Just shows you, Bentwingbomber & Avro’s Finest know nothing about “Big Bristols”!

The Skysport Beau. was modified at Halton to take the later engines, probably Hercules 100’s as that was the training engine at the time. It also had four blade props. In 1959 I had the “privilege” to operate the hand primer in the wheel well and get blasted back past the classroom entrance at the rear, I guess the instructor thought it was funny!

Just to put on the record Ralph Cusack and myself have worked closely together on both projects. Ralph has from the beginning provided BS drawings for which we have not found a source in UK. (BS stands for Bristol Spares not Bulldust) He has also provided many of the bells and whistles associated with a project so complex, also a set of oil coolers. TFC has helped out with tungum pipes for the Beaufort hydraulics and copies of drawings from the RAF Museum.
We have also worked closely with Robert Greinert in obtaining the hard to get items, albeit patterns, such as ailerons, elevators etc. etc.
Other help has come from the guys in the Darwin Museum, a twenty foot container of trinkets was exchanged for us getting their Merlin to a static running condition.
Many other guys in OZ, to many to mention have also helped out. A warning to them, the POMS are coming back again in Jan/Feb to scrounge around again.

Hope that helps with the big picture!

Whilst work on the Gladiator is priority, work on the Beaufighter continues six days a week! Sorry the wife says seven days!

All systems go with the Gladiator. The restoration manpower is concentrating solely on this aircraft, the Sea Fury to follow jointly with the CR-42.