Blackburn Beverley Albums

[Opssys]

Just completed Albums on that withdrawal from Empire Workhorse the Blackburn Beverley C1 with Notes and Slideshows on Caz Caswell's Aviation Photographs (http://www.airpixbycaz.co.uk/cazsite/) a non-commercial website - As the Beverley keeps 'popping up' in the forum I felt it worth passing the details on.:

A three way joint venture, with Robin A Walker supplying many of the Photographs, Caz Caswell the rest plus most of the Notes and yours truly the remaining notes and website build.

Album 1 (http://www.airpixbycaz.co.uk/cazsite/aviation/military/type/beverley/index1.html), Album 2 (http://www.airpixbycaz.co.uk/cazsite/aviation/military/type/beverley/index2.html) and Main Album Notes (http://www.airpixbycaz.co.uk/cazsite/aviation/military/type/beverley/index.html)

For each picture we have tried to provide a thumbnail Summaryof the Aircraft's Career. The Main Album Notes covers more ground and is divided into sections similar in concept to a Wiki (but not quite). Caz and I have tried to be as accurate as possible and although not always successfully, limit my tendency to ramble.

I am sure the Guru's will find errors (all of which will be mine) and if PM'ed once my brain has recovered will attempt to address corrections.
Opssys

[l.garey]

Very nice work. Reminds me of some interesting trips I had while with the Oxford UAS courtesy of 47 Sqd at Abingdon, especially one to the SBAC at Farnborough in 1961.
beverleys (lgarey) (http://sites.google.com/site/lgarey/beverleys)

Laurence

[Robert Cooper]

Ah, the good old four fan cantilever council house! Memories of 34 Sqn at Seletar.:)

Bob C

[Cornish Jack]

If of use, I have a copy of a photograph of the smallest (at the time) Beverley built:confused:. Re. the narrative on site, the mention of the main fuselage side plates (Elephant's Ears) cites the wrong reason for their presence. They were added following a combined Heavy drop and Para trial sortie - dropping Para's from the boom. The Para's were dummies for the exercise and when released, disappeared from view rather quickly!!:eek: Not surprising really, as they had shot straight into the open freight bay!!:D Enter the 'mod-men' with the Elephant's Ears and thereafter the 'meat-bombs' went where they were intended to:D A real mixture of pleasure for some memorable flying and sadness for lost friends and acquaintances.As is often said, we will never see the like again.:{.

[Proplinerman]

Sadly, I am too young to remember the Beverley in its flying days, but I thought I would contribute a link to the Blackburn Beverley Association's excellent website, dedicated to the only survivor, XB259. Go to:

The Blackburn Beverley Association - Beverley XB259 (http://tinyurl.com/y8e2sug)

I saw this aircraft in 1994 at the Museum of Army Transport in, appropriately enough, the town of Beverley. When that museum unfortunately closed in 2003, the owner of Fort Paull-a museum not too far away from Beverley-bought XB259 and, at great cost (and all credit to him for this) had her dismantled, transported to and re-assembled at Fort Paull, where I saw her again in 2006.

I also remember XH124 outside the RAF Museum at Hendon-tho the less said here, in light of previous controversy on the net, re its demise, the better, tho you will see my view on this if you go to a photo I took of the aircraft in December 1986, at:

JetPhotos.Net Photo » XH124 (CN: 1030) United Kingdom - Royal Air Force (RAF) Blackburn Beverley C.1 by Michael Blank (http://tinyurl.com/ych8rek)

See also:

JetPhotos.Net Photo » XH124 (CN: 1030) United Kingdom - Royal Air Force (RAF) Blackburn Beverley C.1 by Michael Blank (http://tinyurl.com/ycmxtel)

[Opssys]

Cornish Jack.
Re the Elephant Ears. Thank you for the correction. While Caz is collating the 'errors' passed to us from site emails, I shall will try to think of a different form of words than: Enter the 'mod-men' with the Elephant's Ears and thereafter the 'meat-bombs' went where they were intended to.
Unfortunately I cannot get the phrase out of my subconscious!
Maybe alcoholic beverages will assist.

[chevvron]

I believe I'm right in saying '259 was originally flown from Luton to the airfield at Paull ( Sqdn Ldr Rich Rhodes, Farnborough TP, was captain) prior to being moved to Leconfield. I can vaguely remember details of this airfield in Pooleys as being 800m oriented on a QDM of about 12/30. I have failed to find this on googlearth although I can find Fort Paull so it's obviously long gone, anyone know where it was?

[ZH875]

According to my old OS Map, it was centred on:

53°42'22.10"N
0°10'50.40"W

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/ZH875/Paull1.jpg

[India Four Two]

chevvron,

According to the UK Airfield Catalogue kml file, Paull airfield was 2 miles ESE of Ft. Paull, at 53° 42' 22"N, 000° 10' 55"W.

A kml file is a Google Earth overlay file. This particular kml file is a "must have" for AH&N readers :ok:

It can be downloaded from UK Airfield Catalogue (http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/06airfields/UK/ukmenu.htm)

Edit: for some reason, ZH875's post did not show up when I started my reply. At least we agree on the location!

I love "Auster Grange" just to the west of the airfield :)

[Opssys]

In another place, it has been pointed out we were not entirely accurate re 48/34 Squadron. Although, this and other corrections will be done on the Website over the weekend as I am dealing with the Gurus of PPRune I better sort it out here before others spot it:

Current Entry: 48/34 Squadron:
With the RAF Far East Air Force in Singapore was 48 Squadron, which flew a mixed fleet of Aircraft including a Beverley Flight, but on the 1st October 1960 the Beverley flight was given full Squadron Status, becoming 34 Squadron at RAF Changi, finally disbanding there in January 1968 and, has at time of writing never been re-activated

Corrected Entry: 48/34 Squadron
With the RAF Far East Air Force in Singapore was 48 Squadron, which flew a mixed fleet of Aircraft including a Beverley Flight from its base at RAF Changi.

On 1st October 1960 the Beverley flight was given full Squadron Status, becoming 34 Squadron and promptly moving to RAF Seletar, which remained their base until disbanded in January 1968. At time of writing 34 Squadron has never since been re-activated.

[chevvron]

Just north of where the airfield is shown on the OS map there is Oxgoddes Farm, which contains something which certainly looks like a blister hangar (53 deg 42' 27.1" N 0 deg 11' 1.3" W)and possibly another hangar and parking area more recent. Can't get my googlearth to work but using flashearth.com instead.

[Proplinerman]

Interesting posts re Paull airfield. I read that XB259 stood, for some time, on the airfield, surrounded by nothing, until it was moved to the Museum of Army Transport at Beverley. It was quite a sight apparently, in the middle of the very flat countryside there and with almost all traces of the airfield gone.

[India Four Two]

Here's a picture of XB259 at Paull:

Photos: Blackburn B-101 Beverley C1 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Blackburn-Beverley-C1/0624601/L/&tbl=&photo_nr=22&sok=&sort=&prev_id=0624602&next_id=0624600)

It looks in its element to me. One of my UAS QFIs was an ex-Beverley captain. He told us that one of their exercises was a tactical landing into a ploughed field with the brakes locked. They didn't do it very often, because they had to change all the wheels afterwards!

[T-21]

I managed to get a good copy of Bill Overton's excellent book "Blackburn Beverley" by Midland Counties 1990 for £10 . The book is quite rare and is a good reference work .

[ian16th]

All this about the Bev, and no one has mentioned pumping the oil!

[Opssys]

I have made the corrections to the errors Caz and I are currently aware of.
One thing that I think we maybe missing (pumping oil not withstanding) is brake fires being a serious problem in the early days, or is this misinformation?

As I allow page caching on these albums, so if anyone wants to see the changes to the Main notes, they may have to Refresh (IE), or Reload (Firefox).

Opssys

[Warmtoast]

Beverley Photos

Some from my album.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Beverley1.jpg
14th February 1958 - RAF Gan

This 47 Sqn Abingdon-based Beverley "K", serial number XB263, pilot F/Lt Peter Dudley, flew in the advance contingent of Pakistani workers who were to do most of the construction work to convert Gan from a sleepy island with a short crushed-coral landing strip to a busy RAF staging post with an 8,694ft/2,650m long concrete runway.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Beverley2.jpg

Personnel clustered around the aircraft add scale to its size.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Beverley3.jpg

A close up of the nose of the aircraft shows that it sports the arms of the town of Abingdon (where it was based) and above the arms the ribbon of the GSM annotated underneath “Malaya”.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Beverley-Trim-Sheet-front.jpg

Finally, the dreaded Beverley "Trim Sheet" which for the first time for an RAF aircraft (I think), need calculations for the vertical C-of-G as well as the usual ones for the horizontal C-of-G.

[Opssys]

Warmtoast.
Thank you for an Interesting Post, Pictures and although I had heard about the requirement for Vertical Trimming, I never thought I would see a Beverley Trim Sheet (from memory the person who told me about the Vertical Trim used words much stronger than 'dreaded').
Opssys

[Amos Keeto]

The three colour photos shown on the Abingdon page were taken at Bicester, not at Abingdon.

Royal Air Force Abingdon April and May 1968 - Index - 9 Photographs plus Slideshow - Caz Caswell's Aviation Photographs Web Site (http://www.airpixbycaz.co.uk/cazsite/aviation/as1900/1968/abingdon/index.html)

[Opssys]

Amos.
The three colour photos shown on the Abingdon page were taken at Bicester, not at Abingdon.You are correct :\. This was one of the first Albums on the revised site and in first flush of enthusiasm we made a mistake. It has been on the list to correct for about a year. But as no one had noticed :bored: it kept slipping down the priorities.

As a completely rebuilt Abingdon Album is in the process of being put togther, you spotted an error that was/is planned to be corrected by the Weekend !

Opssys
Note to Self: When error spotted don't put off correcting because the Gurus of PPRune will be Watching!

[Brian Abraham]

Could someone kindly explain the issues surrounding "vertical trim". As in, the problems arising from being out of the envelope, and what sort of loading could put you in such a state. Much obliged.

[Gainesy]

Hear, hear. I have visions of poor old AQMs puzzling over the loading of cranes with their jibs erect etc.:confused::)

[forget]

Could someone kindly explain the issues surrounding "vertical trim".

Thank God for that! I'm baffled and, as an ex fairy, didn't have the nerve to ask.

[VX275]

Thinks, and this is only a guess.
Would the vertical cg have an affect on the aircraft on rotation (or even when they tipped it up to move it sideways into the hangar) such that the cg would move far enough aft of the mainwheels and make the rotation uncontrollable? The Bev afterall was a tall aircraft and it carried quite a load high up in that tailboom.
It also makes me think that finding the vertical cg of the large airdrop loads was partly for the benefit of the aircraft and not just to control the over rotation of the load on exit.
Talking of airdrop lets not forget that it was the Beverley that dropped the heaviest single load from a British aircraft, a Heavey Stressed Platform weighing something like 42 000 lb, which is more than a Herc can carry.

[Cornish Jack]

ian16th - Overload tanks?? pumping COLD oil at 8000' to keep the Centauri topped up was no job for wimps (or heavy smokers!!) apart from the limited space in the 'Dog Kennel', cold soaked oil does not like being pumped.:{ We once went to Elizabethville during the Congo crisis and there were so many aircraft that we were literally queueing to get onto the refuelling points. When out turn eventually came round, the Shell man nearly wept when we asked for 84 gallons for the overloads - it all had to be carried up ladders onto the wing -a gallon at a time. Poor guy had been on duty for over 24 hours and pointed out that the aircraft before us had taken LESS than that amount for his FUEL tanks!! Mind you, it was a Cessna.

[oxenos]

Early 60's I had the good fortune to be sent on a French Air Force skiing course. There were a load of French Air Force pilots on the course as well.
One recounted his version of the Beverley's first demo flight at Farnborough.
According to him, on the approach to Farnborough, the captain realised there was a crow formating on the aircraft. Captain puts on more power, crow flaps its wings a bit faster, more power, more flapping, etc. Eventually,Bev is flat out, crow is hardly raising a sweat. Captain pulls off the power, and puts down the flaps and raises the nose. Just getting a bit of burble, when the crow flicks and spins in.
Not sure the french were overly impressed.

[chevvron]

I had two or three Beverley flights as an ATC cadet, Abingdon being our 'parent' station. On the first occasion, we were seated in the hold area, there being no seats fitted to the tailboom. Soon after takeoff, after we were allowed to unfasten seatbelts, several cadets decided to scale the vertical walls to access the tailboom (no ladder installed - they used the horizontal rungs on the wall) After some time, they came back down looking rather sheepish. One of them told me they'd been sitting on the floor chatting when one of them noticed a lever, and not knowing what it was for, operated it. Inevitably the floor hatch of the tailboom began to open and it took several of them jumping on it to close it again!!

[Warmtoast]

A couple more of my photos of Beverleys. These taken at Abingdon during the summer of 1959.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Abingdon-BeverlyLandingLarge.jpg

This one landing

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Abingdon-BeverlyTake-offLarge.jpg

This one taking off with the rear clam-shell doors removed for a heavy drop, at Watchfield I assume.

[Opssys]

A couple of Beverley Pictures from 1956 at Idris during Trials:
http://www.douglas-ian-holland.co.uk/shared_pix/beverley-idris1956w-mt1.jpg
and
http://www.douglas-ian-holland.co.uk/shared_pix/beverley-idris1956w-mt2.jpg

Plus for Amos Keeto :) the following Album has been completely rebuilt and dated correctly:
1968 RAF Abingdon - 19 Pictures (http://www.airpixbycaz.co.uk/cazsite/aviation/as1900/1968/abingdon/index.html)

Opssys

http://douglas-ian-holland/shared-pix/beverley-idris1956w-mt1.jpg

[ian16th]

The Beverley in the background looks just like a Vickers Valiant from that angle :E

[Opssys]

Well done ian16th. For the second picture I should have added: and in the background is a Vickers Valiant

[ian16th]

Opssys,

I happen to have been very familiar with both types. I worked regulary on transient Beverley's for a year, 57-58 and was then posted to a Valiant Sqdn, twice, for something over 4 years in total.

Keep the pics coming, I'm enjoying them all. :ok:

[Proplinerman]

Here is a picture of the last surviving Beverley, at Fort Paull.

656-697 Paull 5-9-06 Beverley near full side on on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://tinyurl.com/yangf33)

[Lancman]

It's hard to read that load sheet on my computer screen but it looks to me as if the heavier the aircraft was the higher the vertical C of G had to be to stay in the envelope. This might be because closing the throttles quickly on a heavy aircraft with a low slung C of G would produce a sharp nose pitch up and posibly a stall, especially as the wing would already be at a high angle of attack. Just a guess.

[walbut]

I recently saw another Beverley thread on this site which reminded me that I took some photos when the last airworthy Beverley XB259, was delivered to Paull airfield around 40 years ago. I dug out the negatives from the loft and scanned them into my PC and then set about searching the web to try and identify exactly when the final flight took place. In the course of doing this I came across this other thread on PPRuNe which seemed a more appropriate place to post the photographs. The date was 30th March 1974 and it was a cold grey day waiting for the Beverley to arrive. A large crowd had also spent the previous Sunday in the cold but for some reason the aircraft did not turn up. However this time we were lucky and here are some of the photos.

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag41/walbut/Beverley1.jpg

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag41/walbut/Beverley2.jpg


http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag41/walbut/Beverley4-1.jpg

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag41/walbut/Beverley3.jpg

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag41/walbut/Beverley5.jpg






http://http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag41/walbut/Beverley4-1.jpg

[Capot]

Last time I saw a Beverley was jumping from the tail boom at Weston OTG, one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life, at that time anyway.

Sorry, scrub that, some years later I sat in the tail boom of one on a flight from Bahrain to Sharjah; 3 attempts at take-off, each one stopped due to an engine problem manifesting itself during the ponderous roll, according to the Irish pilot. The boom was quite full and badly ventilated, and I discovered then what was meant by "the smell of fear". On the 4th try it staggered off the ground after what felt like a 10-mile run. I swear that some battle-hardened desert warriors were praying out loud.

Lovely aircraft, of course, so lean and gracious, good example of the adage "if it looks right, it is right".

[Fareastdriver]

Way back in the seventies the bloke that lived next door to me was a Dan Dare pilot who delivered the Beverley to Hendon. It was outside the RAF museum until it became too dangerous and was scrapped.

I gathered from sources that the RAF never relinquished ownership so they couldn't get in to stop the leaks that were corroding the structure.

[DaveReidUK]

I gathered from sources that the RAF never relinquished ownership so they couldn't get in to stop the leaks that were corroding the structure.

That may well be true, but it sounds a bit fishy.

I remember the Beverley at Hendon well, but no amount of TLC would have allowed it to survive indefinitely in the open.

The RAFM should have bitten the bullet and found a home for it under cover. Let's hope the Yorkshire one survives.

[chevvron]

Dubious about the delivery date of '259 to Paull. I started at Farnborough in March '74 and I'm sure it was a couple of months later that the Gp Capt announced that Flt Lt Rich Rhodes and one other had successfully flown it up from Luton.
But then its 38 odd years ago so maybe my head's gone.
I think Rich delivered the Shackleton to Strathallan later that year; now what's happened to that collection? I can remember the crew practicing short landings at Farnborough during my tower training in readiness for the delivery flight (they didn't want to risk a repeat of the Comet delivery there) and seeing the black smoke pouring from the brakes!

[alisoncc]

Last time I saw a Beverley was jumping from the tail boom at Weston OTG, one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life, at that time anyway.

Sorry, scrub that, some years later I sat in the tail boom of one on a flight from Bahrain to Sharjah; 3 attempts at take-off, each one stopped due to an engine problem manifesting itself during the ponderous roll, according to the Irish pilot. Muckrack to Sharjah - 270nm easy squeezy.

Early '67 flew RAF Seletar - Cocos Islands - Port Hedland - Alice Springs - RAAF Laverton in the boom of a Bubbly.

4 segment path: 4146 nm
WSSS (1°21'01"N 103°59'40"E) YPCC (12°11'18"S 96°50'02"E) 207.7° (SW) 914 nm
YPCC (12°11'18"S 96°50'02"E) YPPD (20°22'40"S 118°37'35"E) 114.1° (SE) 1348 nm
YPPD (20°22'40"S 118°37'35"E) YBAS (23°48'24"S 133°54'08"E) 106.4° (E) 875 nm
YBAS (23°48'24"S 133°54'08"E) YLVT.OLD (37°51'42"S 144°44'49"E) 149.0° (SE) 1009 nm
Total: 4146 nm

All up included a few days in the Cocos waiting for engine parts. The perfect way to see the Australian red centre from a relatively low altitude. Not a trip I would want to repeat though.

[Cornish Jack]

Capot - the boom para jump was, apparently favoured over the freight bay by the 'professionals' on account of it being through the floor, meaning that they went straight into the slipstream on their backs rather than having to force themselves out sideways. Only did one para jump - balloon at Weston (no reserve:eek:) and that experience convinced me that I would NEVER do another one!!

[Capot]

Hmmm...I only did the normal All Arms course, Aldershot for weeding out to around 40% of the hopeful starters, then Abingdon for the RAF-run parachute course. 2Xballoon (door, then through the floor) followed by 6 (or was it 8) aircraft jumps including the night jump. The RAF was changing aircraft at that time, and we got the Beverley (side door and boom, Argosy (side door) and Hastings (night jump into the trail of sparks) in that course.

The Argosy had such a curved side that you really did have to push out. I don't remember that with the Beverley, but I'm sure the professionals are right.

The problem with the boom was the absolute certainty that you would catch your chin on the far end of the hatch, and the cold-blooded step into space that was called for. I hated it, but it was only the once.

[POBJOY]

In 1960 Croydon had its own millenium celebrations which included an exhibition at the 'then' recently closed Airport.
Part of this included a mass 'drop' by the local TA Para's , and this was done by several Beverley's (low level) in formation.
The sight (and sound) of this event over this historic location was impressive as was the arrival of so many troops in less than a minute.
As i recall they had to walk back to the terminal area carrying their chutes.
I suspect there would be a film record of this somewhere.
Little did i realise that 20 years later i would return to the same 'very closed and built over site' with a Comper Swift to attend another celebration display.

[Fareastdriver]

Here is a picture of one doing a supply drop at Sepulot, Sabah, Borneo in 1966. Fuel on the airstrip. rations in the river.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/1-1-2010_006-2.jpg

[gopher01]

I have somewhere in my stache of old paperwork an article that came out when the Bev retired entitled " Bye Bye Bev ". I think it was in the Air clues magazine. I will attempt to find it and put it on the site as it contains many of the quips about the Bev, ( navs only worked on the outbound leg, on the way home they followed the oil slick, being overtaken in France by a steam drawn train!) and they are the least insulting ones. I would be re-assured if anyone can confirm this memory.

[ancientaviator62]

gopher01,
the article in Air Clues was as I recall 'Bye bye Bev Hello Herc.' It was written by the Eng Leader of 47 Sqn (then newly equipped with the Herc). He had I think a long association with the Beverley. Hope this helps. Date must have been approx. 1968/69.

[Brian 48nav]

IIRC there was the first article entitled 'Bye bye Bev' and then 'Hello Herc' appeared in the next edition of Air Clues. The author was Gerry Hatt, Eng Ldr I think, on 47 Sqn at Fairford.

[RedhillPhil]

BLACKBURN BEVERLY.(an early british giant) - YouTube

[ancientaviator62]

Bryan 48 Nav,
the author was indeed Gerry Hatt, at the time the Eng Ldr on 47.

[airfield1234]

I have just joined the forum and this link about Beverley XB259 brought back memories of its last flight into Paul airfield. I was at Humberside airport that day which was to be the diversion airfield if the Beverley couldn't get into Paul.
One of the based Twin Comanche was airborne as the Beverley passed over the airport and followed it to Paul,circling overhead with the pilot giving a commentary on the progress of the landing or whether to expect it at Humberside. There was an air of expectation that it wouldnt get in and a very clear sense of disappointment at Humberside when it did.
Moving on from that I have records of Beverleys landing at RAF North Coates to carry Bloodhound missiles to various places.
I have the following
XL148 242 OCU to Upsala in Sweden on 11/5/60 returning on the 13th
XL149 242 OCU to West Malling and back 16/5/60
XB286 47 Sqdn to Abingdon via Binbrook on 18/2/63 returning on the 19th
XB265 47 Sqdn arriving on 29/8/63 departed on 1/9/63 possibly loading trials
XB267 47 Sqdn 14/9/64 possibly loading trials

The return trip from Upsala must have been interesting as the Swedes put up a squadron of Saab J29s to escort the Beverley out of Swedish airspace

Can anybody add any more please?

[The AvgasDinosaur]

Learned Gentlemen,
Could anyone confirm whether or not a Beverley ever visited the U.S.A. ?
I believe Boscombe did some cold weather testing in Canada, but did an operational R.A.F. one ever cross the pond ?
Thanks for your time and trouble,
Be lucky
David

[avionic type]

A plea to all Beverly buffs is my memory correct in that the Prototype Beverly
did visited R. A. F. Headquarters Transport Command Upavon in Wiltshire in the late 1953 early 1954 as a demo to the big wigs there, was it flying then ?
I seem to remember it landing on the grass airfield back then and we the techies of the Comm Flight thinking "what the hell is that". Perhaps someone remembers it that far back ,
I read somewhere that on the first test flight the Chief Test Pilot was heard to shout on lift off, "My side is airborne what's your side doing" :hmm::hmm::hmm: