Cockpit Canopies, have you found one?

Hi Graham, I’ve sent you a private message!

PM received. 🙂

Graham

Back to the original thread: There were quite a few high-back Mustang and, I think, some Spit canopies extant at various smallholdings south of Manchester up until the late eighties from post-war Ringway scrappings.

Opinions seemed to vary as to whether they were Malcolm style canopies from Mustangs, or Firefly canopies, surplus to local production (or scrapping).

I can’t recall ever hearing a definitive answer.

The propellor blades turned up all over Cheshire (or at least the eastern part). I found quite a few when tramping over that part of the county for a seismological survey in the late 1960s. I was one of the team marking out the routes to be followed by the seismologists and crossing fence and hedge lines was just a routine part of the job. There were loads to be seen and I bet a few are still around.

Probably one from a P-47, the flat broad ones, they were used for making canoes, we have one in the museum as well.

Cheers

cees

Drop Tank

Not a canopy but still something jettisoned from an aircraft. Near where i live in Suffolk is a chicken farmer and i bought my chickens there last year. We got chatting and as he is well into his seventies i asked if he was in Suffolk during the war years to which he replied “Lived here all my life”!!
Being an aviation fan we spoke about aircraft that operated in the area and he has vivid memories of B17’s and fighters overhead on an almost daily basis. Even better in a shed and covered in dust he showed me drop tank from an American fighter. He and his brother found this in a nearby wood towards wars end and fashioned it into a rudimentary canoe by cutting the top out, they used on the local ponds. He said there were loads around and they turned up as late as the early fifties. I expressed my interest in buying it, and he’s considering possibly selling it, whats it worth?

Meteor NF.14 canopy

anybody know of a meteor NF.14 canopy or parts of, even little parts could make full canopy, The AVA at East Mids are in need of one
regards Dave

Meteor Canopy

Cees,

I may part with my spare Meteor 8 canopy if you can find me an instrument panel and a nosecone for my own Mk.8.
Considering the number of Mk.8’s that were around there are very few pilot’s panels and noses – but plenty of stick tops and instruments!
The canopy has turned slightly brownish and has a short crack near the front frame at the top (it wouldn’t fly) but is otherwise quite adequate (see report of last June’s Cockpitfest and photo of Meteor nose WK914, that’s the one).

Back to the original thread: There were quite a few high-back Mustang and, I think, some Spit canopies extant at various smallholdings south of Manchester up until the late eighties from post-war Ringway scrappings.
Fellow Forumite XE584 took photo’s and rescued a few, I think, but I’ll have to check. I’ll ask him if he’ll dig the shots out and post ’em.
There must still be a fair few about as they seem to have been widely used as garden cloches by many folk. They appear to be most common near to the areas the scrappings took place as they were probably sold in the local farmers market for beer-money as they had no scrap value.
Aircraft wheels (used on farm carts and wheelbarrows) as well as Rotol wooden propeller blades (for fence posts) were another aviation product re-used by locals. I have a couple of photo’s of rows of these near Knutsford.

Anon.

David,
The A-10 canopy was given to us by a local Collector.
We also have an F-16 canopy and have recently acquired a very rare B-45 Tornado canopy! 😀
Regards.

Graham

Hi Graham, I’ve sent you a private message!

There is an A10 canopy at the Bentwaters cold war jets museum, that I believe was found in the local forest.

David,
The A-10 canopy was given to us by a local Collector.
We also have an F-16 canopy and have recently acquired a very rare B-45 Tornado canopy! 😀
Regards.

Graham

Excellent, not as exciting as a dig story to some, but what a find in unused condition. I assume it’s unique?

Well not quite.. there is an identical early S.4 Canopy with the Robertsbridge Aviation Museum near Hastings, but thats it as far as i know.

I would love to find the later type canopy somewhere with the metal reinforced frame as opposed to the early all perspex version, but as yet have drawn a blank.

Unfortunately most Wyvern crashes/ejections happened over water, so the chances of one turning up in a wood somewhere are slim to say the least.. but you never know.!

Excellent, not as exciting as a dig story to some, but what a find in unused condition. I assume it’s unique?

Wyvernfan, can you tell us the story behind your Canopy?

Sure, although not a particularly exciting story.. it came from a fellow collector near Hurstpierpoint Sussex, and when he acquired it it still had the remains of a brown paper wrapper around it and the thick rubber seal on the leading edge, having come straight from Westlands stores during a mass clearout. Hence it has apparently never been used/fitted.

I dread to think what else was ‘disposed of’ as well.

Wyvernfan, can you tell us the story behind your Canopy?

Any spare Mk 8 Meteor canopies about, there’s a project in need of one.

Cheers

Cees

pm sent Bill..

Hunter Canopies–Add ons.

Hi Wyvern,
Agh !! Yes, it could well have. Don’t wish to disclose location of these finds as it would be embarrasing for me and him if owner found folk scouting all over his land for Spitfire relics,etc. Remember these were a specific Grandads purchase, years ago. It is good to be able to help out project owners and promotes a good spirit too, so you were right and I know the Brooklands Hunter owner well, found him some Hunter Belly panels too in Somerset.

Incidentally Wyvern, ( hate to rub it in,–but I’m going to -LOL ;)) but at ( I think ) the very last RAF Castle Bromwich Air Show in 1957, as an ATC Cadet ( 493 Squadron, Kings Heath, Birmingham ) I saw a Wyvern fly in for static Display,then an Aerobatic show and depart. I was able to get to it and look around and in the C/pit too and remember how impressive it all was. That was the only one I ever saw too. That Airfield is of course the now long stood Castle Vale Housing Estate, ( Yuk !!! No way am I going back there, my memories are sufficient )

It made a strange sound for those times and of course was the link between last of Navy Prop Fighters and Jet Fighters. ( PM me any questions,) I like early Navy jets and Wyvern. and will happily look for bits for you. Might be able to help too with Some systems and components Info, that is tech manuals ,ETC.

Pogno, apologies for departing from thread—:D Back to subject.

Bill T.

Nice find Bill.. I too came across a Hunter canopy, still fixed to its wooden transport frame and with the same green paint on as those in the picture. It could quite possibly have come from the same location originally.
It was subsequently sold on to the owner of the Hunter at Brooklands.!

I also collected a canopy from near Eastleigh for a Jet Provost that was due to be destroyed, and i think that one found a home up at Bruntingthorpe.

Hunter Canopies–50 yrs. in Air raid Shelter.

Hi folks,

Check these out, ——— Some 15 Hunter and 2 Chipmunk Canopies 2 yrs . ago in this building All canopies had been moved out of an Air Raid shelter, a month or so earlier by the Land owners son who found them as part of a drive on clearing out all these air raid shelters and bunkers ,tunnels etc, he was surprised to find them and on digging back into family history, it seems his grandfather some 50 yrs. ago was into purchasing job lots of surplus military stuff in sales, selling them to make a living and kept everything in these Shelters and somehow left these canopies behind or forgot about them.

Yes— I purchased these, but owner had other plans for Chipmunk Canopies. Since then, 8 Canopies have gone to good preservation projects as we promised the previous owner. ( They won’t appear on e-Bay )

One canopy has gone to The Humbrol Hunter Project as mentioned in other thread.

Bill T.

And don’t forget the many turret cupola’s that found read use in gardens around the UK. Recently a Type E tailturret cupola was donated to the Nanton Museum. And the RAFM has loads of them in store.

Cheers

Cees

I didn’t ‘find’ it as such but delving in a friend of a friend’s garage near southampton I spotted a nice 109G canopy frame, whereupon the friend suddenly produced the spinner, still with it’s black and white swirl, bullet holes and all. He had parts of the wings up in the rafters too. When I showed interest he showed me crates of Stuka parts, some very large sections, literally tons of the stuff. All from a Russian batlefield recovery apparently…

Given today’s standards I reckon there’s enough there for a rebuild of sorts.

Fascinating bloke, he has many WW2 German military vehicles too. I left him with a request to find me a kubelwagen so I can chase all the people round here who own Willys Jeeps.

Bentwaters cold war jets museum

There is an A10 canopy at the Bentwaters cold war jets museum, that I believe was found in the local forest.