F-84 cockpit for sale

A rough-and-ready translation of the description reads thus…

“Cockpit complete, Republic Aviation company, including canopy, complete dashboard, pilot ejection seat and handle of pilotage, specific materials, mounted on wheels.

Reference: US Air Force model F84F-61-RE, serial number: 52-6700.

Door “77th Fighter Squadron” and is decorated with the “Red Falcon roundel” 3.43 x 1.50 x 1.16 m.

77th FS (Fighter Squadron) of US AirForce is one of the oldest of the U.S. armed forces. It was formed in August 1917 in San Antonia Texas and was part of the 20th Fighter Wing. The use of the F-84F by the pilot of this flight was inaugurated in 1955, before being replaced by a Super Sabre. Lieutenant Colonel Bob Ackerly did add the Roundel of the “Red Falcon” when was the head of this mythical flight in 1956, based at the time at Wethersfield, in Great Britain. “

My usual source at http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1952.html doesn’t list this airframe, just the ones immediately before and after it:

52-6699 to Luftwaffe as DE+252. W/o May 21, 1962
52-6701 at Robins AFB

Hmm…52-6700 is probably ex-German and/or Greek: most of the batch 52-6643 to 52-6812 seem to have ended up with the air forces of those countries.

P-51D NL91T or NLNT

Well if its NL11LT then its this one http://mustangsmustangs.us/p-51/p51pics/pastpaint/picpagesSN/sn_385.shtml

Originally 44-74425 (c/n 122-40965) to RCAF as 9591. To civilian registry as N6522D, N22D, N51HB, N11T, NL11T, N11T, now with Western Aviation Maintenance, Mesa, AZ. Reservations PH-PLI and PH-PSI reserved in 2004. Registration N11T cancelled by FAA Apr 7, 2005 as sold to Meuler (Stichting Dutch Historic Aircraft Co) of Lelystad in Netherlands and registration PH-PSI allocated Apr 11, 2005. Painted as 474425 OC-G “Damn Yankee”

source http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_5.html

Unexploded WW2 bomb found in York today

Anywhere near a Chip Shop?? The Jermans bombed our Nans Chip shop!!!

As the local paper reported, quote:

“Shortly after the find, a worker at Harpers fish and chip shop, on Hull Road, told The Press: “We have been made to shut up shop and nobody has been allowed in to the area.”

Harpers (York)
15 Hull Road
York
North Yorkshire
YO10 3JL
Tel: 01904 414 004

See http://www.harpersfishandchips.co.uk/

More worryingly, I hear that there is a “Jet” Petrol Station just a few yards away from where this bomb was found (Is that true? If it is, then any explosion would be very messy!)

But, seriously, the local newspaper report fails to mention if the bomb was “one of ours” or “one of theirs” (i.e., German) – presuming that it is of 1939-45 vintage.

If is was “one of theirs”, then York was hit several times by the Luftwaffe in WW2 during the so-called “Baedeker Raids of 1942-44. York was first hit in these raids on 24 April 1942 during which the York Guildhall was damaged (see http://yorkairraids.wordpress.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baedeker_Blitz)

Another theory is that the bomb is German, yes, but of 1914-18 vintage:

“The “domed end” suggests to me that – just possibly – this might be a WWI Zeppelin bomb, and I have a feeling the airship that bombed Heworth in May 1916 tracked across the Hull road area first.”

Dambusters on ITV 4

Thanks for that…

Actually, I noticed that the aircraft representing Guy Gibson’s Lancaster (AJ-G) has its “real” serial NX673 clearly visible in some shots, but at some point during the making of the film, someone must have realised this was an error…because the shot of Gibson’s crew getting out of their Lancaster after the raid (near the end of the film), you can clearly see that “NX673” had been painted out, the “ED932” painted over it (there’s an obvious black stripe of fresh paint behind the serial…).

The Wellington used was rather too obviously a T.10: it has a metal nose cone instead of a nose turret…

Oh, and did you know? Patrick McGoohan (later of Danger Man and The Prisoner) appears uncredited in a minor part as an RAF Guard. This was McGoohan’s feature film debut, playing a guard posted outside a briefing room where the crews are being told of their mission. His only lines are spoken to Gibson’s dog.

But, best of all – and well done to ITV 4 – the broadcaster did not succumb to “political correctness”: Guy Gibson’s dog was clearly addressed by his real name throughout. It is a measure of how things have changed since 1955 that to state the name of the dog on this forum would be censored or even get me banned!

Lastly, this link http://www.lancaster-archive.com/lanc_movietv.htm suggests that at least two other Lancasters (TW862 and TW883) were also used for air-to-air and “flypast” shots. Another website (http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/afilms.html#Dam) stated “A fifth Lancaster that took part was Boscombe Down’s NX739. This was used as a back-up and for some aerial filming (most of the aerial shooting was done from a borrowed RAF Vickers Varsity).” That’s a total of seven in all…

Dominies for sale

It would have made sense to loan them to collections where they could be hangared for free and kept in good condition – Coventry comes to mind

apart from Cosford, have any gone into preservation?

Quickest answer to the above question is to look here: http://www.demobbed.org.uk/aircraft.php?type=587

Which lists where they all went to. Direct answer: XS727 is reported as having been preserved at Cranwell, making it the only Dominie (apart from XS709 at Cosford) that has definitely been preserved

One mystery: whatever happened to XS711? It has not been seen since April 2009, and there are no reports of it being scrapped or sold, or preserved…so where is it now?

Anybody fancy a Jetstream?

That’ll be Jetstream XX499 at Brooklands as discussed here: http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=107599

Be nice if a museum got it – the only problem being, like that Swift at Upper Hill (much discussed on another thread) the current owners may have unrealistically high expectations of its re-sale value, quote:

“We brought the aircraft for £60K two years ago..”

If they expect £60k or anything like it, they are going to be disappointed. As a “bench mark” Everett Aero at Spoughton has a Jetstream up for sale at around £19k (see here http://barnstormers.com/classified_533800_BAe+JETSTREAM+T+Mk2.html) which still has no takers, despite a price reduction

Dambusters on ITV 4

This seems the relevant thread to ask: which Lancasters took part in the film, and what became of them?

Of course the Lancasters in the Dambusters film were not the same ones that took part in the actual raid – but it is sobering to think that you could still get your hands on half a dozen airworthy Lancasters in 1955.

Were the aircraft that took part in the film later scrapped? You would have hoped that their “film star” status would have ensured their preservation…

I presume that PA474 (the BoBMF Lancaster) was not one used in the film?

Dominies for sale

One related point – having been parked out at Kemble for some nine months, surely these six aircraft are accumulating parking fees are a rapid rate?

Could it end up with them being, in effect, “abandoned”, and seized by the owners of Kemble airfield in lieu of unpaid parking fees? (Not the first time that has happened to airframes parked out for long periods…)

Although it has not happened, yet, the owners of these six Dominies could be, one day, put under pressure to shift them, to prevent them “taking root”.

As stated above, the longer they are sat out in the open, the more they will deteriorate, making them ever hard to sell on. These six airframes are a “tough sell” as they are now – probably impossible to sell on once they’re encrusted with weeds/moss/bird droppings

As for being “parted out”, as I said, because these are very early Series 1 airframes, few, if any parts would be re-useable in any other later HS.125s. I’m sure that very few 1965-66 vintage HS.125s are still flying, and in need of parts.

A prospective buyer may have have to buy at least three (plus the engines) just to keep one flying: one as a flyer, and two as spares hulks to keep the flying one going!