Problem Picture – Belvedere

So did the Lightning, I haven`t heard of fire issues with that a/c either. Must be something unique to the Belvedere / Gazelle engine installation.

Pete

The Canberra PR9, Hunter FGA 9 and the Javlin in particular all suffered from Avpin fires on start up, the PR9 was easy to deal with as the fire was usually outside of the engine nacelle but the Javlin just burned!

Aviation Archive website

I know we are off the original topic, but raised it, so that’s OK! Just an update to Don and others that I now have update access to the http://www.aviationarchive.org.uk website, and I have already started making corrections such as those listed above. If anyone has any feedback or comments for the website, please feel free to PM me. I am now in the process of changing ‘Feddon’ to ‘Fedden’ – one which has really bugged me!

Andy A.

http://www.aviationarchive.org.uk – Charts aviation development at Filton and Patchway in South Gloucestershire from 1910 to the present day

Aviation Archive website

Hi Don, and thanks for highlighting those mistakes.

This website is third of the ‘Three centuries of Transport’ website (the other two being canal and rail) with each website focusing on one part of the UK (Filton and South Gloucestershire for the aviation section). Funding was received for the project in 2001, and it was managed by the South Glos Council. A tremendous effort went into collecting and digising images for the website – a full time job – and the project lasted a couple of years. The valiant team of researchers were on fixed contracts, so when they finished there was no-one to answer queries or make updates. Since then, it seems feedback has gone into a big hole, until a couple of days ago when I got the last six months-worth, hence the original query. A few of us ‘enthusiasts’ who contributed as and when we could are now getting some of the feedback, and I am hoping that we can arrange for update access some time in the future, to make some corrections and updates as volunteers. It would be great if we could add some new material as well, especially video/audio, but as it would be done on a voluntary basis we’ll see how it pans out.

In the meantime, if anyone has any feedback I would be very happy to record it for future updates. I am aware there are some mistakes and a few major gaffes, but the team of researchers did an absolutely incredible job given the massive amount of information they had to process – from 1910 onwards, a factory that became the largest in Europe during WW2.

go to it …. http://www.aviationarchive.org.uk

Andy
… and I didn’t mention “Bristol” once

MP: Must be something unique to the Belvedere/Gazelle engine installation.

April,1947 (!!) bright idea of shunting 2 Sycamore power trains onto a squaddie tube. Bill Gunston had his say about T.171 in Worst Aircraft. Flew as T.173 with 2 Leonides; rather than buying another US licence (WS.56 Westminster) it was adapted in 1954 (flew in 1960!) with Gazelle shaft turbines. Their problem was that IPN explosion was piped the length of the banana to spin the back engine. Blow-back, known as “double dumping” – a misnomer as the PIC made it triple.

Inspiring the waiting braves, PIC, poised to jump, jabbed under his butt at a pot of 10 pints of incendiary for A.E.I. Avpin starter. “Luckily, injuries (were) limited (to) sprains incurred by crews vacating (in) rather a hurry (not) waiting for the ladder.” R.G.Bedford,RAF Rotors,SFB,1996,P96

We took CH-47 just as soon as US offered a credit deal.

I think our RAAF Sabres had IPN starters, but never heard of them catching fire!

Bri 😀

So did the Lightning, I haven`t heard of fire issues with that a/c either. Must be something unique to the Belvedere / Gazelle engine installation.

Pete

That’s Fulham Power station.. now demolished, not the Lots Road one which still exists.

The Helipad is on the south bank and both power stations are on the north bank.. Fulham was located west of the railway bridge that spans over the river, whilst the Lots Road one is further east, beyond the bridge which would appear on the image.

The site of the Fulham one is now a large scale residential development which faces the heliport.
On the south bank the new Falcon Wharf development immediately to the north has both office and resi uses, whilst the site under construction immediately to the south of the pad will be residential, hotel and ‘helipad’ associated uses.

The London Heliport as it is now known is owned by the Von Essen Group. As a regular visitor there it is very interesting to see the old photos. You would not recognise it now as there are very tall office blocks on both sides. The current plan is to close the current executive area and move it to part of the hotel which is being built to the south. There are no published plans to close the heliport. In fact it is so busy that they have had to hike the charges to put off some customers and keep within their anual movement limit.

I’ve still got my Dinky Toy Belvedere, minus one rotor blade, I always wondered why it was painted light blue.

The Dinky model was based on the Bristol 173, not the Belvedere. The 173 had many differences, including shorter undercarriage and windows along the side. The 173 also had a variety of tailplanes and stub wings. I believe the Dinky version is close to the Bristol 173/2, as it has stub wings, although it never flew in a blue colour scheme as far as I know.

Andy

I’ve still got my Dinky Toy Belvedere, minus one rotor blade, I always wondered why it was painted light blue.

I think our RAAF Sabres had IPN starters, but never heard of them catching fire!

Bri 😀

Definitely not noisier than a Chinook!

I think two radials were used, and I remember seeing one at Farnborough but it didn’t strike me as being particularly noisy.

Bri 😀

Belvederes had two Napier Gazelle turbines. Most memorable not for noise level, but for the Avpin (Iso-propyl Nitrate) starters which had a propensity for catching fire in a big way. In some instances detroying the entire aircraft!

Pete

Definitely not noisier than a Chinook!

I think two radials were used, and I remember seeing one at Farnborough but it didn’t strike me as being particularly noisy.

Bri 😀

Interesting stuff, thanks chaps. Wikipedia states that Lots Road and Fulham were two different power stations, and that the one in the photo is Fulham from the description. It was the Lots Road one that powered the underground.

Andy

Another link realting to Lots Road which mentions the removal of two of the chimneys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lots_Road_power_station

Thats given me an interesting time on Google.
I gather that the power station originally provided 60% of the power supply to the underground system and having recently been demolished, is now subject to various planning applications, well the site is bound to provide hideously expensive apartments overlooking the Thames isn’t it.
Not being a visitor to London for a while, I was surprised that the heliport was still in existance, I remember it years ago.
I gather that it is now owned by Sir Robert McAlpine, his company having bought it off a certain person that owns Harrods, no doubt to pay for legal fees in a pointless on going legal case concerning a late member of the royal family, unless the dear man is going to donate the money to pay for the public expenses of this case.
I would be interested to know whether there have been any serious accidents involving helicopters using this helipad, after all, it has been in use for nearly 50 years. The sight of a Belvedere landing there must have been quite exciting, I recall seeing these beasts at airshows many years ago, unfortunately, I can’t remember what they sounded like, a Chinook flew over here the other day and they have a very deep throbbing sound, I would imagine a Belvedere to be even noisier, anyone remember.

Not Battersea Power Station, but Lots Road Power Station, also known as Fulham Power Station.

Article here:

http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/articles/westland-n.html

Scroll down and there’s a photo of a Widgeon in similar pose.

Cheers

Simon