Post by acklington on Jan 1, 2018 15:35:42 GMT 1
Just finished yesterday, and photographed this morning, 1st January 2018 - Happy New Year! But first, the 'back story';
Harvard KF314, A & AEE, KB-50J 0-905356, F-101C, F-100D, B-66, Acklington, 15 Sept 63 fw by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Harvard KF314, A&AEE, Acklington, 19 Sept 64 (1) fw1 by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Harvard KF314, A&AEE, XD452, 66, 7 FTS, WF390, O, Acklington, 18 Sept 65 fw by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Harvard KF314, FT375, KF183, A&AEE, Bassingbourn, 28 May 78 (2) b1fw by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Harvard KF314, A&AEE, Greenham Common, 26 June 77 pfw by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Harvard KF314, Old Sarum, 2015 by Philip Pain, on Flickr
This was my favourite Harvard of all time, one of three airworthy survivors with the A&AEE at Boscombe Down, until it was sadly destroyed in a fatal accident in 1982. It was at my first ever air display at RAF Acklington in 1963, and at two subsequent displays in 1964, and 1965. It re-appeared at Greenham Common in 1977, and with with its two companions at Bassingbourne in 1978. All that now remains of it is its fin, on display at the Old Sarum Boscombe collection in 2015.
For my RAF Ouston model collection I planned to do a 22 SFTS Harvard, circa 1947, and trawled the internet and my library, looking for photos. The obvious choice would have been KF341 coded 'FCIY' for which there is a good photo. But I didn't have a letter 'Y' on my decal sheets. So back to the internet, and after much digging I found a Dutch website with some cine film clips taken at Ouston when Dutch Navy pilots were on a 22 SFTS course. 'FCIY' was much in evidence, but there were also shots of 'FCIT', serial barely readable, but quite possibly KF314. I can't find any history for KF314 before 1982, but this was too good an opportunity not to miss - my favourite Harvard!
Harvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (1) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Harvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (2) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Harvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (12) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Harvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (15) rpw by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Harvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (19) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Harvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (19) bw by Philip Pain, on Flickr
Needless to say the kit and conversion from T-6G Texan to Harvard 2b was a sob, this being the original Heller mouldings, repackaged in this case by 'Encore'. It was in translucent white plastic, and needed white undercoats to try and stop the interior green colour, and filler showing through. I daren't hold it up to the light! The longer Harvard canopy was cobbled together using the back end of an Airfix Canadian Chipmunk canopy, plus the long Airfix exhaust, modified to include the cockpit heater pipe. The propellor has had balance weights added, and the engine interior had to be hammered out of the cowling, as my first attempt to glue it resulted in it being wonky, and the prop jamming against the cowling.
When modelling a Harvard, the devil is most definately in the detail. I think that my tailwheel is the wrong type (Texan), but looking at the photos of the real thing (above) I'm not so sure, and it appears to change. The nav lights can be anybody's guess, the canopy framing changes with the passage of time, and overall I have a suspicion that KF314 was rebuilt after the war with Texan components, or vice versa? Anyway, thanks for looking.
Harvard KF314, A & AEE, KB-50J 0-905356, F-101C, F-100D, B-66, Acklington, 15 Sept 63 fw by Philip Pain, on FlickrHarvard KF314, A&AEE, Acklington, 19 Sept 64 (1) fw1 by Philip Pain, on FlickrHarvard KF314, A&AEE, XD452, 66, 7 FTS, WF390, O, Acklington, 18 Sept 65 fw by Philip Pain, on FlickrHarvard KF314, FT375, KF183, A&AEE, Bassingbourn, 28 May 78 (2) b1fw by Philip Pain, on FlickrHarvard KF314, A&AEE, Greenham Common, 26 June 77 pfw by Philip Pain, on FlickrHarvard KF314, Old Sarum, 2015 by Philip Pain, on FlickrThis was my favourite Harvard of all time, one of three airworthy survivors with the A&AEE at Boscombe Down, until it was sadly destroyed in a fatal accident in 1982. It was at my first ever air display at RAF Acklington in 1963, and at two subsequent displays in 1964, and 1965. It re-appeared at Greenham Common in 1977, and with with its two companions at Bassingbourne in 1978. All that now remains of it is its fin, on display at the Old Sarum Boscombe collection in 2015.
For my RAF Ouston model collection I planned to do a 22 SFTS Harvard, circa 1947, and trawled the internet and my library, looking for photos. The obvious choice would have been KF341 coded 'FCIY' for which there is a good photo. But I didn't have a letter 'Y' on my decal sheets. So back to the internet, and after much digging I found a Dutch website with some cine film clips taken at Ouston when Dutch Navy pilots were on a 22 SFTS course. 'FCIY' was much in evidence, but there were also shots of 'FCIT', serial barely readable, but quite possibly KF314. I can't find any history for KF314 before 1982, but this was too good an opportunity not to miss - my favourite Harvard!
Harvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (1) w by Philip Pain, on FlickrHarvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (2) w by Philip Pain, on FlickrHarvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (12) w by Philip Pain, on FlickrHarvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (15) rpw by Philip Pain, on FlickrHarvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (19) w by Philip Pain, on FlickrHarvard KF314, FCIT, 22 SFTS, RAF Ouston, c 1947 (19) bw by Philip Pain, on FlickrNeedless to say the kit and conversion from T-6G Texan to Harvard 2b was a sob, this being the original Heller mouldings, repackaged in this case by 'Encore'. It was in translucent white plastic, and needed white undercoats to try and stop the interior green colour, and filler showing through. I daren't hold it up to the light! The longer Harvard canopy was cobbled together using the back end of an Airfix Canadian Chipmunk canopy, plus the long Airfix exhaust, modified to include the cockpit heater pipe. The propellor has had balance weights added, and the engine interior had to be hammered out of the cowling, as my first attempt to glue it resulted in it being wonky, and the prop jamming against the cowling.
When modelling a Harvard, the devil is most definately in the detail. I think that my tailwheel is the wrong type (Texan), but looking at the photos of the real thing (above) I'm not so sure, and it appears to change. The nav lights can be anybody's guess, the canopy framing changes with the passage of time, and overall I have a suspicion that KF314 was rebuilt after the war with Texan components, or vice versa? Anyway, thanks for looking.
