End of a known aircraft scrap site in Oz

Well Done that man! Indeed that is the machine.
It may have been scraped,as when I last saw it,
it was turning into mulch at a rapid rate.
Cheers Mike

Never made it to the dam,but the last time I was there
,was a VERY rundown Vampire sitting out in the sun!
Mike
Ps I will try and find the photo.

I think you’ll find this was Sea Venom FAW.53 N4-930 (formerly WZ930).

http://members.iinet.net.au/~cask/aviation/512images/phpslideshow.php?directory=.&currentPic=81

It’s not sitting outside on the airport any more. In fact, I don’t think it’s sitting on the airfield at all anymore. I certainly never saw it in the years I worked there and seem to remember it had been sold some years before.

Thanks guys 🙂 As the web admin for the museum it’s great to see all the stories and pictures coming thru. Even though my time digging may be over, there are many many locations spread out over a vast area that need to be documented with photos etc. So still quite a number of trips to do – but I do get to sleep in now instead of the 3am start !

Never made it to the dam,but the last time I was there
,was a VERY rundown Vampire sitting out in the sun!
Mike
Ps I will try and find the photo.

Nice one !! Thanks.

PM me if you need any bits for the 3B Seat. Might have a few small parts kicking around and info The Mk 3 seats were nice early lookers, very similar to Mk.2’s and a lot of parts were the same. ( I got a very battered, stripped 3A seat(Valiant ) myself and well on the way to getting all parts needed to build it. I’m really looking forward to that, as this seat is from Valiant WZ-367, and its the 1st pilots Seat.(Finally scrapped at St. Athan in 1965 -66) WZ-366 and WZ-367 were the 2 Valiants selected to fly to Australia in 1956 ?? for the first nucleaur Weapon drops up at Maralinga Range. They flew to Aussie and it was 366 that dropped the first weapon. I guess 367 was a standby.

So there you are, a connection with you and Aussie already 😀 My other connection is that I spent 2-1/2 yrs. at RAAF Edinburgh Field myself with RAF as a fitter on Victor XL-161 carrying out the Blue Steel Stand Off Bomb test drops from 1962-65. I was a member of The N0 4 J.S.T.U. So I always gravitate with great interest towards any Aussie happening that is posted on this forum.

It’s amazing what still keeps turning up in Aussie, so keep it going and best of luck in your endeavours. PM me any questions, will be glad to help if I can.

Bill T.

Hi Bill

Thanks for your kind comments. I should have clarified that entry on the ejector seat. I actually found that in a chook shed about 400kms away 🙂 Totally covered in gunk as you would expect but brought it home and got to work. Its a Mk3B and some one was kind enough to paint the aircraft number that it was from on the top of the seat – Vampire XA101 which is on display at the (currently closed) Camden Museum in NSW. It will head up there eventually, just a matter of logistics (read:nine hour drive)

Prototype stuff is still out there. I was suprised to find as much of the CAC Woomera as I did (only two ever made & flown, rest cancelled) but then again grandad went to the disposals pretty regularly.

The only certain prototype I have is a DAP Beaufighter rear undercarriage leg which is clearly stamped Prototype Series 2 in a number of places. That came from a house not far from me – it’s amazing what you can find even locally !

Just started going thru the photos and film (phone cam) of the dam trips. Should be up in the next week…
Cheers

Ejection Seat.

Hello Bellerine,
Really enjoyed your blog on contents extraction from your Grandads shed and looking fwd. to Tocumwal report. What amazing stuff he and you have gathered, but you do mention having or finding an ejection seat there. Can you give us any more info/pics. on it ? I’m just wondering if it’s a very early Martin Baker seat./ special /or prototype.

Thanks,

Bill T:D

Fortunately not as bad as a mate of mine who had a Mosquito wheel/tyre assembly in his bathroom in the southeastern burbs. His mrs and kids were most unimpressed !

The wheel is now in the garage with the U/C leg sitting on top. Aiming to fit it soon when I get a few hours away from sorting out a stupidly large stash of bolts I retrieved from a factory :rolleyes:

Bellarine..your blog is obviously a labour of love and is amazingly interesting..genuine thanks to you for sharing.

I really liked (sic) ” I’ve run out of storage room at the moment, so I’m keeping the other Beaufighter wheel in the back of my car ” …now THAT’S dedication to the cause..

onya mate..

Hi Elliot

The blog is

http://mygrandpasshed.blogspot.com

It has not been updated for a while while I worked on the dam – getting up at 3am on a Sat morning and driving for 3 hours, digging away by hand for four or five hours and then driving home again is a little tiring ! But I aim to share the finds and the journey asap as it’s always worth preserving a task like this – one of the things the internet is actually good for ! And yes, I will keep going back up there until I have enough photos of the area including remaining buildings etc, so there is a good current photo history of the place.

Hi Ewan – can you post a link to your blog please?

I can’t find it!