109 photos

Thunderbolt

Hello Septic, Tiger answering…

No, I have no photos of the P-47 myself, but I will check up with a few friends at Hucknall, as they might have some stills from that airshow (I was only 9)!.

Thanks for the info on the origins of the P-47 though…much appreciated.

Best Regards,
Keith 😀

I have a video copied from an old 16mm cine film of the 1963 airshow, which includes such delights as AB910, Beverley, Shackleton, RF101, F100, and a Thunderbolt in SEAC colours! Gawd alone knows where that aircraft originated from.

Regards All,
Keith[/QUOTE]

The Thunderbolt in question was P47 D N5087V/ N347D, it was at the time owned by Republic Aviation. It attended quite a few displays around europe in ’63. A friend of mine has some 8mm cine film of it taken at North Weald.

The aircraft was retired to the USAF Museum at Dayton-OH in 1964. Have you got any photos of it, Keith.

Septic.

Rolls-Royce Group Photo.

In the photo of the RR group stood around the tail of the B206, the chap stood 2nd from right is the late Cliff Rogers CBE, the then Chief Test Pilot for Rolls Royce. Cliff flew many hours in G-ALGT.

Cliff was a superb man, with a wicked sense of humour, and it was always a privilige to be in his company. I was brought up very near to the then Flight Test Establishment at Hucknall, and have very many happy memories of poking my baby face through the fence to see all the many different types of aeroplanes flying in and out of there, and of course, the superb Whitsun airshows! 😀

I have a video copied from an old 16mm cine film of the 1963 airshow, which includes such delights as AB910, Beverley, Shackleton, RF101, F100, and a Thunderbolt in SEAC colours! Gawd alone knows where that aircraft originated from.

Fond memories, and thanks, Rolls Royce for getting me interested in aeroplanes!

Regards All,
Keith

Helps a lot if you look at the right picture. 🙂 I agree, looks very like SGH.
He also increased the power of the earlier Merlins by 30%, and IIRC, with several others, designed the Nene on a tablecloth.

Could be Sir Stanley Hooker, although I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of him with a moustache.

er, what moustache? The chap I think is Stanley Hooker is second from the left on the big picture. No face fungus there.

Could the other chap be Arthur Rubbra? I’ve got one of the RR Heritage Trust books with his picture in it, but not here, unfortunately.

Certainly sounds like a Rolls Royce visit to the film to check their Spitfire is not being painted to look like a Mustang and be flown by Tom Cruise (Oh, sorry, wrong thread). Seriously, I think it is a jolly for the management to check on the Spit.

For those reading this who are not aware of who Stanley Hooker is, try to get a copy of his autobiography, “Not Much of and Engineer”. He is the guy that put the two-stage blower on the Merlin and who came up with the Pegasus for the Harrier. Truly one of the greats.

Melvyn Hiscock

Could be Sir Stanley Hooker, although I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of him with a moustache.
Could the other chap be Arthur Rubbra? I’ve got one of the RR Heritage Trust books with his picture in it, but not here, unfortunately.

Melv,

I will zip a copy of the photograph to Dave Birch at Rolls Royce Heritage Trust.

Lovesey is the correct spelling.

I have the photos of Stanley Hooker – I am 50/50 that he is one of the party.

Mark

Thanks Mark, I am more than 50/50 now. Thanks for the spolling update too.

Know anything about Warner airboxes?

Melv

Melv,

I will zip a copy of the photograph to Dave Birch at Rolls Royce Heritage Trust.

Lovesey is the correct spelling.

I have the photos of Stanley Hooker – I am 50/50 that he is one of the party.

Mark

Sorry, SOMEONE had to do the Hooker joke.

MH

By the way. I can usually spot Hookers more quickly than this.

MH

We hope that before to long there will be another RR group around MkXIV G-ALGT
Cheers………..

I think it points to a Rolls Royce group as we thought and the more I think about it the more I think that is Stanley Hooker. I would do a search and try to find a photo of him but I am busy trying to work out how the F a Warner Scarab airbox works.

I have seen an interview from not long after this with Hooker and Lovesley (sp?) when they were standing next to the XIV.

Melv

Tim Mills response

Melv,

“the RAF chap is Dave Spink; he was the nominated pilot for the Rolls Mk XIV.”

Mark

You’ve got some very interesting old photos there Phil. Thanks for sharing them.

Are the chaps in peaked caps in RAF uniform? It does not look half as smart as it did in the war and as it does now. In the ME410 photo the two on the right look like mr Barraclough and Mr Mackay from Porridge. Perhaps they’d taken Fletch out on a day trip? 🙂

Cheers
Dave

Well there is a surprise.

A quick Google on the Beagle Registration elicits the following photo for sale:-

AG3646 G-ASWJ Beagle B.206 Srs 1 Rolls-Royce. 🙂

Mark

A couple more of that group, hope this helps.
Phil.- 🙂

Melv,

I also wondered if one of gents might be Sir Stanley Hooker.

The more I think about it, the more I think it probably is.

That looks like one of the RAF pilots, seconded to the film, doing the escort of the day job.

I will run this photo past Tim Mills, so seconded.

Mark

PS As said previously this is the Rolls Royce Mk XIV RM689/G-ALGT

I’d be interested to hear.

Melv

Melv,

I also wondered if one of gents might be Sir Stanley Hooker.

That looks like one of the RAF pilots, seconded to the film, doing the escort of the day job.

I will run this photo past Tim Mills, so seconded.

Mark

PS As said previously this is the Rolls Royce Mk XIV RM689/G-ALGT

Didn’t Rolls-Royce threaten to cease providing the Spanish Air Force with Merlin spares for the Heinkels if the Spaniards didn’t co-operate in the filming of Battle of Britain?

Melv,

I wonder if this a visiting party from Rolls Royce?

Could that be Cyril Lovesey, retired chief engineer, third from left?

I think you may be right. Looking at the picture again I think I have realised who the chap with the hair is. Isn’t that Stanley Hooker? The man that was so successful they named a rugby position after him? Seriously I think that is the man that added 40mph and 10,000ft to an aeroplane you might have heard of Mark.

Anybody strong on Rolls Royce manangement at that time?

Mark

By the 1960s there was rarely ANYONE strong on the Rolls Royce Management!!!

Melv