Restoration Update

RE: Thanks Halibag !

Hi Ant,
If our lads can, they usually do get each & every rumour checked out.
Feel free to email me at triggerfish21@hotmail.com with further info if you think it might be sensitive, otherwise, put your thoughts on the forum here.
Where abouts in the warm sticky climate were you thinking of?

Halibag

RE: Thanks Halibag !

I’ve heard (or rather read) rumours of a Halifax in the Middle East. One or two civilian Hallys were bought by arab Shaques for use as luxury transports.The account I read talked about the possibility of atleast one of these machines being in storage.Sounds like fairytale stuff to be honest,but thought it might be worth airing.

RE: Thanks Halibag !

Hi Mick,
We would love to ‘go get it’ but the sad thing is the land owners won’t even entertain the possibility of a recovery. I suppose that’s reasonably understandable because the location of the aircraft is the same location that a large quantity of MUSTARD GAS and other nast stuff was also disposed of 🙁

What other bit’s have you got? Lanc or Hally? Always interested.

Our people are still searching for a pilot’s handwheel and a throttle box, any clues?

Best rgds
Halibag

RE: Thanks Halibag !

For att’n of: P9306.
Mick,
Could you please mail me off forum at: triggerfish21@hotmail.com
Regarding the ‘live’ Hally.
Many thanks
Halibag

Thanks Halibag !

Thanks very much for the info, very interesting stuff.

I assume the one with the bomb load is the “one with the Cookie” on board?

A great shame if it can never be rescued but it isn’t worth risking someones life over it, we’ll just have to go find us another somewhere else, there’s just gotta be another in a lake.

The Pakistani one which we’ve talked about on the WIX forum is a nice possibility for sometime in the future (100 years + ?), but if it happens to be in the part of Pakistan where foreigners cannot go, and even the Pakistani army fear to tread, then serious help will have to be forthcoming from some very helpful Pakistanis who don’t mind their last Halifax being exported, know what I mean ??!!

Don’t worry, I won’t ask any searching questions about the “other one”, I wouldn’t want to jeopardise a possible recovery, but what are you waiting for………….GO GET IT !!!!

Cheers Hali, here’s hoping we can get one flying one day…..with my bits ‘n’ pieces Lanc (if I ever have the money !?)

TaTa
Mick

RE: Halifax querys for Halibag

quite easy normally, for you (as were talking old planes) you’ll have to register (very easy), then post your post in aircombat bar. elp is one of the administrators and lots of people from here go there too. the site is divided up into sections to make it easy to use (obviously failed here – opps 🙂 )

if this still foxes you i’l do it, no probs 🙂

bar is here – http://pub36.ezboard.com/fskyzersaircombatforumfrm3

rabie :9

RE: Halifax querys for Halibag

Hey Rabie,
I couldn’t figure out the board, I must be dim or something.
I guess you watch that board quite a bit, how about if you posted a Halifax SOS & see what response is made?
You could then post the response back here??
Good idea??
Best wishes 🙂

Halibag

RE: Halifax querys for Halibag

Hi David,
Sad to say this, but I watched them engineer all sorts of shortcuts in the 80’s. Nothing I could do apart from watch them get on with it 🙁
I could list loads & loads of catastrophies, but NOT here! I have no desire to make any more enemies than I already have 🙂

Halibag

RE: Halifax querys for Halibag

Because they deviated from the original design and used a wooden spar for it which wasn’t man enough for supporting the fins.

RE: Halifax querys for Halibag

for pakistan details ask over on afm or aircombat (http://pub36.ezboard.com/bskyzersaircombatforum) as there are sensible pakistanis (who don’t flame). some seam quite conected.

rabie :9

RE: Halifax querys for Halibag

Peter,

To answer your question about “LV907’s” new bits….

They are trying to make good all the short cuts that took place in the 1980’s when deadlines had to be met & shortcuts were encouraged.

Now that the people responsible for those little errors have left, died, been shot, hanged or eaten, the museum can now put things right.

Hope that helps?

Halibag

RE: Halifax querys for Halibag

Hi Mick,
Very good questions and very well put too. Nice to talk to you here.

Well, NA337 could (in my opinion) still be put back in the air, even as she stands today, apart from one teeny little problem that could so easily be overcome…. she has a 20mm cannon shell hole (unexploded) that went through her main spar. That alone would be enough to give any potential flying project the kiss of death, however, the spar was accessed & stripped to a certain extent during the early restoration period, and it would have been then that the relevant replacement part could so easily have been fitted… making it wouldn’t have been any problem, as the workshop was fully fitted out by that time.
However, it was decided at a very early time that due to her scarcity, NA337 would never reach the sky again & so, for authenticity reasons, the damaged section of spar was left in situ & the jigsaw put back together again.

Having said that, NA337 is still being put back together WITH (in my opinion) flight capability. The brief we got was that she has to be “Mission Ready”. I guess they will draw the line at putting fuel & live ordnance on board!

So, to answer your question simply, Yes, NA337 could have been put back in the air (bearing in mind she needed a new front end.)

Question 2… Is there another possible project… Well, the answer to this is Yes, there is the possibility of another Halifax project.

We have records of three possibilities, out of which, we are planning to have a go at one of them in the not too distant future, although I doubt very much if any attempt to put that particular one in the air will happen.

The other two? Well, one is sitting in a fresh water lake in Germany, on her belly with only the glazing from the mid upper turret blown out, nose glass gone & no tail.. very intact otherwise apart from the problem of her entire bomb load also being very intact too! 🙁 The word on that one is that if any attempt to effect a recovery takes place, the authorities will be forced to come in & blow the bombs up…. best we leave her alone for the time being.

Finally, there is also another one, but that’s another story which is too depressing to talk about…. It’s one of those “buried bomber” stories, although there is a lot more to this one than you might think. Please don’t ask too many questions about it though 🙂

I have also heard many whispers about another Hally in Pakistan, in storage & in bits, but as we have no access to that part of the world, then it remains a rumour, apart from that, there must be others lying in fresh water in Europe, it’s just that we have not heard about them.

Anyone care to offer information, please contact the team at 57 RESCUE, thw website is www.57rescue.org From there you can email the gang with info etc.

(I’ve probably said too much already & a lynch mob will be after me!)

The info about NA337 is “In My Opinion” and not “official”.

Hope it helps?

Halibag

RE: Halifax querys for Halibag

Halibag..!????

Why is it that the Yorkshire air museum is bilding a brand new horizontal tail for their hali from new??

Halifax querys for Halibag

Just wondering.

As you are involved in this Halifax in some way, more than the rest of us here anyway, in your personal opinion would it have been physically possible to have rebuilt NA337 to fly without having to jack up the data-plate and start a new one from scratch ?
I’m not concerned about whether the money would have ever been available or not, it’s more on a practicle level about how much of it would have to be scrapped in the process and whether it would be worth sacrificing large amounts of original Halifax structure to enable one to fly again.

Another question.
This Halifax location was kept secret for many years leading most enthusiasts to probably assume that there were no more Halifax’s to be found anywhere, especially as the Yorkshire Air Museum was scrabbling for parts all over and then having to resort to a lot of new-build structure for “LV907” (HR792).
Do you think there are any other Halifax’s to be found in lakes anywhere, and if not, why not given that there must still be Halifax’s on the missing list, along with Stirlings, Lancasters etc etc, or are the locations of them being kept secret as well ?

Regards
Mick

RE: Restoration Update

Here is two more pictures of the not yet dry Halifax.

Erik

Attachments:

RE: Restoration Update

Some of the skin is as expected, new stuff, this is for obvious reasons, corosion, damage, tears etc… However, there is also an amazing amount of original skin still surviving, this has been removed, cleaned & treated & carefully replaced.
Everything is kept as original as possible, and for the missing bits, our UK colleagues at 57 RESCUE are providing genuine Halifax parts to replace those lost or damaged.
We still seek a leading edge cable cutter, so if anyone can help there, please email the UK team via www.57rescue.org who will no doubt bite off your hand for it.
Halibag

RE: Restoration Update

Yes,
She has indeed come a long way since this photo was taken.
7 years to date, goodness, doesn’t time fly when you are having fun?!
Halibag

RE: Restoration Update

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 28-01-02 AT 07:55 PM (GMT)]:-)
Halibag

RE: Restoration Update

It would indeed be nice to get the engines fired up, however, the latest gen’ we have is that there are NO plans to carry out even one engine run prior to putting her to bed, which is indeed a bloody great shame!
She is being put back together with an awful lot of skill & care plus attention to detail, hell, she’s as good as 100% genuine, so there’s no reason why she can’t at least have an engine run.
The plans are to build her into a permanant hangar, one which once in, she will never be able to come out of again, which is again, a great shame.
It would be nice if everyone would campaign to get her to be able to appear outside now & again, and even better if she could at least fire up on occasion…. Get campaigning folks!
Halibag

RE: Restoration Update

… makes you wonder why its taking so long with the RAF museums Hampden, if you can do a Halifax at this speed…