Marendaz Mk III

Here’s a photo of the empennage of the unfinished first prototype – possibly the one lost in the fire!

This one was designed and built by Geoffrey Wikner (of Wicko fame) after he left Miles Aircraft at Woodley but before he designed the Wicko G.M.1.

Tommy Rose introduced him to Marendaz, who funded the project for a wire-braced monoplane which was to have been powered by a Pobjoy radial. It was built during 1935-36 (I don’t know where) but Marendaz broke the verbal contract and Wikner stopped work. (I now think it was built in the Cornwallis Works, Maidenhead … see later posts.)

He told me that it was later redesigned as a four-seater powered by a Gipsy Six – the Marendaz Mk III. So I wonder if this was the Mk I or II ?

I’ve seen a photo of the Venture somewhere but can’t for the life of me remember where! It’s not the project referred to in Post #2.

Issue 33 of “Vintage Aircraft magazine” !!! The photo was one of several sent to me by Julian Temple when he was cataloging the Adwest archive at Woodley.

It’s quite odd but there was an almost identical story – even down to the ghostly Mosquito – published in “The Aeroplane” in the December 24, 1954 edition, well before Forsyth’s story was published. I don’t know if he wrote it under a different name or it was a sheer coincidence. The story is called “A Christmas Story” and is attributed to R. Leach. (Pgs 932 – 933 if you have access to a copy)

It seems a little strange that a thread featuring the Miles Sparrowhawk bears no mention of the daddy of them all – the prototype and 1957 King’s Cup winning aircraft, as the Sparrowjet, G-ADNL.

Probably very familiar from the registration and photographs to many of us, I would guess that probably less than 2% of the Forum membership has ever seen this iconic British racing aircraft in the flesh. Tell me if I’m wrong.

The records show it was destroyed in a hangar fire at Odiham in July 1964 but does anyone know any more about the circumstances of this incident? What was it doing there, were there any other aircraft involved, how much of the airframe survived and what happened to the engines, which were apparently removed at the time.

I did understand that at one stage a reconstruction was under way, possibly in the Bristol area – is there any truth in this as it would be terrific news to hear that this fine machine might one day be resurrected to fly again?

Wicked Willip :diablo:

The airframe was destroyed in the hangar fire but the engines had been removed and retained by the owner (Fred Dunkerley). His son commissioned a new-build Sparrowhawk to carry the registration G-ADNL several years ago. I’m not aware of the current situation with the build. He was also in possession of the Somers-Kendal S.K.1, G-AOBG.

Could the Comet racer have been turned into an effective fighter, change the Gypsy engines to something more powerful, bring the cockpit forward??

Slightly off-topic but Percival did a scheme for an armed Mew Gull which would have used the surviving aircraft as “back’s to the wall” Home Defence Fighters.

One from the days when the Press were allowed on the south side of the runway during airshows at Duxford.

Funny that scan from “Speed & Power” – it was edited by Jerry Scutts, my colleague on “Aviation News” – we were standing together when I took this shot:

Hi,
Does anyone have copies of the Vintage Aircraft magazines numbers 22 and 23 that they would be willing to photocopy the articles on the DH88 Comets for me please. I have just been outbid on ones off e-bay.

many thanks

Ken

Oddly enough I have them too – I might even have the original typescripts of the articles – I certainly have the photos and the artwork! 🙂

How much did they go for?

What happened to the last post regarding PK624? It seems to have disappeared. I was going through some of my RAF museum notes and came across this:

May 1993
Avro Anson W2068
Fuselage less wings imported into the UK by the Fighter Collection, Duxford; Offered to the RAF Museum in an exchange deal, in which the RAF Museum acquired the restored Anson fuselage and engines, undercarriage and tail, plus the rebuilding of its P-47 Thunderbolt, in exchange for former gate guard Spitfire Mk.22 PK624.

Don’t know about the post but PK624 is now owned by The Fighter Collection and is dismantled in their hangar at Duxford – has been for quite some time.

BTW – the wingtips fitted to TE476 for The Battle of Britain film were retained when it was displayed on the gate at Northolt.