TSR2 condition?

XR220 definitively could have flown. The crew was having lunch when the axe fell and rushed back to the airfield to get the aircraft in the air, but were forbidden to do so.

For more info have a look at Damien Burke’s site: Thunder and Lightnings

Originally posted by RobAnt
Ahhhh – “balding” sets us apart!

As I keep telling everyone, “Grass doesn’t grow on a busy street”…

…well thats my excuse and I’m going to stick with it.

I would have been easy to recognise, fat, balding, wrong side of 40 and carrying one SLR with large flash and a small Fuji digital.

Ahhhh – “balding” sets us apart!

Still – we’re both the right side of 50!!!!

Originally posted by dhfan
I thought there was only one engine…

Here’s a picture that I took from behind and below ‘220 and on the left, there are certainly two cradles and two engines and to be honest, as both were behind the boundry, I guessed that both were meant for the TSR2.

Engines don’t really float my boat so like not reading notice boards, I didn’t take close attention but one ‘may possibly’ be a sectioned example but I wouldn’t like to put any money on this fact.

Tony

I’d heard about the 4th set of ‘remains’ from a collector who owned them. He passed away and I wondered if they had turned up, looks like they haven’t yet!

Brooklands

Heres a picture of the cockpit section at Brooklands earlier this year..

I thought there was only one engine.
Unusually for me, I did read the notice boards but as I can’t remember what they said it’s no help at all.

Just looked back and found some of the earlier threads.
When I was there there was only one engine. Good shot from Kev here.

http://forum.airforces.info/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12266&highlight=tsr2+AND+cosford

Originally posted by dhfan
I had a feeling somebody said there were no engines in XR220 but I’m not certain and I didn’t look myself last time I was there.
I saw the covers on the intakes and didn’t think of looking at the back.

Hi dhfan,
‘220 also has covers in the jet exhausts so its not possible to say if engines are on board or not.

There are however, two engines sitting next to her, but whether these are the originals, I cannot say (never have been one to read the notice boards).

Re: Re: TSR2 condition?

Originally posted by the_phixer
Great photo there!

And i’m sure we both have been in each other’s way a few times that day, and I know of at least one more member of this forum who was there that day. 🙂

Kostas

I would have been easy to recognise, fat, balding, wrong side of 40 and carrying one SLR with large flash and a small Fuji digital.

If you ever see somebody that meets this description, just slap them on the back and tell ’em to get out of the way, you never know, it might be me 🙂

Originally posted by SteveYoung
Tony, lovely atmospheric shot of the USAAF glass memorial wall at Duxford. Snapper and I had a natter about this at the forum meet up a couple of months ago. Very sobering to think that every silhouette represents an aircraft, and up to ten men, which failed to return…

Hi Steve,
I always find the memorial a humbling experience (I have snapped it many times but this is the the first time that I have been able to get a result that I was happy with) and on the way home, I always try and fit in a visit to the American War Cementary at Madingley as well.

It always surprises me how quiet the place is, when you consider that the A428 runs so close to the Cementary.

Tony

XR219 was indeed scrapped in the late 1970’s at Shoeburyness.
I recall at Pendine in the 1990’s there was a large section of wing but it didn’t survive for much longer.

There was a thread a few months ago which included the surviving TSR2s.

I had a feeling somebody said there were no engines in XR220 but I’m not certain and I didn’t look myself last time I was there.
I saw the covers on the intakes and didn’t think of looking at the back.
Never thought of them deliberately nobbling it so it couldn’t fly but given the way the cancellation was handled it comes as no surprise.

XR222 was never completed so although there’s a lot missing, most, if not all, of it was never there in the first place. I think Ashley said the cockpit area is completely bare.

In the car park on the north side at Duxford there’s a one foot slice of rear fuselage, just big enough for the taileron and fin/rudder pivots.
I read somewhere once that there are/were a number of airframe parts at Farnborough but whether it’s true or not I don’t know.

Tony, lovely atmospheric shot of the USAAF glass memorial wall at Duxford. Snapper and I had a natter about this at the forum meet up a couple of months ago. Very sobering to think that every silhouette represents an aircraft, and up to ten men, which failed to return…

Re: TSR2 condition?

Originally posted by Tony C
Hi All,
I was at Cosford on Sunday and Duxford on Monday…

Great photo there!

And i’m sure we both have been in each other’s way a few times that day, and I know of at least one more member of this forum who was there that day. 🙂

I like the Cosford presentation better, since the Duxford one is… lost among the other exhibits and realy out of sight now they are working on almost everything inside hangar 1. I couldn’t even take a pic of her there 🙁

Kostas

This was in addition to the 3 complete or part aircraft already in museums. It would be interesting to know who was selling the engine?!

Engine

There’s an engine on Ebay right now, item 2966315662 – £5000 anyone?:)

I think Brooklands have or had a forward fuselage which was originally used for pressure testing.

Have heard that about 50% of another airframe still exists, anyone know anything?:confused:

Cracking Javelin Piccie,

I was fortunate enough to get round one of the storage hangars at Cosford a couple of years ago, there are literally boxes full of TSR 2 bits stored, and all still wrapped in their original packaging.

Goodness knows what they have, I bet they don,t know either.

I good pal of mine was instrumental in suggesting that Cosford display the aircraft outside for the annual show, together with the 188 and the HP, apparently one issue was towing the TSR 2, as the wheels are foam filled this did not prove to be as big a problem as first thought.

I gather the main electric looms have been butchered to prevent it ever having a chance to fly, huge chunks literally sawed through and removed.

Stills it pretty, just think it would be retiring now.

Originally posted by Shorty01
Nice Javelin pic.

Thanks for the comments about the picture, if anybody is interested, more can be seen on the Webshots site, shown below.