Westland Wyvern Project Thread.

Andy, sorry to hear about the personal loss – but good to see your post about the Wyvern as my shed has looked rather bare without it. And as already said by Trumper I know she is in good hands. 

As for the Skyshark, now that really would be a challenge!

Hello Andy , 

 Sorry about all the bad news but pleased the Wyvern has gone to a good home , Rob was a good custodian . 

Dear All,

I wanted to introduce myself as the new(ish) owner of this Wyvern project, which I acquired from Rob. Due to all manor of things, including moving house and then the long-term illness and subsequent death of a close family member, the Wyvern has been safely tucked away for the last two years. It is very likely she will remain so for the rest of 2024. However, I hope to display her from next year onwards. Rest assured she is in the hands of a “classic Fleet Air Arm” nut (also interested in Scimitars, Buccaneers, Hunters, Whirlwinds etc. etc… and now, thanks to Rob’s infectious enthusiasm, the USN’s Douglas A2D Skyshark too!).

Regards

Andy

Your sentiments and optimism are appreciated pandp!

A great journey with the true reward in unique experiences and friendships formed. Thanks for sharing the adventure. No doubt you will take a pint to drown your sorrows and walk out onto the street, only to fall through cracking pavement and headfirst into a Wyvern buried in a long forgotten vault as a contingency in the 50’s. Certainly do not omit the possibility by avoiding the taking of a pint, well deserved. 

Cheers B_2

What you did manage to bring together of this beast was very impressive. Cap doffed!

Thank you, MM, for your kind words. I hope you are both keeping well and warm up there!

Hi Rob, just to say well done on what you did achieve with your Wyvern project and wishing you and your family all the best in the future. Hope things improve healthwise.

Thanks for the comments guys.

AA – when you consider the size of the Wyvern I barely scratched the surface – with it being parts rather than sections as realistically there is precious little left of the 127 built. Most of what could be found came from a very brave dig on one particular Wyvern back in the 1990’s. Sadly its more a case of what might have been as I missed out on several significant items, such as an engine, fifteen feet of rear fuselage, at least two propeller blades and an outer wing apparently on a farm in Scotland!

Thank you for your post, I totally understand your reasoning and as others have said we Wyvern fans owe you a great debt.

If you’ll forgive my curiousity, Rob, in percentage terms how far had you progressed with the project before deciding to call it a day?

May i salute the work you did, without this lots of Wyvern parts would of never been found.

We all move on, good luck. 

TA

Hello all, having seen the renewed interest in the project I thought I would log on and answer some questions.

First of all TonyT is indeed right, after a close family members illness and losing my mother it kind of made me re-assess a few things in life. This together with the RAF museums point blank refusal to help me with a much needed item that has no place in the history of the RAF or will probably ever get to see the light of day gave me the feeling that it was time to stop. Therefore having offered the project twice as a going concern beforehand without success despite some interest, I made the hard decision to break up over thirty years of Wyvern collecting. I won’t disclose where the main items have gone, as I’m sure if the owners wish to step forward they will in their own time. The last items I have are the mainwheels and tail wheel which have been donated to the FAAM – along with some smaller items, and are awaiting collection. But in my continued quest to find a photo of every one of the 127 Wyverns produced by Westlands, I shall be keeping my photo collection for now.

As mentioned at the start it was 1990 that I made the decision to go down the ‘Wyvern Way’, having previously become fascinated by the type during reading the Harald Penrose book ‘Adventure With Fate’. And during that time I made many friends and acquaintances both directly and indirectly associated with the project or the Wyvern. Possibly two of the highlights for me was – thanks to curator Dave Morris, the chance to visit and measure the cockpit of the sole surviving Wyvern TF.1 VR137 held at the FAAM in Cobham Hall at Yeovilton to enable me to make a start with the cockpit rig. To climb up and sit in that huge beast of an Aircraft is truly one of the highlights of my life. Another was a letter addressed to me from former Westland Chief test pilot Harald Penrose, stating that although he wished me luck with my quest but it would be impossible to find enough parts to put together a complete example of the S.4. How right he was lol. And even right up until just before the dreaded Covid outbreak struck, I was corresponding for several weeks with a former RN Wyvern pilot, taking priceless notes on his service time with the aircraft and his impressions of it. 

So now i would like to take the opportunity to say a big thank you to all those who have helped me along the way and who have taken a positive interest in my ‘alternative’ Aircraft obsession!

All the best,

Wyvernfan

Thank you, Tony. That explains why all had gone quiet. I wonder who acquired it and what its future is?

Rob sadly sold it on eBay after some thirty years of collecting and building it,  due to an illness in the family, it was listed on or about Jan 22.

🙁

Just checked,have only seen Wyvern models. 🙁

Sorry. I don’t know. I’m not a facebooker.

Is it on Facebook?

Silence pervades.