough to ignite the crank case. If you get that magnesium burning, it's literally impossible to put it out, you just got to let the thing burn. I've read old flight logs where engines caught on fire mid flight and burned hot enough to ignite the magnesium in the crank case. Within short order the engine burned through the wing spar and the entire wing parted company with the plane and down it went. The R4360 was probably the most troublesome, it had a tendency to burn tons of oil or get oil fouled (think replacing 56 spark plugs.) The B36 Peacemaker had 6 R4360s, each with a 100 gallon oil tank. It wasn't uncommon for one engine to burn through the entire tank and the flight having to be ended with that engine shut down.[/QUOTE] And not a single bit of that has anything to do with his concerns. His concerns were entirely "But they plucked it out of the channel, it'll never be safe to fly." Which is bollocks, because it wouldn't be allowed to fly if it wasn't sound. Your concerns about the engines are true, but it must be said that modern engine building techniques has made them far more reliable than they were. They also weren't exactly made of glass. Think of how many of them we produced for the B17 alone. We built approximately 17,000 B17s, EACH ONE having four engines, and probably half of those airplanes flew back to base with at least one engine shot to shit since the B17 attrition rate was astronomical. Yet the B17s famously flew back just fine, even with the engines totally fucked up beyond all recognition. One limped back with just one functioning engine that was heavily damaged in its own right. They're not ticking time bombs. While true that they do once in a while burn up like that, it wasn't common enough for me to have any reservation flying on a plane powered by them. They're no more likely to go poof than a modern turbojet.

[QUOTE=Ninja Duck;40980508]Breathe in that 1940's air.[/QUOTE] I can't wait to breath in all that asbestos.