Motoring Discussion > Tape measure anyone?	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Pat	Replies: 36

Tue 11 Jul 17 15:39   Tape measure anyone? - Pat

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-40561635?SThisFB Well, you would have thought someone would have, wouldn't you?! Pat Reply to this message | Report message       1

Tue 11 Jul 17 15:47   Tape measure anyone? - Old Navy

Cheapest cowboy with a lorry job ? Reply to this message | Report message       1

Tue 11 Jul 17 15:49   Tape measure anyone? - Pat

Yes, and everyone in panic mode! Narrow gear anyone? Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 15:57   Tape measure anyone? - commerdriver

I have never seen anyone try to move an aeroplane by road with the wings on, that was surely doomed from the start. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 16:03   Tape measure anyone? - sooty123

What a set of numpties. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 16:27   Tape measure anyone? - Ambo

Amazing the Police had not intervened, or the car going ahead to give warning of a Wide Load (I suppose there was/had to be one?) had not spotted the problem and stopped the lorry. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 16:38   Tape measure anyone? - madf

Just look at the state of the lorry.. It's a cheapaschips jobbie.. And the way it is secured. Given a Mustang weighs in at least 4 tonnes##, the fixing looks cowboyish ##www.mustangsmustangs.net/p-51/specifications Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 16:51   Tape measure anyone? - Bromptonaut

Wouldn't do plane much good either. Anything outsize like that should surely be a planned move and done in small hours. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 16:58   Tape measure anyone? - sooty123

Not necessarily it's not that big or outsized if you take the wings off it. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 17:52   Tape measure anyone? - Bromptonaut

>> Not necessarily it's not that big or outsized if you take the wings off it. Right said Fred, we'll have to take the wings off.... Seriously, how easily do the wings come off a Mustang? Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 17:58   Tape measure anyone? - sooty123

> Right said Fred, we'll have to take the wings off.... >> >> Seriously, how easily do the wings come off a Mustang? >> Not done a mustang, not too difficult i wouldn't imagine. The skin panels at the wing root if they're riveted on might be time consuming. The wing itself will be no more than a few large nuts and bolts. The rest we'll be just fuel connections, flight control pulleys and a small amount of wiring. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 18:04   Tape measure anyone? - Pat

Now we're getting into a real life situation of the average lorry driver! It's not his job to get the wings off. It's his job to secure it on the trailer. Would he have a tape measure long enough? Did he rely on what he was told........'we've out them on a trailer before with the wings on and they've been ok' I'm not trying to defend him, just make you realise what the situation would have been like! Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 18:11   Tape measure anyone? - sooty123

Of course it's not i know it's not he's job to prep it for transport i never suggested it was. I know he wouldn't be the only one involved nor did I suggest he was. Nor singlely is it his fault and I didn't suggest that either. There's more to it than, sling it on the back of a wagon! Last edited by: sooty123 on Tue 11 Jul 17 at 18:12 Reply to this message | Report message       1

Tue 11 Jul 17 17:07   Tape measure anyone? - Pat

OK, I agree they were all numpties but madf, as a matter of interest, how would you secure a 4 ton aeroplane on the back of a step frame trailer? And the trailer looks in pretty good nick actually, I suspect a premium rate was offered to get the job done quickly! Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 17:16   Tape measure anyone? - sooty123

>> OK, I agree they were all numpties but madf, as a matter of interest, how >> would you secure a 4 ton aeroplane on the back of a step frame trailer? >> Normally on a tressel type frame. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 17:32   Tape measure anyone? - Pat

In an ideal world....but they have to be made to fit. So, back to square one, it's got to be moved and moved quickly, what's Plan B? Pat Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 17:36   Tape measure anyone? - sooty123

Not necessarily. You can use flats ones and still secure it. That type of strip, secure and transport of an aircraft needs to be done properly not quickly. Plan B looks to be drive it a lampost, damage the aircraft, block traffic up and look like a bunch of numpties. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 18:00   Tape measure anyone? - Manatee

The wingspan of a P51 Mustang is actually nearly 5' more at 37' than the length. It might have been better the other way round. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 19:10   Tape measure anyone? - sherlock47

>>>The wingspan of a P51 Mustang is actually nearly 5' more at 37' than the length. It might have been better the other way round.<<< Maybe the driver had been told to put the other way round. But he thought he knew better :) Last edited by: sherlock47 on Tue 11 Jul 17 at 19:11 Reply to this message | Report message       1

Tue 11 Jul 17 19:18   Tape measure anyone? - rtj70

But how securely could you have it on a normal truck with the fuselage over the edges? Granted the load was wide and you could have used a wider trucker I suppose. It seems someone had not thought this through had they. Maybe if someone decided it would never fly again they could have just cut off the wings! :-) Or transported it suspended under a Chinook :-) Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 19:40   Tape measure anyone? - Haywain

"Or transported it suspended under a Chinook :-)" Or balanced it on its nose, avoiding a route with low bridges ;-) Reply to this message | Report message       1

Tue 11 Jul 17 18:12   Tape measure anyone? - Bobby

Why did it need moved quickly? Wasn't doing any harm sitting in the field until a proper plan could be thought out.? Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 18:14   Tape measure anyone? - Bobby

My brother in law used to work for a company called Abnormal Load Engineering. The stories he could tell and the photos he could show of loads they have moved were fascinating! Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 18:28   Tape measure anyone? - rtj70

Wouldn't the overall width of the load be reduced if it was transported at an angle? And actually it looks at an angle but that might be because it hit the traffic light. But as pointed out it was shorter than the wingspan so they never really considered how wide the load was. I wonder how far it had to be moved? I don't see why they didn't find the time to remove the wings etc. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 19:48   Tape measure anyone? - sooty123

> I wonder how far it had to be moved? Probably Duxford, there's various repair/restoration companies there iirc. Last edited by: sooty123 on Tue 11 Jul 17 at 19:48 Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 21:59   Tape measure anyone? - Rudedog

I remember not too long ago a small private plane having to make a forced landing off of the end of the main strip where I am, landed in farmer's wheat field that was not far off being harvested, drove past the plane on the way to work for nearly two weeks before it was removed. Rumour was that the farmer didn't want his crops ruined with all of the heavy machinery needed to remove it so it waited until the combine had been in. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 22:23   Tape measure anyone? - martin aston

Back to the original story which has "carnage" in the headline. There was no personal injury at all, let alone carnage. Does the BBC no longer employ journalists who have even GCSE English? Last edited by: martin aston on Tue 11 Jul 17 at 22:23 Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 11 Jul 17 22:40   Tape measure anyone? - CGNorwich

Be fair. The word "carnage" is in quotes and if you read the article you will see that the BBC are quoting from the police statement so they are correct. "Beds, Cambs & Herts Roads Policing Unit took to Twitter to describe the scene as "carnage"." Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 12 Jul 17 09:44   Tape measure anyone? - Hard Cheese

From the strap location and the loose tyre on the trailer deck I guess it was straight on the trailer though the wing hit the traffic light which twisted it ... Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 12 Jul 17 10:56   Tape measure anyone? - Zero

>> From the strap location and the loose tyre on the trailer deck I guess it >> was straight on the trailer though the wing hit the traffic light which twisted it Looks that way, dont think it damaged* the plane or the light tho, so indicates "crawling" speed. We don't know if it was actually too wide, can't see the other side, it could just have been a driving misjudgement *Certainly no more than hitting the ground at 75mph did anyway. Last edited by: Zero on Wed 12 Jul 17 at 10:58 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 12 Jul 17 09:55   Tape measure anyone? - Mapmaker

I hope 6 points at least for the driver. And the sack for whoever booked him. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 12 Jul 17 11:59   Tape measure anyone? - zippy

I know a company that moves wind turbine blades. They pay a fortune for police escorts, to close roads and sometimes for street furniture (traffic lights, street lights, signs etc) to be temporarily removed. Seems the aircraft mover above did it on the cheap and hoped to get away with it. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 12 Jul 17 13:32   Tape measure anyone? - Bill Payer

That's a great picture catching someone scratching their head! Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 12 Jul 17 14:23   Tape measure anyone? - BiggerBadderDave

Perhaps positioning it at that angle in the first place would have made it a narrower load. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 12 Jul 17 19:01   Tape measure anyone? - stan10

They rebuild classic aircraft at Duxford don't they ? edit - Just seen Sooty's comment, but if staying local, shirley they should have known .... Last edited by: stan10 on Wed 12 Jul 17 at 19:05 Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 16 Jul 17 00:14   Tape measure anyone? - bathtub tom

Shuttleworth had a similar incident with a biplane with an engine problem that had to set down in a nearby field recently. They took a tractor and some ropes, cut down a few trees, put planks across ditches and go it back. Reply to this message | Report message

Sun 16 Jul 17 08:21   Tape measure anyone? - Manatee

I joined a tour of the Shuttleworth Collection with one of their engineering staff recently. I had never been before. Well worth a visit for those who haven't been. www.shuttleworth.org/talksandtours/ Reply to this message | Report message