Tango Charlie
April 19, 2012 at 9:15 pm

Proctor Restoration Update

Here is the latest news from Great Oakley on our quest to return a number of decrepit Percival Proctors back into graceful flying machines!! A visit to our workshop last weekend by Willip reminded me that I needed to update the forum and that although these are not Spitfires there is it seems
quite a lot of interest not to mention enthusiasm out there with the desire to see these Proctor fly!

Much time and energy has been put into the Mk 3 KEX over the past four months. Newly moulded and looking superb are the windscreen transparencies completed by a local Colchester firm. Flight panel has been test fitted.

We have virtually all the flight instruments required though they are yet to be overhauled. Recently acquired is this rather lovely 30’s fuel can, I can assure you it was not like this when found!! It may carry a gallon of oil when we finally go flying!

Under carriage spats were fortunately located in Sweden last year ( a full four years after we hauled the airframe back) and have been with a friend of mine in the Thames valley who restores vintage car bodies. The view showing the spats in front of the Triumph open sports model shows them well on their way to renewed life. The beauty of having an English wheel and all other manner of aluminium bashing tools available and the required skill sets has provided a set of re worked spats better then they would have
looked back in 1942! Early marks of Proctors had aluminium spats as the war developed and metals became scarcer these were replaced by moulded card ones making the aluminium ones highly prized! These will soon be covering the overhauled U/C legs which are quite magnificent, a work of beauty and currently residing within my garage.

A shame that so many parts will eventually be covered up, still its nice to know that these parts have been overhauled to a standard better then they were when factory new during the haste of war! Both wings are completely rebuilt waiting only for the ply leading edge to be fitted and fabric covering. Wings have been trial fitted to the rebuilt centre section and align perfectly.

Nav lights are in place (could still do with any green starboard lamps that are available please) and bonding has to be installed. Both the oil cooler and oil tank are overhauled, do look at the before and after pictures, again a shame these will be hidden away from view. Final colours are still a subjective topic. On the one hand we have people who say she should revert to her wartime camouflage green and earth with yellow undersides or do we opt for her post service 1949 civil colours as shown of the flight sim picture here. The burgundy is too pink, in reality it will be considerably darker and will contrast well with the rich cream fuselage and silver wings.

The fuselage is 3/4 ply covered to the underside and sides with trim cables in place and final adjustments being worked on now. Only when this is done and John is completely happy with the operation of its all moving tail plane will we then fit the upper fuselage formers and skin the top fuselage. With better weather anticipated we plan to do a complete trial assembly of the rebuilt airframe structure outside and photograph same for posterity and fabric covering.

Last week we delivered the Queen 2 engine to Egginton airfield near Derby. Here Martin Jones ably assisted by his sons and the ever helpful Ken Fern will put every effort into returning to us an immaculate zero timed engine. We are looking at around 18 months until its completion, by that time we will be more or less ready to hang the engine and run it. This rebuild will be a good test in readiness for their own Comet racer engines also Queen 2’s. The same trip saw us in Manchester that night to make a presentation to the local Air Britain members and a most enjoyable evening it was .Headed south the following day allowed us the chance to vist the RAF museums reserve collection near Stafford and to inspect their Proctor 3 at close quarters which answered some outstanding queries concerning cabin foor fairings.

On good Friday I happened to be at Oakley pondering levitation in the Cessna 152 when a call came in over the radi from David Hulme owner of the beautiful Biggin based Vega gull enquiring if the “Proctor” boys were in? About ten minutes later in the spring sunshine the beautiful shape
of the Gull appeared in the overhead sun glinting off its polished aluminium cockpit framing engine at a rumble. If ever an aircraft could bring an airfield to a standstill this is the machine to do it. After a coffee and long chat David departed for Biggin treating everyone to a stupendous low level fly past right past the club house and gathered spectators. He climber away heading west into the lowering sun. It was like a flashback to the 30’s when the likes of Beryl Markham and Jean Batten sett off in their own Gull’s on record breaking flights.

2012 promises to be a big year for us with a lot to achieve and at last a recognisable aircraft emerging thanks to the brilliant skills of John leading the projects.

On a final and most positive note a further two wooden Percivals are due to return to the UK both for restoration to flight. Best of the two has to be the Vega Gull (export permit awaited and pic attached) identical to the Biggin machine the only difference being the blown windshield of the final Vegas before Proctor production commenced. The second machine is a Proctor 1 flown to the antipodes in 1954 and stored for the past 37 years. The Coventry based Mk V should fly any day now after its long and dedicated rebuild.

We are always happy to meet and greet visitors at the workshop and to show progress. As ever please if you have any Proctor parts be they large or small we would love to hear from you.

Finally also attached is a picture of the lovely NZ Mk 1 in the overhead near Auckland last month and the shape of things to come in the sky over Oakley and elsewhere.

P1000329 by mikeb8019, on Flickr