Short solent California

And does Kermit fly any of his ‘big stuff’? B-26, B-24, even the previously-airworthy B-25?

It doesn’t mean that it definitely won’t fly again, but his present track record suggests that he likes to keep a handful of the single-engined types airworthy at any particular time, and that’s about it. And, along with a few slow-time rebuilds, that’s what his engineering set-up is geared to support, certainly not the restoration and operation of ‘heavies’.

I think the main problem Kermit faces with his collection is the location. After the last hurricane went thru there & mangled a bunch of aircraft he was quoted as saying his team will take betweent 9-15 years to get back to where they were.
Not the smartest place to site anything by any stretch, let alone a collection of aircraft….at least the USAF has the ability to fly most of their stuff out before the storms hit…
He reminds me of another (small time, by stinking rich) aircraft owner who inherited a pile, if he’d had to work for a living he’d starve.. 🙂

I believe that it was turned over on the starter only, not actually ‘running’ as such

That would make a lot of sense, actually.

Any other Hercules-powered aircraft still operational?

I don’t think there are any unless there is a Bristol Freighter still working somewhere.

There is still hope that one of the Beaufighter rebuilds will make it into the sky.

There was a Noratlas in France still airworthy a couple of years back (and presumably still is, although I’ve not seen any reports of it for a year or two).

I saw the Noratlas at Coventry in 2001(?) and the pilot did a ‘Khe Sanh’ approach that convinced 99% of the crowd (including me) that they were about to witness a crash.

When it landed at the end of its display the Noratlas got a big round of applause.

WA$.

Flypast Library, (remember our sponsor) record a total of 26 Seaford and Solents produced.

Oops 😮
There were two built as the MKIV Sunderland and then a run of eight which they then designated as Short Seafords – for the RAF. Then 16 Short Solents for civil use. Thats 2+8+16 = 26 🙂
Sorry about that – not paying attention.

Yes – eight Short Seafords built of which I understand seven were converted to Solents. But then there was a separate production run of 16 Short Solents. Still a good survival rate to have two preserved

Flypast Library, (remember our sponsor) record a total of 26 Seaford and Solents produced.

Only eight built? Is that correct?

Yes – eight Short Seafords built (edit – plus two built as MKIVs) of which I understand seven were converted to Solents. But then there was a separate production run of 16 Short Solents. Still a good survival rate to have two preserved.

Yup. Not realistic though.

To quote W B Yeats:
“But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet,
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams” 😉

That said I share your dream of seeing any British maritime aircraft in flight again. Lets see the Walrus in the air first and then dream of one of the heavies.

I’ll give my support to project Walrus.

Allan

It would be nice to see a big British flying boat in the air again.

Yup. Not realistic though. Let’s aim a little lower and try and help Solent Sky get a R J Mitchell designed Supermarine Walrus airworthy. As far as I’m aware, there’s no airworthy British flying boats or amphibians anywhere in the world. For a maritime nation, that’s just wrong.

http://www.projectwalrus.com/

But perhaps our best hope for seeing one of the breed flying is Kermit Weeks’ Sunderland.

Looks tired, needs a fair amount of work, but yes.

This particular aircraft started as that rare beast, a Sunderland Mk IV, renamed the Short Seaford.

Only eight built? Is that correct?

I’d love to hear all four Bristol Hercules engines running.

WA$.

It would be nice to see a big British flying boat in the air again.
This particular aircraft started as that rare beast, a Sunderland Mk IV, renamed the Short Seaford. It had the RAF serial NJ203 before being converted to a Short Solent.
But perhaps our best hope for seeing one of the breed flying is Kermit Weeks’ Sunderland.

not too old magazine

I read this in an Aeroplane magazine in the 80s or 90s said that the two brothers bought it and recieved a large shipment of spares including engines?? I remember reading in Flypast awhile ago that the two port engines were seized?

Right:

It definitely didn’t fly.

The ‘boarding’ shot was done on land with one engine running. The foreground water was in a ‘pond’ built around the quay (parts of which ‘hid’ the beaching gear) and the background was a ‘matt painting’.

Well there you go.

WA$.

Thanks for those links.

I’m intrigued now.

Hang on, I’ll phone my brother.

WA$.

I think so – there was a short thread on the various “Indy” planes a while back. Will dig it up…

First thread:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=19284

Second thread:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=52013

Wasn’t this the one seen (briefly) in ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’?

WA$.