Wellington?

Very good! Wish it were the right anwer…

It was – there was a photograph of it in Aeroplane Monthly in the early 90s. It was also painted Olive Drab over gray, so may not be ‘black’

But was this Black Widow airframe still at Heston during the 1950s? Some reports say it flew away in 1945 or 46.

I’ll have to chase the Aeroplane Monthly archives – if anyone has a more precise date for the photo or article I’d be even more grateful…

Re: Heston Airport, have you looked at ” BOAC Sports Festival 09 June 1951″
and “Mystery Landing at Heston Airport” ? Both forums can be found via the search engine. A feature article entitled “Late Landings at Heston” will
be appearing in Air Britain’s quarterly magazine “Aviation World” in the summer, 2010

Thanks, Aerofoil; I have seen these and only wish I had known about the BOAC event in 1951 since I was living in the area by then. I must have been a very unobservant seven year old not to have noticed the extra flying activity!

I don’t think it solves your problem but this will bring back a few memories for you and any modeller will relish the Victor Woodason stuff.

http://www.collectair.com/woodason.html

Thankyou Sky High. I’ve seen the Woodason site and enjoyed it. The ruins of Grange Farm were still standing in North Hyde Lane while I lived in the area – although I didn’t know its history then. I suppose it wasn’t worth redeveloping the site because the M4 was due to pass through.

More or less across the road from Grange Farm was an overgrown turning onto the airfield with a faded noticeboard announcing “Alan Muntz Aircraft” and “Baynes Aicraft Interiors” – presumably the premises where the Youngman-Baynes High Lift monoplane was designed?

Heston Airport mystery continued

After seeing an old thread where much discussion was generated about the Helmy Aerogypt conversion to a White Waltham henhouse, I was hoping for a flood of replies to my question about the identity of the black fuselage dumped alongside the hangars on Cranford Lane during the 1950s.

Perhaps I could extend the query and ask if anyone has any reminiscences to share about the final years 1945-47 of Heston? Its heyday is quite well documented, but I am intrigued by the process of its decline into gravel pits and motorway service area.