When I was at University, my Grandad phoned and said he had found a jet cockpit canopy on the beach. It was way before digital cameras. He took some pix and called the USAF at Bentwaters who took it away.
By the time the phots were processed and I received them it had long gone. Once I got the pix I realised it was P51D. I doubt the canopy survived – unless you know different!
By: Propstrike - 2nd November 2013 at 19:04
I once saw a P.51 canopy , just looking for a new owner.
It turned and twisted gently in the sky, catching the sun as it tumbled earthward, towards a soft field of wheat.
Rob Davies had owned it once, but he decided he did not want it any longer.
Unfortunately, the Cambridge Police Helicopter located it before I could.:rolleyes:
By: Rocketeer - 2nd November 2013 at 18:02
i expressed my disappointment!
By: piston power! - 2nd November 2013 at 10:37
Rocketeer, Did you punch your grandad on the nose for giving it away?:stupid:
By: 43-2195 - 2nd November 2013 at 03:03
I suspect we all have stories akin to these. Something of true value within our grasp, but for a cruel twist of fate, it is lost forever.
But the truth is that Do17s look alot more intact on sonar pictures than they do on the surface covered in marine growth and corroded. Our mind sees things as we would like them to be rather than allow reality to tell us other wise. This is particularly true of our memory. I have returned to several crashsites over the years, seeking parts that I knew were there from a previous visit, only to discover the reason I never recovered the part in the first instance was because it was; corroded, cracked damaged, powder. My memory remembered that that hard to source part existed there but not the true condition it was in.
The P-51 canopy pictures look great, just like a P-51 canopy should look. But now. all these years later, pin hole corrosion, magnesium turned to powder, perspex brittle and cracked. The photos and the story are more valuable than what remains of the canopy.
After all, is not life just just a brief exciting story.
Quite deep for a Saturday morning, isn’t it?
By: Rocketeer - 1st November 2013 at 22:11
Thanx for reply Blackcat 54, nice to see someone is slightly interested in this thread!!!
Interesting, I saw those Mossie remains around 20 years ago. I would think they are still there.
By: blackcat54 - 1st November 2013 at 21:21
Reminds me of the time I was snooping around the back of Hurn Airport (now known as Bournemouth International) and came across the front windscreen from a Mosquito. Went back a couple of weeks later to see if I could retrieve it but it had gone. Would have had problems getting it past security on my push bike anyway.
A few years later (when I could read and write) I was told that two Mosquito’s were scrapped there (believe they were ex Spartan airframes en route to Israel but never made it)
Again, a few years later, when I worked at Hurn I discovered the remains of two Mosquito’s buried in the bushes, I did take photo’s at the time and sent them to the Mosquito Aircraft Museum who confirmed that they were the remains of Mosquito’s, unfortunately they had been badly burn’t and the only parts left were the wing spars and the remnants of wings and nothing of any use could be salvaged.
I never told anyone what I had found, if I did they would have been trashed, Are they still there ? I left the airport eleven years ago so it’s anybody’s guess that they still survive.
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October 30, 2013 at 8:44 pm