Whirlwinds

Don’t worry Cees, I have been in this game long enough and am on the case.

Glad to hear that, I hope you are successful and bring something very significant back from oblivion.

Good luck

Cees

Talking about buried treasure, when I was a young lad living in Driffield I would often frequent my local model shop, which was owned by a gentleman who as a boy would explore the aerodromes around Driffield during the war.

In 1945 he watched as spares, tools and the contents of RAF Lissett were buried on the aerodrome. He couldn’t remember exactly where but it would have been close to a road, he claimed. Oh, if only one had a metal detector and transport…

Also in thw mid 1970s, my mate once said his dad was going to dig up a load of used 40mm shell cases from a wartime defensive position on Driffield aerodrome. I was told to keep quite as his dad wasn’t that keen on letting me knowing anything about it. One Sunday morning as I was returning from his house, I said my goodbyes, reminding my friend to let me know when he was going to the dig, not knowing he dad was in the other room. My friend was chastised for not keeping a secret and I never knew what happened to the shell cases…

CanadaTD,

The only way to find out if rumours are correct or wrong is to investigate. Although I do like the stories about dumped and buried treasure very interesting I always think about them: has anyone ever looked in the possibility something might be there? Talking is nice but hearing the same old stories is getting boring, following up a rumour is much more fun.

From experience I have always tried to find out if similar stories were true and although a lot are just that: stories, every now and then something interesting turns up.

I think the best thing to do is to find out if the Whirlwind is actually buried there and if so get it out as fast as you can. Remember the Spitfire remains dug up from the tip at Kenly? Please have a look.

Cheers

Cees

Don’t worry Cees, I have been in this game long enough and am on the case.

Ummm, not sure! A look on Google brings up a single-engine type with the same reggie, and I presume the same owner, on the FAA site.

However, it is mentioned on: http://www.aerofiles.com/_bo.html

That’s magnificent! Does it still exist?

Mr G N Butterworth’s 2/3 scale Whirlwind.

Based on the wings and horizontal tail surfaces of a Grumman American AA-1A trainer. Construction took 900-950 hours(!) over a nine-month period.

Power comes from two 65hp VW engines.

If I could, I’d type out the whole lump of gen from Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft 1982-83.

A Whirlwind is long overdue…

A replica Whirlwind F-B would be very welcome. There are at least two cockpit sections under construction and the possibility of a full-size rebuild in progress. The Defiant replica in the Boulton-Paul museum shows a good example of how an unfashionable aircraft can be an attractive exhibit in replica form. I’m happy to offer support to anyone pursuing a Whirlwind rebuild project.

Will look it out and scan the pics when I come back from the writers’ group 😉

Silly question, Daz… get searching sonny! 😀

Didn’t some chap in the States build a 1/3 scale replica years back, powered by two VeeDub’s?.
Or perhaps we could have the helicopter version instead!
Rgds Cking

Yep – I think it was about 2/3rds scale, made by a guy called Butterworth, I think. I’ll try to find it if anyone’s interested.

Didn’t some chap in the States build a 1/3 scale replica years back, powered by two VeeDub’s?.
Or perhaps we could have the helicopter version instead!
Rgds Cking

Does anyone have access to ground penetrating radar, or what ever the correct term is.

Unfortunately it is worse than that. We are planning to try and have a looksee but it sounds very unlikely anything useful is there and the location is a bit ‘fluid’ and possibly built on. The engines were whipped off went to an ATC unit (one was used for rotor blade testing IIRC) and both scrapped….pity. The rest was probably burnt and buried.

CanadaTD,

The only way to find out if rumours are correct or wrong is to investigate. Although I do like the stories about dumped and buried treasure very interesting I always think about them: has anyone ever looked in the possibility something might be there? Talking is nice but hearing the same old stories is getting boring, following up a rumour is much more fun.

From experience I have always tried to find out if similar stories were true and although a lot are just that: stories, every now and then something interesting turns up.

I think the best thing to do is to find out if the Whirlwind is actually buried there and if so get it out as fast as you can. Remember the Spitfire remains dug up from the tip at Kenly? Please have a look.

Cheers

Cees

There was a scale replica built a few years ago, if that helps. I’m sure I posted a pic of it on here befoer.

The idea of building a Whirlwind from parts was raised sometime ago by someone on WIX, it died a death I believe. At that time they intended to have it completed in under 4 years if I remember right.

Seriously?

I remember reading somewhere that Westland had kept one as the corporate hack for a few years post-war which was dismantled in 1947. I also read some time ago that one was sent to the US for evaluation (P6994), and had, allegedly, been seen at Pensacola in a scrapyard post-war. (I found both of these reports again using Google just now).

Woody

I did an interview with Peter Twiss a few years back when he mentioned ferrying one in the US. He said it was a bit of a wreck and obviously well used. As he flew the needle on the compass just fell off. He was in marginal weather and had no way of navigating so he followed a railway line knowing that he would eventually find a town that may just have an airfield. He ended up landing at a USAAF base.

Melvyn

Weeeeeell. As I understand it, once the Whirlwind had reached the end of its useful life, it was used for crash rescue training. Obviously not good for the airframe. However, the remains pushed down a slope at the edge of the airfield, with the wings cut off and pushed down alongside the fuselage.

When a local swimming pool was built, the soil excavated was dumped on the Whirly, and that’s the last that was seen of it.

Unfortunately it is worse than that. We are planning to try and have a looksee but it sounds very unlikely anything useful is there and the location is a bit ‘fluid’ and possibly built on. The engines were whipped off went to an ATC unit (one was used for rotor blade testing IIRC) and both scrapped….pity. The rest was probably burnt and buried.

Weeeeeell. As I understand it, once the Whirlwind had reached the end of its useful life, it was used for crash rescue training. Obviously not good for the airframe. However, the remains pushed down a slope at the edge of the airfield, with the wings cut off and pushed down alongside the fuselage.

When a local swimming pool was built, the soil excavated was dumped on the Whirly, and that’s the last that was seen of it.

There’s also G-AGOI (Westland’s airframe) buried under about 15′ of soil on the North side of Yeovil airfield, not under a hangar, as has been said.

Seriously?

I remember reading somewhere that Westland had kept one as the corporate hack for a few years post-war which was dismantled in 1947. I also read some time ago that one was sent to the US for evaluation (P6994), and had, allegedly, been seen at Pensacola in a scrapyard post-war. (I found both of these reports again using Google just now).

I had assumed, on the basis that no specimins are reported to exist in a museum or private collection now (other than the Vizard recoveries), that they had both probably been scrapped.

Are the remains thought to be substantial?

Woody

Steve Vizard at Airframe Assemblies has substantial remains of a Whirlwind, I believe.

There’s also G-AGOI (Westland’s airframe) buried under about 15′ of soil on the North side of Yeovil airfield, not under a hangar, as has been said.