RAF Sealand’s Morris Ambulance

Just thought I would add this for general interest, it’s the “Blood wagon” at RAF Sealand in the early thirties. The only other Siskin pics I have at Sealand are 41 Sqn and a very damaged neg of a Siskin being started with a Hucks starter, the rest are a wide coverage as Sealand was the RAF packing depot for aircraft going overseas as well as training units. Please note that these pictures are John Adams collection and have never been published.

John

Light Stores Carriers

I work on Mk 1Vs in 1944, & never saw any ref. on the drawings for modifications to fit bomb racks, — in 1943 the allied air forces were overflowing with bomber A/C. of all shapes, & sizes, capable of carrying large bomb loads, so what would be the point of adapting a tiny little Proctor 1V to carry a 500lb bomb, — with a bomb that size what purpose would it have served ?— it would be very lucky if it reached the French coast.
Some Light training A/C (prior to the Mk 1V.), were provisionally fitted with racks when the threat of invasion hung over Britain prior to ‘The Battle of Britain’, (1940) but the idea was soon put aside as the invasion threat passed, — the Proto-type Mk 1V (LA 589) flew (long after the threat had passed), in 1942/3. & came into service some afterwards.

Dustyone

Clearly the heading picture is fitted with a light carrier of some type. Where did the suggestion 500lb bombs and France come from? I would think the heaviest load would be anti-personel bombs or perhaps Sea Markers or Smoke bombs for training purposes rather than an attempt to sink the Bismark 🙂

John

A photo would make life easier, but as a right hand (tractor?) airscrew it sound like it might be off a rotary engine as most British inter war engines are left handers eg the Armstrong Siddeleys.

John

There was one test fuselage (never flown) made out of a Bakelite type composite called Aerolite.

John

Sanitaire?

Are you sure the Potez 25 on the left has “German” crosses and could it be the Sanitaire (ambulance version) with a cabin and white with Red crosses?

John

T.13 seats

Please, please, scan it and post it here!

Here is the illustration of the criminal T.13 seats. (shades of the B(I).8 and V bomber rear crew). It would appear that the Nav still went bang!

The drawings are now a long term project as I am updating the ones I used for my 1;48 scale kit with a view to eventual publication. I have just finished the main outline for the PR.9.

John

Canberra dimensions

I am currently measuring Canberras with reference to producing some accurate drawings for model purposes as all the published drawings contain some errors. The following might be of some help.

For some reason Canberra overall length is not measured over the pitot head,therefore a B.6 at 65’6″ becomes 66′ 3″ in true overall length.

Length T.19, 69′ 8″
Length, T.17 67′ 3″.
These were obtained with plumbed verticals and may have a tiny margin of tape error (ie < 1″).
Beware that some AP information is erroneous as the Vol one for the PR.9 gives the tailplane root (projected) chord as 12′, it is not, it is 10′.

Also I note in the list posted that the PR.9 wingspan is given as 69′ 5″. It is 67′ 10.5″ or I believe later at 67′ 11.5″.

I worked on 2’s, 3’s 4’s, 6’s, 7’s, and 9’s.

John

Creaking door….

It was the name Creaking Door that reminded me of my one encounter with the Hastings T5. That was sitting in the pax seats next to the door on a flight to Ballykelly and being fascinated by, the amount the gap around the door, varied from interesting to frightning!

Cheers

John