HS-125 . . . G-AVAI

Cheers Mike – nice chatting to you as well 🙂 Paint job is superb I have to admit – credit to the Serco chaps!! Hopefully, next time you see it, i’ll have had chance to put everything back inside . . just finishing the internal painting, then can start to refit from front to back, even will include the toilet!! lol . .

Tony – thanks for the heads up mate 🙂

[ATTACH=CONFIG]229962[/ATTACH]Nice to bump into you at Waddo, Mistyar66 and have a quick chat.

I bobbed over to have a look at your cockpit a little later, what a cracking paint job.

Good work. I’d like to get a look in it some time.

Anon.

Psst read the last post

http://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/526728-32-squadron-hs-125-damaged-hail-storm-kandahar-afghanistan-2.html

Well, i’ve got all the bits for the interior and i’ve just been waiting for the paint job to be finished then I will throw in all in! Also, got to add a few touches of the old ‘cockpit grey’ to the interior first. All the panels have been painted, Dominie bulkheads sourced, seats gleaming, instrument panel at the ready . . although it’s going up to Waddington this weekend, so it will be there as an exterior only view . . but hopefully will have a few bits and pieces fitted inside prior to East Kirkby in August!!

Very nice paint scheme! How’s the interior nowadays?

Lovely job indeed and a worthy cause helped too.

That’s a very smart finish! 🙂

OK all, been a while, but thought i’d show you what it looks like now 🙂 i’m not hiding the fact it’s still the same HS 125 series 3B underneath, but having now teamed up with the RAFBF, certainly gets more attention looking like this 🙂

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Thinking out of the box, Shell and JCB operated early 125’s amongst others, can you not try to get sponsorship to put it in their early scheme?

Well, time to update this thread with what i’ve managed to get done in between work, Horses, Land rover, Horses, and all the other wonderful things that get in the way of doing what I really want to do lol . . . . 🙂

As some of you may see from the pics, there are a few ‘extras’ that i’ve managed to get hold of, which for the time being is taking away from the originality of the plane. But i’m sure not too many people wouold notice that i’ve got hold of some 700 series bits, namely the control yokes, the throttle box and the instrument panel. But in time, I hope to replace these with original – well thats what i’m telling myself!!!

Also, you may recognise the Dominie influence as well 🙂

Anyway, please enjoy and as always, comments and bits are always welcome. Sadly, i’m not going to be able to take it to Cockpitfeast, but I will be there in body sometime . . .

Cheers all

As my youngest keeps informing me, everything looks better in black. Have to agree about RAF VC-10’s, their Tri-Stars, Brittanias and Comets too. Take a look at the BBMF Chipmunks as well, they look the dog’s danglies in Black.

Those pictures of the Dominies make me think – why does the RAF manage to have some of the coolest colour schemes on fundamentally civil types? They look terrific in black, and did any civil airliner ever look better than the RAF schemes on VC10s?

Hi there guys. Firstly, many thanks for those superb pics. Always nice to have these sort of images to help piece together the history words are great – but as the saying goes ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ 🙂

As for your chance to have a sit in the LH seat – you didn’t by any chance manage to keep it did you!!?!?! lol . . seems like a rare item to come by!!

As for the other bits and pieces, seem to be gathering most of the items I need now and hopefully got the chance of a trip to gather some more (will keep you informed on the out come). At moment, i’m trying to ‘fill in the holes’ after some bits have been sawn off – reminds me of my old BDR days in the RAF!!!!

I managed a trip up to Cranwell the other day for the Viewing day organised by the DSA in preperation for the disposal of the Dominies. Both a sad day to see them sat their wondering their fate, but also very interesting and met up with a mate from years past!! As it turns out, been working on them for years!!! 🙂

Attached a few pics from the day – incedently, seemed like a few museums were represented along with a few well known ‘bulk buyers’!!!

Anyway, thanks again and more pics/history the better 🙂 by the way, if you’re heading past Nottingham at all and want to have a look again, just drop me a PM and sure wouldn’t be a problem!!

As promised here a some illustrations of the colour schemes I mentioned.

The first is G-AVAI in 1967.

Unfortunately the 1980s images I have of G-AVAI are hard copy and black and white, but I found a couple of the colours on other a/c, which give a good indication of how 25125 would have looked.

AI looks good in that red but I admit to liking the scheme on SP as well. Anyway what I like is immaterial as it is not my cockpit to play with. Good luck with the restoration and I hope you manage to obtain all the parts you need without too much difficulty.

I had one more thought… before the dull livery she wore in Nigeria, 25125 went to France as F-GFMP the following are images of her in that period:

first in June 1987 in the livery inherited from a short period as a BAe hack (you can still see the then BAe logo outline on the nacelle). G-ASSM wears this (for her) in-authentic livery at the Science Museum Kensington.

The second is from 1994.

Hope these help

As promised here a some illustrations of the colour schemes I mentioned.

The first is G-AVAI in 1967.

Unfortunately the 1980s images I have of G-AVAI are hard copy and black and white, but I found a couple of the colours on other a/c, which give a good indication of how 25125 would have looked.

Mistyar66

I had a burst of nostalgia looking at your photos of G-AVAI as I had the opportunity of sitting in the LH seat of this ac during a visit to LHR in the early 80s. I was a guest of Beecham International Aviation and was shown over this aircraft as theirs was away. The then operator was Aravco that had been set up by their former Chief Pilot.

Its good to see her remains going to a good home, especially as her c/n is rather special: 25125.

As to colour scheme, I always favour something original. However in this case it would be possible to combine your preferred red, grey & black colours and something original, as G-AVAI’s original colours as a HSA demo a/c combine these colours.

Other options for authentic colours not so far illustrated include those worn when operated by Aravco for various Kuwaiti owners. The first is a smart white overall cs with gold & black stipes, this was replaced by white overall with light blue & dark blue stripes as worn by the De Beers – Dravidian a/c.

I will try and add some illustrations of these clours if I can find them

As you like the DH

I think those are good except ‘AI. Somehow that shade of green just doesn’t seem to work well with white.

Apologises if i’ve used someones pics by the way 🙂

MMmm . . . must admit, didn’t like that colour scheme either. These are other images of service life . . . the first 2 are images of other a/c operating for companies that she flew for . . . personally – I like the Busy Bee scheme!!! 🙂