G-AIDN
To think DN was given to the Hampshire Aero Club decades ago and kept at Eastleigh Airport as was. The account of the delivery / collection flight from Tarrant Rushton to Southampton is recalled in John Isaacs book 'Aeroplane Affair' as are his early days at Supermarines. DN was the two seat prototype and kept by the company. L Cheshire had used it as a 'hack' when he was managing the swing wing model trials at Predannack for Barnes Wallis. Eventually sold to John Fairey who kept it at Andover. Years later when i stopped off at his private strip at Stockbridge to defrost en route to Cornwall in a Turb there was another two seater dismantled in the hangar (ex Irish Air force ) for spares. There is an amusing account of JI being allowed to taxy DN down the road to the Airport entrance on occaisions as an advert for pleasure trips with the club.
When Nick Grace obtained his machine is was moved to St Merryn (Cornwall) for the rebuild. He then discovered that the rivets which look fine on the outside were in fact quietly disappearing under the skins requiring a considerable amount of extra work.