Thank you very much for your comments Bill. The next pics are for you. Of course work on the centre section continues all the time. Occasionally, while waiting for new parts to arrive work stops, so other assemblies are tackled. This is what we are aiming for with the centre section:

Here is a reminder of what we started with – this is the burnt out, corroded centre section from Whitley N1498, the aircraft we are rebuilding. Some pics here with my friend Brian Dickinson at the site in 2001 http://www.scotcrash.homecall.co.uk/site20.htm.

Here it is today, on a very dark, wet and windy day, after a lot of hard cash and man hours and maybe even a few minor miracles… No expense has been spared to keep it is original as possible.

Excellent progress update Elliott,

“Dear Friends,

I have been made aware of a number of comments being posted through social media about the proposed sale of a part of the
Hangar 11 Collection and I decided best to lay out the facts from my standpoint.

I started the collection in 1999 and since, we have built up an enviable set of amazing flying, active warbirds each unique in their own way. Personally, I have flown some 2000 warbird hours and too many hundreds of air displays to remember, over the last 15 years or so. Fact is that I really do have the Tee shirt and so many wonderful memories that will never be equalled in aviation.
However, the Hangar 11 Collection is a tough business to run , in organisational terms, in financial terms and most of all in emotional terms. It’s rather a drain to be honest and I am looking to reduce my workload as I am struggling to keep up with family commitments, work commitments and also to find the resources to complete our unique MK IX Russian Spitfire PT879.

So a very hard decision was made to reduce the collection down to the pair of P51 Mustang and MK XI Spitfire and to concentrate on completing PT879, for which we need room in the hangar. I will of course carry on with my airshow work but frankly it isn’t a quick process to sell aircraft of this type, so I am not counting on any disruption to our 2016 season. We are very relaxed sellers and are under no pressure until the right home is found for the P40 and Hurribomber.

Hope this helps to allay your fears and responds to the many emails I have received to date.
Happy Xmas and a peaceful new Year to all my friends and followers.
Fly safe
Peter”

It has been a pleasure seeing Peter’s collection of aircraft displayed at events, and safely operated from North Weald. All credit to him and his team.

Hi,

Meteor Nightfighters are something I have a lot of restoration experience with. I will try to answer any questions you have.

The two main reasons I found for corrosion in the Meatbox are:

– Dissimilar metals. Aside from the steel screws in aluminium skin, the Meteor has steel air brakes on an aluminium structure, and steel undercarriage beams on an aluminium spar.

– Water traps. First make sure all of the existing drain holes are clear. If the airframe can’t permanently go inside, we found the best way alleviate internal water traps, was to seal the upper surfaces, and provide additional descreet drain holes in the lower surfaces.

I am a big fan of these too.

For the affected areas, the best way is to strip the paint off, carefully recording the layers of markings you find. Treat the corrosion you find, and then re-prime/re-paint.

Areas like the steel air brakes can be fully dissasembled, cleaned up, treated and then re-assembled.

The undercarriage bay steel reinforcements are the main issue if they are too far gone. Please make sure you have some suitable jacks and the airfraft is sufficiently secured before you start working in here. To get to anything major in the u/c bays requires some dismantling. Don’t attempt it without jacks!

It has got me thinking as to what 5mil£ get you built from bassically a 5 million budget today?

How much will it cost for Just Jane to fly?

I am thinking DEFIANT, any clues oh wise ones?

Der…

Obviously another 3 Spitfires!

😉 😉 😉

As long as you treat it as entertainment, not documentary, it’s absolutely fine.

Moggy

How dare you!
😉

Hi Venomnut,

Unfortunately, it is unlikely to be able to narrow down the search for it’s exact usage however, it is an early grip with the cover for the weapon release button which was either removed in service or fell off which, is why it was removed from subsequent issues to prevent a FOD hazard!

The lack of letters, ‘C’ and ‘M’ on the two buttons would also suggest a single seat application. So possibly, early Meteor, Venom, Attacker, export Vampire etc.

Given that time period too, there may well have been other ‘test’ or ‘experimental’ types which will have used this grip as well.

Oh, for a copy of AP1086, section 27J circa 1950-1970!

Martyn,

GYD

To add a correction to your statement here, it should narrow it down a litte more:

The following meteors all had spade grips, not stick tops.

F1, F3, F4, T7.

This grip is most likely a Venom or Attacker as you say. For sheer numbers produced, it is probably Venom but that is not possible to tell from the part number alone.

John,

That’s a good pointer to how long this is going to be!