Chirk Rapides

See the Chirk Airfield Facebook page for info and to follow general airfield activity:-

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068383634889

PS British Airways painted KOE in their livery when they borrowed the rapide. Will upload fabulous photo with KOE and Concorde when I get a chance

Wow! Can you give details of who to contact please?

I visited last summer and all arranged via Facebook (Chirk Aircraft Museum….).  Amazing place and the family made me most welcome.  They have no problem hosting visits that are planned.  I would not suggest trying without an invite though!  

Hi All!

sorrt for bringing up an old thread but was wondering if anyone has any more info on the DH89’s at Chirk? My dad who sadly passed away a few years ago flew for Air Transport (Charter) and his favourite a/c in the fleet was G-AIUL so I would love to see it still exists. I have all my dads logbooks, and have been an aircraft engineer myself for the past 33 years(on much bigger aircraft!)

I tried to contact the airfield owner at Chirk a number of years ago when dad was still with us, but got no response. 

any info greatly appreciated 

Wessex boy……

Have PM’d you…..

Planemike

Thanks Propstrike, it would be so nice to see these flying again, I flew on one of the Historic Flight’s ones at the 2003 Coventry airshow and they are such a lovely aircraft (and the first type my Dad flew in)
Incidentally we have the log Books for ex-Channel Viking G-AGRU that is now residing at Brooklands, we were going to do a family trip there to re-unite them with the aircraft last year but Dad got too ill, so we will do it this summer.
We have the logbooks for 17-18 other Vikings and two Bristol Freighters (all scrapped unfortunately), they make facsinating reading, but we can’t keep them all so will put them on ebay – I had hoped we would find more preserved

There is a new ”wrecks and Relics” out this week. maybe that might help you.

Bit dated, but nice pics here

http://derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/1826/chirk-airfield

Apologies for resurrecting a Zombie thread, but does anyone have any further info on these Rapides please?

I will tell you why, following my Dad’s passing last year (Gooney Bird on this forum) My Mum has passed me his collection of Aircraft log books. These are mainly the ex-Channel Airways Vikings (including G-APOP and G-APOO mentioned above), their 2 Bristol Freighters and their Rapide (well Dominie actually) G-AEMH.

Parts from ‘MH were used in the part-restoration of G-AIUL which I believe is still at Chirk…

Autocrat You are quite right T5968 was G-ANNN – I knew it was allocated a civil registration but couldn’t remember what it was after all these years. I am amazed that it survives. I used to pass the fuselage frame regularly every weekend going from the hangar where we kept the Fiat G46 and Stampe French AF 609 (allocated G-AYHV) and worked on Proctor NP303/G-ANZJ to the main museum building. All I ever saw was the fuselage but maybe the wings were in there somewhere.
The scrap hangar was a real aladdins cave.As far as I remember it contained Vikings G-APOP and G-APOO, Dove AP-AGJ, at least one Dakota and the Rapides, Tiger Moth and probably others which I have forgotten. Several other Daks were parked outside but I seem to remember that most had no wheels and were stood on their UC legs. It was a quiet and quite ghostly place where every little noise echoed around the building.
In the grass round the back was the fuselage frame and uncovered wings of Short Scion G-AEZF.
When I first saw this in about 1968 the frame and wing structures were intact but after Channel Airways folded the wings got flattened – allegedly someone drove a tractor over them – and at some point the fuselage was sawn in half.
I know the museum eventually recovered the fuselage but I don’t know if they got the wings. As far as I remember the tail unit wasn’t there in the first place. I was told at the time that Jack Jones hung on to much of the contents with the intention of starting a museum but sadly it never happened and most of the contents went to the scrapman.

The latest edition of Wrecks & Relics lists all three Rapides as extant at Chirk, namely G-AJBJ, ‘G-AJCL’/G-AIUL and G-AKOE. To answer the question above about the possible Norecrin there, it also lists two as being resident at Chirk – G-BAYL and G-BEDB

That British Airways colour scheme on ‘KOE looks totally out of place considering the time period of the Rapide. Can’t imagine that sat next to a 744 for a photo op!:D

Just been doing a little more research, info is definitely a little on the sparse side…!

All the airframes are listed as de-registered on G-INFO, however this page here, mentions that G-AKOE was one point being prepared for a round the world promo flight for BA, but that although the airframes survives, a hanger fire at Chirk put paid to the plans…

Curiouser and curiouser…

Is that “tin” fuselage in one of the shots a Norcrin?

John

Could be G-BEDB… the Air Britain archive has a picture of her living there in 1970… and G-Info has her listed as de-registered but owned by a gentleman in nearby Corwen…

Chirk Airfield

Zeb

Is that “tin” fuselage in one of the shots a Norcrin?

John

Found this info… its a little out of date but at least we can see the birds…!

Chirk Rapides…

Zeb

G-ANNN is at the Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre Woodhall Spa Lincolnshire being restored but I do not think th eintention is to fly it after restoration.

Must get myself down there to see it some time.

Planemike

Chirk Rapides

Just noticed the Tiger T5968 mentioned. This also was at Ipswich regd G-ANNN although never restored. I seem to recall reading somewhere that G-ANN was being restored to fly, not sure where though.

Chirk Rapides

Seeing the mention of the Channel Airways Rapides brought back happy memories from the 60’s when “EMH & KRN” were stored outside at Ipswich. KRN was complete but EMH was just a fuselage with the bottom stubs and engines attached. The Chief Engineer and myself had the job of dismantling them both to ship down to Lashenden in Essex where Sqn Ldr Jones (Channel’s owner) had a place. We ground run the Gypsy Queens before dismantling and considering that they had been outside for a few years, albeit inhibited, ran perfectly. The idea was to rebuild one out of two. Needless to say this never happened. I often wondered what happened to them. Did these actually end up at Chirk?

I do believe that several attempts have been made in recent times to acquire these airframes but with no success. The current owner is intent on keeping them in his hands! Double edged sword to this, doesn’t look like much will happen to them, but then again, at least they are not being scrapped! Shame…

FB

I understood the cache at Chirk included the remains of the ex Channel Airways Rapides G-AEMH and G-AKRN which came out of what was known as the scrap hangar at Southend after Channel Airways went bust. They were in a bad way when I saw them outside when the scrap hangar was being cleared in the 70’s but were probably no worse than some of the other restos that have been tackled. If they are not at Chirk now then does anyone know what happened to them.
There was also a Tiger Moth fuselage (T5968?) which came out of the same hangar but I think that got scrapped.

this other cacche of Rapides-did it belong to the man who sent one to chirk for rebuild but nothing back??