Mr Rusty update(old thread 2007)

Any update on the cockpit project?

Or hacked off the control column…

423 Sqn ATC would have unscrewed some of the instruments and taken them home!

I was lucky enough to fly in a Shackleton in the 70’s.

The preflight brief included, ‘We have a couple of leaky tanks so if you see or smell fuel, let us know’ and ‘We have a flat spot on the tyres as the aircraft has been sitting for a while. Don’t worry about the vibration’.

Myself and the other cadet who was with me must have p****d of the pilot though, both of us walking back and forth, end to end of the aeroplane. The pilot seemed to always be busy with a big wheel at his side whenever we passed….:o

Found a couple more.
WL756 taken pre-flight during the walkaround – talk about ‘1000 rivets flying in close formation’…

and WL757 (still extant at Paphos?) taken from inside WL756, just about to taxi…

You lucky, lucky so and so! Even look like period aircrew!

Good stuff, Al. Those pictures bring back to memory a long, long sortie in a Shack from Kinloss whilst on a Camp in 1960/61 I think it was…………like the “tache”, by the way.;)

Hope you don’t mind the bump to this old thread.
Found some old photos I took while aboard WL756 on a routine flight from EGQS over the North Sea on January 20th 1983.
At one stage we overflew Norwich at night, and headed off towards the Dutch coast – and it was very eerie sitting in the front glazing seat. Intercom silent, bomber’s moon, wondering what it must have been like during WW2, watching for enemy fighters…



Yours truly, complete with immersion suit. A lasting memory of the return journey is of all the bulkhead doors monotonously swinging in unison up and down the fuselage, and the aircrew being extremely bored and lethargic, reading paperbacks.
Once back in the Lossie area, they were all very upset at the skipper electing to do so many circuits…

Is there anything we could help you with Re completing her? im sure we have some bits and bobs you could use?

Glad to see that she’s inside though

Would love to see some pics of her where she is at the mo!

Ben

No real news to report. I got the old girl inside our (new) hangar early last year where she resides beside my office, much to the interest of my CAA surveyor and all other visitors.

Unfortunately (???), we have been non-stop with work, both real and EASA paperwork, for the last few years, and Mr Rusty awaits, but at least she is inside.

If there are any old salts who would like to impress with their rigger skills through their retirement, and get things progressing on this lady, I can offer lots of coffee, reasonable company, and the occasional white-knuckle ride around the local area in one of the club aircraft.

Following various reports of the overzealous ‘spoil-sport police’ confiscating ‘hot’ instruments, I have curtailed my collecting for the time being.

camlobe

Sorry to bring this zombie thread up, any updates camlobe? 🙂

Yes I know David Bray, a very likeable and knowledgable chap.
Just mention to him Cornish Shackleton restorer and modeler escapee to S.Wales, and he will know who you mean;)
BTW, yes ‘757 did leave that same afternoon, oh and it was R/W 31 back then, I will always know it as 31/13, 30/12 just dosen’t seem right!

WL756’s final flight to EGDG

Heres some pics of I took of 56 arriving at St Mawgan. In the third pic she is giving her last gasp! Last pic is the delivery crew.
Another Shack followed her in to drop of techies to remove the Griffons and AEW kit, and take the delivery crew home again.
A nice touch was the crew decided at the last minute to overfly St Eval and the Coastal Command church.
I bumped into the young pilot again, several years later when he was BA Dash 8 pilot, managed to persuade him to give us (CAS) a talk about his days on Shacks, which was held aboard WL795.

Hi all!

I too was at St Mawgan to see the delivery of ‘756 – I was actually at the end of the runway 30 to photograph the final moments plus the landing on ‘757 with aforementioned technicians etc. From my memory ‘757 departed the same day taxi-ing to runway 30 along the Northern taxi-way – again I was there to capture the moment on film. One day I will get the pictures down from my loft & scan & post them. Seems like only yesterday, but of course 16.5 years have passed since that day – eek!

pagen01 – just out of interest, does the name David Bray mean anything to you?

Cheers,

Nick

Sorry to be a little late on the boat here but I think i have a few bits and pieces that we collected for a revamp of a cockpit. What is it you need?

adrian_grey, got any bits left? Could do with Mr Rusty’s bomb aimers window etc, etc. Please?

Sorry, mate. It was meant to be a witty comment* on pagen01’s post – I have never been near a Shack, excepting at DX. If I had any Shack bits they’d be yours, but I don’t.

Adrian

*There may be a moral to me here…

Hi folks.
Sorry for not responding earlier. Been a bit busy this year, both here and across the pond. Added to work, there has been the pleasure of helping the team save the Prince, and helping a friend recover a T28A from California to Florida (Just missed the minor earthquake and the fires in California, and hurricane Noel in Florida. Blast. Maybe next time).

Other than a bit of a cleanup and a review of condition and remaining systems, I haven’t had a chance to do anything else to the poor old girl yet. Damn EASA.

With regard to Mr Rusty’s last flight, I was fortunate enough to be on the second kite. Luckly, I don’t see my ugly mug spoiling the photo’s above.

pagen01’s pic of Mr Rusty on the fire dump sans engines looks exactly how sad WL754 looked at Valley many years ago before they blew the legs off and torched the rest. A very indignant end to a worthy o’le grey lady.

adrian_grey, got any bits left? Could do with Mr Rusty’s bomb aimers window etc, etc. Please?

camlobe

H&E gave some baloney story that it was radioactive, so we lost our play thing!.

Radioactive? what were they using her for nuclear testing?

Really great shots, Pagen – thanks for posting.

Future generations will berate us for allowing the destruction of such charismatic, historic machines as late as the 1990’s .

Think we removed anything that wasn’t bolted down!

Shhh, you fool! Now he knows who has the bits! :diablo:

Adrian

I wonder if it would be possible to talk to and acquire some missing bits from Long Marstons example?

Lots of bits are differnt between the two marks. I would have thought it would be better to try and negotiate for the complete nose section from Long Marstons 3/3.

I will be brutelly honest, I am amazed this nose section has been saved. Think we removed anything that wasn’t bolted down! You have a real labour of love there and I hope you eventually get it restored and placed at an indoor venue at some stage. Well done guys.