Blenheim at Duxford today – old thread

Please, please, please – stop opening old threads for new information!

It makes it very difficult to read, and the thread loses its flow.

If you need new information, then please open a new thread!

Bruce

Any update guys? i’m sure i’ll see friday but has the £150,000 been found yet?

For bang up to date info why not pop along to DX on Sunday and have a look. It is ‘Spitfire Day’ so there are a few activities going on to raise the interest levels and you will no doubt get chance to speak with someone involved in the restorations of both aircraft. The a/c restoration work takes place in building 66 which is adjacent to the Runway restaurant.

As an alternative, the Blenheim Society stand will be at Old Warden on Sunday. You can get an update on progress and buy a ton of raffle tickets to help raise funds and keep the restorations going.

Any further updates on the above 2 restorations?

Understand that the Lizzy fuselarge went walkies with terrance the Tug from Area 51 to Area 66 this sunday past.

doG bak to box

Cheers Roobarb – was looking over this thread earlier actually. Not sure if it’s been mentioned before, but although the Mk I and IV noses are interchangeable in that they fix at the same point, the electrical etc stuff attaches at different places so the rumour that the noses could be swapped around isn’t true. Will have to try and get that mag if I get down town tomorrow. Hoping to join the Blenheim Society as well.

Appologies for dragging up an old thread, but I thought some of you would like to know that the new issue of Aircraft Illustrated has an in depth report of exactly how advanced the Blenheim repair is, what work has been completed, and what’s left to do. It also has the elusive Mk1 nose/fuselage picture in full technicolour -nice photo and the write up’s not bad either eh Kigas 😉

Alan the answer to that is simple “ask nicely”
ARC are always on the lookout for volunteers willing to work as needed so please contact us .
after all the majority of the work force at ARC started as volunteers

Thanks CAS, I will have to have a word with my ‘Forewoman 😉 @! and get back to you.
Alan.

From what i understand from our contacts in Canada its wuite easy to lay your hands on a Bollingbroke airframe, trouble is the engines are as rare as rocking horse, unless you use a wasp or similar in lieu, and that most of the fuselages left are completely gutted of all systems, fittings etc, whilst on their respective farms so the prospect of fitting one out is daunting to say the least….

TT

Ben,

That’s true. I had an option on a Canadian Bolingbroke nose section during 2004 but the cost of transporting it from Canada to Holland was more than the whole nose section would cost me (almost double that). I was sorry to let the deal go, still having second thoughts about that as the Bolingbroke/Blenheim is such a classic design.

Oh well

Cees

ARC did start the restoration of the IWMs Bolingbroke 9893 and had completed most of the work on the centre section and fuselage and one wing when it was then decided by the IWM that they would complete the work themselves. The decision on the colour scheme was that it would carry the colours that it wore as a MkIVT to commemorate the Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
Harry Wherreat has a Lysander in Assiniboa Saskatchewan which is painted as a target tug in yellow/black, it is capable of flying but has not done so. He has made a superb job of the rebuild which he completed some four years ago. Harry also has a Hurricane which is again a superb example which has flown but not recently.
As for engines for the Bolingbroke out of 600 odd produced 14 were build with Pratt and Whitney twin wasp juniors 9005 and 9010-9023 but these are even more rare than Mercurys and one 9074 was experimentally fitted with a Wright Cyclone

Kigas

From what i understand from our contacts in Canada its wuite easy to lay your hands on a Bollingbroke airframe, trouble is the engines are as rare as rocking horse, unless you use a wasp or similar in lieu, and that most of the fuselages left are completely gutted of all systems, fittings etc, whilst on their respective farms so the prospect of fitting one out is daunting to say the least….

TT

Check this one out:

http://www.meteorflight.com/

on the front news page, …mmmmmm dayglo! 🙂
Great to see these schemes being reapplied, as they are both full of character and have fascintating histories behind them!

Is the ARC responsible for the IWM Bolingbroke restoration as well? (Heard it’s on hold). Just wondered if you knew what the plans for this were now, heard it isn’t going into airspace, was wondering if it would be restored a few years later in camouflage, or still going into trainer yellow? Although it is good to see aircraft in unusual colours, recently two rare aircraft have already gone in target tug colours, the RAF Museums Tempest and the IWM’s Mossie

I understand that ARC were undertaking the rebuild, for obvious reason, but the scheme would be specified by the IWM.

In addition to the Tempest and Mosquito, the Canadian Warplane Heritage (rebuild-to-airworthy) Lysander is in TT colours (and should fly in 2006, we hope) and the RAAF Museum’s single seat (static) Vampire is also in TT colours, making four globally that I’m aware of.

Given that up until the 21st century AFAIK, no aircraft was preserved in TT colours, that’s a good deal overdue acknowledgement of a vital, dangerous and unsung role.

Given that most fighter pilots and gunners couldn’t hit the proverbial elephant in a passage (neither could I, but I’ve never been in the air force) perhaps we needed more then, and now? Gunnery standards in the Allied air forces of W.W.II can best be understood as something like 5% of the aircrews achieved 98% of the ‘kills’*

Two questions. Does anyone know of other aircraft in TT colours, now or in preservation in earlier years?

And any others under restoration due to go into TT colours?

And for the smart folks – which of the five mentioned (RAFM Tempest, IWM Mosquito, IWM Bollingbroke, RAAFM Vampire and CWH Lysander) is not wearing colours it wore before?

Cheers!

*72.5% of statistics are made up. 😉

Is the ARC responsible for the IWM Bolingbroke restoration as well? (Heard it’s on hold). Just wondered if you knew what the plans for this were now, heard it isn’t going into airspace, was wondering if it would be restored a few years later in camouflage, or still going into trainer yellow? Although it is good to see aircraft in unusual colours, recently two rare aircraft have already gone in target tug colours, the RAF Museums Tempest and the IWM’s Mossie

Progress on the Blenheim fuselage is good, with ribs repaired and new skins fitted below the turret on the starboard side. There are two skins to be repaired on the port side then work can start on the rear of the bomb bay and the keel beam. If progress is maintained at the present rate we should see the fuselage completed by end of June, we then will look at starting the MkI nose. As always funding is the problem.
As for the Lysander both wings are now complete with slats flaps and ailerons but will not be fabricked at this stage. The fin is complete and work has now started on the tail plane and rudder. I hope to move the fuselage into `Blenheim Palace` within the next two weeks once I`ve got rid of Hurricane repairs.

Kigas

Thanks Cas!
How does one become a volunteer on these projects,ask nicely or join the queue?!
Alan.

Alan the answer to that is simple “ask nicely”
ARC are always on the lookout for volunteers willing to work as needed so please contact us .
after all the majority of the work force at ARC started as volunteers

the answer to this is yes on both counts
presently we have a engineer on both projects nearly full time with volunteers assisting as and when they can

Thanks Cas!
How does one become a volunteer on these projects,ask nicely or join the queue?!
Alan.

also the East Fortune one, although don’t know what they’re planning to paint theirs.

It doesn’t look like a Concorde so they are probably not interested. :diablo:

Cas, is the Lysander/ Blenheim work done on a full time basis or ‘volunteer hours’ as and when time permits?
Apologies if this has been asked before!
Alan.

the answer to this is yes on both counts
presently we have a engineer on both projects nearly full time with volunteers assisting as and when they can

Ah that sounds great Andy, what colours will they be? Will have to get myself down to Bristol to see that

8 (BR) Squadron was camouflage, with a black underside. I have seen some drawings of Bolingbrokes in Alaska in camo with a white underside, which is quite attractive, but we don’t know if 9048 carried this scheme. Whilst in Alaska the red of the roundels were painted out to avoid confusion with Japanese aircraft, so we might do that to. We are looking for photos of 9048 (or similar 8BR Sqn Boly) from the late 1942/early 1943 period to confirm the scheme. We know it was coded YO-T though. Until its restored, it will probably remain out of sight in a hangar at Filton, although sections will be restored one at a time at Kemble and other locations. It may be possible to put the unrestored nose section on a trailer and take it to a couple of air shows over the summer, to raise money towards the restoration.

Andy