Duxford Beaufighter
 

I have used google but to no avail. Does anyone have any news on the progress being made with getting the Duxford based Beaufighter into the air?
Or even an up to date website with news and photos.

Alas I am out of the country presently so a quick trip to Duxford to have a look for myself is out of the question.

Many thanks for any news.

What happened to the Beaufighter in Australia that used to run up its engines every now and again, I thought they were going to restore it to fly again.

Does anyone know when a Beaufighter last flew.

Peter.

Thanks Mike, I had looked at the TFC website, but looking at the bar on the right hand side of the page the info on the Beau doesn't seem to have been updated since 2000, unless I am misreading it?

Thks for the response though.

Mike.

Seen that video before, dreadful crash, but they are not Beaufighters.

The Beaufighter I am thinking of that ran it engines was definitely in Oz but none of the links seem to be the one, unless it was the one that was exchanged for the Connie.
I am thinking back to the 1980s here when I remember it doing it.

Peter.

I was at Duxford this morning and it does appear that the work progress on the Beaufighter is getting more visible. Of course a lot of the detail has to be done early in the plot and is then covered up. I also understand that the right type of Hercules engine has been difficult to find and the mark they have would need quite different "plumbing". When I last asked, the engineer in charge said "it will be ready when it's ready". My guess is another 3-4 years but I would like to be proved wrong.

Rethe video clip, The first solo aircraft is a Beau, but those that crash are Beauforts I think.

Thanks Ozplane for the update on the Duxford Beau. I guess I will have to be patient :D

Last Beau flight
 

question:
Does anyone know when a Beaufighter last flew?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Believed to be June 11, 1960.
A Mk TT10 from RAF Selatar for the Queen's Birthday Parade.

My source was an engineering officer stationed at Selatar with photos to document said flight. Beau was scrapped following the flight.

Cheers,
Brick

The Australian Beau queried, that used to engine run is the Morrabbin example, A8-328. One engine was run a number of years ago, but there was never any intent to fly it by the owners, as they are a 'static-to-preserve' museum, their prerogative.

See here

The crash clip features a single Beau and the trio of aircraft of which two collide are certainly Beauforts. Note the lower rear fuselage aft of the turret.

There is a fair amount of discussion of matters Beau, both qualified and not, on the forum sponsored by a well known UK vintage av rag. Have a search there.

Surely not,

You are right, the first solo a/c in the film was a Beaufighter and the ones that colided were indeed Beaufort's.

I'll hopefully be up at Duxford next week so I'll try and get a picture or two for you.

Hope all is well in Nigeria/Ghana - loose track of where you are these days!!

Best wishes.

L J

Thanks LJ, and if there is anyone around perhaps you could enquire for me if it is expected to fly in the next year or two :ok:

Currently down in JNB. Hoping to get over toLanseria next weekend to have a look for the DC4 and 6 based there.




sorry..................guilty of hijacking my own thread!!!

Sorry to get between the lovebirds again :E but I'm happy to state that the TFC Beaufighter will not fly within the next two years. However I am optimistic it's the best chance we have to see one fly, and will fly when its ready - between 5 and 15 years for an educated but non-LAME guess.

If Beauforts float your boat, the next example of that type to fly will be the Beaufort under rebuild in Queensland.
See here.

And yes, it's the only example likely to ever fly again, too.

There was also a very complete Beaufighter fuselage (in nightfighter black) on its gear outside in the weather at the Canadian Air Museum in Ottawa. Beleive the wings & engines were inside. Anyone got an update?

According to a Canadian museum curator I contacted while working on a book about US-use of Beaus, the hulk at the Canadian Museum is a fuselage and up to the engine mounts only of a well-worn Mk VI that the RAF Museum traded for a Canadian held aircraft. When the hulk arrived, the Canucks were not overly impressed. There are no engines, wings, or interiors to the Canadian-hulk. The Museum said it had no plans or funds to restore the carcass.

I had a chance to get inside the USAF Museum's (ok, Nat'l Museum of the USAF) Beau, still lots of work to do on it, but it was a treat to actually be allowed inside the cockpit and nav/RO's position. Didn't really conceive of the size of the aircraft until I saw it in person. D***, it's a big 'un!

Surely Not

I was at Duxford during the week, I'll get some pictures posted in the next few days for you

L J

Cheers LJ.

My interest in the Beau is down to it being the aircraft my father enjoyed working with the most during the second global disagreement with the Germans and he was hoping he might still be around when it takes to the air again. I think the odds on that happening are shortening though!!

Surely not,

Check your PMs, please.

brickhistory

Hey,
Haven't seen you on MSN lately... I never realised you had interests in the Beau.. my grandfather was an engineer on them during WWII and was on john Cunninghams squadron when he flew and got his nickname "cats eyes" flying the night fighter variant. cant remember the squadron number, think it was either 603 or 604.....
I saw the beau at duxford a month or so ago... looking in top condition,.
catcha soon
81

USAAF Beaufighter book
 

Mine. To hijack this thread for a bit, I was just notified that a publisher has accepted my book on a USAAF Beau squadron and is suppossed to appear towards the end of next year.

I'm a little happy!

TFC Beaufighter
 

Does anybody have anything definitive on the progress, or otherwise, of the Beaufighter at Duxford?

A little while ago there were some hopeful noises about engines being available (in Australia I think) and I was wondering if this had caused work on the Beau to start again.

Pete Rushen at TFC very positive on Flypast forum over the last few months about renewed progress; I think they have acquired the engines they need and are now on the search for bits, bobs and manuals.

Sounds hopeful.

TFC’s website appears to be down , and tho’ I haven’t looked for a while , I don’t think they update it too regularly, so again , I’ll ask the endless sources here!
Any news on this?
I’d love it to fly here in the UK so I can see & hear it , and I understand that the issues with the engines were hopefully / potentially resolved a couple of years ago.
I know it was up for sale & probably still is but can anyone tell me if it’s progressing ( slowly ) or if they’ve stopped working on it?
There are 2 efforts underway here in the UK to get a Mosquito into our skies , tho’ tbh , I think they are both doomed to fail through lack of ££££.
I’m puzzled that no-one here in Blighty seems to have the same enthusiasm for the poor old Beau!
We’ve had ‘The people’s Mosquito’ as an organisation , I’d love to see ‘Britains’ Beaufighter’ or similar!
Is it simply that us enthusiasts - the ones most likely to pay to see it- would prefer to see a Mosquito & that therefore the 2 competing efforts are aiming at that aircraft?
At the end of the day , there ARE Mosquitos flying & more on the way , there’s only 1 Beau’ anywhere close to flight , and for now , it’s here in the UK.
A pity Shuttleworth can’t put something in place & raise funds to buy it , but as I’m fond of pointing out , I know nothing!
I’m hoping for some good news here folks...
Ta again!

No idea what the latest with TFC's Beau is but Rob Greinart also has the former Tim Moore Beaufighter G-DINT as a hopefully airworthy rebuild in Australia.

I was wondering what had happened to that one.

What happened to the Beau hut at Halton. engines and nose used for ground running training.

Pobjoy - I think that became G-dint & as mentioned , is now in Australia.
I stress ‘THINK’!
(Along similar lines , there’s a Hornet possibly under restoration down under an’all . Very laudable but again , I don’t think I’ll ever see it )

Halton Beau is definitely the former G-DINT - registered in honour of Tim Moore's father, "Dinty" Moore who I believe flew Blenheims and Beaufighters.

Hornet is certainly on the cards with Pioneer Aero Restorations at Ardmore but I believe I recently saw that it is stored pending the necessary effort. Possibly just in a queue rather than the want of any investment?

Recent(ish) updates on G-DINT ex X7688

https://warbirdsnews.com/warbird-res...australia.html

Bristol Beaufighter Hercules Engine Restoration Update – June 2022 | Vintage Aviation News (warbirdsnews.com)

I think its almost certain that one of them has already failed.
Pathfinder Trust have not updated to their website or Facebook page for 18 months and this link below would seem to confirm that the ex-Glyn Powell FB.26 project that Pathfinder Trust was supposed to have acquired instead of the less complete ex-highball B.IV DZ452, is now being worked on for a US customer. Given the B.IV DZ452 project is also advertised for sale by AvSpecs, that would seem to indicate that the Pathfinder Trust project is no more.

https://nzcivair.********.com/2022/1...t-avspecs.html

Any news on The People's Mosquito? The site seems very short on restoration progress and mainly dedicated to merchandise.

A pity but really no surprise.
The only good point in the apparent lack of interest in the Beau’ is that it hasn’t gone abroad -yet .
I reckon it’ll eventually go to Australia or Canada.

So what separates a genuine restoration project from a `pie in the sky` project?

I don't think a Mossie or Beau are the right aircraft for Shuttleworth. Spitfire and Hurricane seems to be the end of the line age wise. The Wildcat was a bit of an outlier.

If the only criteria is age , then surely the Beau’ fits the Spitfire & Hurricane , as it’s from the same war.
That isn’t the only ‘thing’ though.
I’ve no idea re restoration projects , only my opinions & will demur to anyone who knows better , if they’d care to post!

"I’m puzzled that no-one here in Blighty seems to have the same enthusiasm for the poor old Beau!"

it never got the coverage in the war - and it was mainly a night fighter or coastal strike - neither glamorous to the public.

And although it as a great aircraft it wasn't terribly "pretty"

Thanks Asturias’.
Sadly , that’s as I suspected.
I’d love someone - anyone!- here in Blighty to take it on but there seems little hope of that.

I think the issue in the UK is, if TFC can't do it, then no one else is going to manage to, so its not surprising. Its still not clear if the lack of the correct prop hubs/engines situation has been resolved or not.......my feeling is it hasn't.

The Blenheim seemed to garner enough interest in UK, even to the extent of 3 restorations of it.......so I think if the lack of correct parts to get it in the air wasn't the issue, then I think there would have been a lot more interest.

Always remember those tee shirts TFC had done when they were working on the Beau as a banter mick take of ARC across the pan when they were doing the Blenheim and had those 'Happiness is a pair of big Bristols" t-shirts, and TFC did a copy with "Happiness is an even bigger pair of Bristols"

Another problem TFC have/had is they only had three serviceable mainwheels and tyres.

That's not enough to fly the aircraft as in the, admittedly unlikely, event of a double blow-out on landing, they can't leave it in the middle of the airfield indefinitely.
I hadn't thought of that...

A TFC engineer told me that some years ago so it's possible that more may have been located since then.

I thought they had solved the engine problem with a cache of newly discovered bits arriving from Aus (sure I saw something suggesting Rob Greinart was able to meet requirements for both projects from this source) not so long ago but then again my recent memory can be a bit creaky.

I suspect a Mossie or Beau probably couldn't operate from Old Warden with sufficient safety even if a particularly munificent backer could be found to finance the purchase, completion and upkeep of an aircraft. Duxford is the natural home, probably best under the auspices of ARCO - do I recall they were nominated to provide oversight and operation of one of the two Mosquito projects?

I've been following the restoration since it arrived in boxes at Duxford. I seem to recall it sported a Goofy nose art?