Sycamore swap at Weston-super-Mare

The Helicopter Museum have recently acquired a VIP Sycamore HR.14, but have disposed of their existing Sycamore HC.14. The Sycamore HR.14, serial XJ829, had previously been not far away in the Bristol Industrial Museum, which has closed for major renovation. It was formerly with the RAF 32 VIP communications Squadron, and arrived on 17th October 2007, going on display on 12th January 2008. For details and photos of the delivery, see http://www.hmfriends.org.uk/sycamorexl829.htm.

The museum has taken the opportunity to exchange their existing Sycamore, XG547, with a type they don't have - an ex-Belgian Army Alouette II. A lowloader arrived at Weston-super-Mare with the Alouette on 19th February 2008, and returned to Belgium with the Sycamore on 21st. XG547 will go on display in the Royal Army and Military History Museum in Brussels in due course. The Belgian Army operated three Sycamores in the Belgian Congo, but none of these survive.

Click here for BBC news video.

Beaufighter found in Aegean sea

The remains of a Bristol Beaufighter were discovered in June 2007, near the Greek island of Naxos. A team of divers had been searching for the wreck for over a year, following stories that a Beaufighter had ditched in the area during World War 2. It was discovered off the coast of Cape Kouroupas, to the west of Naxos, at a depth of 34 metres. The aircraft, identified as a Beaufighter TF.X serial JM225, was part of a flight attacking enemy ships in Naxos Harbour on 30th October 1943. It was hit by ground fire, and the two crew - F/O W.E.Hayter and W/O T.J.Harper, both New Zealanders - baled out before the aircraft hit the water. They were rescued by locals, treated and later smuggled off the island. JM255 was based in Cyprus with No.47 Squadron RAF.

The aircraft is on its belly and surprisingly intact, apart from a broken back. Some smaller items, such as the nosecone, are unattached and resting on the sea bed nearby. The propeller from the starboard engine is missing, so it may have come off when the Beaufighter hit the water. Naxos Diving Centre can arrange visits for experienced divers, see naxosdiving.com.

Australian Boxkite replica for 2014 centenary

A small dedicated team in Australia have embarked on a project to build an airworthy Bristol Boxkite replica, in time for the centenary of the first military flight in Australia. On the morning of March 1st, 1914, Lieutenant Eric Harrison, an aviator instructor, took Bristol Military Biplane CFS-3 into the air at the newly acquired Army flying field at Point Cook, Victoria. This was the home of the Central Flying School (CFS). That historic flight is now recognised as the starting point of all military flying in Australia.

This Australian replica Boxkite will be built over a period of four to five years. This will ensure that the aeroplane is available in sufficient time to take part in celebrations that will occur in March 2014. With Project 2014 having started in 2006, ample time is available to allow for the resolution of unforeseen problems that may arise during the building of this machine, and the subsequent test flying.

The first wing ribs under construction. Courtesy of Project 2014

The Project Manager, Ron Gretton AM, was the driving force behind the RAAF Museum’s Supermarine Walrus (HD874) restoration. Assistant Project Manager Geoff Matthews joined Ron on the Walrus restoration, and they are both highly experienced ex-RAAF engineering officers with a wealth of the skills required in this project. They are already well into the organisational phase and have already started to cut wood and form shapes for the ribs, booms and undercarriage. Many of the metal fittings have been cut, welded and plated.

The engine will be an Australian seven cylinder 110hp (82kw) radial Rotec R2800, designed and manufactured by Rotec Engineering Pty Ltd at Moorabbin, Victoria. Rosebank Engineering has kindly supplied the engine and all the timber for the project. Mobile Network has supplied the wheels and structural metal, and Aerostructures, and Macdonald Technologies International have also provided significant support. The project is, of course, supported by both the RAAF Museum and the Air Force itself.

http://www.boxkite2014.org

Restoration of Finnish Blenheim starts

Restoration work on Blenheim Mk.IV BL-200, the sole surviving 'true' Bristol Blenheim, has started in Finland. The aircraft has been in storage at Tikkakoski in Finland, but spent many decades on display at the main gate there and in other museums. Work started on 18th May 2007, with a paint strip and preparation work. On completion, the aircraft will be housed in a dedicated building at Keski-Suomen Ilmailumuseo (Aviation Museum of Central Finland).

55 Blenheim Mk.Is and IVs were assembled in Finland by Valtion Lentokonetehdas at Tampere, using many components from Yugoslavia. BL-200 was built in 1944, and flew on in peace time doing survey work. It was withdrawn in 1956, making it one of the last 'true' Blenheims to fly. Several present-day aircraft have been painted up or structurally modified to become Blenheims, but these are infact Canadian-built Fairchild Bolingbrokes, a licence built Blenheim with a few home-grown differences.

Blenheim BL-200 under restoration - www.k-silmailumuseo.fi

The restoration project has its own internet Blog to show progress. It is in Finnish, but still worth a look even if you don't know the language! - http://www.ilmasotakoulunkilta.fi/IlmaSK/ilmaskmma.nsf/sp?Open&cid=Content9993D

Pima Bolingbroke unveiled

The Pima Air and Space Museum near Tucson, Arizona has unveiled is newly restored Bolingbroke. The aircraft, formerly stored in a compound at Chino, California, has been rebuilt and painted up as a Blenheim Mark IV, in a 1941-era desert camouflage. The Bolingbroke was one of three acquired by David Tallichet around 1973, and moved from Canada to California. For many years it was stored fully assembled in the MARC compound at Chino, stripped of paint. In 2004 the Pima Museum made a deal to acquire a number of unrestored airframes from David Tallichet, including a rare A-20 Havoc.

The Bolingbroke was rolled out on 15th May 2007 in North Africa Western Desert camouflage. It represents an RAF Bristol Blenheim Mark IV, serial Z9592, although structurally the aircraft is still a Canadian-built Bolingbroke. It is thought that this aircraft was originally RCAF 10076.

Repaint for Cosford Brit

Following the completion of the Cold War building at Cosford, work is now starting on other exhibits. Scaffolding has been erected around Britannia G-AOVF, which was repainted in BOAC colours shortly after its arrival in 1984. It will be repainted in Royal Air Force colours, even though this aircraft never actually saw service with the RAF. Hopefully the work will restore some of the corrosion on the aircraft, which has been outside for 23 years. Unfortunately the Brit was not selected to go indoors during the recent reshuffle, and the restoration work will hopefully ensure her survival for a few more years.

Montrose Sycamore on the move

The May 2007 issue of Flypast Magazine hs reported that Sycamore XJ380, which has been stored at the Montrose Air Station Museum since 1994, left in February 2007 for Lincolnshire. It will eventually go to a 'major museum' in the South of England.

UPDATE: XJ380 is earmarked for the Boscombe Down Museum.

New home for Britannia Charlie Fox

After a year in open storage at Kemble, a new home for Britannia G-ANCF has been found. During February and March 2007, the components of 'CF were moved to the apron in front of the former Speke Airport terminal, now a Mariott Hotel. The Jetstream Club are the new custodians, and it will be displayed alongside their other aircraft, including a Jetstream 41. The fuselage and main wing sections arrived on site on 7th March, and arranged so that the aircraft can be assembled during the spring. Once complete, the Britannia will be painted in the colours of British Eagle, as it flew with this airline from Speke in the mid-1960's.

Bristol Fighters disperse

At two UK air displays in 2006, spectators were treated to the sight of three Bristol Fighters in formation. In addition to the Shuttleworths F2B (G-AEPH), The Fighter Collections F2B (G-ACAA) returned to the air in the summer of 2006 and the Historic Aircraft Collections F2B (G-AANM) flew for the first time after a long restoration on 25th May 2006.

The rare sight of three Brisfits in formation, by Ollie Holmes

Now the UK airworthy F2B populatation is back to one. The Fighter Collections F2B has been sold to New Zealand collector Peter Jackson. Peter also owns a Ranger-powered F2B reproduction, and a Fighter restoration project, all based at Omaka. The Historic Aircraft Collections F2B has now gone to the Canada Aviation Museum at Rockcliffe, Ontatio, in exchange for a potentially airworthy Heinkel He-162, and a number of rare engines.

Beaufighter unveiled at Dayton

Following many years of restoration, the National Museum of the Air Force at Dayton, Ohio, USA unveiled their Bristol Beaufighter on 18th October 2006. The ex-Australian aircraft has been completed to represent a Beaufighter Mk. VIf of the USAAF, based in the Mediterannean with the Twelfth Air Force. It is marked as KV912, which was flown by Capt. Harold Augspurger, commander of the 415th Night Fighter Squadron, who shot down an He 111 carrying German staff officers in September 1944 and is a volunteer with the museum.

There are now four complete Beaufighters on display, two more in Australia and one in the UK.

HAC Bristol Fighter flies

The Historic Aircraft Collection Bristol F2B Fighter (G-AANM/D7889) took to the air for the first time on 25th May 2006. The Brisfit has made several air tests at RAF Henlow, piloted by Stuart Goldspink. It was flown to its new home at Duxford in early June. Although the airframe rebuild was completed in 1999, it had been waiting on the restoration of its Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine.

The aircraft consists of genuine original parts, and is based on a frame recovered from a barn in Weston-on-the-Green in the 1960’s. It includes many restored components from the original D7889, hence the chosen identification. G-AANM is the third flying F2B in the UK, following those of the Shuttleworth Trust and The Fighter Collection. The latter has been grounded since 2001 with engine problems, although these have now been resolved, and it is expected to flying again in 2006. It is hoped that all three Brisfits will be able to fly together during the 2006 summer air show season, although the TFC Fighter is expected to be sold in New Zealand very soon.

Bristol Freighter set for homecoming

In September 2004, this website reported on the last ever flight of a Bristol Freighter, when C-GYQS was delivered from Terrace, British Columbia, to Wetaskiwin, BC. It had been donated by Hawkair to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum, and its flight marked not only the last flight of a Freighter, but the last of any surviving UK-built Bristol aircraft. It now appears that this may not be its final flight, as it has been secured by Graham Kilsby, who wants to fly it from the West of Canada back to its birthplace in Bristol.

Freighter C-GYQS on its last flight, taken by Richard de Boer

The aircraft was put up for auction, as Hawkair has gone into administration, and the freighter is still deemed as an asset. Preparations are now being made to bring the aircraft back to life, and prepare it for a 50-hour flight across the Atlantic. In order to achieve this, a fund has been set up to raise the £75,000 costs involved. There are no Freighters in Europe, and infact it is probably the only commercially successful British aircraft where there is no example preserved in the UK or Europe. Anyone wishing to donate to the fund should call +44 (0)117 962 1105 in the UK. Progress on this project will appear on this website when available.

Bristol Aero Collection prepares for Bolingbroke

The Bristol Aero Collection is preparing to receive a Bolingbroke from the USA later this year. The aircraft, RCAF 9048, has been stored in Southern California for over 30 years, mostly with the Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation at Chino. It is unrestored, and a restoration to display condition will commence once it arrives in the UK. 9048 has been donated to the BAC by Graham Kilsby, who runs the Bristol Heritage Collection in Tennessee, and started the Bristol Aero Collection in 1988. The aircraft is unusual in that unlike most surviving Bolingbrokes, it was not built as a trainer, and has a combat history patroling for both U-Boats on the East Coast and Japanese submarines on the West Coast of Canada and in Alaska. It is expected that it will be painted in the colours of 8 (BR) Squadron RCAF, with which it served from November 1941 to August 1943.

Historic Aircraft Collection F2B to fly in 2006

The Historic Aircraft Collections Bristol F2B Fighter is set to take to the air some time in 2006. The aircraft has recently had its Rolls Royce Falcon engine fitted, by Skysport Engineering in Bedfordshire. The Falcon, restored by Vintec at Little Gransden, is thought to be the oldest running Rolls Royce engine. The Fighter will be based at Duxford, and will hopefully form a threeship with Fighters of the Shuttleworth Collection and The Fighter Collection. The latter is also due to fly this year, having been grounded since 2001 with engine problems.

Duxford Beaufighter to be sold

Following recent rumours on the Flypast forum, The Fighter Collection has confirmed “it is quite possible” that the Beaufighter project at Duxford “may move to new owners later in the year”. There are several comings and goings anticipated this year, and the sale of the Beaufighter will make space for the new arrivals. The project has been a complex one, and has been underway for around 15 years. Much has been achieved, but there is still much work to do before the Beaufighter will fly. One of the biggest problems has been sourcing engines. No suitable military Bristol Hercules engines have been found, and later versions used on commercial transports would require major modifications to the aircraft. Restoration work is still continuing, and it is hoped that the new owners can accelerate the pace of restoration.

Shuttleworth M1C to return to the air in 2006

Following its mid-air engine failure in 2002, the Shuttleworth Trusts Bristol M1C has been repaired and should be flying again in the Spring. The monoplanes Le Rhone rotary engine had thrown a con-rod, severely damaging the engine, but this has now been rebuilt. It was ground tested during the summer months, but excessive vibration was apparent. This was tracked down to unbalanced cylinders, which have now been re-balanced. Engine runs were performed during the Autumn Air Show on 2nd October 2005, but other minor problems prevented a take off.

Rockcliffe Beaufighter goes under cover

In November 2005, the Canadian Aviation Museum at Rockcliffe, Ottowa, completed their new storage hangar, and the entire collection including the Beaufighter is now under cover. The aircraft had been stored outside since its arrival in 1969, although its dilapidated appearance had more to do with the state it arrived in than the Canadian weather. Contoversy surrounded the Beaufighter when it was acquired, as the museum were expecting a restored aircraft in exchange for the Bristol Bolingbroke sent to the RAF Museum. Now that the aircraft is inside, it is hoped that restoration work will start soon.

Home needed for Britannia

Over the winter months the Bristol Aero Collection at Kemble has been moving from its home of 10 years to another hangar on the Kemble airfield. This has resulted in a reduction in floor space, and the collection has been rationalised. Bristol Britannia G-ANCF has been excluded from the move, as the dismantled fuselage takes up a lot of space. The airliner has been on loan from the Britannia Aircraft Preservation Trust, and will be returned. This unfortunately leaves the Britannia without a home, and the BAPT are actively seeking a new location to store or display the aircraft.

'Charlie Fox' was dismantled at Manston in the late 1980's, and it was soon earmarked for the Bristol Aero Collection. The intention was to not reassemble the aircraft until a permanent museum was built at Filton. The front and rear fuselage sections had resided at the back of the BAC hangar. The nose of Britannia G-ALRX will be moved to the new hangar, and the complete Britannia, XM496, will remain where it is under the care of the Bristol Britannia XM496 Preservation Society.

Oakey Boxkite undergoes refurbishment

The Museum of Australian Army Flying at Oakey, QLD, has recently moved its Boxkite replica to Toowoomba for refurbishment. The aircraft was dismantled and transported to the Aerotec Queensland Pty. facility for a complete overhaul, including re-finishing the wood, and stripping and repainting the metal parts. When complete it will be returned to Oakey and reassembled, but not before the museums new exhibition hall is complete.

Kemble Britannia in period livery

Britannia XM496 has been painted in the RAF Transport Command livery that it carried during its military career. The port side was painted in June 2005, and unveiled at the Kemble Air Day later that month. The starboard side is due to be completed by the end of the year. The aircraft has also received a makeover inside, and is now fitted with a ten rows of period RAF seats, as well as new display boards.

Britannia XM496, shortly before it was towed to the Kemble Air Day arena.

The Britannia Aircraft Preservation Trust has now passed support for XM496 to the Bristol Britannia XM496 Preservation Society, who will continue to maintain the aircraft. The intention is still to bring the aircraft up to a state where it can taxi under its own steam, and will require a change of the number 2 engine.