Bristol Freighter UK bound?

Oh, another one for the ugly club has to be that Polish? jet biplane crop duster thingy.

http://www.luftfahrtmuseum.com/htmi/itf/pzl15.htm PZL.M.15 Belphegor.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 😀 I think we are really off course on this thread now :p

Oh, another one for the ugly club has to be that Polish? jet biplane crop duster thingy.

Nah, I think it’s really cute actually

Oh, another one for the ugly club has to be that Polish? jet biplane crop duster thingy.

The Transavia Agtruk is positively pretty compared to the original design, the Bennett Airtruk however, which was designed and built by Bennetts Aviation at Palmerston North, NZ from old scrap Harvard parts. It was like the Transavia thing in layout (they bought the rights and tidied it up) but the Bennett’s design was radial engined. Sadly I don’t believe any exist today.

Bah! Transavia Agtruk. 😮

far more ugly! And thats NOT British!

Beleive there are a number of Skyvans operating in the US – popular skydive aircraft I think.

TT

Oh yes I’d forgotten that ugly beast. I have to agree with you there

Did you know this Bristol Freighter being discussed is a genuine Vietnam War veteran from it’s service with No. 41 Squadron, RNZAF? I hope it returns to it’s military colours once in preservation to reflect this rather than some dull civil scheme.

I’m sure most of us are aware of this. It was NZ5907 in RNZAF service and has the glazing on the front of the nose doors, which makes it a Mk.31M (military) variant. I have photos of it in its original silver/white and camouflaged colours, whilst in service. Of course it all depends on who sponsors it as to what scheme it ends up in and here in UK we will be just pleased to see it return in whatever scheme?

Did you know this Bristol Freighter being discussed is a genuine Vietnam War veteran from it’s service with No. 41 Squadron, RNZAF? I hope it returns to it’s military colours once in preservation to reflect this rather than some dull civil scheme.

Likewise, wandering off topic… but the Skyvan mention reminded me of one from, I think, the Southern hemisphere that was operating across Lincolnshire a couple of years ago… had some sort of towed or mounted gear.??. magnetometer perhaps or some such..??.. got into all sorts of bother I seem to recall flying through bits of sky it shouldn’t have without having a word first with the “owner” of the sky.??!!.

Back on Bristol Freighters.. happened to be in the right place at the right time many years ago and watched the Instone one trundle over East Lincs, quite low….heading South…possibly en route for Duxford..??

Clive.

Bah! Transavia Agtruk. 😮

far more ugly! And thats NOT British!

Beleive there are a number of Skyvans operating in the US – popular skydive aircraft I think.

TT

Slightly off topic but there was/is a Skyvan flying from Raf Henlow. I can certainly remember it being there up till about 1998.

Not what you could call a good looking aircraft but appealing in a strange way. Only the Brits could build such a weird contraption. Before anyone takes me to task on that statement just look at the Shorts Skyvan, a truck with wings but probably less efficient.

Bah! Transavia Agtruk. 😮

far more ugly! And thats NOT British!

Beleive there are a number of Skyvans operating in the US – popular skydive aircraft I think.

TT

Robmac – I think the reality is that I cannot think of anyone who could rebuild the engines used on her now. She is ‘airworthy’ at present having flown into the museum in Canada. However there is a huge difference between being airworthy to fly to the U.K and the cost of keeping her airworthy in the eyes of the CAA to operate in the U.K.

I saw a Shorts 360 flying out of Exeter a couple of weeks ago.
First time in years I’d seen one in the air 🙂

There is a Skyvan, the 360’s daddy, parked at Kidlington. Saw it in the air last year and had to ask for conformation here as I didn’t realise there were any still flying.

Given it’s rotundity I was tickled pink by the reggie – G-PIGY!

Obviously gets around a bit as a little Google produces this:

http://www.island-images.co.uk/Aircraft/2006/EC181543.html

Anyway, back to arguing over big Bristols…

Adrian

As the project to return the Bristol Freighter to Filton has now be launched, more details can be made available. The Freighter has been acquired, by Graham Kilsby, who runs the Bristol Heritage Collection located at Howenwald near Nashville in Tennessee. He is also a founder of the Bristol Aero Collection. His aim is to return the aircraft to airworthy condition and fly it across the Atlantic to Filton, about 7,000 miles and 50-odd hours. This can only happen if enough money can be raised, and the £75,000 Bristol 170 appeal has been launched, on telephone number 0117 962 1105 in the UK. The names of sponsors who donate £500 or more will be painted on the plane’s clamshell nose doors.

Andy

Here we go again….spend oodles of spondoolies making a big aircraft airworthy, fly it all the way across the Atlantic for what…just to sit outside and rot in the British weather! 🙁 It really is so sad to see the Bristol Aero Collection struggling to keep the last airworthy Britannia up together at Kemble with no hangar, Concorde is rotting away at Filton and now we have a potential Bristol Freighter joining them. I just wish either the Government would help out or some lottery money could be applied for to save these last surviving icons of our British Aircraft Industry?

Just to clear up this earlier comment – there is no link between the Bristol Aero Collection and last airworthy Britannia at Kemble, which is maintained by the Bristol Britannia XM496 Preservation Society. Concorde at Filton is not rotting away, its well maintained at Filton despite comments to the contrary. The aim is still to get her under cover in a museum at Filton, and things are happening in this direction.

I should also add that XM496 is not rotting away either, the guys at Kemble are doing a great job restoring her!

Andy

We could say that about a lot of the airframes flying at the moment Dave, but we’re gonna get into the usual yes it should, no it shouldn’t senario.

I can see your point my friend, but it is a flying example and therefore should be kept flying. If it was the only airframe in the world and it had been rendered un-airworthy, and the plan was to make it airworthy, being the only example left, I would then agree that it should be crated up and delivered to a museum for display.

Air Atlantique operated a Freighter in the 1980’s for Instone. I don’t think it’s a realistic idea to operate a Freighter in the U.K as a going concern. Sad as it is to say it I would much rather look at one in a museum with a nice supporting display rather than risk what happened to the last one.

Well I think Albert is right in what he says as the airframe is actually set to take up residense next to the Concorde at Filton. The person who represents himself and a company from Bristol are supposedly buying the Freighter from Hawkair Aviation in Canada later this year and it is going to be flown over. It is apparently going to be supported by the city of Bristol, two newspapers, a tv company and a fuel company, for the journey back here, but plans to keep it flying are, as usual, tentative providing certain requirements and support needs are met. Air Atlantique, here we come!!

I saw a Shorts 360 flying out of Exeter a couple of weeks ago.
First time in years I’d seen one in the air 🙂

Yes there is still at least one Skyvan flying in UK. Operated by Babcocks for MOD out of Kidlington for intial parachute training since they scrapped the captive balloon at Weston on the Green. They did have three at one time but the other two were not in such good condition as G-PIGY so they were progreesively cannibalised for spares. Please don’t ask what the others were registered as I didn’t make a note of them.

Can’t remember if there is still one operating out of Weston on the Green inplace of the barrage balloon.