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Bristol Brabazon Bits

Many years ago now there was a large piece of the Brabazon fuselage hanging on the hanger wall at Old Warden.
This eventually disappeared , and I wondered what happened to it.
About 3 years ago I visited the Bristol Transport museum by the old docks near the SS Great Britain, and in there was a large piece of Brabazon fuselage with Barbazon emblazed on the side on display.
Is this the same piece.

Also on display was one of the undercarriage legs and wheels.

There is also one set of the wheels at Midland Air Museum, are these the only Brabazon parts in existence now.

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By: Zac Yates - 8th May 2017 at 00:29

It has come through and it looks amazing – what a great relic!

Also I have to echo everyone’s compliments Ken, beautiful build!

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By: Elmdon Boy - 7th May 2017 at 23:57

[ATTACH=CONFIG]253206[/ATTACH

I have a lot of trouble attaching photos to the forum. Basically I don’t know what I’m doing.
I was told I need to open a flickr account which I have done.
I have then uploaded the necessary photo to that account, which I have done.
Then comes the problem, how do I transfer the photo to the forum reply.
Can anybody help this computer illiterate sole in simple steps.

I don’t expect the photo has come out this time either.

Please let me know if I’ve been successful.

Thanks

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By: skyskooter - 7th May 2017 at 22:22

Yes, there were two moored off the Isle of Wight. They were both cocooned which was an all enveloping plastic covering which was sprayed on. I was lucky enough to see them from the Ferry on my way to an interview on the Island in about 1961. I never saw the Brabazon unfortunately.

By the way I cannot get your picture. It comes up as invalid attachment.

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By: Elmdon Boy - 5th May 2017 at 23:32

I love these old quirky (white elephant) large British passenger aircraft.
I have a lovely print of a picture of the Brabazon coming into land over the A38 into Filton.
Must get it framed up sometime.
I would have loved to have seen it. Just a bit to young.
I believe it seemed to fly very slowly, probably seemed it because of its size, and you could here it approaching from the distinctive drone of its engines.
That’s a lovely model Ken, even at 1:72 it must be quite a size.
You can see where the fuselage piece in my photo comes from, from the model, just aft of the cockpit

The other aircraft from close to this era that fascinates me is the Saunders Roe Princess. I could have seen one of these during my spotting period at
Calshot Spit on the Solent, but unfortunately never did, before it was scrapped there in the 1960s. There were two there I believe.

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By: ZRX61 - 5th May 2017 at 22:43

When I lived in Cambridge there was a photo of the Brabazon hanging on the wall in The Mitre pub that had a load of signatures on it. No idea who they were as I didn’t pay much attention to it. Maybe someone can investigate to see if it’s still there & if so, who signed it…

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By: Elmdon Boy - 5th May 2017 at 22:33

Photo of Brabazon fuselage part (hopefully) taken 24-11-12 at Bristol museum by the docks.[ATTACH=CONFIG]253121[/ATTACH]

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By: markb - 5th May 2017 at 10:59

I once visited the house of a private collector in the Bristol area who had one of the large, very comfortable leather passenger seats from the Brabazon. No idea what happened to it – it would have been more than 20 years ago. Chap was called Graham, but can’t remember any more details.

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By: Arabella-Cox - 5th May 2017 at 10:56

At the Tettenhall Transport Heritage Centre we have a small actuator, which has a label on it saying it’s Brabazon. Whether it is or not, we don’t know.

As the powered flying controls were the major technical advance on the Brabazon 1 I’d be upset if someone hadn’t made a display of those bits.

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By: Supermarine305 - 5th May 2017 at 10:33

Brabazon fuselage bit can be seen here.

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By: Fouga23 - 5th May 2017 at 09:36

Any pictures of that fuselage bit?

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By: Elmdon Boy - 4th May 2017 at 23:17

Correction flea was G-AEHM

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By: Elmdon Boy - 4th May 2017 at 23:16

The day I saw the Brabazon fuselage part in the museum at Bristol docks was 24-12-12, not 3 years ago as I originally estimated but 4 1/2 years ago, sorry for error. Also in there was the flea G-AEHW.
Don’t know what the museum was that closed in 2006, but obviously wasn’t the one I saw it in Filton Flyer

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By: Wulfie - 4th May 2017 at 21:50

At the Tettenhall Transport Heritage Centre we have a small actuator, which has a label on it saying it’s Brabazon. Whether it is or not, we don’t know.

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By: Meddle - 4th May 2017 at 20:37

I’m wondering if the undercarriage section is still on display at East Fortune. I don’t recall seeing it last time I was there, which was the first time I visited since the remodel.

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By: Wyvernfan - 4th May 2017 at 14:47

Very nice model, Flankerman.

Rob

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By: FiltonFlyer - 4th May 2017 at 10:30

The piece of fuselage that was at Old Warden was the same piece in the Bristol Industrial Museum. It closed in 2006, and it has been in storage ever since, so I don’t know where you saw it three years ago! They also had a main wheel, as does the Midland Air Museum.

The Museum of Flight at East Fortune has a a working display of the nose undercarriage. This came from the Science Museum. I think this was originally from the Festival of Britain. The full-size mock-up of the contra-rotating props on the front of a Festival of Britain building was also donated to the Science Museum. That ended up in technical college in India, no idea if it survived.

The Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble had several items, including a nose wheel tyre. These items will go into the new museum (Aerospace Bristol) when it opens at Filton this summer, maybe with a few more Brabazon-related bits.

Andrew

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By: HALCYONMAN - 4th May 2017 at 09:41

When I was a youngster back in the 60s there was a Brabazon wheel at The Motor Museum Beaulieu, in fact I think they call their restaurant/café the Brabazon ?

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By: Flanker_man - 4th May 2017 at 08:58

Yours truly next to the Brabazon mainwheel at the Midland Air Museum………

http://www.flankers-site.co.uk/coventry_2011_files/Coventry%20067.JPG

My model of the beast (1/72 scale Amodel kit)…..

http://www.flankers-site.co.uk/model_brabazon_files/Brabazon%20019.jpg

Ken

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By: Rocketeer - 4th May 2017 at 07:17

I think science museum has a wheel and leg

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