Torbay Aircraft Museum

Torbay

Not really plane spotter of the year I am afraid, I knew it was left there (mentioned in Post 26) and after seeing the 5 bladed prop on Google Earth put two and two together (or you may be right it may be a giant starfish!) .

I would be very interested to know from which Sea Fury the engine came if anyone has any ideas.

Thanks

Plado -it was listed in the museum guide and I guess never left!

What happened to the Hurricane visible in the second picture post 12?

replica BAPC.63 is now at the Hawkinge museum

.

Heavens Above!! I reckon you should get ‘Plane Spotter of the Year Award’ for that bit of observation. To me the bent 5 blade-prop looks like a giant starfish on the ground (Google Earth shot) and for you to identify the engine type from such an indistinct aerial shot is pretty astute of you to spot it. But then it could be that you’re a pilot and well trained in spotting things on the ground.
—
Plado

If you look carefully on Google Earth and Bing Maps Birds Eye view you can still see a Sea Fury Centaurus engine complete with bent five bladed prop which is still on site at what was Torbay Museum.

Keith passed away earlier this year. I remember him as a regular at the British Aircraft Preservation Council Meetings around the country.

I know how many here love the Daily Mail – so I’ll post a link here to his obituary.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1371339/Keith-Fordyce-host-Ready-Steady-Go-dies-aged-83.html

if you dont like that one… try the Independent:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/keith-fordyce-unflappable-host-of-lsquoready-steady-gorsquo-2255628.html

What happened to the Hurricane visible in the second picture post 12?

Torbay

If you look carefully on Google Earth and Bing Maps Birds Eye view you can still see a Sea Fury Centaurus engine complete with bent five bladed prop which is still on site at what was Torbay Museum.

Plado…………

Welcome to the Forum. Never too late to make a contribution. One museum I did not visit unfortunately.

Planemike

Thank you for your kind welcome. This seems a very good forum with lots of good information on it.
My own connection with aviation really goes back to my father who, before I was born served in Bomber Command flying a full term of operations on Wellingtons during WWII. He survived the war otherwise I wouldn’t be here now!

My first experience with flying was horrible and it’s a wonder I don’t hate aircraft. My father flew two planes for Smiths Aircraft Instruments division. One was a Proctor G-AHFK and the other a Saab Sapphire G-ANOK and when I was 7 he took my brother and me up for a circuit of Luton Aerodrome (it was then grass track runway and a few hangars and a control tower manned by one guy called Rushton). I was too small to see out of the windows and it was a horrible experience noisy, bumpy and terrifying! Later I went in the Saab for a similarly short flight that was marginally better in that it was less noisy. I didn’t make friends with flying until I was about 23 years old.

Torbay Aircraft Museum was rather small by comparison with other National similar museums like the Shuttleworth Trust in Bedfordshire, in that most of the planes or maybe all of them, were exhibited outdoors. Maybe they went under cover during the winter but I don’t know how they were so well preserved. The museum was one of the highest spots around here, some 2 miles inland from the coast and very cold and windy out of season.

Plenty of tourists and holidaymakers were attracted to it, as it was close to Berry Pomeroy Castle itself a bit of a tourist attraction.
Sorry if this post appears twice but I just lost my first reply when it accidentally logged me out and I hadn’t copy pasted the posting!
—
Plado

G-EBZM at Manchesters Science & Idustry Museum

G-EBZM In fine company , in immaculate condition too

Plado…………

Welcome to the Forum. Never too late to make a contribution. One museum I did not visit unfortunately.

Planemike

I realise that this museum is long gone, but it was a childhood favourite, does anyon have a POSTCODE for the current site?

Also, I would love to hear from anyone with more information about it and any pictures ?

Many thanks

Not sure if I’m far too late to chip in here as I only just found this excellent forum. I expect you’ve seen the photos on this site by now. Some very good ones have been posted.

You may already know this but Keith Fordyce died in March this year (2011) aged 82.
I think he sold up the Aircraft museum which was less than a mile from my home when he decided to retire in the late 1980s.

For information if you want to go and see where the museum was, Google Earth will take you to the new site which is now The Barton Pines Inn.
And on the site of the old museum I think is now a very posh group of dwellings probably flats. The postcode for looking it up on Google Earth is
TQ3 3YG. The actual Global Map co-ordinates you can put into G Earth as
50 26 19.53 N, 3 37 28.11 W

The former museum site is still by the look of it open lawn area. When I last visited the museum back in the 1980s there was a Kenneth Moore (he of the movie “Reach for the Sky” playing the part of Douglas Bader) Memorial Garden to the late Actor but I would suspect that has now been dug up and something else planted.

Back in the active days of the museum Keith Fordyce ran Pleasure Flights in a Helicopter from the museum and at one point the flight path would run a square navigation that turned right over the corner of our back garden sometimes a dozen times in one afternoon. It got very noisy in a place that we had hoped would be more peaceful, and so I wrote to Keith Fordyce and he was very accommodating and asked the pilot to fragment the flights into four different direction squares so that we only had a chopper fly a turn over our garden once in every four flights. Someone else could have a turn at the noise. This made quite a difference because in the height of the summer there were many flights booked it was so popular. Of course Torbay from the air looks spectacular.

Anyhow Keith phoned me to advise me what he’d done and was very gracious about it.

It certainly is sad that the museum had to go. I don’t know where he moved to when he sold up the plot and went into proper retirement. He’d led a very full life. Really nice bloke. Much missed.

Hope that’s not too late to be useful as info.
—
Plado

At the time of my visit in 1971 the aircraft housed in the barn consisted of the Surrey Flying Services AL1 G-AALP, Taylorcraft Plus C2 G-AFTN, and 3 BA Swallows G-AFGC, G-AFHC and BK-897.The Taylorcraft moved on to Leicestershire County Council Museums (stored?). BK-897 was restored (G-AFGD) to flying condition and owned by a syndicate including Bertram Arden, Later deregistered and stored. G-AALP, G-AFGC and G-AFHC still with Bertram Ardens family (stored unknown)

Steve

Bertram Ardens barn was legendary and access was supposedly impossible. The building that houses the AL1 could never be described as chink free so presumerably actually getting near to the building was the real problem. I do remember mention of it being surrounded by barbed wire.
Thanks for publishing the pictures I have always wanted to know the state of the aircraft it housed. Lets hope the AL1 and the others finally get to fly again one day.

Bertram Arden’s collection 1971

Here are some links to some of the late Bertram Arden’s collection taken in 1971

http://www.abpic.co.uk/popup.php?q=1046853
http://www.abpic.co.uk/popup.php?q=1046857
http://www.abpic.co.uk/popup.php?q=1046863
http://www.abpic.co.uk/popup.php?q=1046862

Steve

Avro Avian G-EBZM

The Avian is now at the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester and is still owned by The Aeroplane Collection.
Foggy

Does anyone know if he is still alive and where he lives?

Don’t know where he lives but somewhere between Swindon and Jersey I should think as he still works on BBC Radio – Radio Swindon, Radio Wiltshire and Radio Jersey.

Roger Smith.

I do remember having this Chipmunk in the back garden of our house when my father had his stores at home in Lincolnshire!

He traded for a long time as K&L Aero Services and it wasn’t unusual to various bits of Chipmunk/Government Surplus of all nationalities gracing the garden/drive.

I will check with him when I see him tomorrow, but as far as I can remember it was reduced to produce on site in the garden!! I don’t think there are any pictures of the aircraft when we had it, although I will check that too.

Hope this is of interest.

Regards
Dave

Keith Fordyce

Does anyone know if he is still alive and where he lives?

Torbay Aviation Museum

Please contact me anyone who has any information or pictures on The Torbay Aviation Museum ?

Do you mean the steam trains at Paignton.
Following my trip to the museum in August 1973 and the subsequent thunderstorm at the campsite, we walked down to the steam railway at Paignton and found ‘Flying Scotsman’ running trips on the line to Kingswear, Woo hoo, we were issued with special certificates to cover this momentous event, one of lifes great moments, to travel down that very scenic route behind FS but to be able to accomplish it in the bar in the GWR Directors saloon with all the glasses clinking away in the shelves, unforgettable.

Yes. sorry it was Paignton not Torbay. I seem to remember that we then went onto the museum at Morwellham Quay to travel on some narrow gauge locos. It was all (sadly) a long time ago…