It is now some ten years ago that Z7015 took to the air again following its nine year restoration. Does anyone know the answer to the following questions.

1. Is the IWM still involved with its operation albeit based at Old Warden.

2. Was the working arrester hook ever used in displays, I can’t remember!

3. How much work would be needed on the airframe, to enable full display flights with gentle aerobatics to be flown.

4. Did the Sea Hurricane restoration team disband or do they still look after Z7015 today.

Septic.

1. Dont know but doubt it (except p’raps the Hurri has an obligation to be at some shows
2. Seem to recall a shot of it down
3. None, but remember she has a Merlin III with all the limitations that incurs (i.e. about 300 hp less, inverted lims etc). I am pleased to see this babe displayed how she is at the moment.
4. Not sure the team leader is still with us. Great chap he is.

Maternal Grandad – RAF, taught Bomber crews to fly in Oxfords, Ansons 1939-1941
Catalinas 1942-45 sank UBoat (got DFC) rescued shot down Coastal Command Liberator crew (got AFC), flew Meteors and Shacks post war.
Great Uncle – RN
Great Uncle – Army, Burma Railway
Great Great Uncle – RN – Jutland vet
Cousin – Major in Army blown up by IRA
Paternal Grandad – RAF from 1918, too old WW2, ARP etc
Great Grandad -Army, German POW WW1
Uncle – Army
Dad RAF ASR postwar
Mum WAAF (met Dad, hence…me!!)
Me – flight test engineer from 1987 until who knows when!!

Ah.

You mean as opposed to the B52 which is still in front line service and the DC3 / C47 that still do useful work at Atlantique and all across the third world, and the Stearmen and Harvards that are earning good money as training ships?

Good point, well made. 😉

Moggy

Nice try big boy! 😉 See my quote…’in there’….i.e. take it out and get it back flying…easy with that Huey!

Anyway…give some respect to helios!! 🙂

Yep….dont understand the derision towards helicopters. They are fantastic and very more useful. Sure, they lack the glamour of some fixed winged aircraft (except the Apache). But a helicopter is truly a technological miracle. The flight control system of a helicopter is (rightly) generally more complex than a fixed wing aircraft….try unravelling the matrices of the aero derivatives if you do not believe me!!

I was wandering around the AAM in Duxford, the only aircraft in there that is still ‘useful’ and could still earn its keep is the Huey! That speaks lots.

Unfortunately, most historic enthusiasts ignore helicopters as boring without fully understanding how useful and fantastic they are. SAR only became truly effective when we had the means to deploy an all weather longish range asset to find and recover the survivors…like it or lump it helicopters are still pioneering and are truly Thompson products (they do exactly what they are designed to!!).

My dream is that one day the UK’s most historic helicopter stiil in service, Chinook ZA718 ‘BN’ veteran of the Falklands, Gulf War 2 and many flight test episodes will be preserved at RAFM Hendon. However, even tho’ she is over 25 years old, she had a good decade or two years left in her. Other that Hercules and Canberras, whatother fixed wings in RAF service can boast that life?

Easy…Spitfire

sorry…shouldve elaborated….I have a Spitty prop hub badge, it is marked purely with the ROTOL badge. The Dowty takeover was post war (or so I believe).

Anyone else other than whom? Both operated by ETPS/QinetiQ from Boscombe Down.

Indeed used for the ETPS course exercises and also taking studes around….lovely aircraft, 14 years since I spent many hours in both…those were the days (kick in rose tinted specs!!!)