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Hey ... ever seen a flea big and chubby like this?

[Keith Webb]

Originally posted by Vets_Dottir
Hey ... ever seen a flea big and chubby like this?

Cute!
This is the "flying flea"...
I recall seeing a picture of a Me163 rocket fighter with nose art calling it a flea: "Like a flea but Oh Hooooo!"

Originally posted by Keith Webb
Cute!
This is the "flying flea"...
I recall seeing a picture of a Me163 rocket fighter with nose art calling it a flea: "Like a flea but Oh Hooooo!"

Hi Keith,

Well, I'm curious about this little plane type. I have 2 or 3 other photos of different "Fleas" but they won't upload... photos too big

I also have one of (supposedly) the very first Spitfire... an more Spitfires and a lot of other plane photos from WW2 etc. Someone sent me a CD.
Are yah jealous?

[Rolf S. Ask]

grown men stealing the kids toys on the Mary go round.....
Shame on them.....
Rolf

[Keith Webb]

Originally posted by Vets_Dottir
Hi Keith,

Well, I'm curious about this little plane type. I have 2 or 3 other photos of different "Fleas" but they won't upload... photos too big

I also have one of (supposedly) the very first Spitfire... an more Spitfires and a lot of other plane photos from WW2 etc. Someone sent me a CD.
Are yah jealous?

Jealous? Me? Never!
Well...maybe a little.... if I humble myself a lot would you please consider sending me a copy, pretty please?
The first Spitfire was K5054 and was painted light blue, so hopefully that wil help you check. Later on it wore camouflage. There is a replica flying.


This is a Me 163 Komet
source of pic

KEITH: Hmmm ... I think maybe I was in error regards that Spitfire. Darn. I looked at the photo (black and white from a home made CD) and a writeup says "Supermarine 224" perhaps taken 1934?
a number on the plane MIGHT be 2857??? hard to make it out. That sound like a Spitfire???

Another old thang ([photo) is a "Supermarine Walrus"

I obviously don't know one plane from another but some of these older photos especially, are pretty interesting.

And by the way... that "Flea" really does look like a "Mary-Go-Round" theft!!! grin It also makes me miss our 4 cats (no longer with us...ran out of rabbit!)

(just kidding )

[cletrac (RIP)]

That little plane is the French Mignet Flying Flea. It wasn't very successful.

Originally posted by cletrac
That little plane is the French Mignet Flying Flea. It wasn't very successful.

Thanks Cletrac. Just looking at it, to me, it doesn't look very "helpful" ... what was the purpose of building "Fleas"? Meaning, how was it meant to be used? If anyone can answer my idle curiosity, that would be cool Yappy Carman

[Richard Farrant]

Originally posted by Vets_Dottir
... what was the purpose of building "Fleas"? Meaning, how was it meant to be used?

Carmen,
They were a bit like microlights are today, a relatively inexpensive way to fly. The Fleas were around in the 1920's when people were keen to try out this new fangled craze of flying.

Richard

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally posted by Vets_Dottir
Hey ... ever seen a flea big and chubby like this?

A flea is something my cats have.... a chubby is something entirely different....

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
A flea is something my cats have.... a chubby is something entirely different....

Geez Geoff ... did you mean chubby as in woody??? oiy oiy oi... oh oh... I'm in trouble again I think...aaaaaargh

[Keith Webb]

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally posted by Vets_Dottir
Geez Geoff ... did you mean chubby as in woody??? oiy oiy oi... oh oh... I'm in trouble again I think...aaaaaargh

Beautiful Madame, you have been "in trouble" here since about 524 posts ago... why break a perfect record?

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
Beautiful Madame, you have been "in trouble" here since about 524 posts ago... why break a perfect record?

"Ahhh ...guess I'll go eat worms then?"

:

[Bob Potter]

In some parts of the world, this little thing would be a godsend, except there is no room for my Tim Horton's donuts (I wish. No Tim Bits to be found around here) on the way to work. I also observe that it would not fit into my faculty parking spot, especially since next to me parks a suburban assault vehicle. Unless maybe the wings fold . . . .


Bob

[DaveCox]

If that's the flea I'd hate to see the cat :

Originally posted by DaveCox
If that's the flea I'd hate to see the cat :

Hey KEITH ... Dave just gave you your cue...what yah gonna do??? Eh? Come on... I know you can do something very creative here ... use the old imagination and the software...and voila....

wheres my dammed drink?

Originally posted by Vets_Dottir
KEITH: Hmmm ... I think maybe I was in error regards that Spitfire. Darn. I looked at the photo (black and white from a home made CD) and a writeup says "Supermarine 224" perhaps taken 1934?
a number on the plane MIGHT be 2857??? hard to make it out. That sound like a Spitfire???

Another old thang ([photo) is a "Supermarine Walrus"

I obviously don't know one plane from another but some of these older photos especially, are pretty interesting.

The 224 was the original, unofficial Spitfire. An unsuccessful thing to spec F7/30 with fixed undercarriage and cranked wings a bit like a Stuka, it first flew on 19 Feb 1934. RJ (Mitchell) wanted it called "Shrew"

K5054 to spec F37/34 which is the Spitfire of history first flew from Southampton - Eastleigh Apt (about 8 miles from where I sit now) on 5 March 1936 at 16:35, Mutt Summers was again at the controls and flew for just 8 mins reporting he wanted nothing touched after landing.

Popular history assumes this to mean it was perfect first time whereas the truth being that he wanted nothing altered until a complete evaluation, without any variables, had been accomplished.

Regrettably the aircraft (K5054) was totally destroyed on 2 September 1939 in a crash at Farnborough where the pilot, F/Lt White, was also killed.

Also regrettably in near govt enforced Europeanisation and national identity denial, this first flight event and the importance of Sept 15th also is heavily suppressed, however, it is remembered and celebrated by the English Nationals (Officially regarded as far right xenophobic fascists) of The Shirrell Heath Long Range Display Group comprising a DTB F15, 2.5 M-Cs and a 623.

May also be worth remembering that the BoB was largely Hurricanes in fact and may have been quite different had not a bit of ultimate mechanical serendipity found the US Hamilton-Standard two-pitch propellor had by coincidence a precisely mating splined boss that fitted the Merlin reduction case without modification. Those still flying with fixed wooden props were virtually outclassed by the opposition.

R.

[Keith Webb]

By amazing coincidence I found this almost identical image of an aircraft type nicknamed the yapping flea...
The pilot looks sort of familiar...