ELC Irvin , original Sidcot suit etc getting some use

[fleet16b]

Seeing as it was nice and warm and sunny (-8) here in Ontario Canada today, I decided to take the Fleet out for a spin.( I had not flown since Nov 11 and was experiencing some with-drawl symptoms)
Got the aircraft out and did a good half hour preheat so that the oil was nice and warm prior to start up. This is critical especially with a radial engine. If the oil is too thick (cold ) it will not flow and properly lubricate the engine.
Once all temps are pressures stabilized ( about 20 min) I took her up for a half hour and did some fly-by for world re-known aviation photographer Eric Dumigan ( on google type "airic" for his website)
Both vintage and repro clothing did their job thru out the flight with no loss of fingers and toes due to frostbite
In the last picture I am wearing my ELC B of B Irvin ( she is starting to look worked in a bit). The flight suit is a 1939 pattern Sidcot suit (original). The helmet is an original Canadian "b" type and the goggles original AN 6530's
I am also wearing my Cockpit 1936 pattern flying boots that I had resoled as to remove the heavily treaded soles
Please excuse the caption it as put there by the photographer and I was not sure how to crop it.


Hope you enjoy the pics

Hooking up pre heater to warm the oil

She starts

Warming up the oil

Pre Flight Checks

Throttle open

Take off

Pass #2

Landing

Reincarnation of my Dad who also flew Fleet Finches but at #9 EFTS RCAF

 

[Metatron]

There's a certain poetry to those images. Thanks a lot for posting!

 

[ButteMT61]

Awesome pics! Love all of it, the plane. The clothing. The location! Jealousy is ugly, but that makes me an ugly man tonight
Thanks for sharing. Excellent photography.

 

[Stearmen]

Cold Props

Great photos! Wish some one would make a replica of the Sidcot suit. Hope you remembered to turn the engine through at least five blades, preferably ten by hand! I remember when we were getting the PV2 ready to go to it's new home at the Lone Star Museum, we put the heaters directly in the cowls and ran them for at least an hour, it was still like stirring taffy with those R2800s. Where's all the help when it's cold?

 

[Spitfire]

Great pictures!!!!

 

[xt40]

Great photos! Wish some one would make a replica of the Sidcot suit.

this company make sidcots

http://www.blueswallowaircraft.com/html/sidcot-suit.html

about the pictures - wow

 

[Smithy]

Simply fantastic photos, I'm hugely envious!

 

[fleet16b]

this company make sidcots

http://www.blueswallowaircraft.com/html/sidcot-suit.html

about the pictures - wow

Yes someone has posted that link before:
As a colector of Sidcots I am not impressed. The colour is wrong and the material is way too thin.
Ass far as I know (and have actually seen in person) , the 1930's pattern Sidcot was made in three versions. I have all 3 in my collection
Khaki, Blue . Olive Green,. Each had slight differences.

Khaki - the most common seen inpre war and WW2 pics. Ther are some pics of Douglas Bader in front of a Hurricane wearing this version. The material was impregnated with a rubberized chemical in the weave is usually all fallen out at this point/age

Airforce Blue : Slightly heavier material than the Khaki and imho the most attractive looking Sidcot. All features etc same as the Khaki

Olive Green : Same features as the other two.However, the material of thia version while being thick like the Blue version is not very strong. Almost all the green ones that I have handled are falling apart and the material is very weak .
The manufacturers must have gone to a lower quality material. It did not hold up as well as the other two versions.

While working in the movie industry, we once look into reproducing an accurate Sidcot but the estimated cost would have amounted to $3500 cn each :eeek:

 

[xt40]

Yes someone has posted that link before:
As a colector of Sidcots I am not impressed. The colour is wrong and the material is way too thin.
Ass far as I know (and have actually seen in person) , the 1930's pattern Sidcot was made in three versions. I have all 3 in my collection
Khaki, Blue . Olive Green,. Each had slight differences.

Khaki - the most common seen inpre war and WW2 pics. Ther are some pics of Douglas Bader in front of a Hurricane wearing this version. The material was impregnated with a rubberized chemical in the weave is usually all fallen out at this point/age

Airforce Blue : Slightly heavier material than the Khaki and imho the most attractive looking Sidcot. All features etc same as the Khaki

Olive Green : Same features as the other two.However, the material of thia version while being thick like the Blue version is not very strong. Almost all the green ones that I have handled are falling apart and the material is very weak .
The manufacturers must have gone to a lower quality material. It did not hold up as well as the other two versions.

While working in the movie industry, we once look into reproducing an accurate Sidcot but the estimated cost would have amounted to $3500 cn each :eeek:

it appears they are aware of the colour criticism and still reckon that their colour is correct for the pre-war period. i dont know about the weight but would imagine that if they have the patterns right, they could easily do one up in a heavier material.
i found this post here
http://www.wwiireenacting.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=61873&start=32



I was reading with interest your group's comments on the 1920s-30s Sidcot suits, my company Blue Swallow Aircraft, LLC are producing. I would encourage you to take another visit to our web site and read closely the information that is presented there, regarding the type of flying suit we are recreating and the history of the Sidcot suit in general.

The patterns for our suits were professionally made by a company that makes clothing for Hollywood. We purchased and used original British Sidcot suits of the period to make our patterns. From the start, we realized that very few Americans could possibly fit in the original 1920-30 sizes because contemporary Americans are generally so much larger than our British counter parts from that time period. We also had to take into account that no one is still producing the exact same buttons, or zippers used on the original suits. We searched and search to find them. I can show you the quotes for custom buttons manufacture... It is rediculous, 10K minimum. Since our suits are meant for folks who really flying full size, real aircraft, like the ones we build and restore, we had to make our suits affordable and practical, while still trying to stay, as close as possible, to the originals.

As to the "correct" color of the suits... we looked at more than one dozen different examples and I chose the color that I felt looked the closest to the one we have seen in the many pictures we have of pilots flying the British aircraft we are building. This is not the ugly green-gray color used in British WW II electrically heated suits. I believe you can easily find pictures of Douglas Bader wearing a pre-War Sidcot suit that look almost white in several of the pictures. This is not a Prestige suit that can be mistaken for a Sidcot by some.

If any members of this forum would like to contact us with their concerns or suggestions, we would be delighted to hear from them. If you can provide us with additional information that we can commercially follow up on, such as alternate sources for commercial quantaties of specific materials we would love to hear from you. We strive to please all of our customers, and we know there are literally dozens of BSA, LLC Sidcot suits being worn by folks who are very happy with the product we produce.

Regards,

John Gaertner
BSA, LLC
Keswick, VA USA

 

[fleet16b]

Well looking at my originals a few minutes ago, I still say that their colour is wrong , close but wrong
The originals are a darker Khaki and also have fake fur lined leg pockets. I notice one of the original sidcots pictured on their website seems to have no fur but it may be just the picture. I have yet to ever see one without fur.
I agree with them that their buttons are way off .
However, they are the only game in town and will have to do I guess.
It;s too bad they don't make the RAF prestige suit . I would love to have a repo and an original

 

[xt40]

This company seem to be marketing their sidcot to pilots rather than reenactors. Im just guessing but i would imagine the original material would not be very safe in an accident so maybe they should stop looking for/ claiming period accuracy and offer them as a modernised version in leather/sheepskin or nomex.

 

[fleet16b]

This company seem to be marketing their sidcot to pilots rather than reenactors. Im just guessing but i would imagine the original material would not be very safe in an accident so maybe they should stop looking for/ claiming period accuracy and offer them as a modernised version in leather/sheepskin or nomex.

From a pilots point of view, the original sidcots are not really practicle except for winter vintage aircraft flying. In the case of cold temps, they work quite well but they are also not fireproof at all:eeek:
In the summer I wear an modern nomex tan USAF flight suit. It is not vintage but very practicle,light and not too warm to were in the summer months.

The blueswallow version looks much lighter and thinner than the actual Sicots (and has the appearance of a set of loosely fitting coveralls) so would be ok in the summer. However as I said the Sidcot design is not really practicle anymore and can be somewhat bulky in a small cockpit.
My only defense is that I want to be as authentic as possible when Flying my biplane
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