How this aircraft got to be on its back is pure supposition as already stated. The actual ditching process is influenced by so many factors, speed of touchdown being one, slow means high AoA and the rear fuselage strikes the water first and might break off, a faster touch down gives a flatter angle but more stored energy to lose and any weak point (glazed nose) is a potential scoop that could fill the fuselage with water in seconds. Dipping a wing tip in first will result in a violent rotation(again possibly breaking the tail off) which may or may not help survival, more help in the case of high winged aircraft which turn upside down if ditched straight ahead. Add to all of this the wave state, wind strength/direction, crew incapacitation, control difficulty due to damage and visibility then anything could have happened. I desperately hope that when it is eventually turned the right way up the upper surface is in a good state of preservation, fingers crssed.

Richard

Why go to all the effort, added difficulty and expense of attempting to raise this aircraft in one whole piece when the conservation tanks look as if they are only big enough for broken down component sections?

Richard

Adrian
The way the metal is torn around the edge of the holes it makes me think the tool that made the hole was rather crude, perhaps just a steel bar or tube pressed into a block of something soft, perhaps wood.
I also wondered if someone was making some sort of letter ident discs discs, would the letters that are still visible fit in the size of one of the punched out holes, although saying that they do look a bit big. Perhaps they used a smaller letter size for the ones they punch out.

Richard

Chowhound
It would have been easy to fit suitable board room furniture into a standard Hastings cabin, held down using the cargo/seat floor attachments. Although it is difficult to see how it would have been used while the aircraft was parked on the ground due to the fuselage slope. Not a problem in the air but no one could hear then due to the engine noise!
I dont think the four, sound proofed, VIP configered C4 Hastings WD500, WJ324/5/6 had a large table as part of the VIP conversion judging by the interior pictures I have seen.

Richard

Thomas

Thats a good choice, always my favourite RCAF scheme with white wings, red horizontal stab and all that polished metal, a real work of art and a sight to behold.
You might need a team of polishers though.

Richard

Is this the same as what is called a crash switch, they cut electrical power in the event of a moment of high ‘G’ due to an accident but can be set off in a heavy landing, the lever would be used to re set it if it had tripped in the heavy landing instance.

Richard

All 4 Super Guppies survive – but only the one above is airworthy

Five Super Guppies were built, one went to NASA and that was retired to the Pima Museum. Another four were built for Aerospacelines/Airbus component transport, and three of these have been retired, 01 is at Bruntingthorp, 02 at Toulouse, 03 in Germany and 04 was sold to NASA to replace their first one and that is the one still in service.

The CL44 Guppy was being worked on at Bournemouth but with the financial demise of its owner it must surely be attracting the attention of the scrapman.

Richard

I’m surprised this a/c never ended up with The Shuttleworth collection

Yes, I too think Old Warden would make an excellent home for the Q6, Mr Percivals beautiful wooden creations are sadly poorly represented there since the Mew and Vega Gull left. Perhaps once it is airworthy the owner could be persuaded to pop along with it.

Richard