Hi everyone,

We’re looking for a source of OBA captive/anchor nuts, of which we need quite a few- can anyone help? Cheers!

Hi everyone, just bringing this thread back up as we’re still looking for a Rotax air start turbine part No. CT0801, and we’d also be interested in a spare Folland Gnat pitot head too- thanks!

When I was doing my course at RR Tech college at Filton they had a Piston Provost. The instructor, who had been there a long time, told me they were first offered a Gnat, but D Campbell guys had made such a mess of the airframe, i.e. cutting the engine out with a gas axe, it was in no state for use as an instructional airframe. Presumably this was XM691 or did they have to remove the loose engine from an airframe? With no other Gnat available the Piston Provost was acquired instead.

Donald got engine No.709 loose from BAC at Luton, and 711 came out of XM691. We have a thread running on the BBP forum that covers the Gnat a fair bit, including us recently unearthing the orange paint on the tail fin!

http://www.bluebirdproject.com/message/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=216

There’s no bother with knowing the Campbell side of things- he bought it from the Air Ministry, who had sourced two Orpheus engines for him. One was loose, the other was still fitted in XM691, which was sat at Dunsfold at the time.

Another thing I’d like to find is a late photo of it- there’s a lot of it in it’s earlier days in silver with the yellow bands around it, but later on it was painted in the new standard RAF trainer scheme with the fluorescent orange wings and tail etc, and I’ve love to find a shot of the actual aircraft in that scheme.

None of this is of any importance to The Bluebird Project by the way, it’s just a personal interest as we are unearthing big chunks of the orange paint still under the blue on her tail fin, and I just find it cool that there’s still an aircraft lurking under our hydroplane!

For Immediate Release
Campbell’s Family Fury at Impostor

For ten years the quiet village of Coniston in the English Lake District has awaited the return of its legacy – the iconic, Bluebird K7 speedboat of which speed king, Donald Campbell CBE lost his life in on January 4, 1967 whilst making a bid to raise the speed record to over 300 miles per hour (480 km/h) on Coniston Waters.
The wreckage of Campbell’s craft was recovered by the Bluebird Project between October 2000, when the first sections were raised, and May 2001, when Campbell’s body was subsequently recovered. As of 2008, K7 has been undergoing painstaking restoration, to a very high standard of working condition in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, using a very high proportion of her original fabric, but with a new engine of the same type albeit incorporating many original components.

In 2009 permission was granted for a one off set of proving trials of Bluebird on Coniston Water, where she will be tested to a safe speed for demonstration purposes only. It is hoped that the restoration of Bluebird K7 will be completed in 2012 when she will return to Coniston, in a dignified ceremony with the full support of Donald’s family, who have fought continuously to protect the Bluebird legacy. K7 will then reside permanently at the Ruskin Museum, Coniston, where she will be on display to the general public in memory of one of the world’s most prolific land and water speed record breakers.

The Campbell family have been outraged this week with the arrival at Coniston of a look-alike dubbed, K777. Without any consultation or respect to either Donald’s family or the Norris brothers’ families, designers of Donald’s K7 boat, the vessel was shamelessly installed on the very same slipway from which Donald left and never returned in January 1967.

Spokesperson for the family, Don Wales Grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell and Nephew of Donald Campbell said “we feel that it is disrespectful to Donald, and that those responsible are clearly out to bolster their credibility as a publicity stunt by alluding to the connection with the real Bluebird – a connection that neither exists nor is wanted. Their claim that valuable data collected on the behaviour of the craft will benefit the genuine machine is total nonsense the Campbell family do not support or condone the building or operation of the vessel named K777 or any perceived association of it with the Campbell/Bluebird story.”

Spokesperson for the Bluebird Project, Bill Smith said, “To be so disrespectful to the Campbell family and willing to cause confusion amongst the general public for the sake of self-aggrandizement truly beggars belief – it leaves me speechless!”

Don Wales is available for interview, for further information please contact:
Media Relations:
Rebecca Nicholls
Telephone: 01452 260063, Ext: 450
Mobile: 07749 852481
Bill Smith is available for interview, for further information please contact:
Bluebird Project Leader:
http://www.BluebirdProject.com
Telephone: 0191 2580611
Mobile: 07721-524371