I was going through some very old slides and found this of a Valiant parked at Filton, dated November 1965. Can anyone identify it? I notice it’s silver rather than anti-flash white, which suggests to me it may be a prototype.
There were at least two other very large planes parked at the same spot in earlier years. One was an Ashton (the kind of plane once seen never forgotten!), WB493 I think, but does anyone know what the other was? A redundant Britannia perhaps?
Apologies for the poor quality – I was 13 at the time and hadn’t the nerve to get closer when the place was plastered with ‘no photography’ notices. At the time my aunt lived in the West Country and we used to drive past Filton two or three times a year.
William
By: Scouse - 19th June 2006 at 01:13
Thanks for that, chaps. Now to identify the third member of the trio.
The only thing that sticks in my memory is the seemingly enormous fin. Given that the Brabazons had been scrapped a decade or so earlier, I feel it must have been a Britannia just by virtue of its site. But it would be nice to know.
William
By: Consul - 18th June 2006 at 19:04
Yes I concur its WP199. I recall seeing it in that spot at Filton on 19 July 1965. Colour shots of this particulare Valiant are rare – indeed b&ws aren’t that common – thanks indeed for posting, happy memories!
By: Discendo Duces - 18th June 2006 at 17:57
It looks ike WP199, which was the flying engine testbed for the Pegasus engine. The Pegasus was mounted under the bomb bay, if I remember correctly.
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June 18, 2006 at 2:05 pm