Vintage Portugal

Splendid photography all round – and Portugal is now a strong possibility for my next holiday. Hmmmm I wonder if you fellows work for their Tourism Board?

The aircraft are housed in an annexe to the main maritime museum which is within this magnificent building –

Moving on to the Museo do Marinha – another wonderful museum housed in the most fantastic building. Only a few aviation exhibits but they are real gems (and the boats aren’t too bad either 🙂 ) –

The Fairey IIID –

Widgeon –

Schreck FBA –

Isotta-Fraschini from Macchi M-18

Continuing with the outside exhibits –

One of my favourite pics on the walls is this one of the 50th Anniversary of Sintra Air Base. What a wonderful line-up! –

The airfield today taken from the Moorish Castle. The museum buildings are centre left –

The Connie flight deck-

V8 Renault from MF-11 –

V12 Renault from Breguet XVI –

Just to update this thread – some photos taken during a recent stopover in the Lisbon area. The Sintra museum has matured and expanded since 2011. Surely one of the nicest aviation museums in the world.

P.S.

Another ‘Stork Hotel’ that caught my eye on this trip.

Mark

It was destined to be rebuilt by Atlas Aircraft and traded for a Beaufighter with Portuguese Air Force Museum.

The Beaufighter, TF.X RD220 is in bits at Scotland’s National Museum of Flight at East Fortune:

Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter TF.X RD220

Constructed at the Ministry of Aircraft Production Shadow Factory, Old Mixon, Weston-Super-Mare between September and October 1944, serial batch RD189 to RD225 as one of an order of 500 completed in August 1945, serials RD130 to RD867.

Taken on Charge by 19 Maintenance Unit at RAF St Athan, South Glamorgan for fitting out 27/10/44.

Delivered to RAF Pershore, Hereford & Worcester by No.1 Ferry Unit 7/3/45

Transferred as one of sixteen Beaufighters to the Portuguese Navy. Struck off Charge 18/3/45, to Portugal by sea. The aircraft left for Portugal in three batches – two formations of six and one of four. Two RAF crews stayed in Portugal for three weeks to train Portuguese crews on the Beaufighter (Pilots – Sqn Ldr G H Denholme DFC and Flt Lt Gregory, navigators Flt Lt Dodson and Fg Off Sancha). The sixteen aircraft came from RD- serial number batches and were re-numbered BF1-16 in Portuguese service. A further Beaufighter (TF.X BF 17, ex RD862) was delivered 26 April 1946 after overhaul by Bristol, to replace one of the original batch that crashed in October 1945.

In service with Escuadrilha 8, Fôrças Aéreas du Armada (Navy Air Force) as “BF-10” at Portela de Sacavem from 1945 to 1950. The Portuguese used the Beaufighters for maritime patrol duties, replacing Blenheim IVFs with some of the Beaufighters later being operated from a second naval air base at Averio, the Centro de Aviaco Naval de San Jacinto. Withdrawn from service in 1950 with the disbandment of Esquadrilha 8, caused in part by the shortage of spares and pilots, and replaced by 12 Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldivers in the anti-submarine role.

To the Lisbon Technical Institute as a ground instructional airframe alongside BF-13, formerly RD253, now at the RAF Museum, Hendon. 1950 to 1965.

To Museo do Ar at Alverca Air Base, stored outdoors, components removed, from 1966 to 1983.

Purchased by the South African Air Force Museum in exchange for Supermarine Spitfire IX ML255, delivered to Swartkop Air Base, Pretoria 27/5/83.

In storage dismantled at South African Air Force Museum, Swartkop AB, intention to restore to flying condition, sections refurbished.

Advertised as for sale for $250,000(US) to fund rebuild of Supermarine Spitfire IXe TE213 that crashed at Swartkop, 15/4/00.

Purchased by the Museum of Flight East Fortune for £a huge amount(St), with the total raised in less than three days by public donations and funding from the National Museums of Scotland.

Delivered by Sea from Durban, SA to Tilbury, Essex arriving 22/11/00, fuselage and engines arriving by rail/road at East Fortune 9/12/00, wing sections 11/12/00.

Ceremony held at East Fortune to commemorate the arrival of RD220, the first Beaufighter at East Fortune since 1946, on 12/12/00. In attendance were former Beaufighter aircrews.

🙂

Thanks Mark,

Of course I knew you weren’t slipping:p

Cees

…and finally and especially for Cees.

It was some thirty years ago that I first identified Spitfire Mk IX ML255 at the SAAF Museum Snake Valley compound, among the sections recovered from the famous SA Metals scrap yard in Cape Town. It was destined to be rebuilt by Atlas Aircraft and traded for a Beaufighter with the Portuguese Air Force Museum.

Mark

The Cessna ‘337s’ are Reims FTB337G Miliroles .

Thanks for sharing the great pics, I assume the climate is fairly kind when it comes to corrosion problems etc?
I would love to see a P2V-5 displayed in the UK as a Neptune MR.1!

Sintra – The outside exhibits.

“Go where you like, wear this tag”. Interesting and refreshing security – no escort and technically live side.

Mark

…and the ‘Gate Guard’ for luck

A sister ship to 2504 taken at Lisbon on 16/8/60-what happened to her? It’s 2505- sorry for poor photo, but it is 50 years old.

The remainder of the inside exhibits…bar one. 😉

Mark

we have the sister ship to the brouusard at our place

www.beechrestorations.com

Well, one painted to represent the sister ship!

:cool::p;)

No pics of ML255, apart from its tail?
Are you slipping Mark?
Cees

Later

No pics of ML255, apart from its tail?
Are you slipping Mark?
Cees

Great pictures, what is the Ultra-light?

Rans S-4 Coyote………………..

Planemike