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FiltonFlyer

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April 25, 2008 at 11:24 am in reply to: P-51 'Miss Helen' #1200607

FiltonFlyer
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Update – ‘Miss Helen’ has just flown past my window into Filton, to Robs’ maintenance base here, presumably for a pre-air show season spruce-up.

Andy A

April 18, 2008 at 9:50 am in reply to: What,Where,When. #1208713

FiltonFlyer
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Well, that is a Bristol Beaufort. The Fleet Air Arm flew a number of them in a white livery, perhaps its one of those.

There appears to be a civil registration on the wings of the light aircraft on the left, G-A..V, if that was read off the original with a magnifying class it might give another clue.

Andy

April 18, 2008 at 9:40 am in reply to: Bristol Pullman – Britains first airliner? #1208813

FiltonFlyer
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Taking my ‘Bristol Aerospace since 1912’ down from the shelf…..

Since 1910, actually…

So, not carrying any revenue-paying passengers I think discounts it from being an ‘airliner’

Oohh, I have to disagree with you there. Speaking of other Filton products, that would mean the Bristol Brabazon was also not an airliner, and the A380 was not an airliner until 25th October last year.
It was designed to carry passengers, it was fitted out with passenger cabin, it flew, sometimes with bodies in it seats, ergo it was an ‘airliner’. Q.E.D. Apparently, the reason it was not entered in the Air Ministry Civil Aircraft Competition in August 1920 was because its landing speed (over 50 mph) was too high. Unsurprising, given its size.

Andy

April 17, 2008 at 10:11 pm in reply to: Bristol Pullman – Britains first airliner? #1209045

FiltonFlyer
Participant

Thanks for the replies. So its certainly not the first, but perhaps the biggest at the time.

A

April 14, 2008 at 10:58 am in reply to: Problem Picture – Belvedere #1213516

FiltonFlyer
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Aviation Archive website

I know we are off the original topic, but raised it, so that’s OK! Just an update to Don and others that I now have update access to the http://www.aviationarchive.org.uk website, and I have already started making corrections such as those listed above. If anyone has any feedback or comments for the website, please feel free to PM me. I am now in the process of changing ‘Feddon’ to ‘Fedden’ – one which has really bugged me!

Andy A.

http://www.aviationarchive.org.uk – Charts aviation development at Filton and Patchway in South Gloucestershire from 1910 to the present day

April 10, 2008 at 3:17 pm in reply to: Problem Picture – Belvedere #1217269

FiltonFlyer
Participant

Aviation Archive website

Hi Don, and thanks for highlighting those mistakes.

This website is third of the ‘Three centuries of Transport’ website (the other two being canal and rail) with each website focusing on one part of the UK (Filton and South Gloucestershire for the aviation section). Funding was received for the project in 2001, and it was managed by the South Glos Council. A tremendous effort went into collecting and digising images for the website – a full time job – and the project lasted a couple of years. The valiant team of researchers were on fixed contracts, so when they finished there was no-one to answer queries or make updates. Since then, it seems feedback has gone into a big hole, until a couple of days ago when I got the last six months-worth, hence the original query. A few of us ‘enthusiasts’ who contributed as and when we could are now getting some of the feedback, and I am hoping that we can arrange for update access some time in the future, to make some corrections and updates as volunteers. It would be great if we could add some new material as well, especially video/audio, but as it would be done on a voluntary basis we’ll see how it pans out.

In the meantime, if anyone has any feedback I would be very happy to record it for future updates. I am aware there are some mistakes and a few major gaffes, but the team of researchers did an absolutely incredible job given the massive amount of information they had to process – from 1910 onwards, a factory that became the largest in Europe during WW2.

go to it …. http://www.aviationarchive.org.uk

Andy
… and I didn’t mention “Bristol” once

April 9, 2008 at 11:50 am in reply to: Problem Picture – Belvedere #1218490

FiltonFlyer
Participant

I’ve still got my Dinky Toy Belvedere, minus one rotor blade, I always wondered why it was painted light blue.

The Dinky model was based on the Bristol 173, not the Belvedere. The 173 had many differences, including shorter undercarriage and windows along the side. The 173 also had a variety of tailplanes and stub wings. I believe the Dinky version is close to the Bristol 173/2, as it has stub wings, although it never flew in a blue colour scheme as far as I know.

Andy

April 7, 2008 at 4:29 pm in reply to: Problem Picture – Belvedere #1220819

FiltonFlyer
Participant

Interesting stuff, thanks chaps. Wikipedia states that Lots Road and Fulham were two different power stations, and that the one in the photo is Fulham from the description. It was the Lots Road one that powered the underground.

Andy

April 6, 2008 at 6:30 pm in reply to: Serious Aviation Archaeologist researching south west crashes #1221761

FiltonFlyer
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I’ve always been intrigued by the Blenheim wreck that occasionally surfaces through the mud in the Severn Estuary. I don’t know the identity, but it could be L6597, a Blenheim Mk.I of 5OTU at Aston Down that crashed near Sharpness on 15th July 1940. There are numerous reports of it from the 1960s onwards, but I don’t know its current location. It was reported as intact in the 1970’s. I guess it’s gradually drifting further out into the estuary, so heaven knows what condition it’s in. Bit difficult to retrieve though. I’d be interested to find out more. There have been similar reports of a propeller in the mud near Portishead, although I don’t think it’s the same wreck, see http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=55992

Andy A.

April 4, 2008 at 1:22 pm in reply to: P-51 'Miss Helen' #1224958

FiltonFlyer
Participant

What is the status of this p51 as towards the end of last summer there was rumblings that this had flown, but in the new flypast is still classed as under restoration.

Any ideas?

Probably my favourite p51 in the uk.

It performed at the Kemble Open Day on 9/9/07. It is frequently housed at Filton alongside the Spitfire (MT928) during the winter and for maintenance, so it may well be there now. Restoration is certainly complete though.

Andy

March 23, 2008 at 6:00 pm in reply to: Brabazon Interior #1237571

FiltonFlyer
Participant

I came across this sectional drawing of the proposed Brabazon layout today, so I thought I’d resurrect this thread. The attached drawing shows upper and lower sleeper cabins at the front, a dining cabin over the wing, then a lounge and bar, and an aft cabin with 32 seats. under the bar are the ladies and gents dressing rooms. Not a far cry from some of the suggested layouts for the Airbus A.380, almost 60 years later (and another Filton product – OK, in part for the A380).

Andy A.

March 14, 2008 at 7:51 pm in reply to: UK Museum Visit Suggestions Wanted #1242550

FiltonFlyer
Participant

If you are heading west along the M4, to the ferry ports at Pembroke, Fishguard and Swansea, then I would recommend visiting the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton. Its not a big detour off the M4, and their website is at http://www.fleetairarm.com.

Andy

January 22, 2008 at 3:03 pm in reply to: Bristol Britannia Record Flight #1296196

FiltonFlyer
Participant

Where was the article?

The date of the flight was 18th/19th December 1957, and it is mentioned in the two most recent books on the Britannia, one by Charles Woodley and the other by Frank McKim. I mentioned it in an article I wrote recently, about the 50th anniversary of the first non-stop transatlantic service to be operated by a gas-turbine aircraft. This was BOAC Britannia G-AOVC, which left Heathrow for Idlewild on 19th December 1957, just a few hours after the El Al Brit had gone the other way. The anniversary did not get the news coverage I thought it deserved.

Andy A.

January 15, 2008 at 8:27 pm in reply to: Garden Use of Aircraft relics #1303957

FiltonFlyer
Participant

The Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble has a couple of interesting garden finds. The first is a couple of Bristol 170 Wayfarer noses that were either spares, or left over when clamshell doors were fitted to convert Wayfarers to Freighters. These noses were bolted together to form a clever garden shed with a door on each side. They have been restored and painted in ‘airline’ colours, but are still bolted together, and contain a Bristol Freighter exhibition inside.

The other find has an aviation link – it is an 1895 Bristol tram that was being used as a garden sun house. As some of you may know, the Bristol Aeroplane Company had its roots in trams, and the company was formed in 1910 (as the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company) by George White, director of the Bristol Tramways Company, and used their facilities. The tram is being restored on one side, and conserved in the state is was found on the other.

Andy A.

December 13, 2007 at 4:09 pm in reply to: Caernarfon's other Flea #1248839

FiltonFlyer
Participant

According to Wrecks & Relics, both are BAPC registered:
BAPC.201 ex Talysarn. Fuselage, rudder, wing spars. Modded u/c (sic)
BAPC.286 ex St.Athan, ‘local area’. Scott A2S
It also states that the ex St.Athan one is the one on display and under restoration to taxiable condition, so I guess you have BAPC.201.

Andy
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