Prototype Survivors

A little more from Snibston http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-26852794

The Reid & Sigrist RS4 Desford Trainer is still around, albeit in store in Leicesterhire.

Planemike

It seems as though the cuts to Snibston’s budget have been voted through http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-26246617

Two Mitsubishi J8M1 Shusui. The Japanese attempt to emulate the Me 163 Komet.

One complete example at Planes of Fame. And the other, restored from a derelict fuselage discovered in the 1960’s, is at Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, Nagoya, apparently.

Fairey Fulmar prototype at Yeovilton.

Then there’s the prototype Slingsby T.21b that started life as the Slingsby T.28. It is sitting in our workshop, gradually regaining its health.

The Argosy prototype mentioned near the start of this thread (six years ago) was scrapped in Detroit last year.

XB70 Valkyrie, and Hughes Hercules are two significant survivors.

Certainly not forgotten – please see post #20; also the Taylor Monoplane was mentioned in #89.

Not 100% certain that the B(I)8 qualifies under the original criteria; nor indeed would the Meteor FR9 test bed!! :eagerness:

The Desford comments in #117 also add an unknown (to me at least) aspect to my dealings with the various Museum Departments in the 1990s!!

Middle Wallop has the 3rd pre-production SA.341G Gazelle F-ZWRI (XW276) out on loan at Newark – not sure whether that counts as a prototype (3rd prototype etc.??) :confused:

Mr twin otter23 you have also forgotten the Rattler strike in the long and distinguished roll call of prototypes, although some one has also included the Ashton. I thought that was a test bed and if that is the case then what about the Canberra B]I]8 with the sapphire engines and the blue parrot nose in a nice gloss black finish.

A few others, all at East Fortune;

The reconstructed remains of Percy Pilcher’s fourth glider, the Hawk.

Kay 33/1 Gyroplane G-ACVA, the only one built and the first rotorcraft to feature variable incidence blades. David Kay built one earlier, but this differed from G-ACVA.

The second Weir autorgyro, the Weir W-2.

Nose section from the only Canberra B.5 built, VX185 and adorned with the legend “The Record Breaking Canberra” – its fuselage was fitted with the first BI.8 nose section and became the first prototype of that mark.

Bristol Brabazon nose undercarriage leg.

The prototype Scottish Aviation Bulldog G-AXEH, built by Beagle, but modified by SAL as its first Bulldog.

The first prototype Jetstream 31 G-JSSD, initially built by Handley Page, and the oldest surviving Harrier, the DB.3 (yep, that’s right; for Development Batch) XV277 as mentioned earlier.

Not a prototype per se, but Vulcan B.2 XM597 was the only one capable of carrying Blue Steel and modded to carry Skybolt.

In terms of unique aircraft, East Fortune is also home to the sole surviving Miles M.18, the second one built, I think and one of only two GAL Cygnets to survive.

The Reid & Sigrist Desford/Bobsleigh was originally bought by the Royal Scottish Museum during the Strathallan auction, but never made it to East Fortune. To transport it, its wing spars were cut through, rather savagely, so I’ve been told, so it won’t ever fly unless new spars are made. Ownership of the Desford/Bobsleigh was only transferred from the National Museums of Scotland, as RSM became, to Snibston in 2003.

The first production Bulldog (second prototype) G-AXIG is based in East Lothian in private hands.

The rotor buggy at Middle Wallop is a replica but they do have the preproduction Army Lynx XX153.

Are the remains of the Me 209 V1 in Krakow enough to warrant inclusion?

Speaking of which there is the Nakajima Kikka at the NASM as well. Probably patched from the prototype airframes (nos 3, 4 & 5?) shipped to the USA

Also with the Smithsonian are:
Horton Ho 229 V3
Blohm & Voss Bv 155 V2 (w/ bits of V3 probably added)

Sole survivor (of two prototype) Kyushu J7W in storage with National Air & Space Museum in Maryland, USA.

Sorry if any of these has already been mentioned. The Avro 707 was the proof-of-concept delta design that was principally the work of Stuart D. Davies, Avro chief designer, the 707 programme provided valuable insights into the Vulcan’s flight characteristics. No 707s are now airworthy. Both examples of the Avro 707A variant survive. One, WZ736 is preserved at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, the other, WD280 at the RAAF Museum in Point Cook, Victoria. WZ744, the single 707C is displayed at the RAF Museum, Cosford near Wolverhampton.
Two prototype and two pre-production English Electric Lightnings can be found in the UK, WG760, the first prototype P.1A at the RAF Museum Cosford, England. WG763, the second prototype P.1A at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, England. XG329 P1B/Lightning F.1 pre-production aircraft at the Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum, Flixton, England. XG337 P1B/Lightning F.1 pre-production aircraft at the RAF Museum Cosford.
The Flying Bedstead, the Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig is on public display at the Science Museum in London.

Decided to check for myself and found at Wallop they have the only remaining example of a Rotachute P5, just 20 of these aircraft were built. They also have a Hafner Rotabuggy, prototypes of this aircraft were flown but they were never used operationally, a ML Aviation Aircraft that was originally designed to be a light aircraft for private use which could be transported in a Land Rover and quickly assembled for flight and a Wisp, a remotely controlled electronic device used for unmanned reconnaissance.
At Brooklands they have on loan from its owners the historic fuselage of the Supermarine Swift F.4 prototype, WK198, which held the World Absolute Air Speed Record when flown by test pilot Mike Lithgow in Libya on 26 September 1953.

Middle Wallop has the 3rd pre-production SA.341G Gazelle F-ZWRI (XW276) out on loan at Newark – not sure whether that counts as a prototype (3rd prototype etc.??) :confused:

Talking of The Helicopter Museum, do they have any prototypes at Middle Wallop?

Several prototypes at The Helicopter Museum,the Westland 30 Series 100,200 and 300,5th prototype Belvedere,5th prototype WG13,P531/2 Scout, Rotodyne remains,2nd UltraLight, Campbell Cougar autogyro,Husband Modec gyrocopter, Julian CD Wombat ,,Navy Lynx 3rd prototype XX910 ,stretched Lynx 3 ,EH101 PP 3, Servotech Grasshopper and Cierva Rotorcraft Grasshopper 3,Sud SA321F Super Frelon, WG25 family etc!

Are you in a position to elaborate? Is it being rumoured that LCC could take the view that its historic aeroplanes do now warrant inclusion in its future museum retention and display policy? Should we be scanning the catalogue of Sotheby’s next aeronautica auction?

Being part of the team that had secured the Desford on loan to Newark Air Museum to accompany the Autocrat, I always try to keep an eye on ‘missed opportunities’.

This loan opportunity was back in the 1990s and such was the certainty of its arrival I even included the airframe in an edition of the NAM guide book!

Sadly the loan then became embroiled in the ‘politics’ of ‘Unitary Authorities’ and it never made it to Winthorpe. The last serious discussions I had about it about 7 years ago seemed to indicate the title issue between the authorities was still unresolved.

I saw the BBC piece and have been doing a bit of ‘background research’ – it would be great news if its future were to be secured somewhere in Leicestershire. What caught my eye in the BBC article was the comment – “The new offering on Snibston I’m hoping will be better and more focussed on the mining heritage.”

As for auction houses, if it were to become available I would like to think that it would be offered to other museum’s first as with the IWM airframes!

Other than those observations – I know nothing!!! 🙂