Hi all,
My questions comes from seeing the Flypast May 2003 Issue’s picture of the Canada Aviation Museums’ Beaufighter RD867 taken in 1968 prior to it being traded to the Canadian Collection..
At that time it appears to still have engines and cowlings..what happened to them,,where they not original to the plane? anybody have any info.
By: David Burke - 26th April 2003 at 09:57
Sounds like the display in Horseguards circa 1968 during which some young vandal decided one night to put a match to Tiger Moth NL985.
By: dhfan - 26th April 2003 at 03:20
I really hope I’m not cracking up.
There were a couple of fighters on the embankment, presumably Spit and Hurri, and I think some more aircraft somewhere else but I can’t remember now. The fighters I know I saw, big grass area in front of huge building. Next time I’m in the Smoke I’ll look and see where that was. Got a mental “snapshot” of that. The Beau I’ve seen pictures of in Horseguards just after the war. I hadn’t appeared then. However, my “snapshot” is different to the ones usually published. It would be RD867.
It was a family day out with parents and sister but it’s got to be 35 years ago. Whether we went into London to see them or it was coincidence I don’t know. Could have been trip out for my or my sister’s birthday which are March and October. Dad no longer with us but I’ll see if Mum remembers anything. 50th anniversary of the RAF?
Anybody got Flight or Aeroplane from 1968? Presumably it would be reported in one or both of them.
By: Arabella-Cox - 25th April 2003 at 10:52
That’s the first I’ve heard of a Beau being on static display in central London in the sixties, very interesting if that’s the case! It would have been one of only two; RD867, which would have worn the same colour scheme as shown above prior to being shown statically at Abingdon in 1968, or (and this is less likely) RD253, which was restored at the same time and as far as I’m aware, went on public display for the first time when the RAFM opened it’s doors in 1973. RD253 is shown in the attachment wearing her spurious coastal colour scheme (I do wish they’d get that sorted out). Would be interested to hear whether anyone else remembers a Beau on the embankment, especially if anyone has photgraphs. 🙂
By: dhfan - 25th April 2003 at 01:13
Would this be the Beau I saw in central London (Horseguards, Embankment, can’t remember) in the middle to late 60’s.
At least my memory’s telling me I saw one, I hope I’m not cracking up that much.
By: Arabella-Cox - 24th April 2003 at 23:38
Like you, I’m dismayed that she’s been neglected for so long, but despite being left outside for thirty-odd years, she really doesn’t look to be in as bad a shape as I’d have imagined. I’ve seen other aircraft sit outside for a fraction of that time and decay to flakes. One day, I WILL get out to Canada to have a good nose around the old girl…
By: British Canuck - 24th April 2003 at 14:13
Anothe attempt
By: British Canuck - 24th April 2003 at 14:11
One more!
One more!
By: British Canuck - 24th April 2003 at 14:10
Another try
Another attempt to post a few pix of the Beau
By: British Canuck - 15th April 2003 at 18:36
A picture taken of RD867 April 2003
By: Peter - 15th April 2003 at 16:06
beaufighter in ottawa
Brit.
if you go to the nationail aviation museum website and click on beaufighter under the collection and then click on digital archives, there is a pic of the interior there. it is completely gutted.
By: British Canuck - 15th April 2003 at 12:10
Yes I have seem much displeasure about the treatment or lacking of perservation of that airframe in past forum posting. I am guessing it has been painted black on black at least once since it was brought to Canada.
Still it being one of so few surviving airframes (1 of 8 occuring to the flypast column) It could have been disassembled and stored.
I wonder how complete it is internally..I had a good look at it two weeks ago..It’s tires are now badly out of shape since it was moved(Fall 2002)… and it is pretty sealed up with tape and paint.
Thks for the info.
By: Ant.H - 14th April 2003 at 23:51
Ohhh boy,you didn’t wanna ask that question,believe me,you’re stirring up a hornets’ nest with this one!
RD867 has been a pretty prominent talking point on this forum in the past.Basically,the RAF Museum swapped her for a Blenhiem/Bolingbroke.The guys at Rockliffe assumed that the Beau would be in the condition it had been displayed in the mid 60’s (and as seen in the flypast piccy),but what they got was missing a hell of a lot of stuff,much of it cannibalised for the RAFM’s own TF.X,including engines,cowlings etc.Even then,the basic airframe wasn’t in as good a condition as they had been lead to believe,the airframe being a fairly ecclectic mix of components,including some old Beaufort bits.So,the way you see it today is basically the state it arrived in,and very little has been done with the airframe since.While restoration will be a long haul,I still don’t see why they have insisted on leaving her outdoors all these years-surely they are making more work for themselves?Why not take it to bits and store it in a hangar somewhere?Some say it’s a gesture to show their displeasure with the RAFM,but it seems a pity to leave the aircraft out to suffer in the elements.
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April 14, 2003 at 8:18 pm