|
|
Post by acklington on Jan 24, 2019 19:09:52 GMT 1
Just after Christmas I was delighted to find this kit on Ebay. It was released in 2017, but somehow escaped my attention.  Proctor (1) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr  Proctor (2) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr It comes with no less than five military options, and includes optional parts for all the early Proctors, plus the Vega Gull. However the only canopy included is for the Proctor 3. It has etched brass parts, canopy mask (for painting), no less than three tail wheels, two propellors and spinners, and a pile of optional seat parts, none of which are explained in the instructions. The overall quality and detail is excellent, but as I soon discovered it requires very careful and fiddly assembly, and if parts are not trimmed exactly to fit there are knock on problems later on. The extensive instruction sheet compounds the problem by not clearly showing where some parts are meant to fit. I'm not going to illustrate all of the build, so this will be a short thread;  Proctor (5) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr This photo shows the best part of a week's work. There are no less than 60 parts already assembled in this photo! The interior colours took quite some research for my chosen model, and no interior colour guidance is given in the instructions. The propellor was unlikely to rotate, or likely to fall off, so I'm making a new shaft, etc.  Proctor (6) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr There is one obvious error in the kit, which does not include the curved underside fairing for the engine. Yet strangely one of the assembly drawings in the instructions does show it. So I fashioned mine with modelling putty, having first put the kit's engine exhaust in place. Painting is now well underway. |
|
|
|
Post by acklington on Jan 29, 2019 18:12:01 GMT 1
Well it's finished, but not without some difficulty. The exact colour is something of a mystery, there is a colour photo of it on the internet, but it doesn't help much, looking like a faded shade of PRU blue. So I just went with my notebook description from 1966 i.e. "medium blue". I found a tin of "Revell" number 50 which seems to do the trick. Also my later 1968 photo shows a light faded colour. These are the two photos, both taken by me at RAF Ouston;  G-AIHD (DX241), WD332 no engine, RAF Ouston, 4 Jan 66 by Philip Pain, on Flickr  G-AIHD (DX241), WN948, RAF Ouston, 15 Aug 68 by Philip Pain, on Flickr The other difficulty is that I somehow cracked the windscreen, presumably applying too much pressure when gluing. I then tried to find how to buy spare parts from 'Dora Wings' in Czech land, but I'm getting nowhere. So the crack remains for now, disguised with some black paint.  G-AIHD, Airwork manager Knox, RAF Ouston, c 1962 (2) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr  G-AIHD, Airwork manager Knox, RAF Ouston, c 1962 (9) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr  G-AIHD, Airwork manager Knox, RAF Ouston, c 1962 (12) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr  G-AIHD, Airwork manager Knox, RAF Ouston, c 1962 (14) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr  G-AIHD, Airwork manager Knox, RAF Ouston, c 1962 (15) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr  G-AIHD, Airwork manager Knox, RAF Ouston, c 1962 (17) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr  G-AIHD, Airwork manager Knox, RAF Ouston, c 1962 (22) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr  G-AIHD, Airwork manager Knox, RAF Ouston, c 1962 (28) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr  G-AIHD, Airwork manager Knox, RAF Ouston, c 1962 (25) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr At RAF Ouston this Proctor was owned by Mr T.G.Knox, the Airwork Ltd manager responsible (as a civilian contractor) for maintaining the RAF Chipmunks. It was wfu in September 1963 but continued to languish in the back of the main hangar for a few more years. By 1968 it had been given to the RAF Firemen to burn on the fireground. However, I never realised until researching this week, what an interesting history it had. Built in 1942 as an RAF radio trainer with the serial DX241, it was demobbed and converted for the civil register as G-AIHD in September 1946. Its first owner was the Lancashire Aircraft Corporation Ltd, possibly operating on air taxi and joy-ride work out of Blackpool. It served with LAC throughout the period of the Berlin Airlift 1948-9, and while there is no record that it participated, it seems to have been the favourite mount of LAC's Chief Pilot and Operation Manager, Squadron Leader W.I."Wally" Lashbrook DFC, AFC, DFM, and it was he who organised the legendary participation of 24 of LAC's Halifax freighters in the Airlift. He commuted regularly between Bovingdon and Wunstorf in Germany, and may have used this Proctor to do so? In any event this Proctor became his favoured mount in subsequent air races, and his first success with it was on 22 August 1950. He flew it in the Air League Challenge Cup at Sherburn-in-Elmet but was unplaced. He then flew it later the same day to Yeadon and won the Yorkshire Aeroplane Cup Trophy Race at an average speed of 161.5 mph. He also entered the Proctor in the Daily Express Air Race at Hurn on 20 September 1950, beating the only Halifax ever to air race, G-AKEC (averaging 267 mph at sea level!), but losing out to some stiff competition including Jeffery Quill in a Spitfire F.22. On 11-12 July 1952 Lashbrook entered the Proctor in the National Air Races at Woolsington, competing in the Kemsley Challenge Trophy, but again losing out to some illustrious competitors including Group Captain John Cunningham in a Vampire FB.9 WR211. The prizes were presented by Field Marshall Montgomery. On another occasion at Sandown on 18 June 1950, Lashbrook had raced the Proctor against others including Peter Townsend in Hurricane G-AMAU/PZ865 (also painted bright blue overall). Lashbrook gave up flying in 1953, but the Proctor was still racing in April 1959, being seen as race '66' at Oxford. Also of note in the Woolsington air races, was a Mr.T.G.Knox, flying Proctor G-AMBS to win the Kings Cup Handicap Race. He subsequently became the final owner of Proctor G-AIHD. Knox also won the Air League Challenge Cup Trophy Race on 20 August 1955, this time flying Proctor 3 G-ALCK which is now preserved at Duxford as LZ766. Lashbrook deserves a book in his own right, and suffice to mention that he also flew 29 bombing raids over Germany in Halifaxes; managed to crash land a shot-up 35 Squadron Halifax near Tollerton in complete darkness with minor crew injuries; led the first airbourne para raid 'Operation Colossus' in Whitleys to destroy an aqueduct in southern Italy; was shot down in a Halifax in 1943 over the French Belgian border, but escaped through the French resistance 'Comet' escape line over the Pyrenees to Gibraltar, helping to bottle the Champagne harvest on the way; was a close friend with fellow 1930's Aircraftsman "Ross", later Lawrence of Arabia; and lived to the age of 104, collecting an MBE on the way for sports services the the Ayshire Army Cadet Force. Proctor G-AIHD was sold by LAC in June 1953, and subsequently became part of Airwork Ltd's fleet, and in 1956 was based at Sunderland/Usworth with fellow Proctor 3 G-ALCK. G-AIHD is also known to have appeared at air displays including RAF Acklington B of B Display on 20 September 1958, and Coventry on 15 July 1961. I'm really pleased to have brought this forgotten Proctor 'back to life', so to speak. |
|
|
|
Post by davecalveley on Jan 29, 2019 23:15:09 GMT 1
Got a jubilee clip that was on the floor under G-AIHD when parts were being taken off her in 67 when on a summer camp there with ATC.
|
|
|
|
Post by acklington on Jan 30, 2019 10:17:38 GMT 1
Got a jubilee clip that was on the floor under G-AIHD when parts were being taken off her in 67 when on a summer camp there with ATC. Wow! I did wonder what might have survived. Even a small identifiable bit can these days form the basis of a full rebuild to flying condition! Is there any chance that you can PM to me a camera phone photo of the Jubilee Clip? Thanks also for giving me a date when she was dismantled, I assume the month would have been August 1967? |
|
|
|
Post by davecalveley on Jan 30, 2019 13:56:59 GMT 1
Just checked my logs Phil and date I saw her was 21/8/67 still in hangar....clip not where I thought it was but still unpacking after bungalowing 2 years ago.....best description I can give is a circlip with 90 degree angles on it to take a nut and bolt making a fixed diameter of about 3" painted in a mid green primer and I wrote G-AIHD on it in biro..... so likely to be a warm air tube retaining clip....will have a root around any other likely boxes in next few days...dont think I threw it out .....
It was with a small canvas patch from one of the Dragon Rapides at Speke also found on floor back in the MAES days....
|
|
