WIX Archives

Re: Halifax question for Cees.

Posted by PeterA on Mon Nov 25, 2002 07:57:01 AM

In reply top Re: Halifax question for Cees. posted by Cees Broere on Mon Nov 25, 2002 04:25:23 AM

Hello Cees,
Thanks for that. No juicy rumour information I am afraid.
I just happened to be looking at one of my first photo albums and came across half a dozen pictures of it. You could see the aircraft from the road but it was too far away to get a decent photo and there was the Victor security element. However I was informed that HP had allowed a model aircraft championships to held on the airfield one weekend - giving potential for access. Using this opportunity I walked round/across to the Halifax and took the photos. I would guess it was circa 1959. I seem to remember also seeing the tail unit that fell off a Vitor prototype on the scrap heap.
Peter

: Hi Peter,
:
: That is Halifax Mk VII PN323 which was used for telecommun
: ication trials and ended up in the strange configuration y
: ou mention. There are some photographs which show that the
: vertical fins are removed and replaced by a single vertic
: al fin (probably from another aircraft type), a blanked of
: f nose and its tail propped up with the fuselage level wit
: h the ground. At one point it was acquired by Graham Trant
: on behalf of the Skyfame Museum in the early sixties. It
: was intended to preserve the airframe but apparently the a
: irframe was suffering from severe corrosion and only the n
: ose and one undercarriage casting was removed. The rest wa
: s scrapped unfortunately(criminal if you ask me). When the
: Skyfame collection was taken over by IWM the nose went to
: IWM Lambeth after restoration. Don't know the extent of t
: hat one because the bombbay is very corroded if you look u
: nder it (I did). Otherwise it is very complete inside and
: as you know not acessible to the public at the moment. but
: I keep trying. Furthermore it was reported that the under
: carriage casting ended up with the RAFM and it was used by
: YAM to make the moulds for the fibreglass undercarriage f
: airings to be fitted over a steel structure for their Hali
: fax reconstruction. Later it was mentioned somewhere that
: it has now gone missing(?!).
:
: Hope this helps
:
: But you made me curious, do you have some juicy informatio
: n regarding this airframe?
:
: Cheers
:
: Cees
:

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