Percival Proctor survivors list?

T-C,many thanks..

Proctor V spec’s.

All Proctor V’s were built post war for the emerging civil markets The exception were those operated by the Lebanese and Turkish air forces and the sole example used by the British Air Attache in Washington DC. Range of 500 miles for the standard 40 gallon configuration is correct, many operators took advantage of Percival’s long range tank mod giving a theoretical 800 mile range. Vacum pump to the best of my knowledge is engine driven, pitot head’s non heated. Radio specs varied, new Mk V’s were sold from Luton without radio allowing the operator to retro fit or specify his/her requirements at placing of new Proctor order.

Perhaps some of you guys on this thread are Proctor experts,as we need a little help on the `Mystery Proctor Crash..
Looking at CAA records,G-AHWP was a P.5,manufacturers construction no.AE69; there is no mention of it having been ex-RAF,any confirmation..?
Standard `range` is given as 500miles; were Civil Proctors fitted with longer range tanks?
Did the Proctor have an engine -driven `vacuum pump` for the flight instruments,or was it `venturi` driven?
Was the `pitot` head heated ?
Any information on likely radio ,or navigational equipment fitted as standard would be much appreciated…

Talking about G-AIWA…have you seen this Sim representation of one of its long – range flights in 1961 ?
And also…what happened next ?
I can guess but I am sure somebody will know the answer 🙂

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=percival%20proctor%20coventry%20sim&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CFYQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sim-outhouse.com%2Fsohforums%2Fshowthread.php%3F47467-50-years-ago-a-Proctor-s-wonderful-journey…&ei=u7OfTt6XI9Kp8QOKyK3pBQ&usg=AFQjCNHbeKaQK8rnAvMsXJ3eMI6FZ-YKPw

Martin………

Try this one……….. http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/firstfiles.html

Planemike

The link posted near the begining of the thread doesn`t work for me, it says file corrupted?……….Martin

IWA was unceremoniously pushed between two hangars and covered with a tarpaulin following her landing prang in the mid 80’s. Sadly with little protection the souvenir hunters circling like vultures soon moved in and picked her to bare spruce!! What little that remained was I am informed burnt. A complete and utter disgrace that she was allowed to go, yes she was damaged and quite badly but she should have been saved. We have the front sections of her U/C spats so at least part of her will fly again. Last I heard of NZJ was that she had ended up in a garden in Kenley surrey where again she was allowed to rot before being burnt. Looking for a pair of small Proctor doors if anyone can help.
In the coming weeks I am collecting the overhauled U/C legs for our Mk 3, KEX from Derby. I will post pictures they are in far better shape now then when they left F.Hills 68 years ago! Manchester is on for April Planemike.

WJ244 Was the Proctor burnt at the Museum site?

I am slightly ashamed to admit that I helped Stan and David Brett saw G-AOBW/NP339 in half. (Sorry Mike I was young and easily led)
We left a short length of the bottom longeron sticking out of the rear fuselage and moved it around on the tailwheel like a wheelbarrow. It was sectioned and displayed at South Essex Motors in Basildon and also at a North Weald airshow prior to the museum opening accompanied each time by Pou Du Ciel G-ADXS.
The front fuselage of G-AOBW was burnt at the museum site in Aviation Way before the museum building was ever completed. If I remember rightly we had a hell of a job to get it to burn and while everyone was busy putting matches to it I was trying to get the 24 volt door off as a souvenir. I am pretty sure we even left the undercarriage legs on as in those days no one wanted them.
The wings were used for G-ANZJ /NP303 mainly because they were fully covered and the fabric was reasonable. The original wings for NZJ had large holes in the fabric. As far as I remember there were fuel tanks in the wing but it was a long time ago so I could be wrong.
The wings at Thameside Aviation Museum would have been the originals from NZJ and would have been maroon with cream registration letters.
I was told NZJ / NP303 was burnt (sorry no idea where) after it became obvious it was too far gone (or too expensive) to restore to fly and all that was salvaged was the engine and presumerably the propeller. It would have probably been mid 1980’s after the Whitehall Theatre of War closed and Paul Raymond disposed of his collection.
I remember as a teenager scraping the maroon paint from G-ANZJ and revealing the RAF serial.

Alice Springs NT museum early 2006. Lovely airplane (and a very nice museum!).

I was very active hunting Proctors in the early 1990’s – it still staggers me the fate of G-AIWA.

G-ANZJ

during the mid 80,s I visited the Thameside Aviation Museum in the Coalhouse Fort, east Tilbury , where a partially covered wing from G-ANZJ was lying next to the Short Scion uncovered wings

G-AIWA the remains of the cockpit section was still lying in the woods at La ferte Alais in 1993

also there was G-ADXS Flying Flea

dh83

I saw the propeller off the Southend auction machine a couple of years ago stored. There were also some Proctor wing spars at Thameside Avaition Museum .

TC…………

Knew you would be along to update that list. Sounds like you maybe on to something interesting from your contact at Eslov FC. Do I hear another rebuild going on the great Oakley production line….?!!

Do we still have a date in Manchester next April ?!!!!

Here is a rare Proctor that was ‘put out to grass’ in the mid-60s at Rayak Air Base in the Lebanon. Great shame there is no preservation movement out there, as there was also a Lebanese Air Force Prentice alongside this.

Should doubt there is too much left of this one after 45 years sat in the Lebanese sunshine. Glue failure may not be the problem but feel sure other events including warfare will almost certainly have finished it off. The Prentice, being made of metal, may have faired a little better.

Planemike

WJ244 Was the Proctor burnt at the Museum site?

I know G-AIWA had a landing accident in France in 1989, but I am quite shocked to see G-INFO lists it as ‘destroyed’. I thought it was going to be brought back to the UK and get rebuilt?

I think there was a thread a while ago that covered this. G-AIWA had a landing accident at La Ferte Alais and I think it landed up rotting away in a gap between the hangars alongside various Harvard fuselages and parts.

Having looked at the survivors list the parts of G-ANZJ are shown as owned by Paul Raymond but I believe he sold her on (when the Whitehall Museum closed) to Trent Aero who had bought her with a view to a rebuild to fly but found the airframe was so bad that they removed the engine and burnt the rest.

When displayed at Southend G-ANZJ was fitted with the wings from G-AOBW/NP339. The last I saw of the original wings from G-ANZJ they were leaning against the wall of the light aircraft hangar that the museum rented at Southend in the early/mid 70’s. I believe the museum continued to rent the hangar space for quite a long time so it is possible that the original wings still survive. The composite G-ANZJ/ NP303 with wings from NP339 was burnt after the engine was removed following the museum auction because it was in poor condition so other than the cowlings and maybe the tail unit I wouldn’t have thought there was much worth salvaging.
I do own the mortal remains of the front fuselage of NP339/G-AOBW shown below which I salvaged while Stan and David Brett were preparing to set it alight. The rear was kept and sectioned to show the fuselage structure but soon started to come unglued at the joints.

If anyone fancies this as the basis for a Proctor rebuild I may be open to offers!

I know G-AIWA had a landing accident in France in 1989, but I am quite shocked to see G-INFO lists it as ‘destroyed’. I thought it was going to be brought back to the UK and get rebuilt?

Here is a rare Proctor that was ‘put out to grass’ in the mid-60s at Rayak Air Base in the Lebanon. Great shame there is no preservation movement out there, as there was also a Lebanese Air Force Prentice alongside this.

I see G-ANZJ still appears in that list albeit ‘parts only’. This is the ex-Southend Historic Museum example. Anyone know how many parts there are and where they are?

Proctor survivors

Thanks Planemike for your quick response. This list how ever getting dated I really need to update it. There are a couple listed here that are gone to the
“Big Hangar” just as there is at least one not listed. Sweden has proved to be a happy hunting ground for Proctors, there is a possibility of another barn Proctor. Whilst recovering the Mk 4 in May 10 we were told by an elderly gent from Eslov flying club that he knew of what he thought was a British light aircraft stored on a farm. On questioning him he described it as having a fully faired U/C and that it was of wood and fabric. This narrows it down to possibly a Miles or Percival type. Its on my to do list so another Swedish trip. I was on holiday there this July with the family (aircraft hunting being a no no) and traversing the country north to south I can easily imagine other gems tucked away. The country is vast with farms and out buildings dotted all around in the undulating rolling countryside.

kartman………..

This should get you started……….http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/percival%20survey.pdf

Planemike