Post by acklington on May 10, 2021 17:32:06 GMT 1
Not often we do a specific aircraft, but I've just put a set of photos together for some friends, and the topic seems worth repeating here;
The Percival Q.6 G-AFFD is the only survivor of the breed and it was first registered on 12th February 1938 to Sir Philip Sassoon. He was a wealthy volunteer pilot with 601 Squadron R Aux AF at RAF Hendon, pre-war, and 601 Sqdn was called "The Millionaires Squadron" on account of six of the pilots having that status. G-AFFD was frequently flown by the squadron's pilots at weekends, and it was adorned with the Squadron crest on the tail. Philip Sassoon died aged 50 in June 1939, from complications following flu.
The outbreak of WW2 saw G-AFFD impressed and given the RAF serial X9407 in April 1940. It survived wartime service as a communications aircraft, being sold back onto the civil market in August 1946 and registered as G-AIEY. This was soon corrected back to G-AFFD and it was withdrawn from use in August 1956, being passed onto Redhill College as an instructional airframe. There it had lost its outer wings which were scrapped.
I first saw G-AFFD at Duxford in May 1978 after it had been obtained from Redhill for preservation. It was in a sorry state.
G-AFFD (X9407), Duxford, 28 May 78 by Philip Pain, on Flickr
I started work at Isle of Man/Ronaldsway Airport in 1989, and tucked away in a hangar annex was the very same Q.6 G-AFFD. It had been restored to the civil register in August 1981, but that was just the start of a lengthy rebuild process, which continues to this day. Here is a photo I took of it in 1993, painted (after careful research) in Sassoon's original colours;
G-AFFD, IOM, 9 May 93 by Philip Pain, on Flickr
It was brought to the Isle of Man by Douglas Wilson-Spratt, a wealthy motor racing and private flying enthusiast, and he employed a qualified engineer to restore it to flight. Two new outer wings were made for it, but these were never fitted. The restoration achieved much, but never progressed much beyond my photo of it, above. Eventually, after some three decades the engineer retired, and Douglas died a few years later. So in about 2010 (? after I had retired from the airport) it was sold and left the Island by sea, ending up 'somewhere in England'.
Then in 2017 I was on my annual tour of England, heading for Norfolk to stay with my son. I took a different route and by chance spotted a sign for Seething Airfield, so I stopped to take a look. The place was closed and deserted with a locked gate, when a car arrived and a friendly chap asked if I wanted a look? So off we went around the perimeter to the far side, and he said "come and see what's in this hangar, I bet you've never seen one before". Joking I replied, "If its a Q.6, I have."
G-AFFD - X9407, Seething, 20 July 17 (1) by Philip Pain, on Flickr
G-AFFD - X9407, Seething, 20 July 17 (2) by Philip Pain, on Flickr
G-AFFD - X9407, Seething, 20 July 17 (3) by Philip Pain, on Flickr
G-AFFD - X9407, Seething, 20 July 17 (5) by Philip Pain, on Flickr
G-AFFD - X9407, Seething, 20 July 17 (4) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
They had worked out that its 'new' outer wings were wrong, so another new pair were on their way. Also it had been dismantled for the sea journey from the Isle of Man, so that work had to be re-certified by the CAA. I was rather disappointed to see that it had been re-painted in its wartime impressment colours, but they have their eye on future air display work. I also thought that their 'wartime colour scheme' looked rather suspect, accuracy wise. Some 4 years later, as far as I'm aware, it still hasn't flown. My 1993 photo of it in it's blue Sassoon scheme is now a rarity, and there was probably never a colour photo of it in its pre-war flying days.
I have another somewhat tenuous link to this aircraft. I have created a website called "RAF Ouston Research", it is in Northumberland near Newcastle upon Tyne, and is where I did my ATC Cadet flying and gliding in 1963. In 1940 RAF Ouston's first Station Commander was Wing Commander Brian Thynne AFC, who was previously CO of 601 Sqdn at Hendon pre-war. He had flown the Q.6 G-AFFD when he and Sassoon were with 601 Squadron at Hendon. Then in 1941 RAF Ouston obtained an impressed Q.6 for use with 13 Group Communications Flight. It was G-AFMT/X9454 and it seems likely that the Station Commander was harking back to his 601 days and G-AFFD.
G-AFFD's restoration to flight has now been ongoing for 40 years, and I have kept seeing it for 53 years. Will I live long enough to see it in flight? I'm also hoping to make a 1/72 model of it, if I can find an ancient 'Magna Models' resin kit on Ebay.
The Percival Q.6 G-AFFD is the only survivor of the breed and it was first registered on 12th February 1938 to Sir Philip Sassoon. He was a wealthy volunteer pilot with 601 Squadron R Aux AF at RAF Hendon, pre-war, and 601 Sqdn was called "The Millionaires Squadron" on account of six of the pilots having that status. G-AFFD was frequently flown by the squadron's pilots at weekends, and it was adorned with the Squadron crest on the tail. Philip Sassoon died aged 50 in June 1939, from complications following flu.
The outbreak of WW2 saw G-AFFD impressed and given the RAF serial X9407 in April 1940. It survived wartime service as a communications aircraft, being sold back onto the civil market in August 1946 and registered as G-AIEY. This was soon corrected back to G-AFFD and it was withdrawn from use in August 1956, being passed onto Redhill College as an instructional airframe. There it had lost its outer wings which were scrapped.
I first saw G-AFFD at Duxford in May 1978 after it had been obtained from Redhill for preservation. It was in a sorry state.
G-AFFD (X9407), Duxford, 28 May 78 by Philip Pain, on Flickr
I started work at Isle of Man/Ronaldsway Airport in 1989, and tucked away in a hangar annex was the very same Q.6 G-AFFD. It had been restored to the civil register in August 1981, but that was just the start of a lengthy rebuild process, which continues to this day. Here is a photo I took of it in 1993, painted (after careful research) in Sassoon's original colours;
G-AFFD, IOM, 9 May 93 by Philip Pain, on Flickr
It was brought to the Isle of Man by Douglas Wilson-Spratt, a wealthy motor racing and private flying enthusiast, and he employed a qualified engineer to restore it to flight. Two new outer wings were made for it, but these were never fitted. The restoration achieved much, but never progressed much beyond my photo of it, above. Eventually, after some three decades the engineer retired, and Douglas died a few years later. So in about 2010 (? after I had retired from the airport) it was sold and left the Island by sea, ending up 'somewhere in England'.
Then in 2017 I was on my annual tour of England, heading for Norfolk to stay with my son. I took a different route and by chance spotted a sign for Seething Airfield, so I stopped to take a look. The place was closed and deserted with a locked gate, when a car arrived and a friendly chap asked if I wanted a look? So off we went around the perimeter to the far side, and he said "come and see what's in this hangar, I bet you've never seen one before". Joking I replied, "If its a Q.6, I have."
G-AFFD - X9407, Seething, 20 July 17 (1) by Philip Pain, on Flickr
G-AFFD - X9407, Seething, 20 July 17 (2) by Philip Pain, on Flickr
G-AFFD - X9407, Seething, 20 July 17 (3) by Philip Pain, on Flickr
G-AFFD - X9407, Seething, 20 July 17 (5) by Philip Pain, on Flickr
G-AFFD - X9407, Seething, 20 July 17 (4) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
They had worked out that its 'new' outer wings were wrong, so another new pair were on their way. Also it had been dismantled for the sea journey from the Isle of Man, so that work had to be re-certified by the CAA. I was rather disappointed to see that it had been re-painted in its wartime impressment colours, but they have their eye on future air display work. I also thought that their 'wartime colour scheme' looked rather suspect, accuracy wise. Some 4 years later, as far as I'm aware, it still hasn't flown. My 1993 photo of it in it's blue Sassoon scheme is now a rarity, and there was probably never a colour photo of it in its pre-war flying days.
I have another somewhat tenuous link to this aircraft. I have created a website called "RAF Ouston Research", it is in Northumberland near Newcastle upon Tyne, and is where I did my ATC Cadet flying and gliding in 1963. In 1940 RAF Ouston's first Station Commander was Wing Commander Brian Thynne AFC, who was previously CO of 601 Sqdn at Hendon pre-war. He had flown the Q.6 G-AFFD when he and Sassoon were with 601 Squadron at Hendon. Then in 1941 RAF Ouston obtained an impressed Q.6 for use with 13 Group Communications Flight. It was G-AFMT/X9454 and it seems likely that the Station Commander was harking back to his 601 days and G-AFFD.
G-AFFD's restoration to flight has now been ongoing for 40 years, and I have kept seeing it for 53 years. Will I live long enough to see it in flight? I'm also hoping to make a 1/72 model of it, if I can find an ancient 'Magna Models' resin kit on Ebay.