Dr. John SmithFournier RF-4D G-BIIF
A dig around the French equivalent of G-INFO (at http://www.immat.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/immat/servlet/aeronef_juridique.html?CTRL_ID=30_83d37c1f&CTX=1kibMBjT409T0fyjwq1QqRQpj00LpSW0HQc5sOIvrT6biBaXXSsXDON051zh1mnPWqGC00aO02cnlOMH6OMDqRt9900bqQ79bSsXlR6HuS3z00000000CTmW0000G00000NG01aHFKrz9H7Do015gONPXBcnXRcSkIMvqPMTbSXBYeAJtWOSu0W01IG05Tc5iTMLuSW0GQc5sOIviOMvdBavrRM9bSeQibHqBbE2B0W00U70002aIU000) turns up this
Person Address City Date of registration
AERO CLUB WINGS Florentin AERODROME 89600 FLORENTINE ST 17/07/1974
Previous owners
Person Address City Date of registration
Leviel JEAN-LUC 22 RUE VICTOR GILBERT 28000 CHARTRES 06/08/1971
AERO CLUB Franche-Comté AERODROME DE DOLE TAVAUX 39500 TAVAUX 09/04/1968
Aircraft struck on: 25/06/1979 for the reason: SOLD ABROAD
Conclusion: French registered as F-BOXG from new, first owner from 1968 to 1971, second owner from 1971 to 1974, third owner from 1974 to 1979
Dr. John SmithSeen On Ebay
Fancy buying (what is claimed to be) a small part of the famous Alcock & Brown Vickers Vimy – the very same aircraft that was the first to fly the Atlantic in 1919?
Well, it is on sale here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ALCOCK-AND-BROWN-VICKERS-VIMY-WING-STRUT-1919-CLIFDEN-/120747534793?pt=UK_CPV_Aviation_SM&hash=item1c1d1d29c9
“Original spruce wing section from Alcock & Brown’s Vickers Vimy aircraft flown on first ever non-stop transatlantic flight in June, 1919, from St. Johns, Newfoundland to Clifden, Co. Galway, Ireland where the plane (crash) landed on bog land. Local landowner and businessman E.J. King recovered this damaged section and passed it on to his son-in-law Frank Kelly, who still owns the piece (it was previously in a display cabinet for many years in the E.J. King pub, Main Street, Clifden). Mr. Kelly still retains this valuable item and now wishes to sell it to a museum or other collector.”
Vendor want £5,000 for it – is that a good price for a piece of wood?
Should have put in a bid when it was £5,000. That now looks like a bargain, as the price has now tripled – to £15,000!
Newly relisted at http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALCOCK-AND-BROWN-VICKERS-VIMY-WING-STRUT-1919-CLIFDEN-/120749318717?pt=UK_CPV_Aviation_SM&hash=item1c1d38623d#ht_500wt_1287
(Oh, but 3% of the final sale price will support DEC EAST AFRICA CRISIS APPEAL…)
Dr. John SmithJaguar XZ359
UKSerials website losses section list it as 41 Sqn, coded M.
The nearest (in terms of time) to the crash of XZ359 is this pic http://www.fotolibra.com/gallery/412493/jaguar-gr1-xz359-m-41-sqn-raf/ taken at Coltishall in October 1986.
As you can see, clearly wearing the “Cross of Lorraine” marking of 41 Squadron, and the code letter “M”.
Also – and I hope that this is not considered insensitive – this link http://www.flickr.com/photos/harlowirish/3250327033/ goes to a pic of the grave of Sqdn Ldr A V Lloyd
Dr. John SmithSpitfire Academy
The Spitfire in question is, of course SM520 (a.k.a. G-ILDA) which was sold at auction at Bonham’s in 2009 for £1.5 million.
Bonham’s auction catalogue for the sale contains a pretty detailled history of SM520, You can see it at: http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=EUR&screen=lotdetailsNoFlash&iSaleItemNo=4233813&iSaleNo=17254&iSaleSectionNo=2
After shelling out £1.5 million for a Spitfire, it is going to take a lot of joyrides…err, sorry, “pilot training” to make back that sum!
Dr. John SmithSpitfire Academy
The Spitfire in question is, of course SM520 (a.k.a. G-ILDA) which was sold at auction at Bonham’s in 2009 for £1.5 million.
Bonham’s auction catalogue for the sale contains a pretty detailled history of SM520, You can see it at: http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/WService=wslive_pub/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=EUR&screen=lotdetailsNoFlash&iSaleItemNo=4233813&iSaleNo=17254&iSaleSectionNo=2
After shelling out £1.5 million for a Spitfire, it is going to take a lot of joyrides…err, sorry, “pilot training” to make back that sum!
Dr. John SmithSpitfire LA189
As posted above, the history of this particular Spitfire I’ve given is the “official” one. However, an alternative source gives a completely different history!
Quote: “LA189 F21 SMAF4334
CRD A&AEE 23-7-44 (carbon monoxide cockpit contamination tests plus flying trials trials of Fin and Rudder mods). 16-9-44 dived to 525mph ASI: 39MU 15-10-45 33MU 9-3-50 sold scrap MoS 25-8-54″
source: http://www.spitfires.ukf.net/p053.htm
No mention of any squadron service at all! So, two questions to the Spitfire experts out there:
1 – Which history is the correct one (or is the truth a combination of the two)?
2 – What was LA189’s code when with No. 1 Squadron during May-October 1945? (Presumably coded “JX-?” – but what was the individual code letter? Also, I presume that ‘RAI-G’ is what she wore when with 602 Squadron in 1947-49)
Dr. John SmithEdinburgh and Leuchars Spitfires
…and what follows is the official history of Spitfire LA189:
Spitfire LA198 History
21 September 1944
Aircraft built at South Marston, Wiltshire, test flight by Flight Lieutenant Johnson, duration 25 minutes.
2 October 1944
Taken on charge at 33 MU (Maintenance Unit), Lyneham, delivered by Captain Hughes, ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary).
3 May 1945
Allocated to No 1 Squadron, Manston.
4 October 1945
Placed in storage at No 9 (Maintenance Unit), Cosford.
12 May 1947
Allocated to 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force
25 October 1947
Damaged in a Category ‘A’ flying accident.
11 May 1948
Repairs completed by No 63 MU (Maintenance Unit), Carluke.
22 July 1949
Emergency landing Horsham St. Faith due to engine failure, pilot Jim Johnston intentionally ground-looped aircraft, category ‘B’ damage sustained.
9 August 1949
Dispatched to Vickers Armstrong, South Marston for repair.
21 July 1950
Work completed.
27 July 1950
Aircraft collected by No 33 MU (Maintenance Unit), and placed in storage at Lyneham.
19 September 1951
Allocated to No 3 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit, Exeter.
19 November 1953
Returned to Vickers Armstrong for possible resale.
19 February 1954
Presented to No 187 Squadron ATC at Worcester, given serial number 7118M.
1968
Use in Battle of Britain film.
1970
Restored and on display as gate guardian RAF Locking, Avon.
1973
Rolls Royce Griffon 61 engine removed for BBMF PR 19.
March 1986
Moved to RAF Leuchars, Fife.
6 June 1986
Dedication ceremony at Leuchars for refurbished aircraft now on display as a gate guardian.
12 April 1989
Moved from RAF Leuchars to RAF St Athan for storage.
1996
Moved to RAF Museum Store, Cardington.
1997
Gifted to the City of Glasgow
4 March 1998
Delivered to the Museum of Flight, East Fortune, for restoration.
July 2003
Aircraft arrives and is assembled at Museum of Transport, Glasgow.
October 2005
The Spitfire is unveiled at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, suspended from the ceiling in the West Court.
(same source as before)
Dr. John SmithEdinburgh and Leuchars Spitfires
Well, THIS should be relevant to the discussion…
“Spitfire LA 198 602 City of Glasgow Squadron hangs dramatically from the ceiling of the West Court in Kelvingrove. The plane is recognised as the best-restored Spitfire in the United Kingdom.
Spitfire LA198 served with the 602 City of Glasgow Squadron – based at Abbotsinch – between 1947 and 1949. The squadron was the first United Kingdom auxiliary squadron to receive Spitfires, receiving its first Spitfire on 8 May 1939, and the aircraft remained with the 602 for exactly 12 years.
On 22 July 1949, LA198 crashed, an event entered in the log book as: ‘Engine trouble, pranged on runway – did not fly again’.
The fact that LA198 ‘pranged’ turned out to be a blessing in disguise as most of the Spitfires in good condition were sold off as they were taken out of service. There are less than 150 flightworthy Spitfires now in existence.
Parliamentary approval was given in 1996 for LA198 to be returned to the City of Glasgow – this approval is necessary as all military equipment is property of the Ministry of Defence.
The restoration of Spitfire LA198 began in 1998 at the Museum of Flight in East Fortune and was completed in 2002. The restoration project was a joint venture between Glasgow City Council, the National Museums of Scotland and the Scottish Executive. In addition to core funding, support to re-display Spitfire LA198 has been provided through a contribution of £100,000 to the KRA from BAA Glasgow.
and here’s a picture of LA189 as she looks now: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/758481A0-8302-4843-8725-21E70BFFE9E0/0/SpitfireatKelvingroveGlasgowCityCouncilMuseumsjpgsmall.jpg
Dr. John SmithScrapyard Photos
Alertken
Thank you for your quick reply! Obviously, Coley’s yard is somewhat south of where I thought it was – I always thought it was nearer Hounslow Heath (there’s now an industrial estate on the North side of Hounslow Heath, by the main Feltham-Hounslow road, near the River Crane: I always believed the yard to be there…)
Interesting that you mention AW Apollo VX224 as being in Coley’s yard at Hounslow on 17/11/1962. “Conventional wisdom” (e.g. the UK Serials website) says:
” VX224: To G-AMCH 10/07/1950 (n.t.u), f/f 12/12/1952, to Royal Aircraft Establishment 16/07/1953 as VX224, l/f 14/12/1954, fuselage to Farnborough for structural testing, last noted on dump 1974″
In other words, VX224 is usually thought to be on the dump at Farnborough in Nov 1962 (until 1974): no mention of it going anywhere near Coley’s yard in Hounslow!
Unless what you saw were the wings (only) and not the fuselage?
BTW: if you’ve got any pics of TSR-2s in Coley’s yard in 1965-66, I would be very keen to see them.
Dr. John SmithPuma crash at Andover
Not really Historic though is it.
Considering that the first production Puma HC.1 (XW198) first flew on 25 November 1970, and that even the newest example (ZA941) first flew 16 June 1981 – it’s debatable!
The majority of the RAF’s Puma fleet was delivered between Nov 1970 and Jan 1973, with a batch of “attrition replacements” delivered in 1980-81
In other words, the RAF’s Puma fleet is between 30 and 40 years old. That’s the equivalent of Battle of Britain-era Spitfires still being in service in 1981
So, how old does an aircraft have to be to be considered “historic”?
Dr. John SmithPuma crash at Andover
A military helicopter has crashed near an industrial estate, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The Puma helicopter is understood to have come down near Andover in Hampshire.
There are not thought to be any serious injuries. No buildings or vehicles were involved in the incident, said an MoD spokesman.
A Hampshire Police spokeswoman said: “A military Puma helicopter on a training exercise from RAF Benson has made a crash landing in a field close to the A303 near to the Walworth industrial estate in Andover.
“The pilot and two crew members were unharmed and were able to walk away from the crash.”
She said Hampshire Fire and Rescue service is at the scene in case of any spilled aviation fuel.
Military investigators will lead the investigation into the crash.
An RAF spokeswoman said the three crewmen did not have life-threatening injuries.
She said: “There are no fatalities. The crew are walking wounded.”
Dr. John SmithScrapyard Photos
Late-1962. This was published in an Air Britain column in Air Pictorial.
This is my first ever scan (it’s my copyright).
Alertken,
The only piece of airframe large enough to ID is the wing of Hawker Hunter F.4 XE718, which the UK Serials website lists thus:
“d/d 02/11/1955, sold 12/07/1961 to HSA, broken up as spares and produce, remains scrapped 11/1962”
Which confirms the date you say you took the pic!
XE718 had a brief life, but was “A” of 93 Squadron (and the CO’s “bird”) in 1956-57. At that time is looked like THIS: http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww3/f/96/9/4/143
Also, a related question or two: 1) do you have any other pics of R. J Coley’s yard at Feltham/Hounslow? (Many partly built TSR-2s met their end there in 1965-66…) and 2) where exactly WAS the yard located – and when did it close?
Reason for asking the second question is that I regularly travel in the area (Feltham to Hounslow via Hounslow Heath) and must have been past the site of the yard dozens of times
Dr. John Smithmid-air collision near Shoreham
Newforest
The Argus newspaper report states that one of the two aircraft involved was a Diamond Star DA-40D owned and operated by Flying Time Ltd of Hove, East Sussex, quote:
“It is believed the plane” [which crashed with fatal results]“belongs to Flying Time Aviation, a pilot training school based at the airport.
The pilot of the damaged Diamond Star DA40 plane, also owned by Flying Time, managed to land at Shoreham Airport minutes after the collision”
A quick check on the CAA database at G-INFO, lists only four such Diamond Star DA-40Ds owned by Flying Time Ltd:
G-CCHD
G-CCKH
G-CDSF
G-CEZR
It therefore seems highly likely that the accident involved at least one (and possibly two) of the above four aircraft
Dr. John SmithTispy Nipper sucessful force landing
More info at http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/local/plane_crash_pilot_has_lucky_escape_1_3515619 – including an interview with the pilot and a picture of the wreckage. Crash took place at 14:30 on Sunday 26 June 2011
Aircraft involved was G-AVXD
Dr. John SmithSeafire SX336
is there a reason why the Seafire was landing there. was it being operated from there for an airshow in the area?
Short answer is Yes. Seafire SX336 was to have been one of (if not THE) star attraction at this years airshow held at Bondues, Lille
Source: http://www.worldwarbirdnews.com/2011/07/03/anna-walker-belly-lands-seafire-in-france/ and http://www.39-45.org/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=28501&start=0
Sign In
