Chumpy, another great shot – got any more? I have been trying to study the two pics to see if they are of the same grouping taken from different positions but probably not. I wonder if the second pic was at Whitchurch rather than Croydon?

Stinky Pete that’s a nice shot as well – I should think that’s just the kind of thing NII_VVS wanted. Can you by any chance read any of the registration of the second one behind – or the name on the nose?

Roger Smith

with the early nose she looks fantastic

well done guys

Here, here – I agree the early nosed Blenheim is my favourite mark. Looking forward to seeing it flying.

Roger Smith.

Has anybody any pictures of Meteors been transported by road?

Im guessing that the way the outer panels detach, centre section, rear and forward fuselage splits down it would be possible with some creative positioning to get it all on one lorry?

Before she settled in the SFWJHC at Midland A.M. we used to transport EE531 around the country a lot. After doing it a couple of times we managed to regularly get her dismantled, loaded onto one 40ft. artic., roaded, unloaded and re-assembled all in a single day. Just needed an ‘Iron Fairy’ at each end. Mind you she hadn’t got engines fitted.

Roger Smith.

Sorry for the delay but have now managed to complete a list of published photos that I know of of AW.27s

G-ADSV “Explorer” Putnam AWA p.250
AM 3/79 p.121 (behind G-ADSX)
AM 7/88 p.437, p.437 (behind G-ADSX)
IA BOAC/IA

G-ADSY “Empyrean” Putnam AWA p.245
AM 3/79 p.120
AM 4/79 p.182
AM 10/89 p.605 (behind G-ADSZ)
FL 15/2/57 p.??

G-ADTB “Echo” AM 4/79 p.181
AM 7/88 p.436
Photo in my collection (minus propellers)
Archive AWA p.72

AM = Aeroplane Monthly
FL = Flight (not absolutely sure of the 15/2/57 date but part two of the article was on 22/2/57
Archive AWA = the Ray Williams “Archive Series” book

Some of the above references may be the same picture and I haven’t noted which are in what scheme.

Hope this helps, Roger Smith.

welcome back Stormbird.
Can’t help with your enquiry though.
2 years time? I’ll start diggin me shelter now 😀 😀 😀

Roger Smith.

I thought that the “zig-zag” girder wing rib could be from, perhaps, many designs in the early transition from wooden to steel construction – replacing the timber components with steel. I believe it will be the cross-section of the steel spars that will clinch who the manufacturer was.

The AW Siskin certainly fits the category of “early steel construction” and the RAF Museum have three Siskin mainplanes (all uppers I think) which were found in Oxfordshire (IIRC) about 1970. I had spent a day looking for what had been described to me as a set of Flying Flea wings in the same area only 2 – 3 weeks before the (then new) RAFM announced their discovery.

One of the RAFM Siskin wings is on public display at the Midland Air Museum, Coventry but it is fully-covered. I, regrettably, no longer have access to this.

Roger Smith.

Brooklands already got a Viking haven’t they?

Science Museum I think ought to be interested – but I bet they’re not 🙁

Roger Smith.

A small estate adjacent to Barton Aerodrome Manchester contains………
….Avian Close….
Planemike

In the late 1960’s I helped push the fuselage of Northern A.P.S.’s Avian G-EBZM (now on exhibition at Manchester MSI) from their store/workshop (Peel Green?) to Barton to be displayed at an air display there. I took photos of it as we passed Avian Close.

Roger Smith.