KN

PM sent.

Lee

Just a reminder that Geoff Goodall, whose site is mentioned in this thread, also recently wrote a book on the Drover published by Air-Britain: https://www.air-britain.co.uk/actbooks/acatalog/Drover.html

The nose-less fuselage is almost certainly G-ALVG. Very sad to think that this most significant airframe wasn’t preserved when its rival, the Boeing 707 prototype, managed a better fate.

IThen there’s no money to repair the Sea Hawks exhaust system, so she gets sent away for storage…..Then what happened to the 3rd Swordfish???

I think you’ll find there was nothing wrong with the Sea Hawk’s ‘exhaust system’ at the time she was (rightly) sent for proper storage pending a decision on her future.

And ‘the 3rd Swordfish’ is NF389. Over the years she has provided much needed spares for the other two aircraft and indeed her wings are currently fitted to W5856.

There are many positives in the aircraft being transferred to the G-reg under PtF rules. Rather than complain about it and the lack of funding, why not pledge your support and do your bit to keep these unique aircraft flying? Just a thought….

Viscount

Ref Devon C.2/2: the conversion to Gipsy Queen 70 Mk.3 (equivalent of the civil Dove Mk.8) was done in two phases: Phase 1 was the introduction of the new engines, while Phase 2 was the replacement of the canopy with a Heron canopy, giving the distinctive raised profile. But in all of the official DH paperwork, the designation ‘C.Mk.2/2’ never appears. They were only ever referenced as ‘C.Mk.2’. It is someone’s corruption of the phases of modification, but that in itself does not lead to an official designation and therefore should not be quoted. It is, however, far more accurate to identify them as ‘C.Mk.1’ (original), ‘C.Mk.2 Phase 1’ (engine mod) and ‘C.Mk.2 Phase 2’ (engine and canopy mods).

My explanation, which will hopefully appear in the book whenever it gets completed, should give much more information.

The proper designation for XR441 to XR445 was C.Mk.1. There was one C.Mk.4 (XM296) and one CC.Mk.4 (XR391, ex-Queen’s Flight). As per the Pilot’s Notes. Thetford got confused with the Sea Devons which were C.Mk.20s (with the exception of one ex-RAF C.Mk.2 – often, and erroneously – referred to as a ‘C.2/2’). No other variations need be profferred!