Progress on the timber buck for Hector engine fairing. The buck runs from the propeller back to the rear of the pilot’s seat. From the pilot’s seat back, the Hector is the same as the Hind or Demon, albeit with a Barr & Stroud mount for the gunner, rather than the usual Scarff Ring. In order to fit the longer Dagger engine in place of the Kestrel, the main fuel tank was shortened, firewall tilted vertically and pushed back towards the pilot. Therefore everything forward of the pilot’s backrest is different to the Hind. With the original fuselage, firewall, engine bearers, exhaust and Dagger core, the key lofting lines have been established in the timber buck, to form the backbone. From here, the buck will be infilled to aid the progressive wheeling of panels. The most complex wheeling is immediately behind the propeller, composed of intake ducts and nose fairing. 

A very interesting technology, when you appreciate that 1 m3 of water becomes 1,700 m3 of steam, representing a very large dynamic force, still in use to launch jets today. The capacity of a ship to generate the power to convert water to steam was the matching element. It is an obtuse reference to the current challenge of generating enough electricity to power a laser with sufficient energy to melt  a missile at distance. Only a ship with a massive energy generating capacity can support this, as distinct to a land based, mobile system. Perhaps the only land based system that can support, and should have lasers, is a nuclear power plant, to deal with drone threats. All that from 1931 catapult trials at Farnborough, when the British Lion absolutely roared with innovation. Nevil Shute’s ‘Sliderule’ says the Lion was slayed by Estate taxes, so eccentric folks like Lady Houston lost the means to back eccentric effort. 

Graham, thank you, great to piece all the parts of this story together, with first person recollections, including the story of the b*mb releases. My understanding is that the Cloughjordan Hector came from N. Ireland, ex RAF, and the identity was unknown. The identities of IAC Hectors, within a smaller dataset, are easier to pin. For IAC 88, remarkably, there is the original Westland dataplate AND logbook. For IAC90, there is a fitter’s cursive, in paint, on the firewall. I understand there are photos of the recovery of these airframes, buried as shoring to a riverwall behind the scrappies yard. I attach a photo of the Westland dataplate, which, unlike other Hart types, was attached to the timber decking on the right hand side of the pilot, rather than to the lower left of the cockpit panel. How do we know this? An enterprising local youth, passing the Hectors, jemmied the dataplate off, back in the day, when the glint of brass caught his eye. As a slow moving adult, hearing of the recovery of the Hectors, he handed his booty in, so winning favour with the Goddess of History, allowing a remarkable reunification. The Westland dataplates, being Westland, are different to the look of Hawker dataplates, which are consistent even where contract manufacturers like AV Roe and Bristols output Hart types. It is a fine thing that this dataplate for IAC 88 and associated airframe have survived, and remain to tell the IAC story, in Ireland. Bits and pieces of restoration material will come back from Australia to add to IAC 88, as they are wrought, sure as a sunburned Dubliner returns from Bondi Beach. 

Too early to say, Sopwith. Deciding that question is really all about the powerplant. At this stage, work proceeds on engine fairing, which is work enough. All done to airworthy standard, so not precluding any future pathway. Structurally, the aircraft is the same as other members of the Hart family, so not impossible to return to flight. At the beginning of this journey, even finding Hector remains seemed utterly impossible, so who knows where the journey can end. Certainly finding Dagger engine parts would help immensely. Small things help. I have never come across mechanical b*mb release levers, in the upper left corner of the cockpit panel, which would help complete the cockpit. 

A start is being made on a timber forming buck for Hector IAC90, with engine bearers coming from the remains incorporated into Demon G-BTVE. Two IAC Hectors exist, IAC88 in Ireland and IAC90 in Australia. The timber warren truss section is based on the fuselage remains of IAC90, so is dimensionally correct, albeit looking like a sheep crush. There is a Dagger engine with this project, where the combination of fuselage with firewall, engine bearers, Dagger, exhaust manifold, Potts oil cooler, GA drawings, hundreds of photos and skilled wheeling can allow the engine fairing lines to be resolved. In simple terms, it’s Cessna 152 engine fairing turned sideways, with a 24 cylinder engine. 

A great piece, brought to light. My understanding, from Australia, which only shares a common latitude, is that the Wapitis, Tutors and later Hartbees were assembled at Robert Heights Aircraft and Artillery Depot, (Zwartkop) near Pretoria. UK built Wapitis serials 601-604 (1929-30) were followed by serials 605-631 (1931). So your dataplate 587 in 1933 may relate to a rebuild. (SAAF serial numbers seem to jump around) Only SAAF records may illuminate this. If you can make a good connection at the SAAF Museum who can answer your question, please let me know! 

dhfan, thank you, Mothminor, thank you, very much!

Good to see the ‘airscrew guard’ for a pilot that liked to stretch his arms. Still no answer on spars tho. HP designs were ‘all big’, so not the kind of thing you could keep in a garage. HP is probably the least known designer in these current times, but he seemed a giant in his day.