Proctor Progress

I am pleased to report continuing good progress with our challenge to return two, maybe three Proctors back to the skies. After a hard winter by UK standards its great to see spring bursting out all around, the airfield greening up nicely and flying activities increasing.

Great Oakley now has a new residential flight school just opened for business what a great place to learn. Onto the Proctors, lots to report.

Fuselage sides of the Mk 3 are now ply covered. The upper frames and formers are going into place shortly, we have been delayed somewhat whilst waiting for a cabin door to return from a local welder. The door is made from 1/2 inch box section alloy framework clad with ply and fabric. The door needs to be attached onto its forward hinges, only then can the rear cabin structure be positioned accurately for the doors and catches to be tested for fit before gluing and screwing the cabin structure in place. This will be followed by the frames down to the fin.

If adjustments need to be made to the door shut its far easier to do so in wood then to try and alter the metal door! John can then ply cover the upper decking and we have a fully rebuilt fuselage. Trim cables are in place along with control cables for the rudder and elevator, all have been very carefully checked for fraying. Cables could well be the originals. The centre section has been fully rebuilt for some months now, fin, tailplane and rudder are all completed, signed off and awaiting fabric. Both wings have been moved into the workshop with good progress and interesting dates and inspection stamps showing up after the ply spar faces not disturbed for 68 years were removed. Lat year we were given a 1941 Aeroplane magazine article featuring F.Hills & Sons in Trafford Park Manchester. This article was all about construction of Proctors and shows that sub assemblies were built in batches then called off from the stores as required. The port wing is dated April 1940 yet this Proctor 3 entered ATA service in March of 43! It remains to be seen what dates are awaiting discovery in the starboard wing.

The trailing folding wing sections that attach to the centre section are current work in progress. These whilst maybe not looking that complicated are actually quite tricky to get right with the fitting and aligning of the split flap and torque tubes, so plenty of time is being taken on these parts. Post war a number of Proctor losses were attributed to failure in this area mainly due to glue deterioration with a loss of a flap on deployment due to aerodynamic loading. These folding sections along with the wings are identical for all Proctor Marks, having copies of all the original Percival drawings has been a life saver in rebuilding them. Whilst making or repairing ribs for one pair of folding wing sections John triples up, it makes sense!

The Peice de resistance so far in 2011 has to be the superb newly blown cockpit windshield panels. Supplied by a local firm in Colchester (non aviation related) they cost a fraction of the £1,200-00+vat quoted by a specialist aviation moulding company. Also with the moulders is an original and unbroken D/F loop cover which will look stunning once recreated.

Undercarriage legs are well on the way with one finished and number two almost there. The tail wheel oleo is stripped into component form ready to rebuild.

John has cut the ply bulkhead into which the main flight panel sits, the upper side of the interior turtle deck is glued and screwed in place, painted in a smart egg shell black. At the trimming stage this will be covered with a black non reflective fabric material.

Flaps are rebuilt with the overhauled torque tubes in place beautifully painted and working smoothly on new bearings. We are rapidly running out of space to house completed sub assembles and are about to embark on building an enclosed assembly shop in the hangar opposite the workshop.

This will allow the Mk 3 to move into this area, the Mk 4 Proctor will take its place in the workshop alongside the Mk V. This new assembly shop will allow storage of parts and build up of the airframes before covering, painting and test flying.

Engines are getting to the top of the “to do list” more on this soon. Finally we had been told that our Mk 4 G-ANVY repatriated from Sweden last May had been used as a waterborne taxi in the early 60’s around the Stockholm archipelago after its flying career ended. It was reputed to have sat astride a pair of original Hawker Osprey floats! This bizarre water taxi has now been proved see attached photo, i wonder if the floats still survive? Health and Safety soon put a stop to this operation i can see why, a little dangerous when entering a busy harbor with a whirling prop up front!!

When i last posted for our group requesting any spare Proctor parts especially electrical items, wing tip lights etc, I had two or three replies with offers. Sorry, but somehow i managed to clear my mail box before replying!!

Could those people please pm me again, what you said you had is of real interest,we would like please to come over and take a look.