Can any kind sole provide XM833’s history, i.e. when it was converted from a HAS.1 & units served etc?

Thanks
Dave

700H
819
Converted to HAS.3, flown 10.67
814
820
737

Hi all..have been asked by NEAMs project leader to try and get an idea of some colour schemes and paint codes as our Whirly XN258 will be undergoing a re paint when the aviation academy have finished doing the skinning repairs

was dark sea grey used for the RN SAR helis? info and pics would be greatly appreciated

Scott

XN258 is a HAR.9. The only (accurate) scheme you can go for on this aircraft is the RAF Blue-Grey and Fluorescent Red/Orange that she wore whilst with either HMS Hermes SAR Flight as ‘336/H’ or with RNAS Culdrose Station Flight as ‘590’.

The last time EDSG and Sky was applied was to the early HAS.7s.

A complete chapter on Camouflage and Markings will be included in our forthcoming helicopter book, hopefully due out by the end of the year. If your Project Leader wants to contact me direct, then I’m happy to help wherever I can.

Rgds

Lee

That’s very disappointing of IWM. The Fleet Air Arm Museum encourage individuals to either donate their originals or, if not, allow them to borrow them to make photocopies. By turning individuals away like that they are not ensuring that the originals will eventually come their way. Much better to have a copy and then later down the line replace it with the originals than to have neither.

Who was your father, out of interest?

Lee

Yes, if I remember rightly, a large amount of the wreckage was recovered. Last I heard there was still some of the wreckage in store with RNHF, and I believe some small parts were used in the VR930 restoration.

No, none of it left with RNHF; all went for scrapping (although many small items purporting to be from TF956 were still being sold by private individuals at aerojumbled up and down the land well into the late 1990s at least). One properller blade is still in the Yeovil area, but that’s about it. None of the remains were used in the rebuild of VR930 as a:) they were too badly corroded, and b:) it is MoD policy not to use crashed aircraft items in other aircraft.

My favourite was a BBC one off called the ‘600 mph Men’, best docu I’ve ever seen about British post-war aviation, be great to get it on DVD.

Was that the one which featured Dave Morgan (Supermarine), Bill Waterton (Gloster) and a very rare interview with Eve Derry (John Derry’s widow)? Aired probably 1996/97 ish? If so, I think I’ve got it on VHS tape somewhere……the trouble is working out exactly where. You’re right, it was a terrific documentary and one I’d certainly loke to see again.

Must get digging under the stairs…..:D

As has been said, the wings from a 4-series Comet wouldn’t fit. Besides, I think the corrosion on the mounting points is too far advanced for that if memory serves me right.

Herewith a selection of photos I took 20 years ago (:eek:) showing the cabin area after I, with the help of the late Ray Gall, had spent an entire (and very cold) winter painting the cabin and cockpit floors and the first class area structure ready for opening to the public at Easter. The colour image is a view from the cockpit looking aft towards the galley and first class area (the cokpit door is slid open up into the roof).

In early 1990 Ray, Dave Hill, Emma Hill and myself went to RAE Farnborough to start dismantling the tail section of former RAE Comet 2E XN453 (G-AMXD) which had been cut off and put to one side for MAM (at it still was then) with a view to grafting it onto F-BGNX. With hindsight it would have been a hell of a job, but not helped by the fact that in the storms of late 1987 the entire tail section was hurled into the air and over a 10ft high fence, sadly losing a few feet off the starboard tailplane and damaging the top of the fin in the process. Once we had removed the upper fin Roger Duffell transported the rest back to Salisbury Hall on one of his trucks. In the colour shot you can see the upper fin, the rudder and the squashed remains of part of the rear fuselage which we found at the RAE fire station.

Do any parts of the structure still exist, Bruce?

Happy days!

Cheers

Lee