Save The Desford

[DaveUnwin]

Reid and Sigrist made two aeroplanes, one of them survives, and only just as it was almost burned following its time providing the Royal Aircraft Establishment with pioneering research. That survivor is the Desford - named after the Leicestershire town where it was designed, developed, built and flown. It stopped flying at airshows and events across the UK during the 1970s, but, in 2018, it flew for the first time in around four decades. It's now just a 55 minute flight away from receiving its permit to fly and making appearances at airshows once more. However, Leicestershire County Council want to abandon all that hard work and give the Desford to a museum in Nottinghamshire. I think it should be kept flying, and there’s a petition here https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-the-desford-2?share=39d0f96e-fd7e-4ba3-87cb-18cad173ef31&source=facebook-share-email-button&time=1607441611&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0rDLIVuWEvjXq54EjEnfHMg3eI5BB-zq3mbGjPNLodCy8LcAv3bHUdR3o
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/725x300/dsc_2143_g_agos_facebook_ae4248b8453718578d1ab2f037a6c1df17c 83af4.jpg

[Jhieminga]

Just curious, but what are the museum's plans for it? I would suggest that having it owned by a respectable aviation museum would be one way of saving it. What is the situation now? I guess Leicestershire County Council owns it, so who has stumped up the money for the restoration and the flights?

[Momoe]

The picture shows the (much) altered Desford which is actually the Bobsleigh, developed to evaluate prone pilot position along with the F.8 prone pilot Meteor.

I'm all for keeping planes in the air, but moving it to a museum would ensure that is looked after and doesn't exclude getting it completing the airworthiness work?

[VictorGolf]

It's not in Leicestershire but wouldn't the Shuttleworth Collection be a better home for it if they have the space?

[DaveReidUK]

The picture shows the (much) altered Desford which is actually the Bobsleigh, developed to evaluate prone pilot position along with the F.8 prone pilot Meteor.

Though, to be fair, it's been in that configuration for more than 60 years.

[POBJOY]

I well remember the machine attending an airshow at Rochester in the 70's. It had been purchased by Nick Grace (I think for the engines) and had been in use as an aerial camera platform.
Even then no one rushed to buy it so I think Nick got a bargain at the time. Pobjoy was attending the show in a fretwork fighter, and when Nick was asked to do a fly past I went for a ride 'up front', and even took some images through its optically clear nose. I do not recall having to swing the 'Gipsys' so that was a change from our Tigers and Stampes at Redhill. I also remember thinking it would be a good 'flying camper' to back up our air shows in those days.
I never ever saw it again but the image is exactly as I remember with a canopy similar to a Spitfire. Was it 'open cockpits' in its two seat mode !!
I think Nick gave it the CAMO scheme, and I am very pleased to see it is still around after so long. As a 'single seater' the fuel burn would have put me off as at the time i was considering a Jackeroo* as a 4 seat airshow hack for our back up crew, but the Jodel D140 fitted that slot, and I ended up with another PFA single seater.
* Prompted by the fact one was 'available' up north; but that went walkabout in a hangar when someone opened the 'other doors' and created a wind tunnel, (Crunch). Redhill would have been the perfect base for the Jack as in those non radio grass runway days it was tail dragger heaven, and Rollasons were THE Tiger and Gipsy people complete with Ted Dev John and Jim to look after us. I next bumped into Nick when he was assisting at the Srathallan auction, and managed a 'hangar solo' in the ex BoB film Hurricane that went for the then record £260.000 in the sale. Merlin engines went for £3-5000.,and the auctioneer turned up in a Spitfire.

[Herod]

It seems the factory workers had a sense of humour. According to Wiki (I know) the predecessor was called the "Snargasher"

[OUAQUKGF Ops]

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/902x619/1448978_large_d1e5b4d5f1b05cead12284249d2cd4cf565c648c.jpg
Farnborough November 1945. Photo credit George Baczkowski with thanks.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x683/1393503_large_61ed1e78e8ceccde7b27ffc631bc896b446fbdc9.jpg
Southampton 1968. Photo credit Barry Friend with thanks.

I well remember roundabout this time watching this aeroplane in this livery parking outside our hangar at Luton. It caused a bit of head-scratching for those not in the know.

[AirportsEd]

Petition signed!

[FlightlessParrot]

It seems the factory workers had a sense of humour. According to Wiki (I know) the predecessor was called the "Snargasher"
The Imperial War Museum knows it by the same name: Photo of the Snargasher (https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205443481)
Although Wikipedia has its problems, it can be quite reliable. I'd like to know what the "family joke" was that led to that name, though silliness is a long established tradition in English humour.

[DaveReidUK]

Although Wikipedia has its problems, it can be quite reliable. I'd like to know what the "family joke" was that led to that name, though silliness is a long established tradition in English humour.

The word appears in Eric Partridge's 1945 "Dictionary of RAF Slang" as a term, possibly of Canadian origin, used for a trainer aircraft liable to be crashed by its inexperienced pilot.

[possel]

The Imperial War Museum knows it by the same name: Photo of the Snargasher (https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205443481)
Although Wikipedia has its problems, it can be quite reliable. I'd like to know what the "family joke" was that led to that name, though silliness is a long established tradition in English humour.
A J Jackson's "British Civil Aircraft Vol 3" (Putnam) also has the first Reid and Sigrist aircraft (G-AEOD, c/n 1) as the RS1 Snargasher, so I'd reckon the Imperial War Museum and Wikipedia got it from there!

Jackson also says that the RS4 Bobsleigh was then called the Desford Trainer when it returned to its civilian registration G-AGOS after the prone pilot trials (even though the Desford was the RS3). Oddly they only made two aircraft, but G-AGOS is c/n 3!

[621andy]

Duly signed

[tdracer]

I'm all for keeping planes in the air, but moving it to a museum would ensure that is looked after and doesn't exclude getting it completing the airworthiness work?

Indeed, the Flying Heritage Museum at Paine Field (created by the late Paul Allen) takes great pride in all their aircraft being airworthy and in periodically flying them. Not so much this last summer with the pandemic and all, but in years past, on many summer weekends you could see vintage warbirds flying around the area (I live just a few miles from the Museum).

[NutLoose]

A couple of mine

https://live.staticflickr.com/4759/38489056160_769b9cec3d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/21D9tsy)Desford Run (https://flic.kr/p/21D9tsy) by Tony Taylor (https://www.flickr.com/photos/142550108@N08/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/4676/40174318782_2f2792151a_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/24d4TjE)Reid and Sigrist R.S.3 Desford-R.S.4 Bobsleigh Spanhoe Lodge (https://flic.kr/p/24d4TjE) by Tony Taylor (https://www.flickr.com/photos/142550108@N08/), on Flickr

[bafanguy]

......Desford Trainer when it returned to its civilian registration G-AGOS after the prone pilot trials (even though the Desford was the RS3).

I Googled around for info on prone pilot trials but didn't find anything specific beyond mention of a couple of airplane types used in them.

What was the thought behind a prone pilot flying an airplane ? And are there any pics of the cockpit involved ?

[Jhieminga]

Have a look here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor_F8_%22Prone_Pilot%22

[bafanguy]

Have a look here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor_F8_%22Prone_Pilot%22


Thank you, Sir. I have apparently flunked Googling. :(

[Herod]

Wiki isn't quite right. Eric did fly the aircraft on its delivery, but the bulk of the prone flying was done by Bill Else. I was lucky enough, many years later, to have him do my base training in the RHS of the F 27, and some months later check me out in the LHS. Bill was once asked the question. "what was it like?" "There is only one thing a pilot can do in that position, and it has nothing to do with flying."