Beaufighter Restorations

Heartening and so very exciting.

A heartening story…
http://www.warbirdsonline.com.au/2014/07/02/dap-beaufighter-engine-restoration/

This link takes you to one of the discussions on it from this forum.

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?116162-Beaufighter-blown-up-as-shipping-hazard

Ross

Sorry to jump in with both feet on this very interesting thread. A Beaufighter was blown up on the Lincolnshire coast near Skegness, I believe in the early to mid 70s. Thats all I know, can anybody provide more info on it?

Cracking pics…Any good pics of the tail assembly would be greatly appreciated 😉

The Halton Beaufighter Classroom

The Skysport Beau. was modified at Halton to take the later engines, probably Hercules 100’s as that was the training engine at the time. It also had four blade props. In 1959 I had the “privilege” to operate the hand primer in the wheel well and get blasted back past the classroom entrance at the rear, I guess the instructor thought it was funny!

Aaaaahhhhh !!! Always wondered where that “Beaufighter”unit got to after its RAF Halton Apprentices School time. Very glad to see its still around. I spent a couple of times in that classroom during engine runs circa same time as yourself, though I was an Airframes very nosey aviation history minded “Brat” even then. Great pic. Mark, thanx for posting it.

Bill T.

Expect it will be some considerable time before East Fortune’s Beaufighter is fully restored. Pics from a couple of weeks ago –

[ATTACH=CONFIG]226727[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]226729[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]226728[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]226730[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]226731[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]226732[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]226733[/ATTACH]

Hahaha more like a caveman..I just like hitting things.Is coming together well.Starting to get a hang of Bristol engineering.

You’re a magnificent pagan god, Ross. Really great to see progress i.e. HARS has farmed out some work to push things along a little.

Sorry to resurrect but like to share..[ATTACH=CONFIG]226487[/ATTACH]

Hah.

Our Setter has indeed poked about here – a few years later though.

Wouldn’t you just love a poke around in this place?

Photo is uncredited but from an article by Colin Owers on Aussie Beaus, in Flightpath Vol 5 No 4

As they say on TV – “good question”..

As they also say on television….

“Good answer”

thanks for that

Hi Beaufighter VI

The Oz wing is to a superior build standard throughout. Leading edge ribs pressed instead of fabricated, gun bay/fuel tank bay door metal in place of wood, aileron shrouds in metal as opposed to a mix of wood and metal, stringers extended to full span of outer wing, hiduminium 90 degree rivets as opposed to a mix of 120 degree magnesium and hiduminium rivets. Better fixing of underwing removable panels, modified landing lamp bay plus many more practical items.

Yes very comprehensive and interesting answer – You have my dream life – working on / around Beaufighters – perhaps in a couple of years…..

I am seriously hoping that one of the big shops downunder and or some serious money will flow to some Beaufighters – there is no reason why not – the engineering whilst daunting is not insurmountable and they would be the king of warbirds at airshows etc. The fact that Wangarratta have taken on 4 Bostons is a good sign that big projects can happen so who knows. The issue up till now is that with all due respect with the exception of the Duxford project no organisation with the proper resources has taken on a Beau.

The slightly tounge in cheek posts on other threads I have made over the years still have some validity to them I think – If ever there was a type of aircraft suited to a limited production run it is the Beaufighter in my opinion. It would be really great to get a few of them happening in one place and deal with the engineering issues in a concentrated effort.

Just my two bobs worth

Thanks for your post!!

Kindest regards
John p

Scarecrow What’s the status of the Skysport Beaufighter? I looked (rapidly) through the thread, but I didn’t see anything about its status.

Doesn’t HARS have one their restoring–as a composite?

Skysport one is still for sale as far as I know with not much progress on it in a while.

HARS does indeed have a lot of components and is slowly progressing a restoration to fly but it is slow and there are a lot of other projects etc . Don’t hold your breath unless something has rapidly changed lately

Regards
John P

— been appropriate to have converted the Oz spec wing to British spec rather than vice versa- or does the DAP built wing have advantages over the earlier wing

As they say on TV – “good question”.
The Oz wing is to a superior build standard throughout. Leading edge ribs pressed instead of fabricated, gun bay/fuel tank bay door metal in place of wood, aileron shrouds in metal as opposed to a mix of wood and metal, stringers extended to full span of outer wing, hiduminium 90 degree rivets as opposed to a mix of 120 degree magnesium and hiduminium rivets. Better fixing of underwing removable panels, modified landing lamp bay plus many more practical items.
Our British wing was very tired having seen lots of flying and repairs, with many rivet holes opened up from 1/8″ to 5/32″ with a 120 degree rivet making it very unsightly. When we opened it up we also found the remains of the radar aerial system still in place but with scab patches covering the apertures.
Hope it all makes sense.

What’s the status of the Skysport Beaufighter? I looked (rapidly) through the thread, but I didn’t see anything about its status.

Doesn’t HARS have one their restoring–as a composite?

Wing query

Noted the comment that the Brit wing is being converted to Oz DAP Mk 21 (A8-xxx) spec. Given that the given identity is a British built Mk XI (A19-xxx) and presumably it won’t have a lumpy nose, for the auto-pilot, I would have guessed that it would have been appropriate to have converted the Oz spec wing to British spec rather than vice versa- or does the DAP built wing have advantages over the earlier wing in much the same way that the cockpit ergomonics are better on the Mk21. Not carping or critising – just interested for the reason to go that way

Just shows you, Bentwingbomber & Avro’s Finest know nothing about “Big Bristols”!

Sooooo, ya bloody think so.

54 ltrs of pure unadultarated power bolted on to the front of a Sea Fury – flying in formation with another Sea Fury. Thats Big Bristols….

Not that Yank crap.

Or if you want to be clever, The Bristol Type 167 Brabazon, that had eight.
Lots of “Big Bristols”

BRISTOL CENTAURUS – REAL BIG BRISTOLS.

AF (Ex BBMF)

Hi Beaufighter VI

Would love to catch up whilst you are downunder – are you going to Queensland at all if not we could catch up at Murrays or something – Will PM you.

David

You may be aware that the moorabin Beau used to run an engine for a few years but not since it was put under cover. I believe there is a problem even with finding enough servicable Prop blades to make both engines run so that is a real issues everywhere.

Good engineering will triumph in the end and I am sure we will see a Beau fly one day soon and I hope it will be with three blades etc but I will just be happy to see it fly – Steve would/will be so proud ……..

Regards
John P