Right, so I promised this tentatively yesterday, and I must be quick because I'm on a deadline but prepare yourselves for the majesty of the BLACKBURN BLACKBURN and why I consider it to be an example of beautiful elegance No, really #NavalHistory #NavalAviation - ThreadSky

To be fair, they did do some good work but when you produce an aircraft so utterly beautiful and perfect as the Buccaneer, any other defence of the company is unnecessary. I do have a soft spot for the Beverly as well though.

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

I always struggle to think of the Beverley as a true Blackburn as it was developed by General Aircraft before they merged

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confusedpenguin.bsky.social•37 days ago

You are subjecting Bluesky to this abomination? Have you no shame? No feelings?

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truggieri.bsky.social•37 days ago

Why be just a villain when you can be a supervillain?

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kieslowskifan1.bsky.social•37 days ago

Threads like this help keep my sanity. Thank you. #avgeek

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m1ke-a.bsky.social•37 days ago

@navalairhistory.com just seen this on FB. I must resist the urge to not go and look up interwar British military biplanes as a result 😆

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

Wow, incredible work

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giftmacher.bsky.social•37 days ago

I'm often amazed at how people could land these things given the visibility but this one is a particularly impressive example. It's like 90% engine.

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

I suspect it was actually a lot easier to land than the average aircraft of the time, as the pilot has an almost unrestricted view forward and down. The only trouble I can imagine is judging the height off the deck, as the cockpit is so far above the wheels

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aviationhistory.bsky.social•34 days ago

I understand that the company were going to produce a developed version of the Blackburn Blackburn called the Blackburn Lancashire, but a plague of moths got at the fabric and put 10,000 holes in it.....I'll get my coat.....

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navalairhistory.com•34 days ago

I wouldn't have wanted to be on the statistics department when that happened. It did lead to a surprising and useless piece of knowledge though

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aviationhistory.bsky.social•34 days ago

Blackburn are a special favourite of mine. One of their designs gave rise to a surprising WW2 type, the Blackburn Ripon IIf, as used by the Finns. Here the ONLY Ripon left in the world

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riksbar.bsky.social•34 days ago

Much as I love the Buccaneer I’d possibly say Blackburn only made one successful aircraft, the Swordfish. I’d still have to say I’m a sucker for the B.2.

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sratoz.com.br•34 days ago

Hey, that's beautiful!!!

In 2008 I visited the Shuttleworth Collection and took a picture of this same B.2, G-AEBJ:

https://bsky.app/profile/sratoz.com.br/post/3kapk43viay2y

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aviationhistory.bsky.social•34 days ago

Of course, most of the surviving Swordfish (makes me smile to think that it's original designation was T.S.R 2) are actually 'Blackfish'

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navalairhistory.com•34 days ago

I think, all of them?

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aviationhistory.bsky.social•34 days ago

My local aircraft museum, South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum, still has the remains of the fuselage of a B.2 (in WW2 camouflage.

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navalairhistory.com•34 days ago

Now that I'd like to see

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navalairhistory.com•34 days ago

You must have an incredibly high bar for 'successful'!

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riksbar.bsky.social•34 days ago

I am perhaps being a bit harsh, and a know their naval fighters were far more successful than most people realise.

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navalairhistory.com•34 days ago

It’s wonderful that it survives. There are a few projects, but as far as I’m aware this is the only complete, surviving Blackburn military aircraft that isn’t a Buccaneer

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pokkeri.bsky.social•37 days ago

The finnish airforce used basically everything that flew. In the picture there is a Blackburn Ripon IIF, delivering mail in the south of Finland.

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

Superb photo! The Finnish Ripons were very long-lived I understand.

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pokkeri.bsky.social•37 days ago

Yes, they were produced under license by VL and retired in 1944 after a little under 20 years of service.

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

The Blackburn Blackburn - yes, they really did go there with the name. We can only count ourselves lucky that the earlier Blackburn Blackburd never received a production contract (even I think this thing is ugly)

Anyway...

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tmogriffons.bsky.social•37 days ago

As I understand it, the Blackburd was designed for ease of production with the fuselage formers all being the same size.

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nutellaberliner.bsky.social•37 days ago

It was clearly influenced by cubism.

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

The Blackburn was a carrier-based gunnery spotting and reconnaissance aircraft. And it looks like this for very good reasons.

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

The Blackburn was created in response to Specification 3/21 of 1921, which called for an aircraft for reconnaissance and gunnery spotting for the Royal Navy's big guns - buzzing around above the battle and radioing 'left a bit, right a bit', kind of

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

Now the thing about radio equipment in 1921 - it's bulky, temperamental, and it doesn't like being outside. Its operators were often at least two of those things as well. Properly it's *wireless* - no voice communication, just Morse key. So the powers that be ask for an enclosed cabin...

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vanhaste.com•37 days ago

The reminder of the daunting nature of the wireless equipment of that era suggests to me that Anne gets far too little credit for her efforts as CAL's radio-person on their globe-spanning flights in Tingmissartoq.

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

Almost certainly

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

Here's where I think Blackburn got really clever. I introduced you to the Dart the other day. With the Dart, Blackburn has an aircraft that can haul great weights, handles well, can operate well from an aircraft carrier, and already has quite a bit of space in the fuselage
https://bsky.app/profile/navalairhistory.com/post/3lg65pxidbc24

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

Blackburn designer Major Bumpus (promise I'm not making these up) took the main Dart components and just shuffled them around the main structural steel tube core. The radio had to go in the fuselage so he moved the pilot's cockpit up and forward. Wings, tail, engine installation all the same...

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patter.bsky.social•37 days ago

so good they named it twice

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rhodepvd.bsky.social•37 days ago

I interviewed the retiring editor of Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft in the early 90s, and he referred to a particular WWII aircraft as being a “lithe hunting dog straining at the leash”

Wish I could recall now which model..

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andrewharbison1.bsky.social•37 days ago

My late father worked for Blackburn in the 50s. He said that a lot of the design crew there claimed credit for one of the most successful fighters of WWII - the Mitsubishi A6M Zero.
The story according to my Dad was that Blackburn had several Japanese engineers visiting/working in the 30s… 1/2

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andrewharbison1.bsky.social•37 days ago

… and they disappeared off home with early plans of a new Blackburn fighter.
Blackburn being Blackburn, they mucked about with the design for years until it became the Firebrand which was, honestly, a bit crap for the time and resources dedicated to it.
How true the story is I do not know. 2/2

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gunthwaite.bsky.social•37 days ago

Excellent thread!
My Grandad…

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

Oh wow, wonderful. Any idea of unit, location?

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gunthwaite.bsky.social•37 days ago

Info not to hand re unit, but I believe the photo was taken at Sealand, Chester.

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tank621.bsky.social•37 days ago

I'm not sure I'd call it elegant, but you've invoked my love of weird interwar period aircraft, so I'm not going to argue with you! 😅

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staceyryn.bsky.social•37 days ago

That girl needs a nose job.

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

She's perfect

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staceyryn.bsky.social•37 days ago

I love a man who stands by his girl.

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phaethon.bsky.social•37 days ago

"Mr Blackburn, your latest aircraft is fugly!"
"Yeah? Wait 'til you see it with floats..."

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mkbinder.bsky.social•37 days ago

Gotta say, I think the floats work with the design, aesthetically speaking, rather better than the wheels do.

The whole thing like better proportioned.

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mkbinder.bsky.social•37 days ago

Also, why is my typing so hopeless? I'm not dictating to silly siri.

"LOOKS better proportioned."

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phaethon.bsky.social•37 days ago

How do you get in?

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dreadships.bsky.social•37 days ago

If you zoom in you can see the steps. The Avro Bison had a flipping LADDER strapped to the side!

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phaethon.bsky.social•37 days ago

Hmmm... I see those, but the first one has to be at least shoulder height, so stepladder, or clamber over the wing. Then if you made it to the top how do you sling your leg over? Unless, is that top step a door that rotates 90 degrees?
Nah - easier just to get winched in by ground crew and a crane.

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navalairhistory.com•37 days ago

There may well be a step on the undercarriage leg that can't be seen from this angle, but you could also climb onto the wing at the trailing edge and get onto the steps that way, the stub wing can be walked on

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egoode.bsky.social•37 days ago

The blackburn blackburn? Did you mean Blackburn Buccaneer?

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