I came across this video on a replica of a 1930’s racer, the Percival Mew Gull. It has been recreated by David Beale over the course of the last seven years. In my view this is one of the most beautiful light aircraft ever built and the replica looks stunning. It will do 265 mph which is pretty fast for a 1930’s design with only 200 bhp. The original aeroplanes were used extensively in air racing and record breaking winning many trophies in the thirties.
The video is well worth watching with some nice cockpit shots.
Very interesting.
I noticed that the owner/builder flies with his left hand on the stick and his right on the throttle, even though the aircraft is set up for the other way around. This arms crossed looks awkward, but obviously works for him. Big respect to the guy for his handling skills though, the Gull looks a real handful on landing
Anyone else do that? I am fairly comfortable either way and tend to just fly with whichever hand on the stick the aircraft was designed to accommodate. .
Impressive. 10 000 hours build time …
The hand crossing looks impossible. I prefer right hand stick, but left hand works just as good. It looks difficult enough to land with no hand crossing.
That’s really a nice plane! I think the 30s era of race planes and race inspired planes (Monocoupes etc) was really an interesting time, and the planes remain interesting. Similar replicas of planes from that era were built by Bill Turner at Repeat Aircraft in Flabob Link
I learned to fly mostly with stick in left hand and throttle in right, the opposite of old time convention, and still fly that way now. But I don’t find it too hard to fly the other way around when required in other planes.
His footwork during landing and rollout looks as if he was bicycling down the runway… Impressive speed and range from that engine power, still hard to beat after 75 years. But if I ever invest 10.000 hours of my time into an aeroplane, then it must be pretty (this one is a candidate for the “ugliest plane” thread in my eyes, sorry to say that), controllable and offer good views in all directions including forward. If it does ten knots less, so what?
The crossed arms flying might be due to the very sensitive elevator. I can be difficult to make very small movements with the other than normally used hand on the stick.
As far as looks go, to each their own of course. I find most modern designs uninspiring to look at. I even think this GeeBee Z is a good looking aeroplane. 
