A bit more detail.....
The tail no XP395 is painted on to the front panel of the aircraft, behind where it looks like the nose/front light should go. apologies for the lack of technical terminology, have tried and failed to insert a picture.
2 main theories at the moment:
1. XP395 was bought and placed in the quarry, painted with XJ729 for the BBC 999 lifesavers program. this is what the local oral history says. However, XJ729 is still flying so did it ever ditch underwater? unlikely i think.
2. The cab of XP395 and tail boom of XJ729 were bought from the same scrap dealer in Lincolnshire and joined together to make one wreck, possibly for the tv program where the tail number was of no consequence. The cab of XJ729 was then sold on and made airworthy with another tail boom.
Unfortuneatly the BBC aren't very forthcoming and the companies that we think may have owned or worked on the cabs are quite hard to find - the names and addresses dont seem to be current. Has anybody heard of Austen Associates? They seem to be involved with a number of restored Westland aircraft but i cant get any contact details for them. The quarry is owned by a university who use it for studying algae growth. Fire and rescue also use it for training.
