Info on the first BEAGLE twin?

[Sir George Cayley]

I have a hazy recollection of a small twin at Farnboro' that was a prototype of their new line.

It was smaller than the later B206 and if I remember was numbered B424 or B242 or similar.

Can anyone confirm it wasn't a dream and if it existed any history please?

Sir George Cayley

[treadigraph]

Beagle 242 (http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/IXB33.HTM), more info in A J Jackson's "British Civil Aircraft volume 1". The Beagle 218 mentioned in the link was a Miles design if I recall aright...

[BEagle]

What a nice little aeroplane!

[Sir George Cayley]

...and yes Beags, what a beauty:)

Next question is; what became of it. Is it tucked away in a forgotten corner of Rearsby? Was it broken up?

Am I the only one who sees the later Grumman GA7 in there?

Any further info gratefully rec'd

Sir George Cayley

[treadigraph]

At home now and referring to BCA... Beagle 218 first flown 19/8/62, rebuilt as the all metal 242 in 1964. Production abandoned in '67... Sadly doesn't say what happened to it. There is a simil;arity with the GA-7!

The 218 looked even better with a 206 style cabin and was composite alloy and glass fibre. Certain resemblence there with the stillborn Britten Sherrif methinks.

[possel]

I can recall seeing a stripped fuselage of G-ASCK (the M218) at Shoreham in August 1966. I had the impression that they used all the bits in making the 242. I thought the 218 looked much prettier than the 242. It was (I think) ahead of its time when it came to certifying composites.

Also, ref the first post, the 206 first flew earlier, not later. They were designed at different places though, so perhaps the 218 was designed first!

[virgo]

I'm pretty sure there was a celebration earlier this year at Shoreham Airport commemorating something to do with Beagle and an original prototype was on display, courtesy of a preservation group.............I believe it was specifically designed to ferry RAF V bomber crews wherever they needed to be, but it was cancelled by the RAF and modified to become something else ?

All a bit vague but I can probably get more information if it's needed.

[treadigraph]

Virgo, that was the Beagle 206 Basset - RAF acquired a few (20?) but they were all retired and sold on by the mid-70s I think. I remember several (including a Paraguayan registered one!) parked up at Biggin Hill in 1975 still bearing signs of their RAF service. I've got the Airfix kit upstairs somewhere!
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0981204/M/

[MReyn24050]

The Beagle Aircraft Company.
http://www.beaglepupandbulldogclub.org/beagleaircraft.html

[Amos Keeto]

I'm pretty sure there was a celebration earlier this year at Shoreham Airport commemorating something to do with Beagle and an original prototype was on display, courtesy of a preservation group.............I believe it was specifically designed to ferry RAF V bomber crews wherever they needed to be, but it was cancelled by the RAF and modified to become something else ?

All a bit vague but I can probably get more information if it's needed.

The aircraft you saw at Shoreham was the BEAGLE 206 prototype, G-ARRM, which was brought there by road from Kemble and is on loan from the Bristol Aero Collection. The Basset was the RAF version.

[chevvron]

Bassets replaced the Ansons/Devons of Southern Communication Sqdn at Bovingdon. The first thing that the (Shorts) ground crew had to do was 'modify' the props by filing/cutting bits off the ends of each blade, then re-balancing; this was because it was quickly found that on Bovingdon's long runway (22?) the hump caused the pilots to apply quite heavy braking resulting in the prop tips touching the ground! These aircraft moved to Northolt when Bovingdon closed in '68.
NB I got this from a Shorts employee who was a member of my ATC Squadron and I've always been a bit dubious about this tale, and the one that Bassets were built on the same production line as the '206, and were chosen on the grounds that if they were 'friday afternoon' products or if there'd been any assembly problems, the RAF could have them.
ETPS at Boscombe still used one until recently, but it may have been retired by now; also Prince Charles did his multi engine training in one from Tangmere, (having first soloed in a Chipmunk) although that one may have been attached to TQF then at Benson.

[KZ8]

The B242 G-ASTX was destroyed by fire while in storage at Shoreham Airport.

I believe that the aircraft was located in the dome on the north-side of the airfield at the time.

A great shame, as it was a pretty aircraft.

KZ8

[Kitbag]

There was a Bassett as a training airframe at the airfield phase at RAF Halton during the early 80's. IIRC there was a small presentation plaque inside saying it had been donated by Shell or BP in the 70's

[Kieron Kirk]

G-ASWJ B.206.srs.1 donated to the RAF by Rolls-Royce in 1975, became 8449M at Halton.

[treadigraph]

The Prince Charles Basset soldiers on as G-HRHI, "The Regal Beagle" although its C of A expired recently; photo from G-INFO:

http://www.caa.co.uk/applicationmodules/ginfo/ginfo_photo.aspx?regmark=G-HRHI&imgname=G-HRHI001&imgtype=jpg

[chevvron]

In the mid '70s, BAe (then called BAC) used a '206 for comms between Warton and Brooklands (post Wisley closure). One day, Roly Beamont's first call to Farnborough was something like 'Farnborough [callsign] airborne Brooklands, I'm going to have to land with you as a propellor has just fallen off!'

[irishair2001]

IIRC, Beagle actually flew a stretched version of the 206,it could carry up to 10 passengers and was intended for as it was known as then "The Feederliner" market, I remember seeing a photo of it in FI.

[windriver]

I rescued a pile of Beagle Sales Brochures, in house magazines etc from an (ex Beagle Sales Agents) skip a long time ago..haven`t had a chance to read through them yet to see if I can contribute to the original post.. but here's another variation on the theme to be going on with. (Scanned cover of a sales brochure)

http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/books/beagle206.jpg

[treadigraph]

Irishair, I'm pretty sure you are talking about the Beagle 206 Series III - As I recall (without references to hand), this had a stretched cabin in the same airframe - Ah, just dun a quick google and found this PPRuNe thread (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=165125)!

[irishair2001]

treadigraph,

That sounds right,I think Beagle actually went out of business shortly after that.

[m5dnd]

G-ARRM is actualy owned By Brooklands Museum and was on loan to the Bristol Aero Collection. It is now under restoration at Shoreham.

Lovely Aircraft..

M5DND