TV Heads Up

Well, if that’s not the same building, it’s exactly like it, isn’t it?

I for one am awaiting the next development with considerable interest!

Adrian

Homing in on Cranwell as a strong possibility.

I am indebted to Bill/WJT on the Airfields Information Exchange Forum site for his comments below and his image from 1937 Cranwell that I have pasted to the ‘High Flight’ still.

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Here is an extract from a pic taken at Cranwell in 1937 which shows the building in which the High Flight pic was taken:

The pic is a Supermarine Southampton which was being used for training in aircraft skin repairs. The building does not match the window pattern of an Admiralty hangar and it appears to be at least two bays. From the High Flight the 5 x 3 pane sashes seem to be able to be opened. Indeed, in the pic above the third sash from the left seems to be partially open. Could this be the exact position where the Spit was located?

The only thing I’m not yet sure of is the exact building depicted in the pics. I don’t have any immediate access to aerial imagery of Cranwell for the wartime or later to plot where it might be. Anyone got a link to an on-line aerial view?

Regards

Bill
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Mark

Cranwell it’s self has an eclectic collection of odd hangars.

John

Oops! :apologetic:

…but still fake staining?

Mark

CSU leakage.

I am inclined to think this is bit even and centrifugal rather than slipstream. I suspect it is artwork as I can’t recall seeing staining like this.

Mark

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Unlike the Merlin where the CSU is at the front on the dual drive unit, the Griffons CSU is mounted to the rear of the cylinder block.
Centrifuged oil on a spinner can come from seal on pitch change cover or cylinder stalk oil seal in propeller retaining nut.

Just to follow up on a conversation with Mark12 earlier.

The Vampire is just that, and not a Venom. The nose leg would face backwards if it had been man handled into that position without use of a towbar. Nothing suggests that it was or wasn’t airworthy at the time.

I have sought the help of the Airfield Information Exchange to see if they can interpret the architecture and possibly eliminate if from target locations

However a close study of the film still reveals that the five blade propeller has some anomalies which could well be very relevant.

I have indicated with a pink dot where the propeller blades have been fitted with an aerodynamic cuff and with a yellow dot where the cuff is missing.

One blade with a green dot seems to have rotated well beyond the pitch range and be facing rearward. This may be indicative of a recent road trip and reassembly.

If we then look at Spitfire PK624 some 2/3 years later at RAF Uxbridge, blades with missing cuffs are evident in the same pattern. The blade assembly may have been revolved in the mean time from 1960 to 1961.

A study of the images in Spitfire Survivors Volume II shows PK624 at North Weald in Silver scruffy in early 1957 and then resprayed in new camouflage by the end of that year again at North Weald.

Now that camouflage including a prop repaint over the Dowty stencils does not match the film still camouflage but could very well be the repaint post the film following the art department local distressing.

Looking good but not quite there yet. 🙂

Mark

Looking at Wrecks and Relics for 1961 for Cranwell

Venom FB1 WE267/7190M and Provost WG503/7159M were both noticed outside the College workshops in February 1961, (these would seem to fit better than my other suggestions of previous Vampire and Provost).

The Meteor visible in the background darkness of the hangar could this be EE549 also listed moving to Cranwell Station Museum 10/6/52 at this time before removal to Fulbeck in 6/58.

A quote taken from a review of the film on imdb http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049313/reviews?start=0 posted by Kaye 129 which might be useful or not,

“I was, in fact, at RAF College Cranwell in the early sixties as a cadet and yes, we all saw the film. if I can remember back that far, correct and it was meant to be taking place at the College although I believe much of the filming went on at a Norfolk or Suffolk fighter base such as Middleton St George or Waterbeach.”

At risk of adding to the confusion, the trusses visible in Mark 12’s post #9 look too low to be a hangar – or at least any type that I’m familiar with. The building obviously has more than one tranverse bay as the low point of the roof is somewhere over the Spitfire’s cowling. It would be nice if they were something distinctive like a Belfast truss, but they look to be a pretty commonplace steel type – the sort you’d find in all sorts of structures. Here’s some in a converted pre-war garage in Oxford: http://www.lochfyneseafoodandgrill.co.uk/sites/default/files/styles/gk_locations/public/locations/images/Internal%202_18.JPG?itok=y3SveDnB

I have a feeling a lot of the standard Air Ministry “temporary brick” buildings had them, though I haven’t a picture to hand. A rummage on the web produces this from Bottisham:
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q51/norwichpaul/RAF%20Bottisham/bott13.jpg

Adrian

Scrub that idea then!

Fulbeck was all T2 hangars. I can’t find any images of a T2 with windows.

Moggy

Random thought regarding the filming location RAF Fulbeck, Lincs – mid-1950s it became a relief landing ground for Cranwell and the Air Historical Branch Collection of airframes was stored there at the time.

None of these roof trusses seem to match

[ATTACH=CONFIG]239259[/ATTACH]

Moggy

The colour version of the film is currently on You Tube.

The hangar interior looks like it could be either a type A or type C?.

There is a Provost early in that scene but whether that helps or not I don’t know, if it’s Cranwell then it could be WW435 of the RAFC which became an instructional airframe 7227M there after May 1955 after it tipped up on it’s nose following and accident near Biggleswade. Although I notice it has yellow trainer bands and not RAFC blue bands.

CSU leakage.

I am inclined to think this is bit even and centrifugal rather than slipstream.

I suspect it is artwork as I can’t recall seeing staining like this.

Mark

P.S.

Just in from a man who has single handedly built two Griffon Spitfires to fly:-

“The staining looks fake to me. You never get stains uniform or all the way round”.

One thing I notice is that the dodgy paint-scheme on the Spitfire is oil-stained behind the spinner. Of course it could be a bit of artwork by the film-makers. If it’s real, this was a ‘runner’, if not a flyer.

Mark12 – Glad to assist.

One observation, from the B&W stills above. The Vampire looks distinctly non-airworthy, the nose oleo is 180deg out (ie backwards) and there appears to be no upper or lower engine panels fitted. This suggests an airframe in use as a Maintenance trainer rather than flown in?

Airfield Information Exchange might be your best bet for a hangar spotter?

Adrian

Cranwell North – Two x Type C, eight x Type F, four x Bellman, five x Blister

Waterbeach – Two x Type J, three x T2, one x B1

North Weald – Two x Type A, two x Type J, 12 x Blister

Now all you need is a hangar spotter.

Moggy