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Re: Canadian Beaufighter RD867

Posted by Steve Tournay on Thu Jun 27, 2002 05:35:59 PM

In reply top Canadian Beaufighter RD867 posted by Cees on Thu Jun 27, 2002 04:40:31 AM

Hi Cees--

: I have seen some photo's of it when in outside storage and
: missing engines, cowlings etc. But I had always thought t
: hat it had been fully restored and put on display.

Nope, although it may finally have a roof over its slowly-corroding head soon at least, as funding was approved last year for the long-awaited storage building at CAM. That Beaufighter has been a pet peeve of mine for years, not so much because it hasn't been restored--CAM can only do so much rebuild work and they have many other projects--but because the Beau has been parked outside since 1969! When it was on show for the RAF Jubilee at Abingdon it was externally complete, but it came to Canada less engines, cowlings, props, et cetera, and it has not had a high-priority status in CAM's collection (they do, of course, have quite a good WWII fleet exclusive of the Beau).

A few years back the museum did refinish what there was of the airframe, in the same all-black livery it wore at Abingdon, but it remained outside, except for the outer wing panels which apparently moved indoors. I was at Rockcliffe for the aviation art conference last October and the Beau was still out on the ramp behind the museum.

An idea I've long held--for the interim period preceding a full rebuild--would be for CAM to fit the Beau airframe with replica Lancaster cowls (molds from their own Lanc), creating--albeit a bit artificially--the world's only Mk.II Beau. It even wears the proper colour already...They could then lend the Beau out for temporary display at, say, CWH. I've suggested that to CAM (and CWH, too) more than once but it's not gonna happen. CAM did say a while back that they'd prepared a list of needed parts to send to Hendon in case the RAFM could assist; but I got the impression that it didn't matter all that much...so Canada's only Beau sits, waits, and corrodes!

Cheers

S.

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