In ‘The World’s Airways & how they work’ (Odhams, 1950) the picture reproduced below appears at p.194. The caption is ‘Fire hazards are best reduced by practical tests of extinguishing methods and materials. Here, fire-fighting experiments on Rolls-Royce engines are observed’. There is no reference in the text to the photo. Whilst apologising for the quality of the reproduction below (that which appears in the book is not a great deal better), does anyone know the identity of the aircraft, the location or the date? Judging from the fairings that have been added to the undercarriage and the condition of the nose of the aircraft, I assume it to have been a static test bed at the time the photo was taken. However from the nose art that appears beneath the forward cockpit window, the aircraft appears to have seen considerable active service. I would be grateful to know more about the aircraft and its history.
By: avion ancien - 2nd January 2009 at 16:42
Thank you, Creaking Door. I’ve added a post-it note, with the relevant details inscribed, to the page in the book where the photo appears in order that, having regard to my memory, I don’t ask the question again when next I pick up the book in a few years time!
By: Creaking Door - 2nd January 2009 at 00:28
According to ‘Lancaster – the Story of a Famous Bomber’ by Bruce Robertson it is Lancaster EE134 (a veteran of 99 operations) that ended life as a Rolls-Royce static test-rig.
It was the wheel ‘spats’ that I remembered (and the photograph in the book above clearly shows that the outer engine nacelle was completely removed).
By: avion ancien - 1st January 2009 at 23:23
Is it a Lancaster or a Manchester? Or perhaps a Lancaster with the outboard engines removed? I’d be the first to confess that this is not an area in which I have much knowledge but I would have thought that, if it was a Lancaster, the angle from which the photo was taken would have included the outboard engine, of the wing to the fore of the image, in the frame. Perhaps the experts out there would care to comment?
By: G-ORDY - 1st January 2009 at 20:41
Rolls-Royce had a total of seven Lancasters at Hucknall for various trials between 1945 & 1950 – this may be one of them.
Unfortunately I don’t have a list of serials apart from:
VH742
NG465
can anyone add the other five?
By: GrahamSimons - 1st January 2009 at 20:19
My thoughts would be location Hucknall.
There is an interesting info sheet here!
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/g6nhy.uk/rolls.htm
By: BSG-75 - 1st January 2009 at 18:51
very interesting
A Lancaster (maybe Manchester?) fusalage, the engines look more Lincoln style in installation, even taking into account the shrouding etc for the tests.
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January 1, 2009 at 6:28 pm