Victor XL231 And Nimrod XV250 Work Diary

Hi Guys,

Just to highlight the existance of a Video done to raise awareness of what we do at elvington is here

It includes interior cockpit footage during a taxi run and external footage from on top of the fuselage.

All good clean fun!

Ollie

Now that is commitment, wanting a working RWR!
Hope you find one and excellent updates Ollie.

It would have been nice to hear the roar of those engines on the run rather than the music but still nice video thanks.

What a great effort and a great looking aeroplane

Hi folks, Time to close this thread down as it is getting rather large and causing some issues in slow loading with all the pictures and messages. I have sent Victorsim a pm message asking him to start a new Victor Nimrod thread on the forum as soon as he can. (Blue2 you can’t accept pm messages for some reason??)
Peter,
Moderator

In boxes, by road.

Would it be right to assume that it will likely be coming by air? If so, I’d love to be there when that happens! 🙂

First, to answer the questions.
No Peter, it’s not something we’ve done or indeed intend to do. She’s not going flying so there’s little point in trying out a complicated retracting gear system which hasn’t been used for 20 years, and potentially leaving ourselves with a headache in the form of a Victor stuck on jacks refusing to ‘show a leg’!
The Mirage is, we are told, imminent. I assume it’ll be in the next few weeks.

As Ian said, it was a tad moist yesterday morning.

Seeing that the inside of the port door was wet left me disgruntled, as I had hoped to get the door in primer!

But after a warm in the NAAFI we decided to crack on. Ian got busy on the starboard door

While I set about getting the steel fixings on the port door spick and span. Not bad eh?!

After a long lunch the weather finally gave us a break

I played in the puddles too!

By the time I got back from playing and brush hunting the door was dry enough to start priming. Here the front section is done

And after Ian came to assist the door was soon looking much happier with a fresh coat of primer!

A coat of silver, new data plates and the door will be good for another 20 years exposure to the Yorkshire weather hopefully!

There is of course still the starboard door to do, hopefully weather permitting it too will be in primer by close of play next weekend.

As I departed the tide was starting to recede, and Andre and John were still chasing electrical gremlins around the jet…

If you keep this up, you’ll run out of things to do on Lindy 😀 it’s hard to believe she’s kept outside with the condition you guys keep her in. 🙂

Any news on the Mirage IV acquisition?

Great work chaps – that door looks as though it could have just been delivered from HP!!;)

Great update! Just wondering if she ever had gear retractions done since she has been there?

Well the forcast said a nice dry day so we could get plenty done…. I arrived it was raining steadily and it looked like the tide at Elvington had just gone out.

Fortunately we could still work and Andre could stay warm and dry in the cockpit again!

I tried to take a picture last week of the location of the flow meter with it removed but the dark beat me, so here the panel stripped down.

We were a bit light on crew this week. So Blue had brought his drill in and some brass wire deburring bits to clean up the last of the port door and I continued on the starboard door. We made steady progress and by the time John had arrived just in time for dinner! Blue had the port door prepped ready for primer.

During lunch the sun decided to finally turn up, so blue and myself went to the hanger to pick up some brushes. whilst walking across I noticed the huge puddle and with the sun out it was time to reflect!:cool:

Back to the jet and we had gained a helper, the young volunteer from last week sam had clearly not been scared off by us! and asked to help. We put him on the starboard door. The picture isn’t him dressed to swim across the museum complex! (mind you the state of some areas he could!) but rather anyone who has scrapped and sanded paint in a confine space dust gets everywhere. So it’s never to early to teach basic safety to youngsters. Mind you we will have to talk him out of following John in his dress sense 😀

I popped over to see how blue was progressing on the door and found him with 2 brushes! trying to cut out and paint big areas at the same time was slowing him down, So I left Sam to continue the starboard I picked up a brush and aided Blue on the port door.

In no time at all we had the port door coated with primer and it looks good even if I say so myself.

By this time the museum was closing and Blue had to go I stayed and kept on the starboard door whilst Andre and John continued there battle with the flow meter. For once the lady wasn’t playing ball, inspite of Andre stripping it down and refurbishing it mid week the problem still persisited. So much head scratching and gnashing of teeth was heard.
With the day ending in nice winter sun, I went round to the museum’s Javilin as our giraffe was near and it had been washed since it’s move from the carpark to a much better location.

The nose needs a bit of TLC which hopefully will be done soon, but its move and clean has really helped this jet.
Back to Lindy and what a difference a few hours make.

Last pic the progress on the starboard door has been steady with the forward part done a large part of the middle and equally large bits of the back complete. I think with a 3 man team next week should see it ready to have some primer on.

Even Andre made some late progress, having eliminated the problem wasn’t in the cockpit he went back in the Plenum chamber were the amplifier is. We had already changed it for one of our spares so this wasn’t it. but on closer inspection a broken wire leading to a plug that is part of the circuit may just be the problem. Light beat us to sorting this but it will be next week. So 3 weeks in and some useful production already.

Hi Rob thanks for the comments, its the only way to keep her in top nick. There has been talk of another new Hanger but the cost is equally huge, plus I doubt were it may have been built would have enabled us to get to it. finally I’ve not heard of anything planned on the Tonkas. But I think a bit of TLC may be done by some of us soon.

Some great work in far from ideal conditions. The amount of work you are putting in to keep the airframe in good running order is astounding.
Have their been or plans ever to get something built to keep the jets in?

Finally any plans for the Tornados they have looked rather faded for a couple of years?

Looking forward to the next update.

I’ve a little to add to blue report not much but a bit. As Blue had stated it was a crisp frosty start to the day. I always like the different views we get every week.
The ladies looked well chilled.

Cold war jets litterally!

The sun soon begun defrosting Lindy.

Andre had the cushy job and worked in the much warmer cockpit he is replacing our fuel flow meter, with one from our spares. it is the dial to the right under the armrest nearest to the stripped down panel. the first panel had to be removed to get at the flow panel.

By lunch lindy still had not thawed fully.

There isn’t much to photograph rubbing down doors so the next shot is mid afternoon when Andre emerged from the cockpit with the panel finally out. The meter itself.

The panel, note the original bomber black underneath thee grey.

Inspite of the cold, what eventually stopped us was the light under the wings. Blue and Rich had done a good job and have almost completed the port door, it should see primer next week.

Starboard side is progressing nicely but is probably a couple of weeks away painting.

12/01/14 Update
The scene which greeted us yesterday on arrival at the museum was a tad on the wintery side!

Seeing as this is the Spitfire forum (!) have a gratuitous frosty Spitfire shot

After a warm, a bacon sarnie and a brew in the NAAFI it was time to head to the jet.

We re-commenced battle with the undercarriage doors, while Andre went and hid in the nice warm cockpit under the pretence of removing a panel for refurbishment. Rich and I carried on with the port door

While Ian continued to battle the starboard one

By lunchtime there was more visible progress on the port door

And I’d even found a Handley Page inspector’s stamp on part of the door!

After lunch and thawing out our extremities, we returned to battle. Andre emerged from the cockpit looking triumphant, with things to take home and refurb.

Before disappearing back into the cockpit with his little red friend to keep warm!

We soon ran out of daylight, but not before Rich and I had pretty much met in the middle of the door. Another 10 minutes work next Sunday and it’ll be ready for the primer I’ve been promised will be there.

Ian was hiding behind the gear leg

making great progress on the starboard door, with a little help from John and one of the lads who’d escaped the Handley Page workshop to come work on a real aircraft for a change!

In other news, I haven’t updated you with the Hunter’s progress for a while. We haven’t been involved with this bit of the aircraft’s refurb, but the cockpit really has come on leaps and bounds

And the seats have been refurbed to a really high standard too

I agree peter I would have liked more Lindy roaring than the music.

Excellent video but the Top Gun music just destroys it for me.. 🙁 Wish they had something more fitting instead..

Thanks Ian and I could see from Augsburg’s post it does. I’ll check it out because I WANT TO SEE IT!!:eagerness:

Charlie the audio works for me. sorry I can’t help you. I hope it clears for you.