Where is Avro 748 G-ARAY

[Hudson]

I did my endorsement on Avro 748 G-ARAY at Woodford in 1966. It was the prototype 748 and still used for demonstration and test flying. Eric Franklin was my instructor at the time. A thorough gentleman. G-ARAY was a well worn but loved aeroplane.

Is G-GARAY still flying somewhere - perhaps in a foreign country under a strange registration?

[matspart3]

Acording to the latest edition of Ken Ellis's Wrecks & Relics, the nose of G-ARAY was last noted at Air Salvage International's airliner salvage yard in Alton, Hants. UK in January 2002. It would appear that it last flew with Dan Air until 1992 when it was de-registered by the CAA as permanently withdrawn from use. Prior to that, and presumably after you flew it in 1966, it was registered in Denamrk, the Phillipines, Brazil and Venezuela...

(takes off anorak and returns to doing cool things....)

[PaperTiger]

Scrapped at Lasham in May 1990.

[Mr_Grubby]

Wasn't G-ARAY one of the two 748s that skidded off the runway on the same day at Portsmouth in the early 70's ?

Clint.

[welkyboy]

GARAY didnt go farming at Portsmouth, the two 748's were operated by Channel airways I think it was GATEH and GATEI I know they were repaired and sold to LIAT Antigua. I worked there for a time in 1968 and one was always returning unable to pressurise, rrumour had it that when the aircraft was dragged back onto airfield at Portsmouth, the recovery crew placed a hawser thru the pax door on port side and out thru the baggage door on starbord, this had the desired effect but distorted the fuselage so that the rear door never sealed properly after!!

[Fris B. Fairing]

matspart3

Nothing uncool about history.

Cheers

[Hudson]

Poor G-ARAY. But thanks for your replies. During my endorsement I recall doing circuits in low visibility misty weather and following approach lights until I could see the runway. I was used to the brilliant sunshine of Australia and couldn't believe the test pilot when he said hop in and we'll do some circuits today - the weather is fine!

G-ARAY was the first demonstration 748 to go to India. It was flown by the Avro chief test pilot Jimmy Harrison. En route he flew into a huge Cb (the aircraft did not have weather radar installed then) and in his own words shot up several thousands of feet in severe turbulence - meanwhile muttering quietly to himself "This aircraft is fail-safe, this aircraft is fail-safe" over and again. Referring to its then unique construction.

On return to England, he directed that in future, all 748's must be fitted with weather radar.

While at Woodford I watched a test flight where aborted take off trials were being carried using G-ARAY to test the concept of lift spoilers for landing. These were long blocks of wood strapped to the wings. The 748 would commence the take off run, then abort at around 80 knots which was the calculated touch down speed for landing. The abort distance was then measured compared with no spoilers. The 748 pulled up in an amazingly short distance.

The project was abandoned when it was found that the spoilers made very little difference to the distance needed to pull up from touch down and their extra weight cancelled things out anyway.

One memory I could do without, however was the appalling stench emanating from a full Elsen (crap-box ) of an RAF Andover aircraft undergoing maintenance in a Woodford hangar. Due to a union dispute or something like that, the ground staff refused to empty the crapper and so it was left in situ for a week or so in summer. The maintenance people simply worked around the offending stink box. I found it unbelievable that no one would take the responsibility for emptying it.