WW2 desert Hurricane pilot

[biltongbru]

Hi


http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/320330_10150322951819781_796104780_7688828_1373860 450_n.jpg

I met a ww2 fighter pilot, Stewart "Bomb" Finney, who flew Hurricanes and Spitfires in North Africa 1941-1942 with SAAF 1 Squadron. His memory is excellent and I interviewed him on camera. To make the interviews interesting I added some IL-2 animation, including bits of CoD.

Here an example: (5 minutes) Thanks to Cheruskerarmin for the SAAF hurricane skins, they look awesome! Used the great maps from Redko and dirt runway dust mod from Exhaton and Soccorrista, thanks again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf5ebCzzMOE

Mr. Finney has a heap of war time photographs. I made a web site to present the photographs, videos and other interesting and relevant stuff including his log book:

http://www.bombfinney.com/

Any questions to Mr. Finney are welcome as I see him often.

[Pitti]

Thank you very much for your hard work!
I watched all your interviews with Heinz Migeod and so I will do with these ones. :)

[jayrc]

thanks for sharing:grin:

[Jugdriver]

Great Stuff!

[Winger]

Superb! thanks for sharing! The end was quite suddely. I could have listened for hours:)

Winger

[Tvrdi]

Love your interviews. Thanks alot.

[DUI]

Just done with the whole series - followed your interview with great pleasure!

[Rickusty]

Great Biltongbru!
I watched all the Migeot interviews and they were superb.
I will watch these as well. We should try to find as many veterans as possible, as there are so few of them nowadays.
Thank you for having put that in practice.

Cheers
Rick

[biltongbru]

Thanks everyone; I love doing interviews with these gentlemen;

Interesting how issues that we wonder about on our forums get solved by hearing from them who were there; I remember the issue on the realism of "curly" gun bullet smoke trails and different colours of tracer; definitely being confirmed with our gentleman.

Great Biltongbru!
I watched all the Migeot interviews and they were superb.
I will watch these as well. We should try to find as many veterans as possible, as there are so few of them nowadays.
Thank you for having put that in practice.

Cheers
Rick

Yes thanks and please hold thumbs for an interview with Rommel's desert driver, mr von Leipzig; he is still living and hope to interview him in Namibia. (Ex Brandenburger and RK bearer):)

[major_setback]

Thanks!!
Excellent quality interview and website.

[t4trouble]

Well done, always great to watch.

[Ze-Jamz]

excellent

[6BL Bird-Dog]

Top Marks.Super Job

[JG52Krupi]

Fantastic stuff, thanks for sharing :D

[bw_wolverine]

Absolutely excellent interview and editing.

Thank you very much.

Also, thank you very much to Stewart "Bomb" Finney.

[Moggy]

Thanks for posting these biltongbru. I do have a question for Mr. Finney regarding the Hurricane Mk.I and Mk.II startup. My questions is this;

Before you started the engine of the Hurricane Mk.I, did you have to switch the fuel tank selector switch to the reserve (gravity) tank or was it possible to start the engine on the main tank? In the pilot notes and the Ferry Pilot notes, it states that the Hurricane Mk.I had to be started on the reserve tank whereas the Hurricane Mk.II could be started on the main tank. Unfortunately I've never had the opportunity to ask a Hurricane pilot if this was the case.

Many thanks.

[fireship4]

Thanks for these interviews, I have started watching the desert Hurricane series, and enjoyed the Stuka pilot interview that was posted before on the channel.

I will say that I myself would put less or no music/sound effects into the piece, and just let the pilot's words tell the story, in my view they can add too much artistic licence/atmosphere to something which is more about documenting history, and can interfere with the story - the graphics however are more acceptable in that regard and can help someone visualise the situation.

Thanks again.

[mungee]

Thanks Tinus - a brilliant job, as always!

I now realise why you've been "quiet" for awhile!!

It makes me wonder whether you should think of come up to Durban and interview, and make a video on, my "Arnhem men"

http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/23110283/m/9711000897?r=5491007108#5491007108

Regards

Rob (in Durban)

[ARM505]

Dankie Tinus,

From Slaapstad. Look at the mountain bru!

[biltongbru]

Thanks for posting these biltongbru. I do have a question for Mr. Finney regarding the Hurricane Mk.I and Mk.II startup. My questions is this;

Before you started the engine of the Hurricane Mk.I, did you have to switch the fuel tank selector switch to the reserve (gravity) tank or was it possible to start the engine on the main tank? In the pilot notes and the Ferry Pilot notes, it states that the Hurricane Mk.I had to be started on the reserve tank whereas the Hurricane Mk.II could be started on the main tank. Unfortunately I've never had the opportunity to ask a Hurricane pilot if this was the case.

Many thanks.

Okay will ask him; hope he can remember this detail!

[biltongbru]

Dankie Tinus,

From Slaapstad. Look at the mountain bru!

Yes great view!

GO BOKKE!:)

[DoolittleRaider]

This is the very best Interview-Video, thus far, incorporating your use of IL-2 (and now COD) video footage, including your cutting-edge skills in excellent green-screening techniques, in 'visualizing' the aerial combat action discussed in the Interviews! Superb. It outclasses most, if not all, of the History Channel and Military Channel documentaries of this sort. I've calculated that 28% of the screen time in this Bomb Finney Interview consists of IL-2/COD footage. That is a significant portion of the piece.

This video serves to demonstrate the great possibilities available in the use FlightSim 'footage' to tell a documentary story of the sort for which History Channel(s) utilizes very expensive and complex CGI.

Another very long feather in your Cap, Biltongbru!!!

S!
http://members.cox.net/fliegeroffizier/1941Salute.gif

[Jaws2002]

Very nice. Thank you.:)

This pretty much settles the isues with the German blue tracers. :mrgreen:

Excelent.:grin:

[AWL_Spinner]

Wonderful job, thank you. Great to see these memories being preserved in this way.

[biltongbru]

This is the very best Interview-Video, thus far, incorporating your use of IL-2 (and now COD) video footage, including your cutting-edge skills in excellent green-screening techniques, in 'visualizing' the aerial combat action discussed in the Interviews! Superb. It outclasses most, if not all, of the History Channel and Military Channel documentaries of this sort. I've calculated that 28% of the screen time in this Bomb Finney Interview consists of IL-2/COD footage. That is a significant portion of the piece.

This video serves to demonstrate the great possibilities available in the use FlightSim 'footage' to tell a documentary story of the sort for which History Channel(s) utilizes very expensive and complex CGI.

Another very long feather in your Cap, Biltongbru!!!

S!
http://members.cox.net/fliegeroffizier/1941Salute.gif

Thanks Wiley :)

[biltongbru]

Also ask him (if you don't mind) if he remembers ever flooding the Hurri's engine during combat. That should elicit a description of the cut-out problem either way and hopefully a good story!

Thanks! :)

Hi cheesehawk:

Engine cut-out was definately a problem; when they suddenly pushed the stick down then the engine would starve of petrol and thus almost cut out; it became evident in this interview at t 6;30 sec:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slM-Ifvaj9Q&list=PL85DEF013233358E0&index=5

Myth not busted!:)


:)

[Moggy]

Thanks for that, I look forward to Mr Finney's reply.

About the negative G cutout, in this film starting at about 24:00 Douglas Bader, Robert Stanford-Tuck and Sir Stanley Hooker explain about the pitfalls of the gravity fed carburettor and why it is was used instead of a direct fuel injection system such as those found on the 109.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/battleofbritain/11405.shtml

If you're outside of Britain, you might not be able to view the film...sorry.

[biltongbru]

Thanks Tinus - a brilliant job, as always!

I now realise why you've been "quiet" for awhile!!

It makes me wonder whether you should think of come up to Durban and interview, and make a video on, my "Arnhem men"

http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/23110283/m/9711000897?r=5491007108#5491007108

Regards

Rob (in Durban)

Hi thanks Rob:)

I have sent you a pm regarding your idea with the "Arnhem men" I think it is a good idea:)

[giovanni the ace]

Thank you so much! The interview was very interesting. Glad to hear that you've got other interviews too.

G.C.

[Immermann]

Great video!

[Prime Time]

Brilliant photos on the website too

[secretone]

Thank you.

[biltongbru]

I have my next appointment on 11 October with Mr. Finney and will then get answers to the questions of Moggy and cheesehawk. On that occasion plan to photograph his medals (including DFC) and other memorabilia including his winged boot award. Any other questions are welcome. He also flew various models of spit's (including IX) up to 1945 during his last tours to Sicily and Italy.:)

[sevsterinos]

really well done, i watched them all, thanks for your effort, i really appreciate it!!

[Corto]

@biltongbru

great work....
thanks a lot....

[Sailor Malan]

Hey Biltongbru, great vids man, nice to see and hear from our Old hero's who fought the real thing. Sadly not many left.

Best regards from a ex Soth African now living in Australia. as they told us in the the army "Vasbyt boknaaiers" and like so many Jaapies we did.

P.S I would kill for some real biltong

[bongodriver]

P.S I would kill for some real biltong

I get around that problem by making my own....theres nothing quite like raw meat :)

[Sailor Malan]

To hot and humid up here in Far North Qld. meat goes rotten before you can eat it LoL. No springboks or kudus up here as well.

[biltongbru]

Hey Biltongbru, great vids man, nice to see and hear from our Old hero's who fought the real thing. Sadly not many left.

Best regards from a ex Soth African now living in Australia. as they told us in the the army "Vasbyt boknaaiers" and like so many Jaapies we did.

P.S I would kill for some real biltong

Hi man, thanks for the thumbs up.
Boknaaiers = infantry with the bokkop on berrets.:)
I was in armour; Noddy car crew

How about kangaroo biltong? :confused:

keep well
Tinus

[biltongbru]

Hi

Today I visited Mr. Finney and he gave me this feedback:

Cheesehawk:

He said he never had an engine cut-out in early Hurricanes while dog-fighting due to negative G causing the float carburettor to shut down fuel supply. He said if they want to go down quickly he always rolled and then pull the stick back. The later Hurri's had fuel injection and thus wasn't an issue.

Bomb himself did not have much experience dog-fighting with Italians besides a few times with Macchis and G50's. They regarded the Italian aviators as brave and skilled but regarded the German pilots a bit better. He has a high respect for the MC 202 because of good manoeuvrability.

They once had a German pilot pow at their aerodrome but Bomb did not make contact with him.

Moggy:

Bomb cannot remember regarding the switching of tanks with the Hurri mkI start-up but says the Imp war museum once helped him with a question long after the war where they looked something up for him in their archive manuals.

Today I took pics of his medals and some other memorabilia:


http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/297094_10150345865814781_796104780_7816652_7620662 93_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/302326_10150345866114781_796104780_7816655_4888886 24_n.jpg

Above is the caterpillar award given to all Allied members who bailed out and saved by an Irvine parachute and hence became a member of the caterpillar club? :)



http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/321283_10150345866439781_796104780_7816658_2079116 128_n.jpg

Note the Winged Boot award: Given to members of the "late arrivals club" for pilots that got shot down and arrived back at the squadron after a long period of time.

[Trooper117]

Love this stuff.. thank you!

[skouras]

excellent job
thanks for the video
now that is a worth to see again...

[kristorf]

Great info and read, many thanks

[Trooper117]

Thanks for posting these biltongbru. I do have a question for Mr. Finney regarding the Hurricane Mk.I and Mk.II startup. My questions is this;

Before you started the engine of the Hurricane Mk.I, did you have to switch the fuel tank selector switch to the reserve (gravity) tank or was it possible to start the engine on the main tank? In the pilot notes and the Ferry Pilot notes, it states that the Hurricane Mk.I had to be started on the reserve tank whereas the Hurricane Mk.II could be started on the main tank. Unfortunately I've never had the opportunity to ask a Hurricane pilot if this was the case.

Many thanks.

Looking at the ATA notes from 'Flying Wartime Aircraft' as I type this, looking at the Hurricane section for the MkI, it states;

The use for tanks on take-off are as follows:

1. If all tanks are full take off on MAINS.
2. If MAINS are less than half full and RESERVE is more than half full take-off on RESERVE.
3. If all tanks are less than half full, the aircraft is not in a fit condition to take-off.

Run-up must always be made on the tank to be used for take-off: use the other tank for starting and warming up.

It goes on to say, during PREPERATION FOR FLIGHT;

5. Check fuel contents. When tanks are full turn on RESERVE for starting and warming up.

Then later just prior to the run up;

In the normal case when tanks are full and the start has been made on Reserve, CHANGE OVER TO MAIN TANKS just before the run up.

Hope that helps mate. :)

[katdogfizzow]

Just watched all of these today...totally awesome champ!

[kalimba]

Hi


http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/320330_10150322951819781_796104780_7688828_1373860 450_n.jpg

I met a ww2 fighter pilot, Stewart "Bomb" Finney, who flew Hurricanes and Spitfires in North Africa 1941-1942 with SAAF 1 Squadron. His memory is excellent and I interviewed him on camera. To make the interviews interesting I added some IL-2 animation, including bits of CoD.

Here an example: (5 minutes) Thanks to Cheruskerarmin for the SAAF hurricane skins, they look awesome! Used the great maps from Redko and dirt runway dust mod from Exhaton and Soccorrista, thanks again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf5ebCzzMOE

Mr. Finney has a heap of war time photographs. I made a web site to present the photographs, videos and other interesting and relevant stuff including his log book:

http://www.bombfinney.com/

Any questions to Mr. Finney are welcome as I see him often.

Very nice job, and very toutching to see a real WW2 hero .
I have noticed that he talks about ' blue and red Ping Pong balls' when he describes what he saw as bullets and tracers passed him. That is very interesting regarding the whole tracer debate....If you have the chance to ask him if he remembers how firing tracers from his plane looked like, I think this could add to our knowledge data bank...;)

Thanks and very very good quality ' production' !

SAlute !

[biltongbru]

That is very interesting regarding the whole tracer debate....If you have the chance to ask him if he remembers how firing tracers from his plane looked like, I think this could add to our knowledge data bank...;)

Thanks and very very good quality ' production' !

SAlute !

Thanks and I will ask him when I see him again in about 2 weeks time:)

[Moggy]

Thanks Trooper and Tinus. I wanted confirmation from an actual Hurricane pilot that he had to start the Hurri Mk.I on reserve (gravity) as opposed to main (which you can do in game and in the Mk.II). I must try and get hold of that book Trooper, my birthday is coming up so it's the perfect pressie I think!

[Trooper117]

Thanks Trooper and Tinus. I wanted confirmation from an actual Hurricane pilot that he had to start the Hurri Mk.I on reserve (gravity) as opposed to main (which you can do in game and in the Mk.II). I must try and get hold of that book Trooper, my birthday is coming up so it's the perfect pressie I think!

'Flying Wartime Aircraft' covers handling notes for only 7 planes Moggy, just in case you didn't know.


Hawker Hurricane
Bell Airacobra
Hawker Typhoon
de Havilland Mosquito
Bristol Beaufighter
Vickers Wellington
Consolidated Liberator


The Hurricane section covers the MkI, II, & IV; Sea Hurricanes I & II

[Moggy]

'Flying Wartime Aircraft' covers handling notes for only 7 planes Moggy, just in case you didn't know.


Hawker Hurricane
Bell Airacobra
Hawker Typhoon
de Havilland Mosquito
Bristol Beaufighter
Vickers Wellington
Consolidated Liberator


The Hurricane section covers the MkI, II, & IV; Sea Hurricanes I & II

I didn't know the book only covered 7 types of aircraft Trooper. I've just re-read my ferry pilot notes and it seems they were taken (in part) from the 'Flying Wartime Aircraft' book.