Apologies for the slight gap in updates on our project, Christmas and other distractions etc I’m afraid 😉

Well I had better start where things left off when we had our successful Dusk Run back in December! The event was well attended and almost went to plan completely apart from a couple of ‘tech’ issues…
Firstly we had an embarrassing lighting failure despite checks having been made before the run. The portable generator decided it would be a good time to cut-out just as the lights were needed! We feared the worst for all the photographers, but having seen the results afterwards online – it actually gave some additional bonus atmosphere with photos taken with and then without lighting 😉 Of course we will try better next time and maybe incorporate the split as a planned occurence rather than a total surprise to our crew 😉
The second issue occured nearly at the end of the run itself, when shortly after some ‘smoke or mist’ was observed from the starboard inner engine / undercarriage bay area; some rather odd comms were passed between myself outside at the end of the long lead, and our onboard crew. I was being told that flaps were being selected down….. nothing happened outside? Try again…… nothing? Ok, try the bomb doors then…. again – nothing moved? I’m sure the onboard crew were convinced I needed a trip to a certain Opticians, but I told them I knew what flaps and bomb doors looked when they moved, and they weren’t. Luckily for us, our ex-8 Sqn engineer was onboard, and promptly requested the old standard hydraulic system check – turn the wipers on! Outside, I thought he had gone mad by then 😉 I mean, firstly I’m accused of not seeing large moving metal surfaces, and then I hear they are going to put the windscreen wipers on!!!
The reality of this rather funny moment is that the Shackleton has no hydraulic gauge fitted, so the foolproof method to find out if you actually have any system pressure is to switch on other hydraulic circuits. There aren’t many on a Shackleton, but windcreen wipers are one of them! And they failed to work too….
We knew then that we had a hydraulic issue, which coupled with the observed cloud of vapour only minutes before, meant further investigation would be needed after engine shut down.
On closer inspection under torchlight (it was very dark by this time), the oil residue over the entire undercarriage bay was plain to see, and the source quickly became apparent when we all looked up! A small pipe coupling right by the hydraulic hand pump had fractured, dispensing some of the system contents all around.
Luckily we have some highly skilled local engineers on our team, and a repair was sorted quite effectively and with relative ease along with some lateral thinking. Once the pipe was back in place and the system topped up and bled, we were back in business! Other winter maintenance has been the usual multitude of preventative maintenance such as lubrications and cleaning, and when time permits some of the team have continued the swapping over of our MR2 reverse engineering with the reinstallation of the Nav Plotting Table. Our ex-8 Sqn Chief Engineer has promised that we will be seeing the return of some repaired electrical items very shortly, which he assures us will bring back a healthy ignition system on one engine which had been causing a minor concern recently. But very soon we will be ramping up the work to prepare our Old Grey Lady for her forthcoming season, and for that, we need to awaken her from her winter slumber!
We have several events in the pipeline already, the first of which is our appropriately named “Valentine Ground Run” taking place on Saturday 13th Feb! We love the old girl, and we would like you all to share in that love too! By treating her nicely, she does behave 😉 And what better way to blow off the cobwebs and make some more of that infamous Griffon Growl 🙂

Following that first ground run, our team have been planning to fulfil a promise made after we taxied 963 around Coventry last year, and this year we’re back doing more of these! Only this time, we are able to take paying passengers onboard for the taxy runs too!!!!
Our first taxy run is scheduled for Saturday April 9th, and our Chairman has endorsed a special price package for this taxy run only, with limited places available onboard, so book early!!!

And finally for now, some important changes have taken place at Coventry Airport since last year, which have meant we had to change slightly too! With the closure of Airbase, we are now under the watchful eye of the airport authorities directly, and are now considered to be on the ‘live’ side of the airfield. The existing fenceline around us will soon be no more, and because of the security implications of being on a operational airfield, we have made some changes to the way we operate in order to satisfy the airport’s requirements. This has meant that we have now changed to specific planned Guided Tour dates throughout the season, with intended visitors recommended to contact us to book a place beforehand. We have to meet & greet all visitors now, and escort them airside at all times. To achieve that without planning ahead would be problematic for our small team of volunteers as we also need to plan our schedule of work too. The guided tours are available in two options nowadays, and all the information needed is on our website pages of course. We are building on the successes of previous years, and looking to the future at all times! The team acknowledge the huge support we have been getting from far and wide, and with recent publicity enhancing our profile, we aim to show everyone what we can do now, and what we can achieve for the future – a return to flight of course!

Lastly, here are a couple of posters for the forthcoming events – and please check our website for much more information on all of our plans!

Thank you for your continued support

Pete Buckingham
Publicity Officer
Shackleton Preservation Trust

http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/

Valentine Ground Run Poster 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Taxy Run Poster by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Martin Baker’s own website has some useful photos and information already 😉

http://www.martin-baker.com/products/ejection-seats/mk1-9/mk2#prettyPhoto

Also a nice detail photo here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickkparker/1785711803/sizes/l

On behalf of the whole team at the Shackleton Preservation Trust, may we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and thank you for your support in 2015! We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead and hope you will join us to see what we do

Following on from our last event of the 2015 season, here is a full report on the day’s activities.

Preparations for our event had been ongoing for weeks beforehand, with much discussion amongst members of the Trust arranging how we were going to put on a spectacle for our supporters whilst mindful of the current airport situation regarding Classic Air Force. We have been incredibly lucky to be able to continue our work on site with the airport’s co-operation at all times, and this event was planned to show how we will continue with our project to return-to-flight with WR963. With our neighbouring Nimrod XV232 also planning a ground run, we felt sure we had a crowd-pleaser to come!

Saturday December 5th dawned with crew members arriving from far and wide – indeed some members had travelled all the way from Scotland and North Wales to help us! The weather was forecasted high winds but no rain, not that this would deter operation of two former Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft really 😉 Luckily for us both, we faced into wind on the day! We set up our merchandising stand and Haynes Manual Book-Signing table inside the Hangar, and put the urn on to provide hot soup to warm the spectators….

The aircraft were both prepped by our eager engineering team, and the crowds started to arrive at 1pm. As always, we encourage visits onboard both aircraft to show people what we do and allow many photographs too. The Nimrod crew even had refreshments available in their aircraft galley (we are actively seeking to sort our Shackleton galley too I might add). Some of our guests had a special reason to attend, being ex-Shackleton aircrew, and recent supporters of our 2015 Kickstarter fund-raising project. The lucky few had booked places to be onboard the ground run, so a full briefing was carried out before the appointed time.

As the sun started setting, Nimrod XV232 started her run first, operating both right-hand engines in spectacular and rather noisy style! Once shut down, it was the turn of our Shackleton WR963 to provide some rather different noise complete with flames! The prolonged run also included running up all four engines to high rpm for the first time in darkness, which apart from vibrating through the ground, also showed how the mighty Griffon engine’s exhausts glow in the dark and emit spectacular flames too…. Many photographs and Video footage were taken, and some thought the ground run was never going to end! Eventually the aircraft was shut down and fell silent, to a round of applause from an appreciative audience, some of whom had not realised quite what a spectacle the Shackleton can be in the dark! With only a few relatively minor snags to be dealt with over the winter servicing schedule, the entire SPT team went home both exhausted and elated that we had fulfilled our promise and put on an event quite like no other!

2016 promises more to come, as our Shackleton is ready to taxy on a more regular basis, as well as carrying our static ground runs. We are also working furiously behind-the-scenes to get the required NDT inspections carried out on the wing spars which is a crucial stage in the project, and this will be carried out subject to hangar availability at Coventry. The SPT are delighted with how much support has been shown towards our project – there is most definitely something magical about the Avro Shackleton!

To find out more about us, please check out our website, and follow us on Twitter and facebook! We are currently running a competition to win one of the new Airfix kits (WR963 of course) as well as offering space on our bomb doors for your name to be carried there for life! Again, our website has all the details!

We are dedicated to this project, and if you would like to support us by way of donations / fund-raising, please check the website for more information on how to help us!
Our branded merchandise range is expanding – another way you can show your support to us!

Even during the winter months, we welcome visitors to see our aircraft, as we have work going on most Saturdays – please contact the Trust to check we are going to be there before planning a visit of course….

Regards

Pete Buckingham
Shackleton Preservation Trust
http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk
Email: [email]avroshackletonwr963@gmail.com[/email]
Mobile: 07946 251098

Thank you Simon :eagerness:

I know that engine! More recently installed in a rather hybrid Spitfire LZ844, which I had a close inspection of at Kemble in 2011, and has been the subject of a previous thread here:
http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?108927-Aussie-Spitfire-sold-off-to-UK-by-the-QLD-govt/page3

[ATTACH=CONFIG]241840[/ATTACH]

We’re doing a Dusk Run!

We’ve been busy in the background, and apologies for the quietness on here, but exciting news means it had to be shared here!
Saturday December 5th sees a Dusk Run take place at Coventry with ground runs from both our Shackleton AND the Nimrod! A brillaint chance for photography, and the sound of the “Griffon Growl” at high RPM as well as the thunderous roar from the Nimrod should make for a fantastic event!

Places will be limited to the first 200 booked, so please don’t delay!
The cost for entry will be £25 per person to include soup and a roll,
and entry will be as last year on the list system,
Payments can be made to [email]dawnsharon2002@live.co.uk[/email] be sure to state tickets on the payment and clearly state the names of all people you are paying for,

Full details can be found on our website, and here’s our Event Flyer:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]241779[/ATTACH]

http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/