Appologies if this has been discussed before, but during the 1980’s there was an auction of aircraft at Dx including the Fairey Firefly then owned by Nick Grace. And much to everyone’s surprise even though she was far from being a flyer her engine was fired up and run for a while.
Now i seem to remember she was subsequently sold and exported to ?. Is she now a flyer or even close to flight.?
By: T6flyer - 19th July 2009 at 10:32
When I was a little lad and had a Saturday job at my local flying club, I was whisked down to St.Merryn in a Cessna 172 and taken to a somewhat rundown hangar on the edge of the airfield.
Thinking it contain a Rallye or something similar, I was rather astonished to find sat in the middle on its undercarriage and almost touching the roof, was the Firefly mentioned above and around it, as far as I remember two Irish Air Force Provosts, a Stampe and in the corner on rebuild, the Spitfire.
Wow, this wasnt something that you expected in Cornwall and I remember Nick Grace asking me if I knew what it was and back came the stammered reply ‘a Firefly’. I was given a tour of the hangar and even a price was made for a 20 minute ride in the Spitfire.
So from that day on, it was cutting neighbours grass, painting walls etc etc, until I had the money. By then the Spitfire moved to Goodwood and as I was too young to drive and Dad wasnt that keen to take me, I spent the money on my first stereo which lasted me more than 20 minutes, much to the disgust of my parents – ‘call that music?’ – think Dad wishes he had taken me to Goodwood!!
Martin
By: BSG-75 - 16th July 2009 at 20:41
………..and isn’t that the TSR-2 and the Short seaplane jet fighter in the background?
Saunders-Roe (Saro) SR.A/1 now at Southampton, well worth a trip just to see that.
By: Bruce - 16th July 2009 at 20:14
Methinks Craig Charleston in the cockpit.
I’ll ask him.
Mark
Yes, we were discussing it the other day.
Bruce
By: H.M.S Vulture - 16th July 2009 at 20:03
Len Parker at Reno is restoring WD833.
By: Mark12 - 16th July 2009 at 19:49
Methinks Craig Charleston in the cockpit.
I’ll ask him.
Mark
By: Icare9 - 16th July 2009 at 19:26
………..and isn’t that the TSR-2 and the Short seaplane jet fighter in the background?
By: Wyvernfan - 16th July 2009 at 17:12
Thats it.. thats how i remember it. You can see why peoples mouths flew wide open as she was hardly pristine.!
By: Joe Petroni - 16th July 2009 at 17:06
WD 833
Certainly suprised me…
Just starting to turn over..
Away she goes!
By: David Burke - 16th July 2009 at 12:25
W&R 9 lists VT475 and VT409 front fuselages at St Merryn. Therefore it’s highly likely he had the front of VT409 and NEAM the back end.
By: Jon H - 16th July 2009 at 12:03
Nick Grace also seemed to be involved with Fireflies WD899 and VT409.
Doubt it given they are still owned by Unimetals – the people that had the Failsworth scrapyard they were found in. Bits now on display at RAF Millom museum along with Swift WK198 and the Balliol cockpit (id escapes me currently) which they also still own.
Front half WD889, rear half VT409
http://www.demobbed.org.uk/images/wd889.jpg
Jon
By: David Burke - 16th July 2009 at 11:50
Were the two other serials you note ex Failsworth front fuselages?
By: wieesso - 16th July 2009 at 11:17
The Grace Firefly would probably be WD833? If so, it was being restored to airworthy condition with Amjet at Blaine, but they are now extinct. Nick Grace also seemed to be involved with Fireflies WD899 and VT409.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/fireflyregistry/firefly-wd833.html
Their last entry is 2002.
Here it’s 2006
http://www.cnapg.org/vw1135.htm#Vintage and Warbird Aircraft.
By: Newforest - 16th July 2009 at 08:42
The Grace Firefly would probably be WD833? If so, it was being restored to airworthy condition with Amjet at Blaine, but they are now extinct. Nick Grace also seemed to be involved with Fireflies WD899 and VT409.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/fireflyregistry/firefly-wd833.html
By: Zac Yates - 16th July 2009 at 08:12
You said Grace Firefly and I thought “Huh?”…but when you mentioned it being run up….
Classic Wings magazine for some years ran a classified advert for a Firefly, accompanied by a pic of said aircraft being run-up at a very cloudy Dx. Issue 57 has a three-page article on the aircraft in question, resident in the USA, but fails to note the serial or then-current owner. Price at time of printing (mid 2006) was US$99k…..for a very VERY complete machine. Fuselage “buzz number” is 910.
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July 16, 2009 at 8:06 am