Midland Air Museum 11th August

An Airbourne Wheelbarrow

The delights of a whistleing wheel barrow as it was knicked named in its operating life.

when did that arrive????:diablo: presume you mean the F-4 🙂

Roger Smith.

D’oh – F-104…… still, I mean it when I say these guys are so nice if I’d have asked he have tossed me the keys and let me take it for a spin so long as I bought it back with a full tank of fuel and no dents !

Being a lifelong Canberra addict, I think my crowning moment came the day he let me in their PR.3, WF922 and powered her up. Priceless moment. A brilliant museum.

And here he is! 😀

That Whitley tailsection really needs to be restored and incorporated into a rebuild:cool:

Cheers

Cees

That would be a heck of a lot of work…it looked very structurally unsound to me when I looked at it. It is a lovely find though, tucked in their upstairs.

Seriously, I have to echo the comments on here, the MAM staff are SUPERB. Malcolm Lambert, their previous Chief Engineer was always extremely helpful, taking pics and answering questions I had on their aircraft for any projects I had. Being a lifelong Canberra addict, I think my crowning moment came the day he let me in their PR.3, WF922 and powered her up. Priceless moment. A brilliant museum.

Yes it’s an Argosy.

Cheers Kev, good to know more about it!

Adrian

That Whitley tailsection really needs to be restored and incorporated into a rebuild:cool:

Cheers

Cees

…. then opened up the F-14 for me as well……

when did that arrive????:diablo: presume you mean the F-4 🙂

Roger Smith.

What aircraft is this and why on earth did the designers (presumably) deliberatly mount the cockpit off centre?

That is if it is off centre and I’m not going mad…! :rolleyes:

Don’t forget the Sea Vixen, Canberra PR-9 (?) anything by Blohm & Voss (well, almost anything!)

I went to the Midland a few weeks back with BSG junior, fantastic place, people there only too keen to help (we waited a while to get into the Vulcan, gave up and they came looking for us to take us up, then opened up the F-14 for me as well) I’d tell anybody to go there.

Yes it’s an Argosy. The hinged nose is usually cracked open a foot or two when the aircraft is opened up to the public. That’s what’s giving the slightly skewed perspective. Entrance is through the side door at the rear on the port side.

There are at least two other survivors that I have seen. One is at the RAF Museum Cosford and is preserved indoors. There is another at the Aeropark at Nottingham East Midlands Derby Leicester Castle Donington Airport.

Regards,

kev35

I’m pretty sure that it’s an (the? Not sure how many are left…) Armstrong-Whitworth Argosy, aka the Whistling Wheelbarrow, whistling Tit, etc. Presumably the cargo-loading door (nose) is open.

Either that or my eyes need rebushing too…

Adrian

What aircraft is this and why on earth did the designers (presumably) deliberatly mount the cockpit off centre?

That is if it is off centre and I’m not going mad…! :rolleyes:

re

personally I think the Red and silver are more eye catching.

Anyone know what the old scheme represented?

Looks like it’s painted up as a Brazilian Air Force 1 GAVCA example to me.

Anne

Great pics, right down the Meteor shot; I love the MAM and after a few visits you’re hooked. The last time I was in there, the Meteor paintwork was a little different though, although the camo is nice too. Anyone know what the old scheme represented?

You’re right Roger, BR1 not RO1, corrected now! Yep, it’s a Humber produced example. Here’s a close up of the data plate on it

That BR1 is probably worth more than much of the rest of the collection put together!

Lovely thing

Bruce

Rob,

The “upper centre section” is from and R.E.8 – there is also a piece of fuselage frame (and an aileron I think) as well. These pieces represent, I believe, the RAFMuseums total stock of R.E.8 bits. The vast majority of the 4,400 R.E.8s built were built in Coventry.
The Bentley Rotary is, I think, the first B.R.1 (not R.O.1) and built in Coventry (by Humber?).
There is a duplicate set of Brabazon wheels on external display at the Dunlop tyre plant (Fort Dunlop) in north Birmingham.

Roger Smith.

Great pics and an interesting place to visit!