Percival Q.6

Progress is steady but on target. You can find additional information at http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?117516-Percival-Q6-G-AFFD/page3

Oh – what joy to see the progress made on her, good luck Rex. Hope my Flight Sim model does justice to her grace.
Keith

Here she is at Redhill c.1973 when I was a member of the Midland Aircraft Preservation Society and we had just acquired her for preservation:

Well Done

looking good

philip

Now that’s a very nice sight to see….! 🙂

She looks beautiful!
Fantastic bit of craftsmanship.

progress at last. Fuselage and wing re-fitted and standing on its own gear legs. This is a mile-stone in the restoration of this historic aircraft.

Hi Phil

You are one that knows all the problems having first hand experience with your Beech 18 – time, money, parts and a place to be able to work. Q6 will see the light of day but is costing a small fortune – thank God my wife does not know how much !!!! Drawing have been found, more than 2600 and all from the production library at Luton before it all went. Mr Percival burnt the tech library copies but overlooked the production library – what a bonus !!!! – only cost £5K !!!!!

Yes, ‘in theory’, but if I’m not mistaken there are no original drawings. I wouldn’t quite characterise that as ‘nothing to stop…’ a ‘copy’ being made. (What is a ‘copy’..?).
The engines and airscrews are not an insurmountable hurdle either. However, these, and the spares for same had pretty-much dried-up ten to fifteen years ago. Since then, apart from the Q6, quite a number of Proctor projects have surfaced. You might need deep pockets or it’s pistols at dawn old chap….!

re;

In theory yes… However, there is a quantum difference in the level of interest. Much as I’m looking forward to seeing the Q6 fly again, even most aviation enthusiasts will, sadly, not have heard of the Q6, whereas the Comet has, within the historic aviation mindset, a global presence. The Q6 was great in her day, and was as contemporary then as the Rapide was archaic, – and made much better use of the similar engines. Good luck to Rex, as he’s got a big job on his hands, but the end result will be an interesting and unique machine.

True but it means there is nothing to stop a copy being made if there is adequate interest…

There is allways the chance that when done another could be built using her as a pattern, after all look at the DH88 Comets…

In theory yes… However, there is a quantum difference in the level of interest. Much as I’m looking forward to seeing the Q6 fly again, even most aviation enthusiasts will, sadly, not have heard of the Q6, whereas the Comet has, within the historic aviation mindset, a global presence. The Q6 was great in her day, and was as contemporary then as the Rapide was archaic, – and made much better use of the similar engines. Good luck to Rex, as he’s got a big job on his hands, but the end result will be an interesting and unique machine.

re;

There is allways the chance that when done another could be built using her as a pattern, after all look at the DH88 Comets…

A bit of thread drift but I am now in a position that I am putting the Dragon up for sale so if anyone wishes to make an offer, I will be at Woburn (me, not the Dragon, she is staying at home). As pointed out above, the input of time and money involved in restoration is, in many cases, uncountable. and probably best left that way. If Mum found out how much was spent we would be even deeper in the proverbial. Ref the Q6, I enquired many years ago when it was in I.O.M. but the logistics of moving were extreme. I was hoping to get it as a companion to the Proctor V and the Mew project. Ref #26, would a Canadian 83C do? Have a spare one of those floating about too (plus Moth Minor, Auster, Piper L4 and possibly Gemini)

Greg Herrick is a US collector known for obtaining civil types and flying them to Oshkosh and other shows…perhaps he would be keen?

Great news to hear such an aircraft is being actively restored. Good job :very_drunk:

Let’s not forget that Edgar Percival Australian, anyway! (so it might end up even further away!)

Can’t argue with that, however virtually all of his professional aviation career was spent in Britain and all Percival aircraft were built here.

Planemike

Hi All. Should be remembered that I am spending about £5K in labour and materials a month on the rebuild of this aircraft. The only real justification is that most if not all can be recovered at a point in the future. This is likely to be by a foreign purchaser of the aircraft. So long as the aircraft can be preserved and flown I see nothing wrong. If it is such a MAJOR part of the UK aviation heritage then why was it not purchased before – it was for sale for more than 10 years.
Hi Dave nice to see your comments and hope you are well – would be nice to catch up some time. Rex

I think anyone who devotes their time money and energy into such a restoration as yours should be congratulated. I remember seeing it at Duxford during the 70s looking very sorry for itself, and think its an aeroplane that coud so easily have slipped the preservation net and have been lost forever. So well done Sir, and keep up the good work.

Well the Polikarpov Po2 must be a maintenance burden!

It wouldn’t bother me if they sold that. Nice aeroplane, but irrelevant at Old warden in my opinion. Rather see a nice Fox Moth any day.

16 years nd still going on my Beech

would like to say WELL DONE to Rex for restoring the Q6 and for all of his help in the past

cheers mate

Sadly many do not understand just how much time, money and devotion it takes to not just rebuild but also operate these old ladies. Hopefully a home will be found in the UK but at the end of the day if its up for sale on the open market it will go we’re ever it goes. Better to be airworthy abroad than rotting at the back of a barn.
If those that voice the concerns are that worried then dig deep and raise the money to not only buy it but operate it as well! And it also really bugs me when I here ” it would be better off at Old Warden or Duxford” as good as these places are they are not the be all and end all Of aircraft restoration in the UK. Many many fine restorations are carried out by individuals and companies all over the UK.

Let’s not forget that Edgar Percival Australian, anyway! (so it might end up even further away!)