Originally Posted by
fauteuil volant
G-AFUG was registered as a 'Henry-Luton LA-4 Minor' with construction number WSH.1. The 'WSH' was William Sheppard Henry of Chronicle Buildings, Newtonards, County Down, Northern Ireland. Its given base was Ards Airport when registered in 1939. It's hard to reconcile that with the NELSAM statement that it was constructed by Frederick Brown in Front Street, Stanley, County Durham between 1938 and 1944.
A number of reports/photos on the Net list the Luton Minor at Usworth as "G-AFUG" (sic), and note that it's also registered as BAPC.97 and has the serial number "FB.1".
While a BAPC number doesn't necessarily imply that it's a replica and not a real aircraft, it could well be that Mr Brown built a copy of the original.
The exhibit was reportedly donated to the (then) NEAM in 1975. The real G-AFUG was de-registered in 1946. If the same aircraft, where did it spend the 30 intervening years?
Coincidentally (or not) a homebuilt helicopter built by Frederick Brown of Stanley, County Durham in the early 1960s was also(?) donated to the NEAM in 1975 and was registered as BAPC.96.