Northolt Spit??

[Rakshasa]

Bit of a spotter question... but having never been to Northolt myself but does anyone know if the Spit there is a static job or an original item?

Cheers!

[GeeRam]

Bit of a spotter question... but having never been to Northolt myself but does anyone know if the Spit there is a static job or an original item?
Cheers!

It's plastic, like the one down the road at RAF Uxbridge.

Both stations used to have real ones, and were both part of the batch that were traded back in the mid-80's.

Both I believe have now been restored to airworthyness and IIRC the ex-Northolt example is flying in the USA, but I'm not a spotter so don't shout if that only 90% correct:E

Edited:-
A quick google shows the ex-RAF Northolt MKXVI as TE476, now flying with noted collecter Kermit Weeks in Florida, USA.

The ex-Uxbridge MkXVI was RW382 and also went to the USA after restoration to flight, but was destroyed in a fatal crash in 1998.

[Rakshasa]

Thanks, Gents.

[plans123]

Mike, what date in Aug 05 did you visit? because that looks suspicously like my kids up on the balcony!!!!

[plans123]

Yep - came off the I4 that day and turned up in the middle of all that weather. Well worth the visit and a forces discount to boot!!!!!:ok:

(I'll tell the kids that they've been spotted)

Next time you come into Lyekorr - I'll get the kettle on!

[Wycombe]

How close is this to Disney World? Off to the area in a couple of weeks and would definately like to find a slot to pay this place a visit (with or without the wife and kids!)

We are already agreed that we are going to do KSC as a family :ok:

[plans123]

Can hghly recommend this place............well worth a visit. Something for everyone. The kids loved the flight simulators, Mrs Plans liked the navy aircraft (being an ex-matelot) for me - it was the Sunderland. You'll be surprised of the amount of air worthy aircraft.

[The Swinging Monkey]

Wycombe,
I was there just a couple of weeks ago, and what the others say is absolutely correct, its a must.
Sadly the Sunderland is looking a little worse for wear, but its still all there in the hangar.
Make sure you take in the 2 tours they offer - they show you round the restoration hangar aswell as the spares hangar, where its wall to wall engines and other bits.
Fantastic place, worth every penny, and not to be missed.
Sadly, the other museum at the back of Kissimee airport is now finished. It got badly hit by a hurricane (last year I think) and everything has gone, although the owner still flies a couple of Mustangs and Spits from there.
I did a bit of flying whilst I was there also and can recommend Orlando flight Training for cheap hire.
Have fun
Kind regards
TSM

[treadigraph]

Wycombe, Fantasy of Flight is everything they said - and while you are in the area and assuming you're not "airplaned out" (and who would be?), nip a few miles south to Winterhaven and sample one of Jack Brown's floatplane J-3 Cubs...

[Fortyodd2]

I'm in complete agreement - Fantasy of Flight is well worth the visit. Was also there in August 2005 and lucky enough to see the P-51C Mustang flying as part of a celebration of the Tuskegee Airmen. For something a bit different - but still aviation oriented, there is the Skydive simulator, (a vertical wind tunnel), opposite Wet 'n' wild - which planted a huge grin on my face for the rest of my stay!! :D :D

[ChrisVJ]

Must have been a convention of Pprune there last August. I was there with No 5 Sprog but the day we went it was so hot we had to scramble for the shade.

Excellent tours of rebuilding hangar and spares hangar, well worth the trip. Only minor annoyance was errors in the tour guide's spiel. Funnily enough he was the same chap who had given the guided tour two years before at Kissimmee and they were still the same kind of errors, so I guess no one had bothered to put him right or maybe he just liked the story more than the history.

Don't let that put you off, some of the stuff there is absolutely fascinating. Definitely a must do.

Swinging Monkey, Has the F104 etc all gone from Kissimmee now? A couple of years ago I was visiting there with a friend and e siad, "Oh, I used to fly these with the CAAF," Quiet airline sort of chap. "Most fun you could have in an aeroplane." Last Summer they had given up on the tours and museum entrance but there was still a lot of very interesting stuff. For a donation No 1 son and I walked around and discussed all the bits and pieces. So much to be learned from just poking around amongst the remains and the few aircraft left.

[Mark22]

It depends on how far you want to go back but Mk.22 Spitfire PK 624 was also a Gate Guard at both RAF Uxbridge and RAF Northholt in the 1950's through to the 1970's. It is currently with The Fighter Collection with restoration in abeyance.

The remains of Spitfire RW382 have returned to UK, are in storage, and in the course of time will almost certainly be the basis for a further restoration to flight.

[Speedbird48]

As has already been stated the original Spitfire at Northolt was the same aircraft as the Uxbridge one. It was PK624 and myself and a Jim Dell were sent over to Uxbridge one very foggy morning to dismantle it and load it onto a Queen Mary transporter.

At the time Jim and I were the Crew Chiefs for the Chief of the Air Staffs Valetta VX 580 which also still lives although someone has painted the lovely Oxford Blue cheat line an ugly Red.

It all started when the boss came into the crew room asking "do you two know anything about Spitfires". "Oh yes we said"?? "Get over to Uxbridge and take that one apart and get it back here" So much for smart arsed remarks.

It came apart very easily as all the screws on the fairings and the main bolts were coated in grease and were not rusted. We were worried about the engine as we had no engine sling. That was solved when I got the cowling off to find that a workshop prop' build up stand had been fitted inside the cowl to hang the prop' on. While taking it apart a number of the panels had PK110 stencilled on them so it was a bit of a composite airplane.

All went well in the fog with Jim yelling appropriate commands, unseen, to the Queens Color Guard that were drilling a short distance away!! Then the fog cleared!! We were done by that time and beat a hasty retreat.

The airplane was stripped and painted but before it was put on display I was off to Dishforth to spend a short time with Beverleys. Another story!!

I asked where it was now in an earlier thread and the response was that it was in store at Duxford.

As for the Kermit Weeks collection I was there last year and most surprised to see a Cierva autogiro. I had tried to get my father to let me buy one for 25 pounds and it was behind an old school/convent on the North side of Heston airport and belonged to the Sea Scouts. The one in Florida is the same machine!! Small world after all.

Speedbird 48.

[The Swinging Monkey]

Chris,
sadly everything has gone (apart from a Greyhound/COD which they still fly.
The main hangar is still there, but empty. I spoke to some of the guys there in December and just about everything was moved prior to a hurricane in 2004? Sadly, some of the small 'HAS-type' buildings were destroyed and the aircraft in them also came to grief.
There are still a couple of hulks outside, I think one is a super sabre and also a thunderchief I think, but they are just rotting hulks. The Harvard still flies from there, as does the Spit and at least one Mustang.
I went to Kissimee to do some local area flying (borrowed a Cadet there) and it was just great fun, great wx, very few restrictions etc etc.and it was cheap!!
Have fun y'all
TSM

[Wycombe]

Thanks to all above for the Florida info. Fantasy of Flight looks like a must :ok:

[captain_flynn]

It's plastic, like the one down the road at RAF Uxbridge.

I lived near to RAF Northolt for 16yrs and go back to London to visit my dad alot now and I haven't seen a model spitfire, where abouts is it? I've seen the one at Uxbridge many times though. :)

[Halcyon Days]

Heres a picture taken at Northolt of PK624. Probably early 70`s?
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b67/Maybee123/PK624SpitfireNortholt.jpg

[GeeRam]

Heres a picture taken at Northolt of PK624. Probably early 70`s?
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b67/Maybee123/PK624SpitfireNortholt.jpg

Has to be 1960's or early in 1970, as this is the rare Mk22 which was replaced on the old A40 Northolt gate by the above mentioned MkXVI, TE476 sometime during 1970.

PK624 is now owned by the Duxford based The Fighter Collection, and is awaiting it's turn in the restoration workshop for a rebuild to flight status.

[Mark22]

PK624:

Arrived Northolt - September 1962.

Departed Northolt - 4 June 1970 for Abingdon via Henlow care of 71 MU.

[Wycombe]

Back from Florida now and did make it to Fantasy of Flight (albeit on my own as wife and daughters preferred to stay by the pool for the day :ok: ).

All pretty much as reported and well worth the visit. Many of the aircraft are immaculate, some like the Sunderland and the B24 not quite so. Kermit got the P40 out for some very Old Warden-like fly-bys in the hot afternoon sun. Loved the un-crowded ambience of the place (great contrast to the Theme Parks!).

There is a based B17, which flies most weekends if sufficient punters stump up the 400USD to "crew" it - this was not going to happen the day I was there so no point in even being tempted. The Connie which has now been parked-up for about 5 years outside is starting to look at bit sorry for itself sadly. Did have a short trip in the D25 5 seat biplane (59 USD for about 25 mins). For 199 USD, the same Father and Son duo were doing aero's trips in a Harvard (sorry T6 Texan!)

Also made it to Kennedy Space Centre with the family - highly recommended for the sheer scale of it all and the history of the Space Programme.

Were it not for a lapsed SEP, I'd have definately been getting airborne from Kissimmee Gateway also, lots of cheap aeroplanes to fly :)

[chevvron]

I remember going to Leeming way back in about '78 before this craze for replica Spitfire Gate Guards. They had one there; apparently (or so I was told) the station master had ordered the mainspar be cut through to stop anyone trying to restore it to flying condition.
Sacrilege!!

[Blacksheep]

That won't stop us. As long as we have the original data plate, anything can fly... ;)

[Kolibear]

Isn't PK624 currently in large shiny pieces, propping up the walls in the Science Museum?