Barracuda rebuild article in Daily Mail

I was a bit luckier than you. At the time I was working for the MPBW at SRDE the other side of Christchurch.Three of us who were aviation enthusiasts managed to persuade our boss to scratch a few backs and we were thus able to go to MEXE one lunch time and view the Barracuda.

You were lucky! Can you remember what the remains consisted of, and any idea as to their fate?

DD

I donated the Navigators Canopy many years ago. Nice to see it perched on the remains, and will form part of the rebuild 🙂

Remarkable. I recognise some of those sections from a hill near Berriedale, especially the fin.

What happened to the ditched Barra which was fished up near Hengistbury Head in 1968 and publicised in the local press. It was taken to MEXE (the Military Engineering Experimental Establishment) at Christchurch. I was at the ATC school at Hurn at the time so presented myself at the gatehouse and asked if I could see it. I was told in no uncertain terms that the place was secret and to go away! I see that the abandoned MEXE site, where the Bailey Bridge was developed amongst other devices, is currently up for sale.

I was a bit luckier than you. At the time I was working for the MPBW at SRDE the other side of Christchurch.Three of us who were aviation enthusiasts managed to persuade our boss to scratch a few backs and we were thus able to go to MEXE one lunch time and view the Barracuda.

Wow thats amazing. Its a wreck but look at the condition of the metal. If its still there then surely it could yield useful parts or sections.

Wow thats amazing. Its a wreck but look at the condition of the metal. If its still there then surely it could yield useful parts or sections.

it will be great to see one finally rebuilt, bluebird project im sure you probably aware of this one and i imagine it would be difficult and expencive to recover but ill post the link anyways

http://ktsorens.tihlde.org/flyvrak/alta.html

and for all who dont know about the website its a gd one enjoy!

regards Sam

it will be great to see one finally rebuilt, bluebird project im sure you probably aware of this one and i imagine it would be difficult and expencive to recover but ill post the link anyways

http://ktsorens.tihlde.org/flyvrak/alta.html

and for all who dont know about the website its a gd one enjoy!

regards Sam

Great to see the Barra inside under cover and also excellent that the Bluebird team are going to rebuild her 🙂

Great to see the Barra inside under cover and also excellent that the Bluebird team are going to rebuild her 🙂

Port wing from DR306 Whernside seems to match this pic..
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/dales/dr306.html

Port wing from DR306 Whernside seems to match this pic..
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/dales/dr306.html

Remarkable. I recognise some of those sections from a hill near Berriedale, especially the fin.

What happened to the ditched Barra which was fished up near Hengistbury Head in 1968 and publicised in the local press. It was taken to MEXE (the Military Engineering Experimental Establishment) at Christchurch. I was at the ATC school at Hurn at the time so presented myself at the gatehouse and asked if I could see it. I was told in no uncertain terms that the place was secret and to go away! I see that the abandoned MEXE site, where the Bailey Bridge was developed amongst other devices, is currently up for sale.

Remarkable. I recognise some of those sections from a hill near Berriedale, especially the fin.

What happened to the ditched Barra which was fished up near Hengistbury Head in 1968 and publicised in the local press. It was taken to MEXE (the Military Engineering Experimental Establishment) at Christchurch. I was at the ATC school at Hurn at the time so presented myself at the gatehouse and asked if I could see it. I was told in no uncertain terms that the place was secret and to go away! I see that the abandoned MEXE site, where the Bailey Bridge was developed amongst other devices, is currently up for sale.

Is that wing from the Whernside crash site? I visted that site in the seventies and was impressed by the wing sat in a hollow in the peat.

Is that wing from the Whernside crash site? I visted that site in the seventies and was impressed by the wing sat in a hollow in the peat.

Click on ‘Go advanced’ under the reply box and there’s a ‘manage attachments’ option where you can browse for images.

Click on ‘Go advanced’ under the reply box and there’s a ‘manage attachments’ option where you can browse for images.

Barra’

We’ve already started in a small way by converting a pallet of crumbs into a perfectly useable elevator. It was a test exercise to see what the materials were like and as the BB build progresses there’s less and less bent metal do deal with so it’s useful to keep our hands in with the skills. We’re doing the tail first and then the aft fuselage. After that it’ll likely be a wing or the centre section.
How do I include images here and I’ll have a go at posting a few?

Barra’

We’ve already started in a small way by converting a pallet of crumbs into a perfectly useable elevator. It was a test exercise to see what the materials were like and as the BB build progresses there’s less and less bent metal do deal with so it’s useful to keep our hands in with the skills. We’re doing the tail first and then the aft fuselage. After that it’ll likely be a wing or the centre section.
How do I include images here and I’ll have a go at posting a few?

So when does this rebuild commence and how ? Will you start with Viv’s front and work back ?

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