End of the Belfast?
 

I received this message recently from an Aussie PPRuNer and it sounds like bad news for the Queen of the Skies:

Re Belfast RP-C8020, (9L-LDQ) and prior
Hi,
I do apologise for not responding to your message received months ago regarding the Belfast. The Shorts Belfast has not flown commercially since late 2008. It seems rather disasterous for the old girl and no doubt the crew would be suffering and just forget the maintenance. Most recent reported crew being Brian Porter with Rash and McKeever as engineers. The previous support and guidance of Dave Duffy and Geoff Leach appears long gone.

The aircraft without registration ( RP-C8020)cannot be used commercially and this is a worry for its future. A suggestion would be a Museum rather than just waste away or whoever the owner be he should sell it.

The aircraft has long been operating with no sources of spares other than what GL managed to salvage out of Heavylift and the old hulk Christmas Tree at SEN. God only knows how it was determined airworthy for commercial ops with no formal support from vendors or the OEM. It was only a matter of time.

Still, I'd rather see it go to a museum rather than a hole in the ground.

Dodo 56, I absolutely agree. I flew these aeroplanes between March, 1980 (HLA's first commercial flight to Tripoli, with Captain Peter Jobling,) through to September, 2002 on the last UK commercial flight into Southend.

I don't know if there are museums in Oz but I doubt you'd ever get anyone to pay to bring her home.

The only other Belfast I know of is the one at Cosford:

Short Brothers Belfast CI airplane pictures & aircraft photos - RAF Museums

Geoff Leach
 

Anyone know where and how Geoff is these days? do not suppose the Belfast issue could have been good for Him, he took me on when Polar just had the line facility at PIK he single handedly got the hangar build the place sure went downhill when he left.
Dave McG.

End of the Belfast?
 

Seems the info on the 'Belslow' is somewhat premature. Better that the Ozzie spotter gets out more!

I took a peek at Hockham's link to the RAF Museum. Seems there's more to the old Belfast than meets the eye. :eek:

Apr 70. XR371 and four other Belfasts participated in exercise Bersatu Pardu, the biggest airlift exercise ever undertaken by Air Support Command, flying return flights between Brize Norton and Singapore. Named Enceladus in keeping with the naming of each aircraft after a giant.

The pilot’s logbooks of F/L Graham Humberstone record a number of flights during this period. Copy on file with Aircraft Department.

15 Apr 1970 2.20-hour flight, Changi-Gan.

Changi - Gan 1,852 nautical. Maybe he meant days.

I took XR371 to die at Kemble on 26 Aug 1976. We thought that that would be her last flight ever but luckily she made one more to Cosford and is now tucked-up safe and well at the end of the new Cold War hangar.

rrtyne, Hi

If my info is incorrect please let us all know what the situation is. The PM was dated late October and I only opened it today.

The Belfast is on a 121 certificate and will be crew training in a couple of weeks, for the new transport contract starting February. Several Captains/FO/and FEs are rated and also fly the 727s.

Lots of support from the UK vendors and truck loads of spares and engines. 10 years to run at least.

Since Geoff Leach ran away ( tried to take over the running of the company rather than fixing the planes ) the dispatch has gone back to 100% on all birds especially the 727s. He was penny wise pound foolish. :cool:

Working on grubby cessna's ( all different colours ) out in the bush now.

Heavy Cargo, Hi

That's great news. Is that the FAA 121 certificate you mention?

So what's the registration now, please?

Probably a filipino 121 FWIW :}

What a great looking Aircraft. Does anyone have a picture of the cockpit ?

Try this link for pics -

HEAVYLIFT

Take what HeavyLift says with a pinch of salt

Thanks for that Tspark.

HC. You have to be joking! :suspect:

Sounds like the story of the ex OzJet staff pay cheques? :mad:

Engine runs
 

Transited through Cairns a few weeks ago and saw the Belfast with some engines running. Obviously not dead yet. Nice sound too!

My father-in-law Gerry Garforth (sadly passed away) has a ton of hours on XR371. We still have have copies of his log books. Encaladus looks a real treat at Cosford IMHO.:O

Captain Webb.......is this the Gerry Garforth who was on 215 Squadron in Singapore in the mid 60's? Bit of character.

What is happening to the Belfast that is sitting next to the Dakota at Cairns - is it still airworthy?

HF

HF... NOT according to Cairns ATC last week:

Out of interest I emailed CNS yesterday, and enquired about her condition, and received this reply from the airport ops manager - "Neil, I would confirm that the Belfast is still at CNS Airport in one piece but is unlikely to ever fly again because of corrosion. Regards Paul" (Neil is an ex- Belfast Pilot).

A sad end then to the old girl, but I don't understand why when she's just had a complete repaint... in grey!
(I have a recent couple of pics but I can't work out how to upload them....)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/8...33915114_c.jpg

Apparently taken last month.

Mutt

I suppose the complete repaint would help limit further corrosion. I believe there was an attempt to have the aircraft hosted on a foreign AOC and flying again but that fell through. It really belongs in a museum somewhere warm and dry!

Thanks, Mutt... that's the pic I was writing about.

I had what must have been the shortest career ever on the Belfast - my dream job that never happened, It might have been as long as four hours.

After some 18mths unemployed the phone rang one Friday afternoon, "Hello, Capt. W*** from Heavylift here, are you still looking for a job?". Given the terse rejection letter I'd had from them some months before this was a bit of a surprise to say the least (They were, to their credit, one of the 10% who had the decency and manners to send rejection letters) so I agreed that I was. The conversation continued on the lines of, could you come in for an interview, what's wrong with now and we don't stand on ceremony here, just come as you are.

Answer; I could, nothing and I did.

The interview was commendably to the point. have you brought your logbook? Ah! Good. Oh yes, (2 second glance) Good. Now, this is how the company works...Can you start monday?


On the way home I bought a bottle of champagne and a big bouquet of flowers for my chick and then went out for a meal that I couldn't afford. On our return feeling on top of the world the light on the answering machine was flashing. Oh hubris! "Capt W*** here, sorry, we made a mistake. We can't take you. Sorry."

I never found out why, probably P & O declined their suggestion of hiring two FOs and only approved one and I was the second.

The idea of tramping around the world below FL100 for weeks at a time was my idea of heaven so naturally I was heartbroken. Soon after I got another job, as d/e captain but with a local airline so dreadfully unsafe I was voluntarily back on the dole after just 3 months and only one crash, preferring that to the risk of dying or losing my licence on a ramp check. How little I knew of the ways of the CAA in those days. And that bunch of villains is still operating.

I wonder to this day where I'd be now if I'd gone down the Belfast route. I certainly wouldn't be where I am today, but I look back at the wonderful job I had for all of four hours, and that wonderful aeroplane with nostalgia.

Sad to see them go.

I later heard of an interview with HL even more brief than mine. The quaking potential FO was primed for a technical quiz and was asked "How many cans of Boddingtons fit into a standard nav bag?" Naturally he had no idea but confidently replied with a semi credible guess and was duly hired.

They don't make them like that anymore, do they?

Sadly they don't.

Out of interest what year was this Agaricus bisporus?
W***y was an honourable bloke, and I'm sure was getting jerked about by senior management or HR? I'm sorry you were messed about.

I was lucky enough to work for HLA for over 10 years, not always as a Belfast pilot, and never a more eclectic bunch of characters would you ever hope to meet, learn from, and share a pint with.

Several of the suitably qualified ops lads were taken away on night stop's to be assessed for their performance both on duty, and in the pub. Once successful, they were taken on as FO's on the Belfast.

Long trips away were often begun by the Captain rewriting the company's schedule to ensure an evening meal, a pint, and a hearty breakfast could be had at the appropriate local times (who needs a fatigue management system?)

As first flying job's go, it really would have been hard to better......