This one was parked outside between a B-24 and a B-26, it flew in just a couple of months previous but that apparently was a story in itself as its airworthiness was a bit debatable.

Thanks! I was using a HP digital then without any exposure settings, fully automatic, and the composite was just a quick job. I should really go back to the original images and do a bit of photoshopping! (must find the time for that though!)

Edit: not visible on that photo but also in that hangar: Spit Mk16, Wildcat, Lockheed Vega, GeeBee Z replica, Jungmeister and a lot more that I cannot remember off the top of my head.

Hangar 2:

Edit: The nose on the right is a B-23 Dragon before anyone wants to start a guessing game. Behind that is a Lysander in disassembled state. The high wing at the back is a Stinson Trimotor. His shiny P-51C can just be seen at top left, the Cierva Autogiro that he obtained a few years back was hanging from the roof in the back corner.

I also visited Kermit Weeks’s emporium and was saddened to see the state of the aircraft. But once I got over that I started realising that there is absolutely no other place that would have the ability to keep it hangered and in more-or-less airworthy condition. I think it has only flown once or twice since arriving there, but indeed Kermit rotates the aircraft that fly, and from what I’ve seen there I think it is safe to assume that in time it will get a full restoration treatment and emerge pristine. Until that happens she is safely kept in a warm hangar, what more can a plane wish for!:)

Originally posted by JDK
Hi Archer,
Great story about the ‘overused’ Kestrel. But.. It smells to me like a great ‘bar-room’ fact, rather than something likely. Any evidence?

Indeed it does sound that way a bit. But over the years I’ve seen it in a number of different books and publications, and although I cannot name one off the top of my head I reckon there is a grain of thruth in it. The facts are that RR did have a He-70 with a Kestrel in it so there’s a fair chance of it being correct. I was hoping someone else on this forum might have a clue as to the origins of the story?

With regards to the Griffon/Merlin length comparison, remember that the difference in length is not just because of the difference in engine size. The Griffon was heavier as well so the influence on CG was also a factor in the Spitfire’s redesign, and may have influenced the engine’s placement.

May not appeal to everyone, but these are some images of the AF Concorde being placed on the roof of the Sinsheim museum:

http://www.technik-museum.de/concorde/html/galerie_10.html
http://www.technik-museum.de/concorde/html/galerie_10a.html
http://www.technik-museum.de/concorde/html/galerie_10b.html

Edit: there was a post on PPruNe yesterday mentioning that G-BOAB will also remain outside as some idiot designer on the T5 terminal forgot to stress the floor sufficiently to enable the aircraft to be positioned inside.

Originally posted by VoyTech
Golden!

Here you go: Blue with gold trim!