I was reading about the auction today and wondered what became of all the aircraft that were auctioned off? The programme mentioned 36 Yales, 7 Fairey Swordfish and 30 AS Cheetah engines. There were also 100 aircraft props and 400 magnetos!
I’m sure he must have had a Lysander or two as well.
Does anyone know where the aircraft went? I’m guessing the Swordfish recently acquired by the Malta air museum originated from Ernies farm.
By: MRP - 3rd April 2018 at 17:06
The Simmons Swordfish were dispersed far and wide following the auction.
The Canada Air and Space Museum had obtained and restored an air frame in the early Sixties from Simmons. This was restored by Fairey Aviation and it remains on display at the museum in Ottawa.
The Fly Navy Heritage Trust Swordfish W5856 was originally part of the Simmons collection, but was sold to a crop spray company in Alabama in the late Fifties. This is where the Strathallan collection obtained it from in the late Seventies.
The other remaining Swordfish are presently displayed or stored at the following locations:
Reynolds Museum , Wetaskiwin AB-stored.
Kermit Weeks Collection, Orlumpa -Stored.
Vintage Wings, Gatineau, PQ- Potential flyable for sale, restored by Bob Spence, utilised the airframe now in Malta,for parts during restoration.
RAF Museum Store Stafford- Stored.
Malta Aviation Museum-Malta, stored for future restoration.
Commemorative Air Force, Midland Texas, Restored on display ( may have moved location).
A final example was part of the Dave Tallichet collection, that ended up with a group/person Bristol Heritage Collection in and around Nashville Tn.Parts of this air frame maybe at the Pima Museum This air frames location is presently unknown to me.
I haven’t added serial numbers to this list, as I don’t have the info in front of me. These air frames are however fairly anonymous in terms of identity. Most of the stored ones are in pretty rough shape, due to the years out in the open and subsequent handling post auction.
MRP
By: scotavia - 3rd April 2018 at 15:51
dont forget Wes Agnew who also saved many aircraft in Manitoba including the Shuttlewoth Lysander. I wonder if he ever settled his problem with the Brussels museum? he took out several full page adverts in Control Column detailed a deal gone wromg with them.
By: Baldeagle - 3rd April 2018 at 15:27
Kermit Weeks has a Swordfish project that must’ve come from Simmons.
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By: DH82EH - 2nd April 2018 at 22:23
I think that every extant Yale, with one exception, was on Ernies farm.
The Swordfish currently for sale with Vintage Wings of Canada was purchased at the auction by Bob Spence.
Andy
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April 2, 2018 at 9:29 pm