I was sat in my office in the City of London on the phone to a colleague downstairs who was also interested in aircraft. Heard a strange noise outside, looked up then said to my colleague “I’ve juist seen a Sunderland flying over”. She didn’t believe me, then it came over again so I told her I’d seen it again and it was definitely a Sunderland. She started to come upstairs but she was too late for the fourth and final viewing. On my way home I walked over London Bridge and there was G-BJHS parked in the pool of London. Must have been circling making sure there was enough room to land (water?). It was there for a few days, you could go round her if you were willing to use the small boat from the river bank.

Years before that, 1968 I think, I was on one of those school cruises and we went through Lisbon docks. There in a compound was a heap of Harvards that we were told were from the Biafran Airforce.

This is the only photo that I have been able to find of a Siskin cockpit interior. It is a Siskin III. Of particular note is the area defined as a map box on the drawing (see previous post) that is being used for the CAV hand start magneto and a container (flask!?).
One of the two handles shown below the panel and centre is the Constinesco hand pump. I will guess that the other is the engine primer. I don’t like guessing!

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If anyone has any other photos of the cockpit, please post.

Regards
John

The modelling book on the Siskin, can’t remember the name of the series but it was a blue covered softback, has a couple of photos and a drawing of the IIIA instrument panel and while the shape is broadly the same the instruments and locations are different.

I scaled up the drawing to make a resonably accurate copy for the first Cockpitfest. Might still have it somewhere

Yes, why not take the law into your own hands, guys – get an axe or carving knife…go on, Eric said it is ok.

Just as well we don’t have freely available guns in Britain, eh?

They’re very freely available round here. Just not legally available. Two bunches of kids were recently blatting away at each other outside my daughter’s flat. A while back, my wife was working in the local theatre and and asked to be met after work because trouble was brewing. Sure enough, five people were shot that night, next day I saw bullet holes in a local restaurant opposite the theatre.

Neither event made the news though

The most ridiculous things was deciding to put the RAF Museum at a site which wasn’t going to be an active airfield (Just because it HAD to be in London?)

If you’re trying to bring in and/or educate the general public, tourists, school parties etc, the last place you want to be is on an active airfield, it’s too remote and security can be an issue. What you want is a place that has room for expansion and is close to a major connurbation with good public transport links, like Hendon.

I’d like to see Aviaiton Heritage Centres near other major towns and cities but I’m not sure how viable that is. Places like Newark and East Fortune seem to do well do well but there aren’t many of them. Anyone know how IWM north does? Does it meet expectations in terms of visitor numbers?

I just wondered how many Percival Pembrokes/ Sea princes have survived? I recall seeing a lovely one at Duxford abut 15 years ago.

There was a Pembroke and two Sea Princes at the Gatwick Aviation Museum. Now, acording to their web site, they have only a Sea prince, WP308. Not sure where the other two went.

A bit more progress, just need those pesky Radalts!

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What type of radalt?