Canadian trip – British Columbia Aviation Museum, Sidney

Nice pic show peter. As always a joy to see.

Thanks,

J.V.

Many thanks, Consul, for that information which I have now included in my captions.

According to the noble Mr Patterson – this is indeed the only Centaurus powered example on those far off shores

There is one more U.S. Centaurus Fury but I believe it hasn’t flown in years. It is the War Eagle Air Museum’s “Simply Magnificent.” A perfect name for a Fury.

Jim

P.S.: Nice pictures!

Anson identity

PL

Sorry for delay but I had archived the data. I’ve since delved into my e-Mail correspondence with BCAM. After I visited the restoration in Summer 03 I contacted them to seek the origins of the Anson. They confirmed it was indeed a composite but there was some doubt about the identity of the donor aircraft. The potential identity of one of the machines involved was found marked on the inside of one of the cowlings but the letters and digits (FB846) didn’t conform to any Anson serial block. I researched sources and suggested that FP846 was more likely as it was a an ex 15SFTS Anson once at Claresholme Alb. and SoC in Oct 46. To try to confirm this BCAM then removed the other cowling and re-evaluated the remnants of the paint to be found there. They were able to confirm it was indeed FP846. They confirmed that they found this background information very useful and I’m delighted to see it’s since been painted as FP846. All credit, however, must go to BCAM for obtaining and beautifully restoring this machine – my involvement in helping clarify an identity was miniscule.

Please don’t keep me in suspense – what is the true identity of the Anson II? I suspected it was a composite, like so many of the Bolingbrokes in Canada.

SM1019

Excellent views PL – sadly all were indoors when I visited the museum last year. Fortunately I was subsequently able to help with tracking the true identity of the Anson during some subsequent research back in the UK.

The ex ItAF SM1019 is not a visitor – it’s been at Sidney for at least a year – I photographed it in the same position in Summer 03.

Funny you should say, that, DazDaMan, I just happened to take this one . . .

Very nice, thanks 🙂

This one would have been a flyer had the builder not died rather prematurely 🙁 Thankfully the members of 443 Squadron took over the build and finished it rather nicely 🙂

Ah OK, I thought that was Sanders own T20 N924G (I think) Didn’t realise that N281L had joined it. Thanks

Sea Fury at Abbotsford 2004

You mean this one, Mike?

What happened to the T20 that Wally Fisk had with a Centaurus installed??? Was at one point previously with David Price I believe. Has this now gone to American power?

Hi Mike

According to the noble Mr Patterson – this is indeed the only Centaurus powered example on those far off shores- I might add that here in the centre of the universe (Battle Star Australia) there is not a single one of the eight or nine Sea/Fury aircraft WITHOUT a Centaurus – one for us again – Who won the Olympics on a per capita basis hey !!!

Kindest regards
JP

B-17 Sentimental Journey

Here’s a bit more detail while she was at Sidney, and a couple of views at Abbotsford, which for photographers was a disaster, we had the sun in our eyes all day and not a long enough crowd line to get other angles.

Papa Lima,

I managed to crawl (barely) inside the B17 at the Abottsford International Airshow. She’s a beauty! I’ve heard that she’s the most complete and original B17 in North America. What a treat for the people on Vancouver Island! I guess I’ll have to make another visit to the museum in Sidney. It’s been a few years since my last visit. I go that way just about everyday being that I work on tugboats…
Very nice pics!

Cheers,

Todd

The museum has an excellent website which is: http://www.bcam.net/

When I was there a couple of years ago, the Norseman was still under rebuild, as was the Annie. Both lovely jobs; a great place!

3/4 scale Spitfire at Sidney, B. C.

Funny you should say, that, DazDaMan, I just happened to take this one . . .

Great stuff, PL.

You didn’t by any chance snap any photos of the 3/4 Spit that’s there, did you?

Sorry, Dave, I’m not the person to be able to tell you that, at least at the moment – this incident-packed 3 week trip resulted in 700 photos and there was little time for detailed information gathering, we were on the move all the time, covering I believe about 7000 miles by air, bus and train, and visiting about 20 different museums, air bases and air shows!

Thanks Peter, great photos. I love tha Anson and the Bollingbroke. And the Norseman is an unsual one of interest too. Can you let us know which ones fly, which ones may fly someday and which are fully static?

Cheers
Dave

Great stuff! I do hope the Annie and the Norseman were outside just for this event though…The Italian turbine-L-19ish bird is, I think, an SM.1019, which I’m assuming was a visitor along with the B-17. The very unusual sesquiplane flying-boat is the sole extant Eastman E2 Sea Rover. That’s the first time I’ve seen it pictured in one piece (well except for 30s-era shots of course). Must make it to the west coast of my own country sometime, what…

S.

More from Sidney, B.C., Canada

Here are a few more, mostly taken “round the back”