FiltonFlyerSo you have FF364 and RF612 with RF606 written on it.
FF is for forward fuselage and RF is for rear fuselage. Older rear fuselages tend to be “two out”, i.e. RF143 belongs to A9-141. However more were taken out of the production line as time went on, so when you get into the 600’s it is not so clear. It is just possible that they could be six out around this time, which might be why someone has written RF606 on it i.e. A9-606. Pure speculation though. A9-606 crashed on take off at Tadji in 1944, and many components were recovered from Tadji in the 1970s, so that *could* be another indication. Many surviving Beaufort components come from Tadji. Traces of codes can sometimes be found on rear fuselages, but the serial is painted on the stern fuselage (SF) which is often separate.
I’m not sure if the “two out” rule applies to FF’s, it could be from A9-364, which was another Tadji wreck.
http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a9.htm contains individual histories and is a great resource.
Hope that might be some help. Any more photos?
Andrew
FiltonFlyerJur,
I’m afraid you’re thinking of another Bolingbroke.
9893 was intended to be the basis of a static restoration for the IWM at Duxford, but when work started rebuilding G-BPIV as a Mk.I, work on 9893 was halted, with the intention of restarting once G-BPIV was finished. 9893 used to be visible in Building 66, but I haven’t seen it for a while, so I don’t know if work has restarted. I presume it is in storage, awaiting time and resources, probably in 66.
Andrew
FiltonFlyerThe piece of fuselage that was at Old Warden was the same piece in the Bristol Industrial Museum. It closed in 2006, and it has been in storage ever since, so I don’t know where you saw it three years ago! They also had a main wheel, as does the Midland Air Museum.
The Museum of Flight at East Fortune has a a working display of the nose undercarriage. This came from the Science Museum. I think this was originally from the Festival of Britain. The full-size mock-up of the contra-rotating props on the front of a Festival of Britain building was also donated to the Science Museum. That ended up in technical college in India, no idea if it survived.
The Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble had several items, including a nose wheel tyre. These items will go into the new museum (Aerospace Bristol) when it opens at Filton this summer, maybe with a few more Brabazon-related bits.
Andrew
FiltonFlyerRestoration of Bristol Britannia G-ANCF – https://www.facebook.com/britanniatrust Andrew
FiltonFlyerI’ve noticed the following:
Mark:G-CJWL Current Reg. Date:18/01/2017
Previous ID:J-4110 SWISS AF
Type:HAWKER HUNTER MK.58A
Serial No.:HABL-003079
Registered Owners:HAWKER HUNTER AVIATION LTD
The details regarding this Hunter on http://www.swisshunters.info are a little confusing. It says it was preserved in the museum at Sola in Norway, until 2005, when it was “Now based at RAF Scampton” as G-HHAG, Airworthy in 2012, but then stored at Sola in 2013. I presume the details are incorrect and it has been on the ground at Sola since it was retired. Anyway, great to have another airworthy Hunter in the UK, presumably on a military contract.
Andrew
FiltonFlyerExcellent Work, How is the Brittania Project getting on?
There is an update from last month on the website: http://www.bristol-britannia.com/2015/10/october-2015-update-year-so-far-has.html
Andrew
FiltonFlyerAre these the people who used to be at Kemble and had an ex RAF Britannia? No mention of the Brit on the website and the last time I visited Kemble it was no where to be seen.
Regards
Orion, there is no organisational connection between the Bristol Aero Collection and the Bristol Britannia XM496 Preservation Society at Kemble. However, there is obviously a shared love of Bristol aircraft and expertise/advice etc.
FiltonFlyerTimely new announcement today about achieving the second stage of the HLF application for £4.7 million.
The project is well down the road now, with a large amount of corporate and HLF funding in place. Target is still to open in spring 2017.
A.
FiltonFlyerThe ex-Slovak MiG-21 seems to have vanished. It was stored in a HAS at Boscombe Down, but doesn’t seem to have moved to Old Sarum with the rest of the collection from there.
The ex Slovak one, 7708 if that is one being referred to, went to the USA. If I have it correctly , it was registered N7708 and is a flyer with the South Florida Defence Antiquities Museum.
Andrew
FiltonFlyerDuring 2013, the Bristol Aero Collection added a reproduction Bristol Fighter, a dismantled Avro RJX, and the prototype Whitakker MW4 (technically the last aircraft to be build at Filton). Of course, the collection is not currently open to the public, although there are occasional group visits to the Brab hangar at Filton where all the exhibits are held.
A.
FiltonFlyerK7753 was used by Bristols for Pegasus XVIII trials, as was K7556. Neither are listed as ending their days at Bristol, but weren’t converted back into service either. Other K series aircraft were used for Pegasus XX or XXII trials, or for nacelle studies, but either returned to service or were lost prewar.
Just to add to this, in addition to K7556, K7753 and K7772, Bristol also used K7717 for Pegasus XX NACA long chord cowling trials (first flight as such on 21 Jan 1938, SOC 13 May 1938).
FiltonFlyerAlthough “Fear Nothing” does not mention X4272 as being with 501, other sources do, so it is more likely to be an omission from the book (there are no X…. serials listed in the Spitfire Vb list). As Edgar Brooks says, the ORB really needs to be checked to confirm.
A
FiltonFlyer“Fear Nothing”, the history of 501 Squadron by David Watkins says that on D-Day, 6th June …
” … at 03.00 hours, 501 were airborne with 350 Squadron patrolling the eastern end of the assault beaches, acting as low cover for the ships and landing craft. The patrol was carried out without incident, as were three other patrols flown by the Squadron between 10.20 – 11.10 hours, 18.40 – 19.30 hours, and finally between 22.50 – 23.30 hours.”
Although it goes on to mention “Foob” Fairbanks on 8th June, it doesn’t mention X4272 and that serial is not mentioned in the Squadron run down at the end.
Hope this helps,
Andrew
FiltonFlyerTo break it down further, 43 former RFC/RAF Fighters made it on to the UK register. In the period from 1920 to 1923, they were mostly via AirDisCo. Of these, a batch of 15 were sold to the Belgian Air Force, being delivered between October 1921 and July 1922. This was in addition to 2 Fighters that were delivered the Belgian Royal Flight in 1920 (G-EASU and G-EASV). G-EBIO was retained by AirDisCo as a demonstrator, and sold in 1931. When the F2B was finally withdrawn from RAF service in the early 1930s, more ended up on the UK civil register. Some interesting examples were G-ABXA, which was to be used as an air-to-air refueller for the aviatrix Mildred Bruce (aka the Hon Mrs Victor Bruce) in her unsuccessful attempts to set endurance records in a Saro Windover (she also owned F2B G-ACFP); G-ABYT, which was used by the Cinque Ports Flying Club at Lympne and came third in the 1933 Folkestone Aero Trophy Race; between 1933 and 1936 four were used by Commercial Airways at Loughton Air Park in Essex in their flying school (G-ACFK, G-ACFL, G-ACFN, G-ACFO); G-ADJR and G-AEPH were owned by Capt. Christopher Ogilvie, and sold to London Film productions in 1938, being used as airborne camera platforms. The latter was ‘rediscovered’ at Elstree in 1946, restored by the Bristol Aeroplane Company at Filton, flew again in 1951 and has been flying for the Shuttleworth Collection ever since. In addition to these 43, two ‘rebuilds’ have completed in recent years, both based on frames that were used in the construction of a farm building in Weston-on-the-Green and recovered in the mid-1960s: G-ACAA (using components from and taking the identity of the original G-ACAA, ex F4516) built by Skysport Engineering and flying in 1998, and G-AANM, built by the Historic Aircraft Collection, flying in 2006.
The Bristol Tourer, Coupe and Seeley were all purpose-built civil aircraft based on the F2B frame, and were either two-seaters or three-seaters, with or without a hood. about 9 had UK civil registrations, usually pre-delivery. Five Puma-powered Fighters were built in 1923, all for use as trainers for the Bristol Flying School at Filton (G-EAXA – a former Tourer, G-EBFR, G-EBFS, G-EBFT, G-EBFU). Three Jupiter-powered Fighters were built in 1923: One crashed after a couple of months (G-EBGF), one went to Sweden (G-EBHG), and another was retained (G-EBHH). This resulted in the dual-control Jupiter Trainer (aka Advanced Training Machine), of which 24 were built for the Bristol Flying School and the Beardmore Flying School at Renfrew.
So a quick tot-up makes 86 Bristol Fighter or Fighter-derivatives that have appeared on the UK civil register.
Andrew
FiltonFlyerSad to report the passing of former Bristol Helicopters chief test pilot Sox Hosegood today. Great character and one of the very last surviving British pioneer helicopter pilots. He celebrated his 93rd birthday earlier this month .
Very sad to hear that. I only met him once, when the Bristol 173 arrived at the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble in 2002, exactly 50 years after its first flight, which he flew.
Andrew
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