I would ask why anyone would want to get rid of a XVI for a V!

IIRC the deal was for a MKV Spit which had Eagle Sqn history for SL574, though how well ‘restored’ the MKV would be is anyone’s guess, a bit of a bum deal IMHO, considering that the MKV (especially one with combat history) is the more desirable machine to the major collectors compared to a low-back XVI.

Tom

Last I heard was that Dave had moved overseas and the project was with another member of the group that bought her from Phil Earthey and she’s still in the Midlands afaik.

Tom

Hello Julian,

The Spit in question would be in the standard BofB scheme I’d say, that would be black spinner, Sky undersides and Dark Earth/Dark Green topsides, have a look at:

http://www.aceshighgallery.co.uk/pinfo/380

for a rough idea of what the basic scheme would look like:

http://brew.clients.ch/Markings41.htm

One thing I’d be interested to know is whether any other Spits at 7/57 OTU had bright coloured spinners during 1940 as IIRC one of the Spits George Unwin of 19 Sqn collected from the unit after swapping it for a misbehaving cannon-armed MKIb had a yellow spinner which was ‘applied when in use by 7 OTU’.

Don’t worry about having to apply any stripes as they didn’t come along until over a year later 😉

Atcham Tower is correct regarding the background buildings, IIRC they were part of the Vickers Wellington works and the Maintenance Unit also based there.

Tom

It would be great to get her and BBMF’s baby Spit up to Eshott at some point in the reletively near future. If we could nab IWM Lambeth’s Spit, we could make it a nice Eshott Trio….

Amazing work – well done. (And nice to see a little of Northumberland’s heritage back in the air again – yes I know she’s representative of her time at Hawarden, but there’s Northumberland in the air….)

Lindy,

It would be great for her to do a tour of her former ‘haunts’, we’ll have to see what can be arranged 😉

Tom

Any idea if this will just be a flying display or will she be landing?

I’m not sure at present Ollie, after looking through the website:

http://www.projectpropeller.co.uk/

… I’m still none the wiser!

Tom

Civil-liveried Dakota rumbling towards Kidlington about 6.30 last night.

Tom W going to busy with the piantbrush, or Air Antique passing by, I wonder?

Adrian

Air Atlantic returning from filming ‘Miss Marple’ at Booker guv 😉

Tom

Now I wonder if she has got her station keeping lights fitted in the little tank bay windows yet…….;)

:rolleyes: Shhhhhhh Roobarb, or everyone will be wanting them! 😉

Tom

Hello Peter,

Although it was before your Father joined the A & A.E.E. the Wing Commander Flying in charge of experimental flying from early 1941 until the spring of ’42 was W/C Allen Wheeler, who wrote a book on the subject called “Testing aeroplanes in wartime … that nothing failed them” which contains a number of interesting anecdotes regarding goings-on at Boscombe.

Thanks for starting such an interesting thread and getting your Dad’s info onto the Beeb’s site 🙂

Regards Tom