The 'Royal Aeronautical Society' list of Historic Aircraft dated 1959

Ha! You beat me to it, WF. That caught my eye too 🙂 Very interesting indeed. They kept a Welkin but set fire to and then buried a Whirlwind at about the same time?

I wonder if anyone at Westlands remembers either of these being extant. Sadly he’s not around anymore but I’d say Fred Ballam would have a memory or two to share, at least regarding the Welkin!

Rob

there is listed 2 “baka suicide bombs”, do they mean the “ohka” as i thought baka was a derogative name for it.

That is certainly an interesting list. It was such an interesting time in the 1960s. There were those aircraft that were “sort of” preserved and which might pop up at one airfield or another. There were also lots of remains lying around at airfields or in scrapyards. In the intervening years things have become so much “tidier”. It is a different world. I suppose we have to just make the most of it. If you are interested in bits of aeroplanes, we seem to have been largely reduced to aero-jumbles as a source. It is not so interesting as of old, but I suppose some people may disagree.

A name leapt out at me at the head of the second column on the first page……..W N Hanna Admiralty.

Who he????

it is sad from Commercial Aircraft point of view that the Britannia G-ABLO and the Viscount G-AMAV are no longer with us

Ha! You beat me to it, WF. That caught my eye too 🙂 Very interesting indeed. They kept a Welkin but set fire to and then buried a Whirlwind at about the same time?

The Westland Welkin in the care of Westland Aircraft at Yeovil is a fascinating one, and by the looks of it still around during August 1959.

Rob

aeronut, was that the reunion at Coventry?

Roger Smith.

I spent the weekend at a reunion of some of the founding fathers of BAPC during which the conversation was a discussion of how some of these airframes were saved by the enthusiasts of the early 1960’s. It should also be noted that there is more than one aircraft on that list that has be saved but might as well have been lost because it has remained in storage unseen since their rescue.

That list shows zero Halifax…now we have 3 plus a nose section, shows the effort which has been made in recent years.

Thank you, Martin. Sometimes I amaze myself at what I can remember. Now if only I could do the same with useful information – such as the dates of my wedding anniversary and my wife’s birthday!

It’s interesting to note that the Hinkler Ibis – or the remains thereof – appear in the list. The list is dated August 1959, the year that the Ibis was scrapped at Lee-on-Solent. So it may be that this occurred between compilation and publication of the list or that the list was its valedictory mention! Does anyone know exactly when and how it was scrapped? At the back of my mind something suggests that it was simply burnt. The thread on this forum (http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?94550-Hinkler-Ibis), relating to the Ibis, is silent.

AA, found this: “Unfortunately, the original aircraft was later destroyed – burnt in a bonfire!”

It’s interesting to note that the Hinkler Ibis – or the remains thereof – appear in the list. The list is dated August 1959, the year that the Ibis was scrapped at Lee-on-Solent. So it may be that this occurred between compilation and publication of the list or that the list was its valedictory mention! Does anyone know exactly when and how it was scrapped? At the back of my mind something suggests that it was simply burnt. The thread on this forum (http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?94550-Hinkler-Ibis), relating to the Ibis, is silent.

A very interesting link and it would be interesting to compile a complete list of where they all are now.

I see Klemm L25. G-AAXK is on the list. It is reputed to survive. Would be very interested to know where it is now. The other Klemm L25 G-AAHW was, of course, restored and, I think, now in Germany……

Planemike

Presumably the RAF Bicester Hampden was scraped before this list was produced. I see the complete Radlett Halifax PN323 is missing. I would have guessed there would have been the odd Hornet sitting about, but having been withdrawn only a few years before they may have not been deemed historic. The ‘one example’ note for the Sunderland of course almost failed. IIRC one of the last Sunderlands in Singapore was prepared for a return home but was w/o in a ground accident shortly after and we had to rely on the French and Peter Thomas.

….. The night watchman/caretaker duly opened the door, we explained what we we had hoped to see…and he said..

……this is Wroughton and you can’t now come in here …..what do think this is, a museum? 😀

Sorry, I couldn’t resist!

Tim

Great feeling mark 12 to track down a stored aircraft like this, I had a similiar experience looking for the Civilian Coupe in Carmarthen West Wales,we asked a dozen locals in the street and finally found the coffee tea importers.Wedged into a roof space in an out building surrounded by stacks of old ledgers was the fuselage of GABNT with wings nearby. It was atime capsule and the Genet engine was at the back of another store room.We wrote the visit up for the Control Column BAPC mag.

It was good to see it has been restored and is usually at Biggin Hill.

It is interesting to note that by 1959 the DH Hornet and Sea Hornets had already disappeared! They have been gone a long time now.

Ah thank you.

Well done!! Shows what a little perserverence can achieve!:)