Bristol Superfreighter Mk 32 Eastleigh Airport –Silver City Airways
Ok they were powered by 2000hp Hercules radials not Bristol Centaurus but nevertheless pretty impressive to a 15 year old plane spotter, especially on start up- lots of black smoke. Didn’t worry too much about the environment in the early 60s!
Had the pleasure (??) of accompanying a motor bike in a Mk 32 in 1967 from Jersey to Eastleigh and later return. With 3 cars also on board plus passengers remembered wondering if it would ever get airborne. Unloveley, certainly, noisy, yes, but efficient enough in that the flight was little longer than BUA’s Dart Herald’s 45 minutes of the period.
Don’t remember taking any photos so relying on memory. Some good detail turns up on a Google search but nothing specific to the Eastleigh operation.
So Forum can you fill in the blanks please?
Any Mk32 pilots out there with reminiscences?
What were they like to fly from a pilots’ point of view?
Any Eastleigh Mk32 photos?
Any Mk32s left in bits or otherwise?(can see it making a secure store/ vehicle garage………)
A very British aircraft.
RJB
By: RJB - 6th March 2008 at 23:04
If you open that Airliners.net web page and use the bottom scrollbar, the Frightener flies across the screen!
Bri 😀
Bri
A useful site thanks.
Ron
By: RJB - 6th March 2008 at 22:50
Was this the last Mk 32? G-APAU, ostensibly of Midland Air Cargo, pictured looking a little sorry for itself at Lasham in May 1973.
See someone has snaffled the Hercules! One hopes for safe keeping but some how doubt it…. Thanks for the Lasham pic.
Regards
Ron
By: bri - 6th March 2008 at 22:46
If you open that Airliners.net web page and use the bottom scrollbar, the Frightener flies across the screen!
Bri 😀
By: RJB - 6th March 2008 at 22:36
Great Canadian pics- wonder if they are still there. Pity Eastleigh didn’t have the same imagination- probably pleased to see the back of them!
regards
Ron
By: avion ancien - 21st February 2008 at 20:23
BAF Mk.32s at Lydd Ferryfield
I have a recollection – sadly no photos – of a line of withdrawn BAF Mk.32s parked tail on to the fence by the road, to the north of the hangar, by which one approached the terminal building at Lydd airport. I think that this would have been in August 1970 (I say this because I have found a 1971 diary with an entry for 4 August which says “…. went to Lydd airport, it was dead as BAF have gone to Southend….” – I used to go camping near Rye each year, and when I did so made visits to Lympne and Lydd, from the late 1960s onward). Can anyone verify this recollection? Better still, can anyone identify the aircraft or post photos of them at that time?
By: Newforest - 21st February 2008 at 07:45
Now there was a missed cockpit project!:D
By: 24 Threshold - 21st February 2008 at 00:38
The Last Mk 32
Was this the last Mk 32? G-APAU, ostensibly of Midland Air Cargo, pictured looking a little sorry for itself at Lasham in May 1973.
By: Tillerman - 18th February 2008 at 20:57
Thanks hiflyer, for the picture of the B170 with its doors agape. It made my day. There are not that many pictures of the Freighter around. Not enough, anyway.
Tillerman.
By: T-21 - 18th February 2008 at 20:56
“Propliner” magazine Nos 103,105,107 and 110 are on the history of Southampton airport in the sixties ,and some earlier issues. Very good photo’s and history of the era including Bristol Freighters there.
By: Newforest - 18th February 2008 at 15:50
Don’t be confused by picture 2, it is not flying nor in fact is picture 1!:D
By: hiflyer - 18th February 2008 at 12:38
Bristol Freighter
I know these are not superfreighters but interesting none the less. These pictures were taken in Yellowknife in NWT Canada in 1975. Wardair were operating three Freighters at this time ferrying supplies etc to remote oil operations in the frozen North. As well as flying into roughtly prepared landing strips the aeroplanes also landed on frozen lakes.
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th February 2008 at 23:22
Hey……….some of these brought back memories for me.
I was a nearly daily visitor to Eastleigh from 1962 – 64. Worked in at the aeroclub for a while. Went to Eastleigh Tech.
Always remember the Farmair Super Cubs. Oh, yes and the remnants of G-ARIO HAC Halcyon. Great times.
Planemike
By: RJB - 2nd November 2007 at 19:56
wieesso
Rank 4 Registered User
Great links- particularly like the Silver City “J” Thanks.:)
Also remember my pal and I getting soaked by torrential rain on the return trip by pedal cycle up Winchester Road. The stuff of memories!
Once again, many thanks..
Ron:)
By: Newforest - 28th October 2007 at 21:04
[QUOTE=Willip26;1176558]
Remember the XROE-1 Rotorcycle being there too?
Wicked Willip :diablo:
Yes, the XROE-1 Rotorcyle, no notes left so I couldn’t remember the name. I remember them testing them just to the east of the car park. Whatever happened to G-APYF? And some of the others, they are still looking for them!
By: Willip26 - 28th October 2007 at 18:27
[QUOTE=Newforest;1176531]
Ah yes, the days of the Spitfire G-AIDN, Currie Wots, B.E.A., Cambrian and Jersey Airlines Daks and the Saunders-Roe hangar full of Skeeters and the first batch of P.531 Sprites, as I believe the Westland Scouts were originally called.
Wicked Willip :diablo: (once a member of this Forum but now banned…..)[/QUOTEThe Saro P.531 alias Wasp/Scout, don’t recall it being a Sprite.)
Don’t recall it either but that’s what my notes of the time say and if you do a Google search of ‘Saunders-Roe P531’ there are indications of ‘Sprite’ being the provisional name.
Remember the XROE-1 Rotorcycle being there too?
Wicked Willip :diablo:
By: Newforest - 28th October 2007 at 17:16
[QUOTE=Willip26;1176424]Ah yes, the days of the Spitfire G-AIDN, Currie Wots, B.E.A., Cambrian and Jersey Airlines Daks and the Saunders-Roe hangar full of Skeeters and the first batch of P.531 Sprites, as I believe the Westland Scouts were originally called.
Wicked Willip :diablo: (once a member of this Forum but now banned…..)[/QUOTE
Not forgetting the DH.86, Consul, Hornet Moth, Zaunkonig, Proctors, Gemini, Safir and Tigers. The Saro P.531 alias Wasp/Scout, don’t recall it being a Sprite. The prototype was being built front and centre of the hangar which was open and you could touch a prototype aircraft being built, don’t think that happens anymore.:)
By: Willip26 - 28th October 2007 at 11:38
Probably saw you at Eastleigh in my bicycle days when the sun shone every day in the summer.:)
Ah yes, the days of the Spitfire G-AIDN, Currie Wots, B.E.A., Cambrian and Jersey Airlines Daks and the Saunders-Roe hangar full of Skeeters and the first batch of P.531 Sprites, as I believe the Westland Scouts were originally called.
Remember the bicycle days too, having several times cycled from the Sussex coast to such places as Gatwick and Goodwood for the motor race meetings.
Nowadays don’t think I could ride one any more and last time I flew in our Group-owned Cub needed a task force pushing and shoving to manouevre me into the front seat.
Greatest fear in flying always used to be of a midair but now it’s of not being able to get my leg over. 😀
Wicked Willip :diablo: (once a member of this Forum but now banned…..)
By: wieesso - 27th October 2007 at 22:30
Your first link isn’t working, this link shows ‘NWJ at Eastleigh.
http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/da.html
Sorry, agreed!
By: Newforest - 27th October 2007 at 22:26
Your first link isn’t working, this link shows ‘NWJ at Eastleigh.
By: wieesso - 27th October 2007 at 22:15
RJB, coming back to your original qustion 😉
Silver City Airways, Bristol 170 Mk32
G-ANWJ
G-APAU
G-ANWK
G-ANWL
G-ANWM
G-ANWN
In January 1963, Silver City Airways and Channel Air Bridge merged to become British United Air Ferries (BUAF)
Silver City Bristol 170 Mk32 Eastleigh G-ANWJ
http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/astiepix/ganwj.jpg
Silver City Bristol 170 Mk32 Eastleigh G-ANWN
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0987246/L/
Martin
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October 21, 2007 at 5:18 pm