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Moses03
October 6th, 2009, 13:16
As most of you know, a young C.J. (Jimmy) Melrose bravely piloted the DH.80A VH-UQO to a respectable 2nd place finish in the handicap division of the MacRobertson Race. To any of you planning to fly the Puss Moth alone or with a small team we surely salute your effort!

To be sure Milton’s soon to be released model makes it across the finish line at least once, we are organizing a large scale handoff. Since it will take in the neighborhood of 100 hours to complete, we would like to invite everyone to join in flying “My Hildegarde” in a team effort from all involved. This special trip will be exempt from the four pilot team maximum as listed in the rules.

This should be fun if we can get a lot of pilots to volunteer a little extra time. It is not mandatory in any sense of course and we understand the time commitment that will already be invested but if you want to slow down a little, enjoy the scenery and take a break from your main race entry here and there, sign up for Team Melrose!

Please respond in this thread if you are at all interested. We tried this on a smaller scale with MM’s DC-4 during the Evita event and was a lot of fun seeing pilots from SOH/AVSIM/Flightsim all work together. :ernae:

On behalf of the Committee-
Moses

http://i38.tinypic.com/28a144j.jpg

PRB
October 6th, 2009, 13:24
Sign me up for this one!
:ernae:

MM
October 6th, 2009, 13:30
Count me in.

------------------------------
Jimmy Melrose - Australia's Forgotten Hero

Imagine a young, 19 year old boy, 6 feet tall, unruly blond hair, freckled face – lived in his family home on the Esplanade at Glenelg. His name was Jimmy Melrose. This is an entry from his diary on Friday 9 June 1933:

“For the first time in my life I went for a flight all alone. Mr Stevens came with me and we made five good circuits and he was satisfied. So at 2.10pm I made my first solo flight which was the most marvellous experience I have ever had. I shall never forget that wonderful feeling as the plane climbed. I did several left hand turns and then closed the throttle, glided in and made a correct landing.”

That first flight was the beginning of a remarkable but short aviation career that only three years later, ended in tragedy.

Fourteen months later on Tuesday 7 August 1934 Jimmy set out from Parafield to break the round Australia record. Mrs Melrose, who was staying at North Adelaide, was on the lookout for her flying son and Jimmy swooped low and flashed his torch on her window. Mrs Melrose said,
“I saw it distinctly, Jim told me he was going to flash his torch and I was watching for it. He went off in very good spirits and was confident that he would finish the flight this time”.

Five and a half days later, in record-breaking time, Jimmy arrived back at Parafield. He beat the previous record for round Australia by 45 hours.

Jimmy was surprised to see an endless procession of cars wending their way to the aerodrome. He could not remember whether it was Saturday or Sunday. Thinking all those people were heading for the Gawler Races, he decided it must be Saturday. On landing, he asked a newspaperman what day it was.

“It’s Sunday, why?” the newspaperman replied.

“Well, what are those cars doing out here today?” Jimmy asked.

“Why, they’ve come to see you!” was the reply.

After the flight his diary recorded,

“Five days, 11 hours, a record for the flight around 7,000 miles of Australia. My record. Today I spent the rest of the morning being photographed as well as being interviewed. Tomorrow I am to visit the Governor and many other people. I am now supposed to be famous.”

----

Then, 2 months later, just after his 21st birthday, he flew his little Puss Moth aircraft to England to compete in the Centenary Air Race between London and Melbourne. The Race promised to be the greatest air race the world had ever seen. Jimmy Melrose was determined not to miss it.

He arrived in London and was surprised that he had just broken the record for the fastest flight between Australia and England – and the race hadn’t yet begun! London newspapers were full of praise for Jimmy’s flight. The Daily Telegraph wrote,

“He says the light of the moon helped him. All the same, it must be conceded he is a stout pilot and needless to say an accomplished navigator. He modestly remarked in reply to a question, ‘well I must say I found the places just about where I calculated them to be’”.

“This young fellow of the ready smile, the easy witticism and cultured voice and accent, has just made aviation history and is to be ranked among the famous pilots of the day.”

On the day the Race began, bearing in mind this is only 16 months after his first solo flight, he wrote,

“Saturday 20 October 1934, the start of the greatest air race the world had ever seen. 60,000 people came around the aerodrome at Mildenhall at dawn. Thrilling is not the word; we raced across the countryside east of London, the Thames, the Channel off Dove. I shall never forget it!”

The race was not without incident. Between Rome and Athens he flew into a storm. He had a weather forecast but it was written in Italian and he “couldn’t make head nor tail of it”.

“Never have I felt so scared in all my life, as when I flew up this valley 5,000 feet above sea level, with the mountains going up to 10,000 feet and more, all covered in snow.”

He only just made it into Darwin. Winds had forced him off course over the Timor Sea and 20 miles from Darwin, his fuel gauge showed “empty”. His engines still operated until 4 miles from landing, then sputtered to a stop.

“at 5.30pm the excited crowd at the Darwin aerodrome sighted him gliding up high in the sky with the propeller just turning over in the wind. Jimmy glided down in a wide swoop, and without any assistance from his engine, he made a perfect landing over half a mile from the official check point. Without wasting time he sprang out with his log book and sprinted the half mile, while a cheering crowd of 200 people ran towards him”.

Further on, 20 miles out of Charleville, mailman Mr Sands was driving along the road when,
“this plane swooped over the car and landed ahead of me in a clear patch of scrub country. This young fellow, Melrose, wearing shorts and a sun helmet got out and asked his way to Charleville. Apparently he thought he was off his course. He thanked me and made a perfect take-off. He’s a casual customer all right.”

Jimmy arrived in Melbourne on 31 October 1934.
“Tell them I’ll be there at 9 o’clock”.

And he was. Mrs Melrose was the first to greet her son. He flung open the cabin door and embraced her.
“Are you tired dear?” she asked.
”Not a bit. I’m sorry it’s all over!”

As well as winning third place in the Handicap section he was also the only Australian to complete the Race, the youngest aviator and the only pilot to fly the world’s greatest Race unaccompanied.

Thousands turned out to greet the winners of the Race in Melbourne. They were heroes, including Glenelg’s own Jimmy Melrose.

Charles James Melrose was now the golden boy of Australian aviation in 1934 following his achievements in the London to Melbourne Centenary Air Race. Pitting his meagre qualifications, amazing skill and unbounded confidence against the elements, and against the experience of veterans twice his age, he seized upon the public’s imagination more than any other competitor and flew into the pages of history.

He captured the hearts of the Australian public with a further series of record-breaking flights. A Melbourne Herald reporter described him in 1935 as “one of the most romantic figures in the flying world of Australia".

For more, see:
http://www.duncanmcfetridge.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62:jimmy-melrose-australias-forgotten-hero&catid=11:about-morphett&Itemid=12

arrvoo
October 6th, 2009, 14:41
I'm game as well

salt_air
October 6th, 2009, 17:02
Reckon I'll toss my hat into the ring as well.....:jump:.

Great idea!

Highmike
October 6th, 2009, 17:54
At last the penny drops! You guys are flying Milton's new Puss Moth! Yeah, count me in.

Bry Rosier
October 9th, 2009, 16:29
I`d be honoured to be part of a great team putting the little bird through it`s paces , London to Melbourne , should be quite a journey .

jt_dub
October 9th, 2009, 16:35
Count me in too.

lefty
October 9th, 2009, 22:31
Ah, the Puss Moth ! Now where have I seen one of those before ?? ;)

Great Ozzie
October 10th, 2009, 10:32
This special trip will be exempt from the four pilot team maximum as listed in the rules.

How silly of me to miss this. :isadizzy:

Yes... i'm in too. :ernae:

AussieMan
October 12th, 2009, 18:19
Count me in too though work may restrict my availability in the early parts of the race but if it goes into a second week I will be available especiaslly when you Northerners are asleep.

Cheers
Pat

MM
October 12th, 2009, 18:43
It is a treat to have Australians alongside!

Willy
October 12th, 2009, 20:00
Pat, it'll be a bit more than week flying it. I expect we'll have folks still out there at the end of a month. So, join in and fly it at your own pace. It's all good! :ernae:

Milton Shupe
October 12th, 2009, 20:39
Well, I took her out for a final flight test tonight in FSX. Hope to have final textures tomorrow and a few tweaks and she should be ready.

txnetcop
October 13th, 2009, 02:46
I'm in Kevin. Long live TEAM MELROSE!:ernae:
Ted

Moses03
October 14th, 2009, 09:40
Ah, the Puss Moth ! Now where have I seen one of those before ?? ;)

For those that don't know, Mike (lefty) was nice enough to tool over to the National Museum (http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums/museum_of_flight.aspx) in East Fortune to get cockpit reference photos for Milton's Moth team.

:ernae:

EdGeneer
October 14th, 2009, 18:48
Is that a/c just for fsx? I dont have my fsx 'happy' yet.... getting new hardware tomorrow if the ups gods are favorable....

so, im still fs9-ing it... hope to get things so i can run both....

Milton Shupe
October 14th, 2009, 20:56
Is that a/c just for fsx? I dont have my fsx 'happy' yet.... getting new hardware tomorrow if the ups gods are favorable....

so, im still fs9-ing it... hope to get things so i can run both....

The dh-80a is designed only for FS9 although we are trying to make her FSX-friendly as well if anyone needs to port her over.

Milton Shupe
October 14th, 2009, 20:58
For those that don't know, Mike (lefty) was nice enough to tool over to the National Museum (http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums/museum_of_flight.aspx) in East Fortune to get cockpit reference photos for Milton's Moth team.

:ernae:

Most appreciated too ... the pictures were most beneficial for the interior. The project would not be the same without Lefty's assistance I assure you.

salt_air
October 15th, 2009, 06:33
Yet another example of some of the finest MSFS aircraft models available in the world.

Thank You so much Milton!

I'm getting 111 kts to the ground (as per test instructions) with partial tanks at 4000',,,,sound about right?

I can see why "Jimmy" was so enthusiastic about entering the race.

What an incredible experience that must have been.....I was born too late!

Cheers,

Milton Shupe
October 15th, 2009, 10:16
I am going to post a single release Friday by noon USA Mountain Time just for the Melrose version and all of you. That allows me time to focus later on the broader package for the masses.

I am going to include a choice of panels and prop meshes so that you can use what best suits your system and VC views.

So, in about 22 hours from now. :)

I will post the link right here in this thread.

I would appreciate any feedback (in another thread) from anyone with a copy of the pre-beta or the posted version, and screensots can be helpful.

EdGeneer
October 15th, 2009, 20:48
The dh-80a is designed only for FS9 although we are trying to make her FSX-friendly as well if anyone needs to port her over.

Very nice... Thinking about it, I should stick with one entry. But it sounds like fun getting that to putter all the way to melborne. I would like to download that anyways when your done, it looks great!!!

Milton Shupe
October 15th, 2009, 20:49
You can download the just released beta now:

Download is ready here: dh.80a (http://www.flightsimonline.com/mas/dh80am_beta.zip)

Please remember to read ALL the installation text and provide feedback.

txnetcop
October 16th, 2009, 04:51
Got it thanks and thanks for the new prop for FSX
Ted

srgalahad
October 16th, 2009, 14:20
I didn't see a final decision in here and Milton would like to know...


Now, the question is for Melrose, was it 80 or 160 gallons. If 80, I need to change the tankage. :-)

Speak up folks!

salt_air
October 16th, 2009, 14:57
I didn't see a final decision in here and Milton would like to know...



Speak up folks!

I dearly love this aircraft what little I've flown it so far, but I don't believe I'll be in it for stretches long enough to burn 160 gallons.

At least not with two entries already and still looking at possibly two more..:isadizzy:

Willy
October 16th, 2009, 15:47
If I get a chance between flying the Twin Beech and the Skymaster, I'll take a leg in the Puss Moth.

fliger747
October 16th, 2009, 19:33
Yep, another Milton Classic! Hope to be able to turn a prop or two!

T

Milton Shupe
October 16th, 2009, 19:46
LOL Tom ... are you home for a change?

Milton Shupe
October 16th, 2009, 20:47
You can now download the the full package official release from my website:

Puss Moth DH-80A (http://www.flightsimonline.com/PussMoth/)

This includes 4 paint schemes including the Melrose version and all corrections for issues found during the beta testing.

The default tanks are 2X26 gallons so you may wish to change them in the aircraft.cfg.

You may wish to drop the passenger as well unless you plan to carry 150lbs of food and water and deoderant with you, or beer ... :mixedsmi:

Thanks to all of you who helped with testing. We greatly appreciate that. :ernae:

Best of luck on your journeys, but most importanty, have fun.

Dangerousdave26
October 16th, 2009, 21:11
Actually the copilot is supposed to be on board if the plane could seat more than 1 (per the rules).

Thanks Milton she looks great.

Dave

Milton Shupe
October 17th, 2009, 05:47
Actually the copilot is supposed to be on board if the plane could seat more than 1 (per the rules).

Thanks Milton she looks great.

Dave

Ah! I guess we still have the option to put the pilot in the back and the tank in the front ... that would eliminate the passenger. :wiggle:

Great Ozzie
October 17th, 2009, 13:15
A Trio of Puss Moths at Grazzanise (LIRM) about to depart for Naples (Bry, Travis & Rob).

N350BC_Doug
October 18th, 2009, 18:29
Kind of like having my desert before dinner, I will not join in this special race due to my current time constraints, but I did grab the plane. This Puss Moth is, well... WOW! A really professional job, it takes a bit of work to fly as it should. My hats off to Milton, truly a talent, what a beautiful plane!

N350BC_Doug
:applause::applause::applause::applause:

MM
October 19th, 2009, 12:21
Working Guidelines for Team Melrose.

Here are a few suggestions:

• The idea is to have fun and honor Jimmy Melrose. The team is not committed to winning the race or, even, making the very best time possible.
• The team route should more-or-less follow the Melrose route. Through Rome, Athens, and so forth.
• The first leg will be flown by Milton Shupe at a time of his choosing. Another leg, perhaps the second leg, is reserved for Tom Falley. Otherwise, every team member is encouraged to take the stick.
• Pilots should limit their legs to manageable lengths. There is no need to restrict landings to the official "prepared airports" though those might serve as a good guideline. Short legs, no more than two or three hours, are better for everyone concerned.
• The team organization will intentionally be loose. Pilots may "grab the baton" whenever it is not held by another pilot.
• Pilots may reserve the baton for the next leg to follow immediately after the current pilot lands. Accordingly, pilots should state their destination clearly when they take off or when they change course. If the reserving pilot does not take the baton within 15 minutes of the previous pilot's landing, then the baton is free.
• The pilot who has just completed a leg should encourage another pilot to take the next leg. If there is no one around, and the current pilot is just itching to do another leg, he should go ahead—after waiting at least a half hour for another pilot to show up.

Until our "senior pilot" Moses gets back from the computer hospital, we'll try to get by without any visible leadership...;)

Let's have some fun and salute a great aviation hero.

Milton Shupe
October 19th, 2009, 15:27
Thank you Michael; that sounds great.

I intend to start the first leg Tuesday morning the 20th around 6AM USA Mountain time, EGUN to LFPB.

salt_air
October 19th, 2009, 18:59
Thank you Michael; that sounds great.

I intend to start the first leg Tuesday morning the 20th around 6AM USA Mountain time, EGUN to LFPB.

Hat's off to Milton everyone as he hurdles across the channel in the first leg of the long journey.

Best Wishes for a good flight sir! :wavey:

Milton Shupe
October 19th, 2009, 19:03
Well thank you :)

I just flew it again to ensure that I can do it, and not embarrass me and the whole team. :icon_lol: A little bumpy and sometimes foggy but otherwise a great flight.

EDIT: Where are the Team Melrose supposed to post their Duenna results?