Can’t lay my hand on it but the SVAS newsletter said thet the Water leak on the Shuttlworth Hind had been fixed, so its serviceable for this years displays.

I am dreaming of the day when a we have a Demon/Hind pair, a Gladiator pair and a Nimrod pair in the air together, something I never ever imagined possible.
What a sight that would be, Six silver 1930’s biplanes in formation.

Richard

This is the link
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370501473642&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm570%26_nkw%3D370501473642%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

Richard

On an aircraft of the 1950,60,70 era, such as the Victor, most of what you see is structural metal skinning, forming the airframe, if you then want to transmit or recieve radar/radio signals you need a none metalic panel through which the waves will travel. An early example is the H2s radar fairing fitted under the rear fuselage on Lancasters.
These panels are made in a number of ways but are esentially thin composite(fibreglass)skins, inside and outside with a filler like honeycombe made of Phenolic all bonded together with resin. making a sheet about 10mm thick. They are assembled and formed in a mould to the shape required. On the victor the whole section below the cockpit was a fibreglass tub with the bombing radar scanner behind it.
The paint requirement for these panels is much stricter than the rest of the aircraft, because anything added to the surface alters the way the radio waves travel through it, causing distortion and loss of effectiveness, so only a thin layer of special paint is applied to these parts, hence the different colour.
Also damage to these panels and the ingress of moisture between the layers also causes distortion.

Richard

None left in Kabul,or India ??

I seem to remember that a couple of Kabul Kestrel’s went missing from the scrap yard in the time between the finding of the cashe and the airframe recovery taking place. It was suggested they had been scrapped. Some enginew were brought out.

Richard

She shouldnt be using that life jacket its out of date.

Richard

The picture of the Stratacruiser across the hangar mouth is interesting, its on dollies that ran in tracks set in the ground to enable it to be towed in/out sideways. The fin would be lowered by folding it sideways.

Richard

I would say almost certainly made from aluminium, but I doubt formed by pressing.
If I were making it I would get a chippie to make a wooden buck, just formers and frames in the shape required, then work some soft aluminium sections, probably four, might get away with two, using a sand bag, mallet and a english wheel. Then weld these sections together, file the welds back and dress flat. Much like racing car bodies were built then and still are by classic car restorers.
A pressing would require an expensive tool for a relativly small production run.

Richard

I wonder what a ‘Rolls Royce Avon Jet Fire Engine (ex Canberra bomber)’ is?

Richard