Henry not Harry Folland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Folland

Richard

Mayhem Wrote, P-47 Thunderbolt “Nellie” just gone low over Alton, Hants, heading South East. Glorious sight and a great noise!

I saw it too, bit further south of Alton heading down the Eastern side of the Southampton zone, taking it easy in a gentle cruise. Made me wonder how it would have been flown in wartime conditions, marching on a bit quicker I suspect.

Richard

The Tom Reilly one is has Merlin power and the Wally Fisk one has Allisons.

Richard

I have no idea as to where it came from but I am sure it has seen some alterations during its life, the main panel is obviously well made and from something production built being that it has a pressed inner skin, but the steel hinge would look more at home on someones front door and the bolted on alloy bracket has seen some care being nicely joggled to step it over the hinge only to be bolted down over a rivet tail doh.
But that said whoever did it wanted it to stay together or it was important because they nicely staked the bolt ends with a punch to stop the nuts coming off!

Richard

Hi Duggy

Just a guess on my part but it looks to me like a temperature/pressure sensor already attached to the port interplane struts so perhaps the brackets were an alternative location for the same. The positioning is obviously at the front and rear spar but the brackets barely look sufficient to attach anything more sinister like a weapon, although they are placed to put them outside of the prop arc but that could equally be a requirement for a weapon firing something or a sensor needing to be in clean air. Short answer I don’t know.

Richard

Dave
Number 11 is the prototype HP Hastings TE580 ff 7 may 1946, next to it to the right in the picture and looking very similar is a Avro Tudor which could be the prototype G-AGPF or one of the first production aircraft G-AGRF.

Richard

I think the fairing that would enclose the open front end of the extended bombay is on the floor behind the guy on the right in the image, it has curved cross members that would conform with the fuselage belly skin curvature and is open at the rear allowing the merlin prop shaft and reduction case to protrude into the fairing. Also what looks like two hefty angle brackets are visible ahead of the bomb bay opening, I suspect these are the attachment points for fitting the fairing to the forward fuselage.
Its annoying because I think I have seen this picture in a book somewhere but I cannot find it, frustrating.

Richard