By: Arabella-Cox - 9th October 2002 at 12:33
RE: Anyone here recognise this…?
>Surely a swap with the TFC engines would be a good idea?
To be honest, that was going through my mind as well, but then I thought, no, surely TFC would have already investigated it and drawn a blank. Could be any of a myriad of reasons; the Moorabbin engines could be too close to the end of their fatigue lives, they may be suitable for ground running but unable to provide the power range needed for airworthy units, or Moorabbin could just have said no. Either way, it looks like TFC will be using later Hercs, as they’ve been investigating these for some time.
>How long estimate till the TFC one is likely to get its
>engines run?
My estimate? Five years. Restoring any Beau is a big job, and this one’s already taken the thick end of eight years to get to her current state. To have engines hung and running will take a huge amount of time and effort, as they’ll be fitting different types of engine than those the Beau usually had.
That involves new engine mounts, new cowlings, a completely re-designed exhaust system (early Hercs ‘exhale’ through a collector ring at the front of the unit, later ones have rear-facing exhausts), possibly new fuel feed systems too. And if TFC are trying to keep the Beau looking as ‘Beau-like’ as they can, they’ll be trying to design all this stuff so that there are as few external differnces as possible. Using off-the-shelf late Herc bits probably won’t be an option.
And then they’ve got to find props…
By: SADSACK - 8th October 2002 at 13:58
RE: Anyone here recognise this…?
Surely a swap with the TFC engines would be a good idea?
How long estimate till the TFC one is likely to get its engines run?
By: Arabella-Cox - 7th October 2002 at 16:42
RE: Anyone here recognise this…?
Cheers Steve, having posted that I was starting to have my doubts!
By: Steve Bond - 7th October 2002 at 13:56
RE: Anyone here recognise this…?
You’re right Steve, the Moorabbin Beau used to have its engines run, but this stopped quite a few years ago, and the aircraft is now hemmed in at the back of their hangar. A couple of years ago it was rumoured to be up for sale, but when I visited in early 2001 I was assured that that was not the case.
By: Arabella-Cox - 7th October 2002 at 12:39
RE: Anyone here recognise this…?
My money’s on TFC’s Beau being the first, as long as they can get the later Hercs to fit.
Although having said that, apparently the Moorabbin Beau used to run it’s engines until quite recently. Can’t remember exactly where I read that, think it may have been FlyPast a couple of years ago…
By: SADSACK - 7th October 2002 at 11:55
RE: Anyone here recognise this…?
Any idea when we will next hear a pair run up?
By: Arabella-Cox - 3rd October 2002 at 16:56
RE: Anyone here recognise this…?
You’re dead right chaps, she is indeed the Halton Cockpit Classroom, picture taken around the late sixties or very early seventies. Moggy gets an honourable mention for his efforts to identify her, I must admit the four blade props really were quite a devious red herring. 🙂
A little bit of history on the old girl for you: she is Beaufighter 1f X7688, operational with 153 Squadron from January 1942 to January 1943, and then 29 Squadron until June 1943, when she was taken on charge by 1 School of Technical Training at RAF Halton.
By 1953, she had lost her outer wings and everything aft of the wing trailing edge, and had been mated to the hut you see in the picture. A picture taken in 1953 shows her still with three bladed units.
Her role was to train apprentices on engine startup and running procedures, and she continued in that role until (I think) the late sixties, making her the last RAF Beaufighter to have her engines run up. As you can see in the picture above, at some stage she was given later Hercs and four bladed props, and was finally dismantled and stored around 1971.
As you can see, there are a couple of gaps in her history, so if anyone has any further information or recollections of her, I’d love to hear them.
By: YakRider - 3rd October 2002 at 16:07
RE: Anyone here recognise this…?
Amazing. I remember seeing it too when I did a gliding course at Halton with the cadets in about 1971.
If my memory serves me right there was only the front of the fuselage which was attached to that little hut. Never saw it running though.
By: Steve Bond - 3rd October 2002 at 14:36
RE: Anyone here recognise this…?
Too easy. It is the Beaufighter training rig at Halton, now under restoration at Skysport. I well remember seeing it being run up.
By: Moggy C - 3rd October 2002 at 11:56
RE: Anyone here recognise this…?
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 03-10-02 AT 12:26Â PM (GMT)]Is it a Brigand, or a Buckmaster? Don’t think they ever fitted four blades to a Beau (?)
Ah! Just noticed the short wings. Would be a beast to land, sink like a stone. Yet the engines and tyres are covered to protect them from the elements.
It has to be either an instructional airframe or for filming use? The latter doesn’t seem to work. Can’t think of a film with a Brigand in.
Certainly the pic is post war.
My guess
What: Part of a Brigand
Where: Filton
When: 1954
Moggy
Or St Athan? In which case it would be later – 1958
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October 3, 2002 at 11:53 am
