Mention was made of the store that NAPS/TAC had in the Wigan area in the wings in a barn thread, well here are three photos of the TAC Wigan store taken in the mid 70’s. I think the Comper wings can be seen.
I know some of the airframes shown have gone on to new owners and have been restored. Have fun answering these two questions.
What are they? and Where are they now?
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By: hindenburg - 24th January 2011 at 21:50
agree to disagree I think .
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd January 2011 at 22:40
Here’s the original photo, cropped, with the line drawing from the FN150 manual I posted above, superimposed on it.
Allowing for a small difference in angle, everything matches.
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd January 2011 at 22:29
Spit wing section
The section of Spit wing certainly looked like a piece of ex-instructional kit so, possibly from EN224, yes.
Anon.
By: hindenburg - 23rd January 2011 at 22:19
I`ve over laid that turret photo with an FN 50 cupola image,it`s a completly different shape..look at the height to width.
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd January 2011 at 21:52
a section of Spitfire wing
Would this be another part of EN224, which came from, errrrr…. Salford Tech?
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd January 2011 at 21:33
Sadly, I think it’s wishful thinking on your part Martin!
The side glazing bar isn’t all that easy to spot because it’s actually inside the turret, not on the outside, but it’s there alright.
I cannot recall NAPS/TAC ever having a turret of any description. Had there been a Stirling front turret in store at Irlam, I’d have been very aware of it.
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd January 2011 at 21:03
I remember the Spitfire wing section (No I don’t have it) as I once, rather foolishly, transported it on the roof rack of my Morris Minor, cornering was interesting to say the least.
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd January 2011 at 20:24
Wigan store
Just spotted something else I haven’t seen for a while in one of XE584’s pics.
In the LH photo just below the white fuselage section stood on its outboard end is a section of Spitfire wing. This included the spar stubs (as can be seen) and also the inboard end of the u/c bay, without the leg but the pintle still in place.
This section must have been about 4ft square and would have made a great display item. It is one of the many items TAC had which went on loan and was either lost or never returned.
I can also see a Messenger u/c leg and a pair of the inevitable Dart engine Dowty propeller spinners.
We were acting on best information at the time and had believed the Malcolm hoods to be P-51. However, P-47 is just as plausible and no-doubt instantly recognisable to those who know what they are looking at.
Anon.
By: hindenburg - 23rd January 2011 at 14:31
There`s no side glazing bar on that one Alan,and on the early Stirling FN5 there was a large bin for the gunners legs…no I`m convinced it`s Stirling..wrong profile for an FN50.
By: Arabella-Cox - 21st January 2011 at 00:08
Looks more like a FN150 than a Stirling FN5 surely? :confused:
By: hindenburg - 20th January 2011 at 23:22
Depending on when the photo was taken it might well be my first FN 150 mid-upper turret, as bought from a scrappy in Staffordshire for £5. It looks as though the cupola is still attached to the “dustbin” that the gunner sat in, which would confirm it as mine. It was stored at Irlam for a short while in late 1975/early 1976 because I had nowhere else to keep it.
do you have a picture of an FN 150 Alan? was the cupola totally different from an FN50?
By: chippie51 - 20th January 2011 at 23:00
Malcolm Hood
On the subject of Malcolm hoods, if anyone knows of one which may be available please let me know.
Thanks,
G
By: XE584 - 20th January 2011 at 22:40
Just jumping in late with this one but a few of the pics I took over the years may be of interest. The Swift wings went to Stan Brennan and are now with RAFM. TAC cleared out of the Wigan store at least 10 years ago and the remaining Slingsby items went to Nigel Ponsford over in Leeds.
By: Wyvernfan - 18th January 2011 at 08:04
Some years back, a guy was selling Malcolm hoods & other interesting odds & sodits, I think he advertized in Flypast or Control Column, don’t know if they were the same ones though.
Bob. T
Yes i remember those, and at £35 or £45 each i believe!
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th January 2011 at 23:33
That looks like a Stirling front turret !!!
Depending on when the photo was taken it might well be my first FN 150 mid-upper turret, as bought from a scrappy in Staffordshire for £5. It looks as though the cupola is still attached to the “dustbin” that the gunner sat in, which would confirm it as mine. It was stored at Irlam for a short while in late 1975/early 1976 because I had nowhere else to keep it.
By: scotavia - 17th January 2011 at 23:03
The Setty Auster was rescued by SWHAPS from a field where cows had destroted the fabric,the body parts were dropped over the Bristol Channel.
By: hindenburg - 17th January 2011 at 19:06
Two more of NAPS/TAC stashes now long gone.
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The Levenshulme lock up.
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The Irlam store.
We took the frame of GXT to one of the Greenham Common airshows and had great fun with the spotters wanting to know its registration, especially after the organisers left it off the published list.
That looks like a Stirling front turret !!!
By: TwinOtter23 - 17th January 2011 at 18:17
Nice work – the WB624 ‘float’ picture that NAM published seems to be the same Commer lorry but parked up in a car park for the balloons to be attached!
Some of the other photos show the rear fuselage of WD370 and a wing from WP984.
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th January 2011 at 18:12
The last photo has half-jogged my memory – I think I designed and made that float!
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th January 2011 at 18:02
As I recall they were parades in aid of getting the Liverpool Road Railway station converted into a museum as they started from outside the old Technical museum near the University, working their way through the city centre to end in Liverpool Road.
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The lorry belonged to TAC and the side boards cover up the missing bits of Chippie quite well
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January 15, 2011 at 10:40 pm