Saw a couple of interesting RR Merlins today, I was at a county show at Uffington (its at the bottom of the Berkshire downs below the famous white horse ,hence the area being The Vale of the White Horse) anyway I digress, oh and the BBMF displayed/ Flew past yesterday but we could’nt go. Anyhow went today and in amongst the vintage tractors,cars, engines etc were two chassis mounted Merlins which interested me no end and later in the afternoon one of these was towed into the arena and run.
The guy was telling the crowd that this was one of the pair fitted to a ‘trial’ Beaufighter which crashed and was only excavated in the late seventies, he didn’t say whether he had both (the other display one he had there today was a different Mk from a Lanc).
Albeit a bit ‘poppy and smokey’ it ran pretty well, it had a shortened wooden prop fitted(the one that didn’t run had a shortened aluminium prop), the guy said it kicked out about 1250hp so I guess it was and early MK, I’m sure he said a 24.
Unfortunately I didn’t take a camera,so no piccies.
Has anyone else seen these?
I didn’t get a chance to talk to the chap (wife and kids getting fed up!!) so I don’t know where he is based.
By: Mark12 - 26th August 2003 at 23:16
Philo,
Looks like the same bloke flying that TF-51 from the back seat!
Mark 😉
By: Bluebird Mike - 26th August 2003 at 23:10
Oh my God…it’s…a CAR! EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!!!!!!! 😮
By: Eddie - 26th August 2003 at 22:39
It was the seventies – must have been a spliff!
By: philo - 26th August 2003 at 22:38
Ah ,now I remember that , was it it around here (oxfordshire) ? I seem to recall seeing it somewhere, perhaps santa pod ?, yes definitely seem that in the 70’s.
BTW, who doctored the guys face in the image ?
By: Mark12 - 26th August 2003 at 22:33
Not only did this one make a nice noise it went pretty quickly also.
(Cough for Digby!)
Side burns, Zapata moustache, flared trousers – it must be the 1970’s – bl…y hell!
Mark
By: mmitch - 26th August 2003 at 20:26
Are these the ones, see:-
http://members.lycos.co.uk/pwgrieve/index.html
mmitch
By: Firebird - 26th August 2003 at 12:20
Where I used to work we had 2 ex-8 Sqn. Shackleton RR Griffin 58’s supplied by TFC, mounted on static frames. These were used for testing building cladding systems…….
The two were never run together, but, nevertheless, they did’nt ‘arf use to anoy the neighbours when running at almost full chat for 10 mins……:D 😀
By: DOUGHNUT - 26th August 2003 at 11:51
I saw same at Woodvale earlier this year. the team were also diplaying a sectioned Merlin/Griffon and some early jets. Nice work as specially because they are mobile and no hidden in a dusty hangar. Not sure about the H&S of such things if they wrong alot of people seem to be very close, I would guess thet the opperator keeps the revs down to safe level.
DOUGHNUT
By: Bluebird Mike - 26th August 2003 at 10:57
Well, be a shame not to get the set, wouldn’t it?! 😉
By: sparky - 26th August 2003 at 10:41
Lancman I bet you wouldn’t stop at one you’d have to go for the four:)
By: Mark12 - 26th August 2003 at 10:26
Where do you sit and how do you steer it? 🙂
By: Bluebird Mike - 26th August 2003 at 09:23
Can I have one for Christmas please Santa, huh huh huh?! 😀
By: DazDaMan - 26th August 2003 at 08:31
I remember seeing this last year at East Fortune – my grandad and I were up in the jet hangar, and all of a sudden we heard this ROAR that went on for a few minutes, then stopped (unfortunately) as we got near it.
The guy (can’t remember his name) said it had indeed come from a Beaufighter, a MkII I think (they had Merlins, I believe, although I could be wrong), and it was excavated basically as a wreck, then restored over a considerable amount of time to running order.
There were handouts about it, too – very informative, but I’m damned if I know where I put mine! 🙁
(and having just looked at the webpage, I was proved right! First time for everything! ;))
By: philo - 26th August 2003 at 07:53
Thanks Guys,
Obviously I have missed out, strange that I had not seen these before. Nice pictures,and I’ll study the web link later.
Phil
By: Bob - 26th August 2003 at 00:34
Man, I would love one of them for when the neighbours get antsy!!!:D
By: Merlin3945 - 26th August 2003 at 00:22
No. 3
By: Merlin3945 - 26th August 2003 at 00:21
No. 2
By: Merlin3945 - 26th August 2003 at 00:20
Here are a few pictures of the Merlin in question. These were taken during an engine run at East Fortune.
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August 25, 2003 at 11:20 pm