Britannia Freight Loading Platform (BFLP)

[austerten]

My father has restored a 1/12th scale working model of the BFLP to on display in Ulster Aviation Museum, however he has no literature to show how the real BFLP operated, so here are a few questions. 1,believe it wieghted 5000lbs so was it carried on board all the time and if so where was it stowed. 2, how many personnel and roughly how long to erect and then dismantle, what was it like to manouvre around the aircraft. 3,what powered it,was it hydraulic or electric and lastly has anyone seen the model previously, was it for display only or as a training aid.
I have gleamed some details from the UKMAMS website but some of it is contradictary.

[MReyn24050]

Photograph of it in use here (scroll down 6 photographs.):-
UKMAMS Old Bods Association - Photos 1960's Page 2 (http://ukmamsoba.org/photographs_1960_2.htm)

[Warmtoast]

austerten

A couple of screen grabs from my 8mm cine film of the Britannia Freight platform in action that I shot in Entebbe, that according to my logbook was 6 - 10th April 1960.

Another Brit had had a double engine failure and we flew out with two replacement engines, a ground crew and the Freight Lift.

I don't think it weighed as much as 5,000 lbs but can be corrected on this. It was electrically powered and was not a permanent fixture in the aircraft, just taken aboard as required.

roughly how long to erect and then dismantle

From memory about an hour or so. It did need a crane or lifting device to get it off and back on to the aircraft, but most airports of any size would a suitable bit of kit for this as did Entebbe. The red device is Entebbe's.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/RAF%20Lyneham/DoubleEngineChangeatEntebbe-Apri-1.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/RAF%20Lyneham/DoubleEngineChangeatEntebbe-Apri-2.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/RAF%20Lyneham/DoubleEngineChangeatEntebbe-Apri-3.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/RAF%20Lyneham/DoubleEngineChangeatEntebbe-Apri-4.jpg

The ground crew that did the hard work.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/RAF%20Lyneham/DoubleEngineChangeatEntebbe-Apri-6.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/RAF%20Lyneham/DoubleEngineChangeatEntebbe-Apri-7.jpg

[thetimesreader84]

First of all, i've never heard of the BFLP.

Is it basically an air portable Hi-Loader, or am i missing something fundamental?

Noddy question I know. Sorry all.

[Warmtoast]

Is it basically an air portable Hi-Loader,

Yes, it is indeed.