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#Post#: 80101--------------------------------------------------
FAO Divie - Speke aircraft collection
By: Matthew Date: November 18, 2013, 8:38 pm
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As briefly mentioned on the panelbeating thread, I'm starting
this to avoid topic drift in the tech section.
I have recently become involved with Speke Aviation Heritage
Group, based at the "Old" Liverpool Speke Airport which was
formerly a WWII aerodrome, and is now a Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Unusually for a site like this, not only is the terminal
building (now the hotel) listed, but the entire aircraft parking
apron is also listed. This is fantastic, as it means it can only
ever be used for storing cars and planes, and hence is the
perfect place for a static display museum!
The collection started with the prototype Jetstream 41 G-JMAC a
twin turboprop business/commuter aircraft. This was donated by
BAe Systems at Woodford who wanted it out of their yard, but
couldnt sell it because it was a development aircraft. At only
20 years old, the plane is in fine fettle and is currently
fitted pout as a visitor centre inside, with the cockpit turned
into a rather good flight simulator that visitors can try out.
The collection then expanded with the acquisition of Percival
Prince G-AMLZ - the very plane flown all over the globe by one
Douglas Bader during his postwar job as a survey pilot for Shell
Oils. This is nearing the end of a very long term cosmetic and
partial structural restoration, though unfortunately the engines
and propellors are too far gone for her ever to be ground-run
again.
Also ongoing, but still with a way to go, is a Gloster Meteor
that is privately owned by one of the volunteers of the society.
This is coming along nicely, with just the cockpit and engines
left to refurbish and fit once the centre section and wings have
been lifted back onto the floor from their props.
Over on the other side of the airport is a Bristol Britannia,
G-ANCF. This is another private aircraft, but the chap who owns
it is apparently a strange bloke who quite deliberately pissed
off the entire SAHG until they told him to fuck it, and pushed
it into the corner and left it there. It's still nowt but a bare
hulk, and apparently all the engines for it have gone "missing"
as well.
A recent addition, and my current assignment, is an Avro 748
turboprop airliner G-BEJD. This is in a very sorry state, having
until recently been sat corroding in a corner of Blackpool
airport. To save it from the scrappers, the group had to slice
the fuselage into 3 pieces with a grinder to move it by HGV to
Liverpool. There is currently a lot of head scratching going on
about how to stick it back together again! Current plan is to
splice the internal ribs back together with joining pieces
before putting a band all the way round the outside of the
fuselage to cover the gap. This is going to be a very long term
project, with very many piece still left to fit back on it
before we can even contemplate cosmetic work.
Future arrivals - you didnt hear this from me! :rolleye0012:
Between now and February we have 2 exciting new arrivals - an F4
Phantom, and a B-25 Mitchell. Both are apparently in the "many
boxes of bits" state, and will be very long term rebuilds. I
can't wait to get stuck in! If someone had told me this time
last year, as I was calling quits on my Aeronautical Engineering
degree, that I would soon be spannering a Phantom in real life
rather than fucking about with mathematical fluid dynamics, then
I'd have said they were nuts!
Apologies for the lack of pictures so far, next time I go to
help out, hopefully this weekend, I'll be sure to take the
camera :thumbs:
#Post#: 80123--------------------------------------------------
Re: FAO Divie - Speke aircraft collection
By: divie Date: November 19, 2013, 3:05 am
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Matthew, Thanks for the information, I believe I have read
something in "Flypast" about the venture you are involved in.
What are the visiting arrangements ? I am involved with old
motorcycles as well as old Landies (will we ever learn?) next
year the bike club will be looking for a theme for places to
visit and meet up. A lot of members also love old aircraft so
that may be the theme.
To my shame when I was younger my best mates father used to cut
aircraft for scrap. To supplement apprentice toolmaker wages I
would spend my holidays helping him. I kept a few pieces for
many years before giving them to Cosford. We cut two "Princess "
flying boats in the late 60s one on Southampton waterside and
one on the Isle of Wight.
I am now just retired and would love to get involved with
aircraft but will never get the time, 1920s motorcycle,1860s
house and a love of steam engines to play with and a series 3 as
a daily driver mean all my time is taken up.
#Post#: 80469--------------------------------------------------
Re: FAO Divie - Speke aircraft collection
By: Matthew Date: November 20, 2013, 5:27 pm
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Hi Divie,
Not sure what the visiting arrangements are, but I'll ask for
you when I'm down there this weekend and put up another reply on
here.
As for the scrapping - sacrilege! The 2 Saunders Princesses you,
erm, recycled, represented 66% of the entire production! Much
have fetched a pretty penny though, they were a bloody massive
old beast!
I feel your pain with regards to time commitments - what with
the Land Rovers, my traction engine, clay shooting, glider
flying, the Speke Collection, and now driving in both Formula
Student and the British Universities Karting Championship....
there just arent enough weekends in the year. *help*
Either that, or I need to stop taking on so many new and totally
ruinious hobbies....
#Post#: 80482--------------------------------------------------
Re: FAO Divie - Speke aircraft collection
By: divie Date: November 21, 2013, 3:04 am
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Hi Matthew,
I carry the shame to this day for cutting aircraft up. I would
go with my mate and his Father on weekends as well to some bases
where ex military stuff was parked waiting for the axe. We did
start to dismantle many and sell on the parts to countries still
running the type. Have a look for a book called "Project
Cancelled" all about early 50s aircraft production.
It details some of the fine aircraft that where built and
scrapped, most times due to a change of government. We cut those
as well just like the Nimrod has recently been axed.
With your list of interests how do you get the time? Traction
engines can be a full time job on there own. I shoot clay as
well but not very often now.
#Post#: 80741--------------------------------------------------
Re: FAO Divie - Speke aircraft collection
By: Matthew Date: November 23, 2013, 5:33 pm
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Evening all,
For anyone interested in visiting the collection, it depends how
you turn up. The odd lone person is quite welcome to come and
have a chat with anyone when we're there working on the
collection, which is every Saturday from 11am-ish to sunset. For
any sort of organised visit, groups, parties, enthusiasts etc,
then the procedure is to book a visit slot with the chairman of
the collection, Roy Coates ( roy@spekeaero.org ). this will
ensure that someone is there to meet you, show you round, and
that all the aircraft and attractions such as the flight
simulator will be open and accessible. :thumbs:
The book sounds interesting, I will look it up. Sounds a lot
like "Empire of the Clouds", which is also a brilliant read (the
author, aircraft historian James Hamilton-Paterson, is also a
properly nice bloke). As far as fitting in my hobbies goes - I
can't, really! I only attend about a quarter of the events that
I could for each hobby, and even then I end up double-booking
some weekends and spending one day each at different events!
Talking of cutting up aircraft, my job of the day was rectifying
just such an action on the 748:
[IMG]
HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/P1030250.jpg[/img]
To move her by road, the fuselage was cut into 3 pieces with an
angle grinder:
HTML https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1476156_10151851201333878_1394026846_n.jpg
HTML https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1461033_10151851201433878_363494761_n.jpg
So, my job for today was to crawl into this lovely, comfy,
accomodating and very spacious underfloor bay:
[IMG]
HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/P1030269.jpg[/img]
And mark out, drill and bolt in a 3mm steel tie-strap under
every stringer:
[IMG]
HTML http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh5/rockin_all_over_the_world/P1030272.jpg[/img]
#Post#: 80764--------------------------------------------------
Re: FAO Divie - Speke aircraft collection
By: divie Date: November 24, 2013, 4:05 am
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Thanks again for the info. That is going to be a project where
you talk in terms of months and years. I admire people like your
group who preserve airframes for static display, it gives
someone like me great pleasure to see them. I have just embarked
on a project 1920s motorcycle with plenty of missing parts to
make. Luckily my workshop is well equiped and attached to the
house so no travel to the site.
#Post#: 83287--------------------------------------------------
Re: FAO Divie - Speke aircraft collection
By: nickjaxe Date: January 3, 2014, 2:49 pm
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Matthew what method did you use to cut the 748 fuselage up prior
to bringing it to Liverpool.
#Post#: 83520--------------------------------------------------
Re: FAO Divie - Speke aircraft collection
By: Matthew Date: January 7, 2014, 8:58 pm
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Evening everyone,
Nick - I dont know how exactly the 748 was dismantled as I wasnt
part of the group until a few months after it had arrived at
Liverpool. However, all the physical evidence suggests a fucking
large angle grinder! Having found some picture of the move, it
seems measures were in place however, to make sure it went back
together properly before the cutting was started - see here for
example:
HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/253112_386652921402687_769951734_n.jpg
I believe that several pallet trucks and a large amount of
aluminium tape was involved in the realignment before the
stringer drilling and tieing method of reassembly mentioned in
my last post could begin.
I've just had through some pictures of one of our other aircraft
on site, Meteor F.8 WH291. The last time I was on site before
Christmas, the nose gear was being refitted to the cockpit
section.
Take one freshly repainted forward bulkhead:
HTML https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1519068_602525246482119_302688062_o.jpg
Add one refurb'd nose leg assembly and subtract several yards of
Dexion:
HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1601117_602525233148787_1110710050_n.jpg
Garnish with 2 subframes......:
HTML https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/1524719_602525303148780_271822941_n.jpg
...... and a bit of gentle persuasion:
HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1555388_602525363148774_2145528287_n.jpg
Add a massive spanner (and some tools... )
HTML https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1509870_602525419815435_395030094_n.jpg
And hey presto, job done!
The wings have already been completed (wheels have been added
since that picture):
HTML https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/537227_529185687149409_952804615_n.jpg
So when we get a crane in to put the tail back on the 748, the
wings will be stood back upright and reunited with the cockpit
section, leaving us with only the tail boom to finish and
attach.
Oh, and at some point the 4 Hispano 20mm cannon will be back
from the deactivators to reoccupy those big slots on the side of
the cockpit :smilewide:
(amazingly the aircraft had previously spent 20+ years at the
now defunct Lasham museum and nobody had thought to remove the
covers and see if they were there... when the current owner
purchased the plane, he found that a) they were, and b) they
were still active!)
#Post#: 83581--------------------------------------------------
Re: FAO Divie - Speke aircraft collection
By: divie Date: January 8, 2014, 1:35 pm
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Nice work there. I have yet to organise places and dates for the
bike club runs to air museums. If done to early whilst the
weather is naff people will forget, hope to be up this year to
see your airframes. Getting a bit bogged down with restoring a
1929/30 BSA Sloper, having to make a lot of missing parts so
trip up to you will be on the modern 20 year old bike.
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