Here are some photo’s of the Dutch and French (the last one) fuselage sections. If I remember correctly there was also another section recovered by CARG at Innsworth, anything more to be had in the UK other than LK488?

The Stirling gap needs to be filled.

Cheers

Cees

Great pics Cees

I know the French will not part with theirs, but any news on the fate of the Dutch fuselage section?

The fuselage is relatively simple compared to the wings -it’s a pity that no great wing sections survive. Let’s hope one turns up.

Fact: this is a Halifax control wheel, no doubt about it. But looking at the brake levers, this is a co-pilot’s handwheel which was fitted optionally during training at Heavy Conversion Units (HCU) or used on the later C Mk III’s and Haltons. The pic also shows the handwheel upside down but who’s nitpicking.

The starting price however is IMHO ridiculously high. The person who is the winner in the end gets a handwheel with brake levers and just the topsection of the column. What can you do with it?

Well you can keep it as it is and have a very expensive (though nice) object in your collection or if it is to be used (Ian and Peter, are you reading this?) then only the handwheel and brakelevers can be used. It would be cheaper to hunt for a Hastings controlwheel and brakelevers as these are (almost) identical and relatively easier to find.

Whoever want this control wheel, I wish him/her every succes but it will mean that a holiday this year will have to postponed.

Just my opinion of course

Cheers

Cees

Hi Cees

At that price I doubt it will sell. If it were a Whitley one, I wouldn’t buy it at that price. I think someone could make an offer after the auction ends 🙂

Hi Cestrian

Thanks for your reply. I’m a bit young to have been to the US Armed Forces days but I wish my dad could have taken me up in the hills in the 70s!

I’ve never been to the B-29 but would like to one day, when I have a spare five minutes.

The Botha is interesting as I visited the wreck in Snowdonia – also some large chunks, but I think post Whitley i’ll give myself an easy life and concentrate on singe seat types 😉

Cheers

Elliott

And here are the pics!

Thanks Cestrian

They are wonderful pictures. Do you have any Whitley ones?

I’d be interested in knowing who your contemporaries were. Did you ever go up with David J Smith? (or are you David J Smith!!?). It is a VERY small world sometimes 😉

These characters actually say they lifted a sunderland from a lake in the north of England. Hmmmm

http://www.divetheworld.com/Who/INDEX.HTM

Wow! This is the first time I’ve used the forum and I am amazed at the replies. Solved the same day! A big thankyou to all, 682al you were right the panel was obtained at Shoreham aerojumble, initially the seller thought it may have been a Fairey Fulmar but later changed his mind. Web Pilot many thanks for identifying it and the links this helps immensely. And well done to Anneorac for confirming all this!
I plan on restoring the panel, I have the main 6 Blind instruments ie Alt, ASI, Gyro, Horizon, Rate of climb, Turn and slip etc…any idea’s what the remaining 4 instruments should be???? The 2 on the top and the 2 to the right of the panel.
Thanks again.
Fly.Buy

I would stand by the flap guages. The large hole on the top right would be a tacho. I would guess the bottom right one is a boost guage.

Sure it wasn’t perfect and I did feel for poor old Ray at times but it was still a very interesting program. Remember, these program are not aimed at experts who know it all, but the general public. It is not easy to get a commission from a broadcaster and various digs have been broadcast over the years – like it or not – the ‘live’ slant may have been a factor in getting the funds to make it.

I think it’s a bit mean spiritied to savage it – they did do their best to show Ray Holmes and his colleagues some serious respect.

And I take my hat off to Chris Bennett who spent 16 years trying to make it happen. Nothing like a bit of dogged determination to get my admiration! I thought it was okay.