What is that excavator doing in the photo of engine, looks like it’s about to fall into the hole.

With top quality finds still deeply buried in the hole, we said he was not getting payed untill they was all recovered:D

Why? Me-109E made a perfectly valid comment,much of what is recovered from many digs DOES end up in private collections. One(fatal) crash I researched is on land which has been in the same family for several generations,the present owner remembers the crash in question,he was a boy of 16 when it happened. No one has ever asked for permission to remove anything from the site and,if they had,the request would have been turned down as the land owner feels it would be disrespectful to disturbe the site. Dispite this several groups and individuals have dug on the site and removed wreckage,both before AND after the protection of military remains act was passed,now what image of wreckologists does this portray?. True not everyone would act in this way,but the fact is there are those who seem to think any crash site is there for the taking regardless of what the landowner,MOD or relatives of those who died in the crash say,think or feel and it is THOSE people I am talking about here. Surely anyone who goes about a recovery in the correct way cannot find such a thread offensive?

I must agreed yes its a nice find and both a bitter one aswell but ha ho it all since past and we must move on. Some perople do get really offensive on here and like putting the ore in, much as you may be a little miffed that the hill sites have been clean up both by athorities and recovery groups,because you always raise this issue. Perhaps you should ask athorities if you can take some wreckage back up the hills or would they class it as littering?there must be some stored away recovered pre 1986, this was one of the reasons some high level crash sites were cleaned up.

Much as i do like to see intact sites this is no always the case and you normally find wreckage spread across hundreds of yards so i guess one of the reasons for a clean up

Come on lighten up a bit…. That spitfre is interesting there have been flyers produced out of much less! There are parts available to restore her if the funds are there though.

Interesting as the pile of wreckage may seem, its been talked over untill that post got locked so it water under the bridge, lets be honist boys there is nothing in 1940 that could not be remade today, all we have is something of historic interest and a dataplate to save the builder a few quid.

Lets be honist how many WW2 planes are origional and still flying, my guess is very few, just look at willys jeeps there are proberly more new builds sold as genuine 1940s but more like 2 year old that the real thing on the road

Not all sites had fatalities onboard so i dont want you to give the idea this was the case, if it was not for the enthuasts many of these crash sites would have been lost, records are not very accurate on most the crash location and a farm of 6 fig cassini map ref would be the case at best.

Aircraft not repairable after a crash was struck off charge during the war, anything wanted was removed at the time if they could by the recovery teams leaving the remaining wreckage unrecoverable during the war buried in the ground. Its only since the protection of military remains act came into forcethese sites have been licenced,today they have the choice obtain ownership of selected finds,any thing before that is water under the bridge

Anybody have pics of the bits and bobs of a Whirly what Steve Vizard recovered in the 70s?

Also, does he still have these or have they moved on?

Just spoke to steve and he still has everything stored & locked safely away:diablo: perhaps he has his own whirly project in mind at airframe asseblies to add to the bulding carbon footprint:D

I think that dig must have been the most complete whirlwind ever likley to be recovered, ok there are a handfull of others but either they were cleared away or lost in history and cannot be located, of which i can only think of only 4 sites if found that could yeald the rare baby merlin

Nice pics, i think the chance of getting one that good if far less than 1 in 10, your best bet is get a 4×4 and borrow that one:D

i think i know who ownes it, dont let him catch you!!!

Having been involved in various ways with aviation archaeology for thirty eight years I think I am well placed to distinguish between the “amateurs” and the “professionals”. Steve V and colleagues amateurs? Don’t think so, old chap. Some were doing this kind of work before some of those commenting were even born or out of their prams! 😀

Well could’nt not agree more andy,still chuck my toys out of the pram now and again:D , the old school certainly have seen more that their fare share of digs, and certainly the most historic BOB sites.

Should do a old school re-union and get the shovel out once again. Mine is polished ready to go:D , should all group together and do worth while exersize and find williams’s hurricane.

No, not what I said fighterace. In theory, We would not be happy if the area we were interested in was dug by another group. Especially if that group found items and removed them and would not display the parts locally in context with the airfield they were found on.

I take it you meant ‘have a cavalier attitude’ I too have been involved with Aviation archaeology for the last thirty years. The last thing the Aviation Archaeology movement needs is a ‘cavalier attitude’ A wrong choice of words on your count Sir!

Dont you just love the forum, its just like the predictive text on my phone. You can really get some people going. Wish i had as many bits when i go fishing!!!:D