Percival Q6 G-AFFD

Meanwhile, two years later, any update on first flight?

The co-ownership by Finest Hour presumably explains why the airframe has been repainted in RAF camouflage – as seen in Nik Coleman’s film. This would be to accord with the story that it MAY have been the aircraft that flew Charles DeGaull to Britain when France was over-run.

Robin

The following is from http://www.pilotweb.aero/features/airfield-profile-seething-1-4955202
[EMAIL=”Kitty.Thomas@archant.co.uk“]Words & Photos Nick Bloom[/EMAIL]
c/o PUBLISHED: 13:48 30 March 2017 | UPDATED: 13:48 30 March 2017

In the substantial workshops, covered in polythene sheet is a beautiful Percival Q.6 Petrel−unique apparently−under restoration and, from the look of it, near to completion. It’s co-owned by Fordaire and Finest Hour. The Petrel first flew in 1937 and was designed as a feeder airliner with six seats and/or military communications aircraft. Construction is wood-and-fabric and power is from two de Havilland Gipsy Sixes. Cruise speed is 175mph−not bad, carrying six on 400hp.

Whoops…….should have checked !!!!

‘FD left Holbeach (Fenland) some years back. It’s at Seething with Fordaire Restoration.

The Percival Q6 which you saw at Thruxton in1961 will have been G-AHOM (silver with a green registration and cheat line).
I visited Thruxton for the first time in Sept 1962 (Thruxton Air Races). The remains were on the dump.
G-AEYE was dismantled at Cranfield around the same time.
G-AFFD is being restored to airworthy condition at Holbreach. (see correction below).

Well, it’s the year 2018, and I’m adding a comment regarding my experience while training for my PPL. This was at Thruxton in Jul-Aug.1961 with the good ol’ “Wiltshire School of Flying”.
While there, there was a Percival Q6 which, I seem to remember was G-AEYE (I do stand to be corrected!)! Also have memories of G-AFFD at Thruxton!
NOW, if anyone ends up reading this thread with my nominal contribution, I would love to know whether I did witness the Q6s as stated or is it ‘the mists of time over the cranial mass’?
Thanks in advance,
Graham Baker

Thank you, eye4wings.

I think that was during its spell at Redhill, at which point the aircraft was looking very sad.

Robin

Probably the answer’s somewhere in this thread – but if so, I didn’t find it on looking – or elsewhere on the internet, but please forgive me asking – where, when and how did G-AFFD lose its original outer wings?

The aircraft is progressing very well, if you have access to Netflix or PBS in the UK ,then look for the Plane Resurrection series, one programme is about the Q6 rebuild.

Or on Vimo,the whole series is worth a watch!

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/planeres/162879434

Teaser clip,https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A9mSs2tZh9lY2xcAA05LBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTEydWViaWk1BGNvbG8DaXIyBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDQjM0NThfMQRzZWMDc2M-?p=Plane+Resurrection+series&fr=mcafee#id=10&vid=7518737347b8c442104357472cbc9d88&action=view

The wings as built in the 1980’s are scrap. New wings to original drawings (now sourced) will shortly be built. I saw the aircraft a week or two ago, looks magnificent and paintwork superb. Same painter we hope will paint our Proctor

The aircraft is progressing very well, if you have access to Netflix or PBS in the UK ,then look for the Plane Resurrection series, one programme is about the Q6 rebuild.

Or on Vimo,the whole series is worth a watch!

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/planeres/162879434

Teaser clip,https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A9mSs2tZh9lY2xcAA05LBQx.;_ylu=X3oDMTEydWViaWk1BGNvbG8DaXIyBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDQjM0NThfMQRzZWMDc2M-?p=Plane+Resurrection+series&fr=mcafee#id=10&vid=7518737347b8c442104357472cbc9d88&action=view

What news on this old girl….

Civil Aero

Q6

fao David Burke

Thanks for putting me in touch. I’m sure Rex won’t mind me confirming that the remanufactured main spar attachment fittings are a perfect match to the original that I have. Progress is good. Presently the wings that I worked on in the early 1980s are being thoroughly re-inspected and bar a few errors in the build, which after an hour or so we got our head around, Prosoects are looking rather good. Before we jump to conclusions on build errors though, it’s worth knowing that in 1980 no plans at all were known to exist anywhere. How the wings were built therefore is a whole separate discussion in itself! [ATTACH=CONFIG]246489[/ATTACH]

Just ensure that after work has been carried out on your aircraft a careful check is made by you as owner or user…
http://www.avweb.com/news/savvyaviator/savvy_aviator_58_why_mechanics_make_mistakes-198000-1.html

That’s a very damning accusation where you obviously cannot name names, so would it be possible, or advisable to advise the appropriate authority of these dirty deeds?

A good friend of mine,ex RAF airframe mech, has just quit a light aviation repair shop job in the Uk after two weeks.The owner of the facility cut every corner to save time and money including instruction to wire brush corroded plugs instead of putting in new ones. He had a store of unlabled salvaged parts which were used to fix up aircraft in for repair and service.The owners of the assorted Gardan Horizions,Cessnas,Pa 28s etc must be clueless about what they were paying for.

So it is sad but no surprise to see the earlier Q6 work.

Thats a great model, pretty realistic. Been eaiting 25 years to see a Q6, another couple wont matter!

Sorry it’s only a model Rob, but better than no Q6 at all (I hope!) – and it’s all you’re likely to see until 2017 (according to Rex himself).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfIIptGHOcc

Also look out for ‘Plane resurrections’ by Nik Coleman – available on Vimeo PPV.

Robin

Thanks Rob 🙂