Belfast????
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Prestwick
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I recently seen G-BEPS on airliners at southend.
No engines(only covers)
No Side Door and I wasnt to sure whether it had wheels or not,but if they can find one that is on display and nick some working parts off of them and replace with replicas,who knows.
Kris
No engines(only covers)
No Side Door and I wasnt to sure whether it had wheels or not,but if they can find one that is on display and nick some working parts off of them and replace with replicas,who knows.
Kris
The only Belfast on display is XR371 "Enceladus" at the RAF Museum at Cosford. I sincerely hope that they do not intend to let anyone else have or even borrow any major components!
I did hear on one of my grapevines that when G-BEPS was parked by Heavylift, all useful spares were carefully removed and stored. I have subsequently heard that a couple of engineers were equally carefully putting all the bits back on again.
This would certainly be a long process and, in particular, the poor bu**er who has to put the hydraulics back together again should be payed every penny that he asks for!
I did hear on one of my grapevines that when G-BEPS was parked by Heavylift, all useful spares were carefully removed and stored. I have subsequently heard that a couple of engineers were equally carefully putting all the bits back on again.
This would certainly be a long process and, in particular, the poor bu**er who has to put the hydraulics back together again should be payed every penny that he asks for!
Belfast
Hello all you believers and doubters!Despite all the bad tidings about the Queen of the Skies future I can tell you that she is earning a respectful living at the moment flying out of Townsville, Australia.
So what went wrong H&P? It was said that if the old HCA couldn't make a living out of her no-one could......................I'm afraid you've been proved wrong (yet again).
And I must think back, 'cos the first civil registered Belfast was GBEPE, the pre-production model, which we flew out of SIN during the early 80's. She weighed about 2 tons more than any of the others.....but could always (eventually) make FL 120 out of SIN with 30tons at ISA +15
And what about that 250,000lbs TOW out of Saigon in 1980? NOT intentional but we just about managed to survive it!
Hockham Admiral
It's my understanding that the Belfast is based here in Brisbane, having arrived late on 21 Sep. She positioned to Townsville on 25 Sep to operate an Australian Defence Force charter to Honiara in the Solomon Islands on 26 Sep.
She is a most honoured guest in our city!
Cheers
It's my understanding that the Belfast is based here in Brisbane, having arrived late on 21 Sep. She positioned to Townsville on 25 Sep to operate an Australian Defence Force charter to Honiara in the Solomon Islands on 26 Sep.
She is a most honoured guest in our city!
Cheers
Belfast
Fris.B
Many thanks for the info, perhaps you would let us know any more info you hear about "The Queen". She has been flying for nearly FORTY YEARS now, but when I last saw the Tech Log had obout only 26000 hours total!!!
I know the crew very well and can assure any of your Oz drivers out there that they will get a warm welcome if they want to look around the FIRST cat 3 aeroplane. And it was all analogue..........
ledex switches and relays galore!
Again many thanks, perhaps you would spread the word in your part of the world about "Freight Dogs"?
Many thanks for the info, perhaps you would let us know any more info you hear about "The Queen". She has been flying for nearly FORTY YEARS now, but when I last saw the Tech Log had obout only 26000 hours total!!!
I know the crew very well and can assure any of your Oz drivers out there that they will get a warm welcome if they want to look around the FIRST cat 3 aeroplane. And it was all analogue..........
ledex switches and relays galore!
Again many thanks, perhaps you would spread the word in your part of the world about "Freight Dogs"?
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: AUSTRALIA
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BELFAST
Hello from Townsville in North Queensland Australia.
a BELFAST arrived here a fortnight ago. It is being used by the ADF to resupply the regional assistance mission to the SOLOMAN ISLANDS. The BELFAST replaced an IL-76 Candid and is supported by a fleet of RAAF C-130-J's. The BELFAST is white with red and blue and has the H on the tail.
a BELFAST arrived here a fortnight ago. It is being used by the ADF to resupply the regional assistance mission to the SOLOMAN ISLANDS. The BELFAST replaced an IL-76 Candid and is supported by a fleet of RAAF C-130-J's. The BELFAST is white with red and blue and has the H on the tail.
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Townsville,Nth Queensland
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Hockam Admiral
Have received an email that the Belfast did at least 3 flights to Hir from Tsv for the ADF but i believe it has done quite a lot more.It is there for 4 weeks then back to BNE.
Wirraway
Have received an email that the Belfast did at least 3 flights to Hir from Tsv for the ADF but i believe it has done quite a lot more.It is there for 4 weeks then back to BNE.
Wirraway
Hockham Admiral:
I would just like to make a small historical correction to your piece on G-BEPE. The reason that she weighed so much was that she was the prototype and still had a lot of test wiring in the airframe. In fact she carried the first civilian Belfast registration with Shorts as G-ASKE.
In the pre-Heavylift days we had three Belfasts at Manston; G-BEPE (ex-XR362 "Samson"), G-BEPL (ex-XR369 "Spartacus") and G-BEPS (ex-XR368 "Theseus").
G-BEPS was the first civilian registered Belfast to fly (if we discount the "Short" time that G-BEPE/XR362 was G-ASKE during initial trials).
G-BEPL made a one-way flight to Hucknall and was swopped for (I believe) G-BFYU (XR367 "Heracles").
Heavylift also purchased G-OHCA (XR363 "Goliath") which was ferried to Southend and used for spares and G-HLFT (XR365 "Hector") which is the Australian based survivor.
Here endeth this historical lesson.
I would just like to make a small historical correction to your piece on G-BEPE. The reason that she weighed so much was that she was the prototype and still had a lot of test wiring in the airframe. In fact she carried the first civilian Belfast registration with Shorts as G-ASKE.
In the pre-Heavylift days we had three Belfasts at Manston; G-BEPE (ex-XR362 "Samson"), G-BEPL (ex-XR369 "Spartacus") and G-BEPS (ex-XR368 "Theseus").
G-BEPS was the first civilian registered Belfast to fly (if we discount the "Short" time that G-BEPE/XR362 was G-ASKE during initial trials).
G-BEPL made a one-way flight to Hucknall and was swopped for (I believe) G-BFYU (XR367 "Heracles").
Heavylift also purchased G-OHCA (XR363 "Goliath") which was ferried to Southend and used for spares and G-HLFT (XR365 "Hector") which is the Australian based survivor.
Here endeth this historical lesson.
XR364 "Pallas", XR366 "Atlas" and XR370 "Ajax" made one-way flights from RAF Kemble to Rolls Royce at Hucknall and were immediately broken up. Rolls Royce were only interested in the engines.
The same fate met XR369/G-BEPL when she was flown from Manston to Hucknall.
The tenth aircraft, XR371 "Enceladus" was flown from Kemble to Cosford and is on display there.
The same fate met XR369/G-BEPL when she was flown from Manston to Hucknall.
The tenth aircraft, XR371 "Enceladus" was flown from Kemble to Cosford and is on display there.
Any of you guys in Oz any recent news on the location of the Belfast?