Hawker Tempest at Staverton?

I’m not convinced the chap in the cockpit has quite got the right idea…:D

Adrian

LA607 seen at a Skyfame display at Staverton in the late 1960s (Ilford colour slide corrected as best I can!) … can you spot G-AIDN?

…only just.

…but with a bt of photoshop.

Mark

Image:- Robert Rudhall collection

Having read the thread I thought it was lacking some illustrations so …

LA607 seen at a Skyfame display at Staverton in the late 1960s (Ilford colour slide corrected as best I can!) … can you spot G-AIDN?

Firefly Z7033 at the same display

Mike Stow’s Sea Fury in camouflage (at Blackbushe … hot summer of 1976 … probably!)

and finally – the late lamented RNHF Firefly at Heathrow on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the first flight (I was airside and working for “Aviation News”)

That’s *exactly* how I remembered it!

Only sad thing is, my Dad dragged me off just before they got it started so I heard it but didn’t see it. I’ll have to tell him he owes me a starter cartridge now!

We used to officiate at the Staverton airshows as ground handling marshalls supplied by CARG.
The Fairey Firefly start-up incident took place at the last ever Sue Ryder airshow. They went through eight of the ten coffman starter cartridges which were stored and carried in the empty starboard inner gun bay; and several cans of plus-gas squirted around the coffman breech; together with several judicious belts with a large spanner.
When she finally fired up, wet start didn’t even come close… flames from the stubs went as far back as the observer/radio-operator/navigator canopy!
The ground crew… (they brought their own from Yeovilton in those days)… collected up the spent cartridges and handed them to me to give out to the kids on the crowd line. Fat Chance… the kids’ fathers knicked the lot as souvenirs!

Ormand Hayden Baillie had a camouflaged Sea Fury (WH589 according to google)

You are right that the Tempest engine was seized, but I still have a feeling that Les Page was able to free it and get it running. You are also right about the Trolley Acc point – I remember it. I was also involved with the Skyfame team in the late 60s and knew all those guys. Memories!

Mike, I looked over the Lysander when it was still in an in-assembled state at FoF, and was surprised how it seemed to be “dumped” in the hangar with “stuff” piled against it! I can’t understand why Kermit didn’t fly it when it first arrived? Maybe it was too complicated:highly_amused:

Chris, LA607 is in a rather poor state now sadly.

Good to know, thanks Mike. Not been to Kermits place yet, still on the list.

Only just seen this. I believe that the Tempest engine was overhauled to running condition by a local Flight One engineer called Les Page. I am pretty sure it was a cartridge starter (as was the Firefly). You probably witnessed an early attempt to start it. I have a feeling that Les did some tail up ‘taxying’ with the Tempest.

Are you sure you’re not confusing this with the Firefly which did at least one tail up fast taxy – not convinced that the Tempest was ever run up at Stav.

Tim

The aircraft you would have seen at Staverton would almost certainly have been a Piston Provost.In those days CARG used to host a Miles/Percival fly in with a trophy for the best turned out visitor. There was several Piston Provosts there that year and on departure one refused to start. Eric Lambert, our tame engineer attempted to hand swing the Leonides, but all that happened was a series of pops and bangs from the exhaust which would sound like a cartridge start.

We were all convinced that Eric would come to a sticky end,I cannot remember what happened ultimately,but I think the aircraft was still there the next day.

Ok thanks for the update Mike. That’s a shame, as she was nice when we dismantled her at PPS.

Yes, it was reassembled pretty much straight away. It is on loan to the museum at Lakeland, who generally keep it hangared, but it spends a couple of weeks parked outside during Sun ‘n Fun each April. I had a good look over it in December, and was saddened by how much it had decayed since the days when it was operated by ARCo at Duxford.

Chris, LA607 is in a rather poor state now sadly. And as for the Lysander, which was an airworthy aeroplane when it left the UK, it now has holes rotted through the exhaust ring, holes punched through the fabric covering, and crazed and yellowed Perspex. Poor thing! 🙁

That’s a pity about the Lysander, I’m sorry to hear that. I helped to dismantle it ready for shipping to him. Has it been reassembled then?

Chris, LA607 is in a rather poor state now sadly. And as for the Lysander, which was an airworthy aeroplane when it left the UK, it now has holes rotted through the exhaust ring, holes punched through the fabric covering, and crazed and yellowed Perspex. Poor thing! 🙁

Kermit Weeks Tempest II LA607 as seen on The Hawker Tempest Page http://www.hawkertempest.se/LA607.htm
Kermit mentions that he has a spare crated Centaurus engine designated for the Tempest II on his Facebook page on January 14, 2013 here https://www.facebook.com/KermitWeeks#!/photo.php?fbid=433950186674066&set=a.433950116674073.94767.271937182875368&type=3&theater

and Centaurus sleeve valves here https://www.facebook.com/KermitWeeks#!/photo.php?fbid=433955260006892&set=a.433950116674073.94767.271937182875368&type=3&theater

I doubt that Les Page would even have tried to overhaul the engine of LA 607. I remember asking Peter Thomas why the Tempest could not be run, and he informed me that the engine had actually seized solid. Every time the a/c was moved it was a question of manhandling – or often ‘adolescent handling’ with Peter Thomas’ children (Jessica as well!) joining volunteers such as Ian Juggins, Glynn Tandy, Mike Hayden, Tony Southern (later of CARG) under the guidance of Norman ‘Chippy’ Carpenter, pushing the collection out of the hangar and then hitching them up by draw-bar to an old red David Brown tractor. Taking them out to the static display line on Air Display days meant they suffered the indignity of travelling backwards round the peri-track, towed by the tail-wheel.

A lot of aircraft were fitted with the Koffmann starter system, but the Tempest had a Trolleyac point above the pilot’s ‘mounting stirrup’ which popped out at the trailing root of the port wing.

Only just seen this. I believe that the Tempest engine was overhauled to running condition by a local Flight One engineer called Les Page. I am pretty sure it was a cartridge starter (as was the Firefly). You probably witnessed an early attempt to start it. I have a feeling that Les did some tail up ‘taxying’ with the Tempest.

Why is LA607 as dead as reported? It ‘looked’ ok when I saw it at Tamiami, so is it a problem with the engine?

May look OK cosmetically as it was refurb’ed for a squadron reunion event just prior to auction but my recollection was that it was reported as having corrosion and it was not solely the engine which presented a problem – but I have no personal knowledge of its internal condition to offer.

Welcome to the Forum Rufus.

Your input here will be as welcome as it was when you posted to the Flyer List

Moggy