Abingdon

[historymadd]

Even with F Hangar in operation, Beverleys were still serviced in E Hangar. The first time I walked into E Hangar, I was rather puzzled that there was a Beverley in there and its tail fins were in amongst, and higher than, the steel roof trusses. Later that week, the mystery was solved when I saw the Bev towed out of the hangar sideways. The main undercart was sitting on a long trolley and the nosewheel was on another, smaller, box-like trolley and raised so that the whole aircraft was tilted backwards, lowering the tail fins to clear the roof trusses. The two trollies were connected to the back of a tugmaster.

The nose trolley consisted of an electric motor driven lead screw that was tilted and carried a double hooked chaser. First, the Bev was towed up the side ramps onto the long trolley and the ramps lifted and secured. Then a big metal tube was placed through the Bev's front wheels. The nose trolley was then pushed up to the nose wheels until the hooks were located, one under each end of the tube. The motor was then started, turning the lead screw and in turn, lifting the nose wheels off the ground and tilting the whole plane back on itself. The tilted Bev was then backed into E Hangar, and the reverse procedure carried out to put her back on an even keel! Where there's a way!

hi there
you have me very interested as to which side of e hanger the beverley came out of airfield side of tech site side

thinks airfield side the doors seem bigger that i end i think will check on monday morning

cheers


hm

[historymadd]

hi there everyone

it must have been airfield side but there would have been just enough rooom to swing it around the old parachute glide around to d hanger.

took a wander up to the old air traffic control tower today more of the top copings are coming away is really getting in a rough state stairs are also getting a bit dodgy.

[hydealfred]

This should bring back some memories -

[bvs]

Nice pic HM (shippon in the snow)
I lived in a thatched cottage in shippon for a while ...next to the pub,had a few pints of 'foaming cleanser'

[bvs]

Been going through some old photos
This one taken outside 'B' Hangar feb 1983,08 was the last RAF a/c that I flew in (in uniform that is).Because he knew I had done a bit of flying - he very kindly let me fly the whole trip,he told me that he would have guessed I was an engineer anyway by the gentle way I handled the throttle
Nice little a/c to fly,although the control harmonisation was not quite as nice as the Chipmunk,I worked on the Chippies and Bulldogs 1980-83 !
In the background is 'A' shed (MT section)

[hydealfred]

Here is the next set of airshow shots - these are from Abingdon on 8 May 2011 - a superb day which reminded me of when I used to go to to Abingdon Airshows in the 80's. Wonderful airfield in my opinion.

[REF]

Taken from this website;
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/hea...en_war_pilots/

Spitfire honours unsung women war pilots



HEADINGTON may have its shark but, for a limited time only, Abingdon has its own rooftop monument, a full-size Spitfire.

A replica of the famous Second World War fighter plane now sits on top of Lodge Hill Garage in Oxford Road.

But owner Peter Jewson says the plane will not become a permanent decoration similar to the shark sculpture lowered into the roof of radio presenter Bill Heine’s Headington home in the 1980s.

The flight enthusiast bought the plane to honour a little- known group of Second World War pilots.

Women from the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) flew Spitfires and other planes from factories in cities like Southampton and Coventry to their operational airbases.

Many of the 166 women perished during their missions.

Mr Jewson, who learnt to fly himself in 1957, said: “They had no radios, no weather reports and no bullets in the guns. If you met the enemy you were in trouble.”

Among those who lost their lives was Amy Johnson, the pioneering aviator who was the first woman to fly from Britain to Australia solo.

Tomorrow, Mr Jewson 79, will hold a 1940s lunch at the garage attended by surviving ATA pilots, including Joy Lofthouse, who was one of the first female pilots to fly a Spitfire in the Second World War.

A ceremony at noon is open to the public.

[Norman]

I have only just joined AIX, having stumbled across it while searching for information about Abingdon. I was posted to Abingdon from St Athan in July 1974, to the University of London Air Squadron, and was based in "B" hangar. The guys that maintained the ULAS Bulldogs, also maintained the Chipmunks of No 6 Air Experience Flight.

Previous posts about the servicing on the Beverley struck a Chord with me, because although I never worked on them myself, I had been stationed at Khormaksar, and if I remember the number correctly 131 MU serviced Beverleys there and there was a real cheat to get them into the hangar. The wingspan was too long for the width of the doors, so the Beverley was jacked up and mini railway trucks were postioned under each of the main and the nose undercarriages. These trucks were then attached to each other and the whole assembly was then towed in, sideways, with the trucks running along railway or tram tracks. The process was obviously reversed to get them out again.

I think the only thing that compared even remotely to this, was wathing the rudder being lifted off a Vulcan in the hangar at St Athan, where 32 MU used to service them. The crane driver who usually did this job was a master craftsman!!.

Hope you find this interesting, folks.

[Dale]

I was posted to 'F' shed in June '74 to work on Belfast Base maybe we came across each other at some time. If I remember right 'F' shed was built for Beverley servicing hence it's rather unusual 'Balcony'. Also I remember ULAS boys having a real hang up about us Belf lads leading to some fruity moments, a pair of Scottish twins spring to mind.......got it 'The Brookshaws' I'm sure of it......happy days

[Norman]

Dale, I am sure that I recall a pair of twins working on ULAS, but I'll be guided by you as to the names!! Oddly enough there was a pair of twins in my Boy Entrant entry, called Ken and Colin Moth, if I remember correctly. However as I grow older, I notice that my memory is certainly not what it used to be, so I may be wrong........