Westland Wyvern Project Thread.

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16 years 11 months

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Hi Rob

As per DCs comments, glad to help where I can especially with the Shorts connection :D

John

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16 years 5 months

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Cheers John :)

Rob

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16 years 5 months

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Wyvern

I've been lucky enough to acquire not one but two Wyvern windscreens.. original production S.4 on the left, pre-production TF.2 on the right.
Incidentally there was a gap of nineteen years between me first finding a canopy and then a matching windscreen. Just goes to prove, never give up.

Rob

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20 years 3 months

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A good find Rob.

Now you've already got all of the "impossible to make" parts the rest of your cockpit should be an AGS doddle :D

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14 years 1 month

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Hats off to you for bringing these 'forgotten' types back to life!

There's something about the Wyvern...

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16 years 5 months

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David - I admire your optimism :D

Blue_2 - Thanks for your appreciation :)

Rob

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16 years 5 months

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Wyvern

Its not just the main airframe parts that turn up. This is a Gyro Angling Power Unit thats reputed to of come from VW883, a Wyvern ordered as a TF.2 but completed as a production S.4. The GAPU's intended use has its roots going back to when the Wyvern was originally conceived as a torpedo / fighter, which necessitated the carriage of a single 18" 2,500lb torpedo for anti shipping duties.
The unit was originally located on the bottom of the fuselage almost inline with the trailing edge of the wing, as this photo of the unfortunate VZ785 demonstrates (photo Andy Davey - Air Britain).

Rob

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Wyvern

This motley collection of twisted and corroded brake shoes and cylinders are infact the remains of a Python engine propeller brake. Fitted only to the later Python 3, it was designed to reduce engine running down time and to prevent 'windmilling' after shutdown.
This one came from the crash-site of VZ795 that came down just on the outskirts of Littlehampton in West Sussex in 1957, after a collision with another Wyvern. Many years later members of the then aviation museum based at Tangmere, together with assistance from staff from HMP Ford carried out a dig on this aircraft, and successfully managed to retrieve many parts and components.

Rob

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Wyvern

Always nice when mainwheels come in pairs, and this pair were found barely ten miles from RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset. Re-discovered by the previous owner underneath an old coach where they had been left many years ago, they are thought to of come straight from Westlands with the original intention of fitting them to a trailer. At first sight they appear to be identical to Gloster Meteor mains and are indeed the same size. But apart from having a different Dunlop AH number they also have completely different centres to accomodate the Wyvern's stub axle type.

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In the absense of a correct Martin Baker MK.1B or 2B seat i was happy to acquire this 1950 dated MK.1 from a fellow forumite (cheers Ian M) after putting out a wanted request. Very early MB seats are becoming increasingly hard to find, and it would appear that the only main difference between this one and the 1B are the footrests (telescopic on the 1B).

Since this photo was taken it has gained a few missing items and there's still more in the pipeline to come.

Rob

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Wyvern

Like most aircraft the Wyvern shared some parts with other types. But when these items come complete with some Wyvern provenance it makes them a bit more relevant.
For instance this emergency hand hydraulic pump was found by another forumite (thanks Warren) and still has its 'REPAIRABLE' tag. It was removed from WN326 (which incidentally was a Suez war veteran) on ?.4.57 whilst at Fleetlands for modernisation as it was leaking internally.

Another item is this AYF antenna that was originally fitted to the underside of one of the horizontal tail surfaces. Acquired from Robert B (cheers Robs) it was removed as 'UNSERVICEABLE' from VZ765 when with 813 sqdn on the 28/8/57. Incidentally VZ765 had a rather undignified ending, as on the 25/3/58 it suffered a partial undercarriage collapse whilst landing onboard HMS Eagle. With the Wyvern coming to the end of its service career it was ditched overboard into the sea three days later.

Rob

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20 years 3 months

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Like most aircraft the Wyvern shared some parts with other types. But when these items come complete with some Wyvern provenance it makes them a bit more relevant.
For instance this emergency hand hydraulic pump was found by another forumite (thanks Warren) and still has its 'REPAIRABLE' tag. It was removed from WN326 (which incidentally was a Suez war veteran) on ?.4.57 whilst at Fleetlands for modernisation as it was leaking internally.

Another item is this AYF antenna that was originally fitted to the underside of one of the horizontal tail surfaces. Acquired from Robert B (cheers Robs) it was removed as 'UNSERVICEABLE' from VZ765 when with 813 sqdn on the 28/8/57. Incidentally VZ765 had a rather undignified ending, as on the 25/3/58 it suffered a partial undercarriage collapse whilst landing onboard HMS Eagle. With the Wyvern coming to the end of its service career it was ditched overboard into the sea three days later.

Rob

Its funny how much these little tags add to the story and interest in the parts themselves. I have several Hornet parts with "serialled" tags too.

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18 years 5 months

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Its nice to see your making progress on these projects. Good luck with them and it was lovely to meet you at Cockpitfest and have a look at your project.

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16 years 5 months

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Its funny how much these little tags add to the story and interest in the parts themselves. I have several Hornet parts with "serialled" tags too.

Totally agree. Those tags and the information they contain are history themselves.

Its nice to see your making progress on these projects. Good luck with them and it was lovely to meet you at Cockpitfest and have a look at your project.

Cheers Ollie for the kind comments, and good to meet you too :)

Rob

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16 years 5 months

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Wyvern

Rear strut which formed part of a MK.8 rocket launcher from VZ795. This photo of WN324 shows the standard Wyvern arrangement of four rails per side (eight all together), two on the inner wing just outboard of the main undercarriage and two on the outer folding wing. At the rear of the strut can be seen the sockets for the electrical connections.

Rob

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Wyvern

Outer airbrake release mechanism (incorporating a Mk.1A bomb release) from one of the airbrakes that was mounted in the top surface of both outer wings.
This one is labelled as coming from VZ777 and was quite possibly removed sometime during its use as an instructional airframe at RNAS Bramcote. According to the book 'Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946', VZ777 was used entirely as a trials and evaluation airframe (it was the first S.4 to land on HMS Eagle and also made the first mirror deck landing on HMS Illustrious). It finally arrived at Bramcote by road on the 11th September 1957 - but was broken up there during March 1959 after some eighteen months of use.

Rob

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Wyvern

Contra-rotating unit from the front of a Python engine, minus propeller blades. Just under five feet in length and weighing around a third of a ton, it was acquired with the help of Mike Eastman.

From left to right it consists of propeller pitch piston and cylinder - front propeller hub - translation bearing - rear propeller hub - propeller brake housing - drive shafts and oil tube. The oil tube running through the centre of the drive shafts supplied oil to the pitch piston, to simultaneously change the pitch of both sets of propellers via the operating links and translation bearing.
This one is said to of come from VZ795.

Rob

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Member for

16 years 11 months

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That's a big chunk of engine there Rob!

Nice find

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16 years 7 months

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Wow, that must have quite a find Rob!

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11 years 5 months

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Fascinating thread and fascinating subjects, especially the Wyvern. Always intrigued by the Wyvern with memories of watching them at Ford in the early/mid-fifties when, I think, a trials squadron was based there using the runway as a simulated deck. I can remember steam catapult take-offs.