IWM Duxford Sunderland

wasn’t the RAFM’s example moved to Hendon the same way?

Roger Smith.

Chapter in “Epics of Aviation Archaeology” published by Patrick Stephens Limited way back when. Fuselage moved on side

Probably showing my age but…

I seem to recall being on a School trip to Duxford mid 80’s ans seeing an aircraft which I think was the Sunderland split in half in a canvas hanger or temporary building somewhere between hanger 4 and what is now the American Hanger?

or am I just going nucking futs?

I think that was probably the Airspeed Ambassador (Elizabethan), that was housed for a long time in a canvas type building in the position you suggest.. although i don’t think this was ever ‘split in half’.

Yes, it was cut; I remember them stitching it all back together in the hangar that we shared with it when I was a volunteer on the non-flying B-17.

Found this, a new Sunderland fuselage, panelled and just out of the jigs. You can see where the tail joint is – had to be that far back so as not to split the keel.

This would be about as small as you can make a Sunderland without cutting.

Cees,

There is no horizontal joint in the Sunderland. The whole fuselage was made in one huge piece, with the exception of the tail section – there is a contruction joint just aft of the keel’s rear step, enabling the tail section to be removed.

I can only presume that the fuselage frames were cut. One of the Shorts old boys at Rochester told me that, years ago, he could see the line on the IWM Sunderland where the join had been panelled over. They hadn’t, at that time, used the correct sequence of panels and the horizontal line of the cut was visible. However, it has been extensively restored since then and I certainly didn’t notice the join when I saw it last year.

The RAF Museum’s example was moved in 1971 by a team from 71 MU. The tail and wings went by road but the hull was put into an Army landing craft and moved by sea. Not sure how they got it from the Thames to Hendon. A photo of that would be something!

Allan

Probably showing my age but…

I seem to recall being on a School trip to Duxford mid 80’s ans seeing an aircraft which I think was the Sunderland split in half in a canvas hanger or temporary building somewhere between hanger 4 and what is now the American Hanger?

or am I just going nuts?

wasn’t the RAFM’s example moved to Hendon the same way?

Roger Smith.

and when can we see inside it again? I miss that 😮