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By: - 9th August 2004 at 19:38 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The rest...
Flood.™
By: - 9th August 2004 at 20:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Out of all of it the only item of national importance is the Sikorsky built Whirlwind HAR.21. She was of the first evaluation batch to reach the U.K and saw service in Malaya. She is also rumoured to be the first helicopter to fly the Atlantic. She really needs to be indoors.
By: - 9th August 2004 at 22:45 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi David
I feel the the Nimrod AEW3 section is also "of national importance".
The Nirmord AEW3 was a massive program that would have made us one of only a few county's in the world to produce our own Awack type plane should it have been a success.
Not only that but it was one of the last big UK projects produced by us alone.
While its nice to keep examples of our big post war success's ie the Bucc Lightning and Vulcan etc its also important to keep examples of things that never worked out in 25 years or whatever they will still be a part of our past.
Anyway thanks for the photos Flood.
By: - 9th August 2004 at 23:30 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Have to ask how the nose of a Nimrod qualifies as being of great import when (to my untrained eye) it looks for all the world like any other Nimrod would when stripped down to its pressure hull. Admittedly there are the fairings and the stickers, but the over riding characteristic of the AEW3 was a bloody great nose with a bloody great boil on its rear and this, it must be said, has neither.
The museum is happy to have this cockpit, and it is a near enough complete exhibit in that sense, but one day there will be several Nimrods sitting idle, collecting bird droppings at museums and (if the current craze for collecting cockpits continues) almost certainly other Nimrod noses around so this one would just be something a little different.
That Whirlwind, on the other hand, is fairly unusual in Britain: there are a couple of HAS22s in the South African AF Museum (WV203 and WV204 if my memory serves me correctly), and it wouldn't be America if there weren't several of this particular model (or equivalent) there too. The interior looked tidy if somewhat spartan (I'd expect instruments and seats wouldn't be too difficult to source) but at least it isn't in danger of being used for fire/rescue training like it nearly was a few years ago...
Flood.™
Posts: 10,178
By: - 10th August 2004 at 02:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Boy that meteor looks a bit rough for sure. Would it not be a good idea to tarp over the missing engine panels?
The vulcan looks very sad. At one time a repaint was undertaken but doesnt look like it got far beyond the tail and the cockpit. The tail pipes are ghastly loooking, makes one wonder about the rest of it?
By: - 10th August 2004 at 10:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I find the Solway museum a friendly place to visit, it can be combined with the Dumfries museum for a good day out from Glasgow.
The meteor is being worked on by the local ATC, so they have the panels but are removed at the moment. The Vulcan is a bit sad at the moment, but by no means the worst. The cockpit is sometimes open for inspection, depending on how many volunteers are on duty. As with all small collections, the main problem is manpower.
Another issue with Solway is the collection is unfenced and distributed, although there are plans to move the Vulcan, Lightning and Phantom over to the main site and construct a fence; all dependent on the owner of Carlisle Airport.
Posts: 7,755
By: Flood - 9th August 2004 at 19:37
Visited this museum whilst I was in the area. On display were interesting histories for all the airfields in the Cumbria area and around the Solway Firth – most of them now long gone, returned to farming and the like – as well as parts from recovered wrecks and associated artefacts.
Inside (the only aircraft that I saw inside) was composite Grasshopper WZ784/WZ824 (all info from W&R19) which appears to have just the one (starboard) wing and no markings. It is surrounded by the remains of battered Spitfire panels, a bent Lanc prop, Anson and Hudson bits.
Outside (working from nearest the entrance) are:-
Nimrod AEW3 cockpit XV259 (the largest part of this ill-fated type on public display) which was open to view the interior
Whirlwind HAR21 WV198
Sea Prince T1 WP314
Meteor NF14 WS832 looking extremely tatty (missing panels with the covering bits of polythene flapping in the breeze) despite notices to the affect that it is under restoration by the ATC (two of them on the floor, I have to say).
Canberra T4 WE188 which was also open for viewing
Toward the airfields hangers is Vampire T11 WZ515 missing minor bits and pieces around the tailplane and with the cockpit covered by a tarpaulin.
Away from the museum building are:-
Lightning F53 ZF583 (formerly RSaudiAF 53-681) in a sort of mock-RAF scheme
Vulcan B2 XJ823 which is also apparently under restoration, although its port exhausts (at least) are beyond help
Phantom FGR2 XV406 is actually on the other side of the airfield fence and so not available for a close-up viewing.
All the aircraft suffer, to some extent, from being exposed to the elements: faded paintwork, canopy’s yellowed, surface corrosion and things like lamp covers missing, as well as the usual dents and scratches. Hard to see how things could change though, short of a large injection of cash and hangers for all…
Flood.™