Currie Wot (G-APWT) Restoration

Longing to be in touch

Hi, all! In spite od being computer-literate it never occurred to me all these years to key in the registration(s) of aircraft I have flown until just a few days ago. I put in G-APWT, pressed “enter” – and lo and behold to my utter amazement out popped the old Currie wot in all her glory. After qualifying for my PPL in the early- to mid-sixties at Elstree, I joined a small group of associated members under the leadership of Roy Mills who owned/operated not only the Currie Wot but also a Miles Magister G-AKKR and a Fairchild Argus. Towards the end of the sixties I left the UK and moved to Israel where I now live.

Just 2-days ago I had my first flight as P2 in nearly 50 years!! But I still have my old MKIII WD nav computer, my log-book (now with a new entry) and the much outdated licence!

Here are a couple of hotos from those days plus the most recent one!!

If anyone would care to be in touch, I would be absolutely delighted.

yours,
Selwyn
[email]Selwyn@brorhail.org.il[/email]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]215874[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]215875[/ATTACH]

Concede to your better memory!;)

The good old days when the only jet was that 727 that belonged to an oil company, looked huge on our little apron! 😀

Partly from memory but certainly confirmed in the Doc’s book……..and dates extracted from AJJ’s BCA.

Planemike

AA Yeah…………..Great idea, love to see some pics. Jodels just seem to go on for ever, a few new D18s appear from time to time.

Over here, there’s a new Jodel being built in nearly every aeroclub hangar into which I venture. Wooden fuselages and wings waiting to be covered. But its the old ones – the D.112s and D.120s, that have been around as long as Methusalah, that get my shutter finger twitching! But as I took nearly 200 photos at Châtellerault today, just give me a while to download them, sort them, label them and upload them to a hosting site before I do as you suggest.

Concede to your better memory!;)

The good old days when the only jet was that 727 that belonged to an oil company, looked huge on our little apron! 😀

AA Yeah…………..Great idea, love to see some pics. Jodels just seem to go on for ever, a few new D18s appear from time to time.

Newforest Suspect you and I were probably around Eastleigh about the same time. I have just reread parts of “Doc” Urmston’s book Birds and Fools Fly. Both PNT & PWT were completed before the good “Doc” appeared on the scene: they inspired him to build RZW. J R Currie, John Isaacs and Viv Bellamy were the main folk involved in constructing PNT & PWT. Happy Days…

Planemike

AA………. Do not have detailed stats to hand but all the traditional “build from scratch” designs such as Currie Wots, Furies, Taylor Monoplanes etc have declined in face of the advancing tide of RVs plus assorted “plastic kits”. Pleased to see though, a new Chiltern Monoplane has just arrived on the scene….. G-CDXU

Planemike

C’est la vie. I’ve just been to the RSA fly-in at Châtellerault today and the aeroplanes there bear out your theory, Planemike. But there were loadels of jodels. I might just start a new thread to give me an excuse to post the images!

Just taken a look at the FAA entry for N67247, the manufacturer is shown as URMSTON. This is incorrect, HAC4 was built by Hampshire Aero Club. “Doc” Urmston built G-ARZW which had a c/n 1.

Planemike

The previous GINFO link is not working, but this link shows the manufacturer as ‘Lord Da’?:confused:

I watched ‘PWT being built by the HAC and I am sure Dr. Urmston would have been involved to some degree in the construction.

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=detailnosummary&fullregmark=APWT

I wonder why? It’s a lovely little aeroplane, full of period charm. Maybe it’s not sexy enough for modern homebuilders. Maybe it would be interesting to compare its construction statistics, say over the last decade, to a similar period homebuilders’ aeroplane, such as the Luton Minor, to see if it’s just the Currie Wot that has fallen out of favour or period homebuilts generally. Any thoughts, anyone?

AA………. Do not have detailed stats to hand but all the traditional “build from scratch” designs such as Currie Wots, Furies, Taylor Monoplanes etc have declined in face of the advancing tide of RVs plus assorted “plastic kits”. Pleased to see though, a new Chiltern Monoplane has just arrived on the scene….. G-CDXU

Planemike

G-INFO result for G-APWT plus a photo… Link

And FAA register search for same… Link

Just taken a look at the FAA entry for N67247, the manufacturer is shown as URMSTON. This is incorrect, HAC4 was built by Hampshire Aero Club. “Doc” Urmston built G-ARZW which had a c/n 1.

Planemike

I wonder why? It’s a lovely little aeroplane, full of period charm. Maybe it’s not sexy enough for modern homebuilders. Maybe it would be interesting to compare its construction statistics, say over the last decade, to a similar period homebuilders’ aeroplane, such as the Luton Minor, to see if it’s just the Currie Wot that has fallen out of favour or period homebuilts generally. Any thoughts, anyone?

This thread has got me wondering what and when was the last Currie Wot constructed and whether there are any under construction at present. It’s such a delightful biplane that it seems odd that I cannot bring to mind a recently constructed home built example. I presume that the plans are still available and that it is on the LAA ‘approved’ list.

AA……….. Just had a look on G-INFO, 14 Wots currently registered. The most modern registrations are G-CWOT & G-CWBM but both have old style PFA c/ns indicating they have been around a loooooong time. Do not know if there are any “new ones” on the way…………

Planemike

Dunno about any being built, but there was a flight rest report of one(modified to look like an SE.5a) in last December’s Today’s Pilot.

Nice looking little beast, though. I saw another photo of one somewhere in German markings, and it didn’t look too bad! 🙂

This thread has got me wondering what and when was the last Currie Wot constructed and whether there are any under construction at present. It’s such a delightful biplane that it seems odd that I cannot bring to mind a recently constructed home built example. I presume that the plans are still available and that it is on the LAA ‘approved’ list.

Thanks! I am slow on the uptake. I’ll try direct email. -Jeff

Not likely the O.P. will see your post as he has not been on the forum for over eighteen months. E-mail might be more successfull!:)

Chipmunky,

Is the Wot still flying out of Rust? I have a Pietenpol up at Lenora (2GA9). I must’ve flown by Rust several times on the way to Peach State. Do you allow folks to fly in to Rust? I’d love to see the Wot and meet you and your dad.

Jeff

Looks rather good in that scheme! 🙂

Hello,

I was at the Southampton airport dis-assembling 3 Chipmunks for export to the U.S. when G-APWT caught my eye . I managed to buy the airplane from a gentleman named Roy Mills and he asked me if I would also be interested in the turbine for it. At the time I did not know the significance of what he was saying but ,I should have listened more carefully.I wonder where the turbine engine is now? The current paint scheme is like it was when I first saw ‘her’.

But did you watch the prototype being built in the Hampshire Aeroplane Club hangar, second space inside on the right side with the COGEA Spitfire in the background?

Sadly no. But Viv and JOI spun the yarn for me much later. Viv told a good tale and I remember an evening of joy which followed the simple question, “What was it like to fly the Spitfire”. He started with, “If you ever get the opportunity to fly one, you’ll have no trouble, but what you have to remember is…” (as if!) and there then followed a full briefing. I’m still awaiting the opportunity 20 or so years later!
Viv’s telling of the terminal velocity dive story of a Wot was good too.
Now you must tell me more…..
😉

You will be pleased to know there is a resident Wot nurd on the forum and I can say that this was Wot number two with G-APNT being the prototype and also the one that Harald Penrose immortalised in Airy Mouse.
Oh and if you want to fit an original engine, G-APWT did have a Rover Gas Turbine fitted in 1960 (between Mikrons) and was the original Hot Wot. It also became the Wet Wot when floats were fitted in 1959.

Notwithstanding all that I look forward to the pictures.

G-APNT was by no means the first Wot. Cinque Ports Aviation Ltd built Wot 1 G-AFCG and Wot 2 G-AFDS back in 1937 though both were destroyed in an air raid on Lympne in 1940. G-APNT was the first post war example – built when J R Currie (the designer) was by then chief engineer at Hampshire Aeroplane Club.

Tim