Not sure exactly where to put this, so I’ll plopp it here. Mods, please move if you think this is more for historic.
One of the only aircraft to have been designed and built in Scotland will return to the skies under plans to celebrate the country’s aviation heritage, The Scotsman has learned.
Organisers of a new air festival in Ayrshire want to get a 54-year-old Twin Pioneer airborne again to inspire a new generation of engineers.
The Prestwick World Festival of Flight hopes to build on its inaugural ten-day programme this August by returning one of the few “Twin Pins” still airworthy to where it was built.
By: mike currill - 31st March 2013 at 08:38
Blackburn built Sunderlands at their Dunoon site. The RAF operated a flying boat base at Gourock. Fighters were based at Turnhouse (Edinburgh) and also I think from Abbotsinch (Glasgow) as well as Prestwick, Drem Fern, Tain (and another airfield in the same area which I have forgotten the name of) and East Fortune. Aviation historians who frequent these pages are probably able to list many more that I have missed because I have either forgotten the names or don’t even know they existed. In light of this it is obvious that Scotland has a rich aviation heritage which deserves greater acknowledgement. Please forgive me for stating what is probably well known to members here but I included the current names for Turnhouse and Abbotsinch for the benefit of younger members who may never have heard of them.
By: mike currill - 31st March 2013 at 08:27
Anyone got a spare airworthy Sunderland as they were built by Black burn on their site at Dunoon. It would also honour the Sunderland crews who operated from the Seaplane base at Gourock.
By: garryrussell - 10th March 2013 at 17:32
Scottish Aviation was a subcontractor for Handley page building wings and centre sections for the Jetstream. When HP failed they took over the Jetstream and re engineered it into the 31 so perhaps that marque could be considered Scottish enough.
By: Robert Whitton - 10th March 2013 at 16:37
I think its proposed that the Twin Pioneer appears as a visitor and provide flights, not on a permanent basis. There is one all dry and cosy already at East Fortune that needs a bit of care and attention.
There some others such as the Bulldog 200, and the single Pioneer could be borrowed from Cosford.
By: garryrussell - 10th March 2013 at 16:37
It implies the Twin Pioneer was the only all Scottish type but there was of course the Prestwick Pioneer
The first all Scottish heavier than air aeroplane was the Baird Monoplane.
By: bazv - 10th March 2013 at 09:04
The Bulldog was originally a Beagle design…built by SA after Beagle went bust
rgds baz
By: Wyvernfan - 9th March 2013 at 21:25
Wasn’t the Bulldog a Scottish Aviation product, or just their design?
Rob
By: David Burke - 7th March 2013 at 18:09
About time we heard something positive about Scottish avaition heritage ! There is a lot that could be done up there with imagination and determination!
By: Newforest - 7th March 2013 at 16:48
Great news, best wishes for the project! 🙂
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March 7, 2013 at 3:45 pm