RAE Farnborough - steeped in history
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Sad to see the RAF No 1 Mess gone without a murmur. It was built from drawings of the mess at Poona by legend , hence the covered walkways and storm drains.
There used to be a metal model of the 'Cathedral' which was put on the plinth on special occasions- it normally lived inside by the entrance to the Bar.
Happy days 69-72
There used to be a metal model of the 'Cathedral' which was put on the plinth on special occasions- it normally lived inside by the entrance to the Bar.
Happy days 69-72
Last edited by RETDPI; 27th Aug 2007 at 08:23.
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Avenger at Farnborough
I posted on another thread to try to identify an Avenger I saw abandoned at Farnborough in the late 1950s (see http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=289162
for details and photos).
"lauriebe" has suggested it might have been KE436.
Can anyone on this thread confirm that? Thanks.
for details and photos).
"lauriebe" has suggested it might have been KE436.
Can anyone on this thread confirm that? Thanks.
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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I spoke to Norman Kierney a few moments ago and he confirms he flew the NAD Flight Avenger in the early 50s at Farnborough. He has promised to dig out his log books establish the serial number and get back to me tomorrow.
JF
JF
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He just rang back. His aircraft was all black with reg XB388. So not yours. He also thought that his aircraft went to NAE Bedford shortly after his flight (which was on 4 Aug 54) when NAD moved up there.
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While I am at it what is being built on the site of No1 RAF Officers Mess taken last month
Taken from outside A Shed
The control tower (if it had been still standing) would have been 100yd left of the photographer
Taken from outside A Shed
The control tower (if it had been still standing) would have been 100yd left of the photographer
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XB388
Thanks John. I checked XB388 on the ukserials and jbaugher sites:
An AS5, formerly USN 69452, delivered 10/10/53 and scrapped in 1961.
These "new" Avengers were only used from 1953 for a couple of years waiting for Gannets to be delivered. I did not know there had been one at Farnborough. As you say, they were black overall, and judging from photos I have seen the roundel was further forward on the fuselage than in "my" photos. Also the "Royal Navy" logo was just above the serial on the fuselage, whereas in my photos the leters "VY" can be seen on the fin extension along the top of the fuselage. Compare the photos on p196 and p206 of British Naval Aircraft by Owen Thetford (1958).
Maybe you know someone else who knew of the Mk III in service at RAE....
An AS5, formerly USN 69452, delivered 10/10/53 and scrapped in 1961.
These "new" Avengers were only used from 1953 for a couple of years waiting for Gannets to be delivered. I did not know there had been one at Farnborough. As you say, they were black overall, and judging from photos I have seen the roundel was further forward on the fuselage than in "my" photos. Also the "Royal Navy" logo was just above the serial on the fuselage, whereas in my photos the leters "VY" can be seen on the fin extension along the top of the fuselage. Compare the photos on p196 and p206 of British Naval Aircraft by Owen Thetford (1958).
Maybe you know someone else who knew of the Mk III in service at RAE....
More flats and housing under construction near 'North Gate' where NRSC used to be (near to where the ejector seat rig was until Tom Kerr told 'em to use it or move it!)
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lightningmate
Many thanks - my poor (ambiguous) use of what!
I am reliably informed the hotel is to have an airside and landside so that those who come to FY from abroad and do not wish to enter the UK can stay there. Not sure how that would work though during showtime...
JF
Many thanks - my poor (ambiguous) use of what!
I am reliably informed the hotel is to have an airside and landside so that those who come to FY from abroad and do not wish to enter the UK can stay there. Not sure how that would work though during showtime...
JF
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The current view looking N through where the old N Gate used to be
and looking south from a similar spot
I must say the buildings that have been refurbished have been done beautifully
and looking south from a similar spot
I must say the buildings that have been refurbished have been done beautifully
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Barnes Wallace
Hello All, what a marvelous thread!
For the historical types; I worked at the DSTL site down the road from the Cody site 1998-2002. Whilst there, I shared a house with a chap called Phil who was a computer engineer. He mentioned to me one evening that he'd had to install a new computer for someone in one of the Cody site buildings. During the installation, he needed to route cables under the floor. On further investigation, the floor turned out to be a cellar. Inside he says he came across a complete scale mock-up of various dams which had been built by Barnes Wallace and team. I believe it also included some 'bouncing bombs'. Not sure if this piece of nostalga has been rescued and protected. Anyone know?
For the historical types; I worked at the DSTL site down the road from the Cody site 1998-2002. Whilst there, I shared a house with a chap called Phil who was a computer engineer. He mentioned to me one evening that he'd had to install a new computer for someone in one of the Cody site buildings. During the installation, he needed to route cables under the floor. On further investigation, the floor turned out to be a cellar. Inside he says he came across a complete scale mock-up of various dams which had been built by Barnes Wallace and team. I believe it also included some 'bouncing bombs'. Not sure if this piece of nostalga has been rescued and protected. Anyone know?
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I recently enquired about an abadoned Avenger I saw at Farnborough in, I think, 1957. I got some very helpful responses.
I have looked further through my pictures of that era. I apologise for their very poor quality, but they may bring back some memories to someone out there.
I took them, again I think at the time of the SBAC show in September 1957, near the ETPS. They show the prototype Varsity VX828, carrying its ETPS number 12. Also visible are various other aircraft, including Devon "2", which should be XA879. There is also a Viking or Valetta with its fin off, which might be the 4th prototype Viking VW218. Also a Gannet and a Meteor, probably NF11.
Can anyone confirm the year from these data? Thanks
I have looked further through my pictures of that era. I apologise for their very poor quality, but they may bring back some memories to someone out there.
I took them, again I think at the time of the SBAC show in September 1957, near the ETPS. They show the prototype Varsity VX828, carrying its ETPS number 12. Also visible are various other aircraft, including Devon "2", which should be XA879. There is also a Viking or Valetta with its fin off, which might be the 4th prototype Viking VW218. Also a Gannet and a Meteor, probably NF11.
Can anyone confirm the year from these data? Thanks
Last edited by l.garey; 28th Aug 2007 at 14:46.
I should have known I had the wrong Puma! I did a superb trip in it with Andy Warner once; I was acting co-pilot (but without knowledge of the emergency undercarriage lowering system) and Pete Rainey and John Turner were in the Sea King, on which for a start we formated for aerial photos of the globular TV/sensing system - you may have seen one of these in various publications - that's me in the left hand seat! After this we descended into the LFA and went down to Salisbury Plain for a recce of a route to be used that night; below the tree tops in the area west of Sidbury Hill and south of Netheravon.
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Do you mean this globular thing?
(A very bad picture I know but it was scanned from a copy of a slide!)
I was one of the guys who fitted it to the aircraft in A shed.
Front of the ball should have had three large panels of some exotic material, that did not interfere with the signals being sensed by the things inside. But theses panels were so freakishly expensive the RAE could not afford them. So the firm that supplied the sensors sold us a roll of very exensive plastic flim to keep the wind out. This film looked exactly like "Clingfilm". When the proper stuff ran out we tried "Clingfilm" and found it did just as well!!!
You mention John Turner. Another top bloke, last heard of working for the Australian Army Air Corps.
Rgds Dr I
(A very bad picture I know but it was scanned from a copy of a slide!)
I was one of the guys who fitted it to the aircraft in A shed.
Front of the ball should have had three large panels of some exotic material, that did not interfere with the signals being sensed by the things inside. But theses panels were so freakishly expensive the RAE could not afford them. So the firm that supplied the sensors sold us a roll of very exensive plastic flim to keep the wind out. This film looked exactly like "Clingfilm". When the proper stuff ran out we tried "Clingfilm" and found it did just as well!!!
You mention John Turner. Another top bloke, last heard of working for the Australian Army Air Corps.
Rgds Dr I
That's the one! Looks like that photo was taken on SPTA.
Ah there were two John Turners, one was a Sqn Ldr TP, the other was a doctor Lt Cdr working at IAM; like me this latter one had a PPL and he scrounged his Sea King ride that day like I scrounged the Puma ride! The other John Turner was a development TP on the Typhoon last time I met him and actually displayed at an airshow here.
Ah there were two John Turners, one was a Sqn Ldr TP, the other was a doctor Lt Cdr working at IAM; like me this latter one had a PPL and he scrounged his Sea King ride that day like I scrounged the Puma ride! The other John Turner was a development TP on the Typhoon last time I met him and actually displayed at an airshow here.
Last edited by chevvron; 30th Aug 2007 at 19:35.
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Slightly predating that, I still have to hand an IAM report from 1969
" A Review of some Aeromedical Problems in Helicopters"
By Surgeon Commander E.P. ( Peter) Beck and
Sqn Ldr D.G. ( Dereck ) Beaton
It still makes striking reading- I quote from the conclusion :
"From this report it is obvious that helicopters have long been neglected in the field of aviation medicine. The general standards have not improved with the successive generations of helicopters introduced into military service, and the current situation with the four new types to be introduced over the next three years shows no improvement in standards."
NO Brown-Nosing there. That was the spirit that was common at that time and made me so proud to be at Farnborough during my formative years.
" A Review of some Aeromedical Problems in Helicopters"
By Surgeon Commander E.P. ( Peter) Beck and
Sqn Ldr D.G. ( Dereck ) Beaton
It still makes striking reading- I quote from the conclusion :
"From this report it is obvious that helicopters have long been neglected in the field of aviation medicine. The general standards have not improved with the successive generations of helicopters introduced into military service, and the current situation with the four new types to be introduced over the next three years shows no improvement in standards."
NO Brown-Nosing there. That was the spirit that was common at that time and made me so proud to be at Farnborough during my formative years.
Going back a few years, it always puzzled me but before I became a fixture here, I visited as an ATC cadet during an air show about 1966, and I remember near the Comet tanks on the south side close to ETPS, there was a fuselage of something which wasn't a Comet. From later photos, I would have guessed it was an Ashton or (possibly) Apollo. It wasn't here by the time I started work here in '74.
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It was , in fact, that of an Ashton and has ended up with one of the museums further North.
Like yourself I initially thought ( hoped ) it might be of the Apollo.
Over by Western Squadron was the scrap dump which had bits of TSR2s ,Javelins, Dragonfly Rotor blades a Valiant nose etc.
Also was a Vampire nose section half buried. The nosewheel undercarriage leg assembly from that now resides in the FAAM's ( actually Science Museum's) first deck landing Vampire at Yeovilton. Great fun getting it out.
Like yourself I initially thought ( hoped ) it might be of the Apollo.
Over by Western Squadron was the scrap dump which had bits of TSR2s ,Javelins, Dragonfly Rotor blades a Valiant nose etc.
Also was a Vampire nose section half buried. The nosewheel undercarriage leg assembly from that now resides in the FAAM's ( actually Science Museum's) first deck landing Vampire at Yeovilton. Great fun getting it out.
Last edited by RETDPI; 31st Aug 2007 at 20:24.
The dump has gone now; where it was is now the west end of the superhangar (new buildings to house aircraft are called hangars, the original ones are still called 'sheds').
Back in the late '70s, I drove round the tracks near the fence of the structures/tunnel site(in the days when there was still a Concorde airframe in structures). I found some tailplanes dumped there which I couldn't identify. Fortunately one had a serial number on it, and a little research revealed they were Valiant tailplanes presumably dumped there after the investigations into Valiant accidents had finished.
You mention the first deck landing Vampire; well of course before that was the Vampire rubber landing deck. The concrete base for this still exists between the new control tower and the runway.
Back in the late '70s, I drove round the tracks near the fence of the structures/tunnel site(in the days when there was still a Concorde airframe in structures). I found some tailplanes dumped there which I couldn't identify. Fortunately one had a serial number on it, and a little research revealed they were Valiant tailplanes presumably dumped there after the investigations into Valiant accidents had finished.
You mention the first deck landing Vampire; well of course before that was the Vampire rubber landing deck. The concrete base for this still exists between the new control tower and the runway.