Short Belfast Status - Cairns Airport - Updated to April 2018

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Member for

9 years 6 months

Posts: 1,613

There you go if its not an american type no interest in saving it.

Don't you mean: if its not a Spitfire (there is) no interest in saving it?

I read today that RR stopped supporting the Tyne, so no chance of the Belfast flying out of there either way?

Member for

7 years 3 months

Posts: 216

All of Nick Leach's aircraft around the country have either been sold, or scrapped. The 2 ex Ozjet 737-200's at Perth will be dismantled and taken out to an airfield east of York. The DC-3 at Cairns was moved last year and the Belfast was the last one left. With the amount of money owed for parking fees they will try and get some back.

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 2,841

Tell the breakers to contact R-R; they might want to buy the engines.

Anon.

Member for

18 years 3 months

Posts: 887

Extinction is the natural fate of the inadequate. Effort to preserve should be put to the good, not to the bad and/or ugly. Cosford's Ventura, Wroughton's Connie - examples of hidden objects more deserving of space than Belslow. Purge.

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 405

Short Belfast pictures from better days .....

Paris Le Bourget June 1967
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/710/32320257994_8ebf141b95_o.jpg

RAF Wildenrath Germany July 1970
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/651/32320258964_6e616ae165_o.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2855/33123978646_1914da24cc_o.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3675/33123978966_32abdaf1a7_o.jpg

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

The rear seating in that second photograph looks a bit draughty!!! :)

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 1,528

The rear seating in that second photograph looks a bit draughty!!! :)

That's the smoking section

Member for

9 years 6 months

Posts: 1,613

Extinction is the natural fate of the inadequate. Effort to preserve should be put to the good, not to the bad and/or ugly. Cosford's Ventura, Wroughton's Connie - examples of hidden objects more deserving of space than Belslow. Purge.

A point I've driven home to tedium no doubt, but there seems to be a romantic flair appended to airframes that are stuck on the other side of the world, tied up in endless red tape or under feet of ice and snow. For example people insist that the 'Lady of the Lake' B29 should be dredged up and returned to static or flying condition, stat! Yet far less credence is given to the unfortunate 'bird on a stick' B29s across the US; robbed of parts and with turrets plated over and perfunctory paint jobs applied.

I was aware of Wroughton's Connie already. Surely it should command the same mystery and intrigue as the Maid of Harlech? Here is a Constellation we know exists, but good luck getting a peek at it! I was ignorant of the Cosford Ventura and had to do a bit of Googling. The resulting images produced an audible 'huh?!?' when I viewed them. The remains of the Hawker P.1121, an F-84F and a Twin Pin appear to be languishing in the same hangar. Out of sight, out of mind.

Yet people want that Bristol Freighter down in New Zealand to be shipped to the UK to be proudly displayed next to Concorde at Filton. :confused:

Member for

18 years 4 months

Posts: 2,810

Meddle, good points, I suspect that abandonded wrecks and relics firstly attract those who see the initial cost as free.Sadly they often have little understanding of logistics costs. And airframes in more accesible locations have owners who rightly want cash for parting with them.

Member for

15 years 1 month

Posts: 261

Nothing is out of mind, and in an ideal world, all these aircraft would be restored. But it requires time, money and willpower. The Wroughton Constellation is complete, restored and under no threat. It's safe. So is the P1121, which would be a wonderful project if someone were to actually finish it off (it comprises the complete fuselage and one wing. The rest could fairly easily be built. But it's not under threat - just waiting for time, money and willpower. A Bristol Freighter is a major, significant British post-war type that is not represented here. Bringing one home to Filton is an extremely good idea. Can't see why that should perplex you, Meddle. It might not be a "sexy warbird", but we sold several hundred of them. While you're on the subject of Bristol, how about restoring that last Brigand too?

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

Extinction is the natural fate of the inadequate. Effort to preserve should be put to the good, not to the bad and/or ugly...

Disagree entirely; that's how we got into the situation that we've worked so hard to rectify!

If that were the case British aviation in the Second World War would only be represented by the Spitfire, Mosquito and Lancaster, with the Hurricane, Defiant, Gladiator, Typhoon, Tempest, Halifax, Stirling, Wellington, Hampden, Blenheim and Whitley all scrapped...

...as they all very nearly were.....and not confined even to the history books?

Sorry, we shouldn't be preserving the better (foreign) aircraft that Britain should have operated (or produced), we should be preserving the actual aircraft that Britain did produce and operate...

...otherwise 'history' will record that the only aircraft, or the only 'good' aircraft, were American!

Member for

9 years 6 months

Posts: 1,613

Can't see why that should perplex you, Meddle. It might not be a "sexy warbird", but we sold several hundred of them.

It is simply a matter of my prejudices. The Bristol Freighter was slow and ugly in service, and shipping one from the other side of the world seems like a waste of money, in my prejudiced opinion of course. There is something about seeing one sitting next to Concorde as the twin pinnacles of Bristol's contribution to aviation that I find darkly amusing...

Member for

17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

Better than future generations just wondering why something as unimaginative as 'Freighter Way' was chosen for one of the side-streets in the Filton logistics / retail park...

...along with the more imaginative 'Concorde Boulevard', 'Brigand Avenue' and 'Belvedere Street'!

Member for

15 years 2 months

Posts: 674

The B170 coming to Filton is one of the most exciting pieces of news for years, but I am a prop liner nut! Going back to the Belfast has the axe actually fallen, any photos? The belfast was always a nice aircraft. So few were built and their military careers so short compared with their Transport Command stablemates. Plus they are pretty much the biggest UK built aircraft that you could preserve and would take a lot of effort.

Member for

18 years

Posts: 1,227

Apparently "Hector" was still very much "in one piece" at Cairns on Friday the 3th of March 2017.
Do not know how much longer though. :(

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 9,821

There you go if its not an american type no interest in saving it.

Nonsense. An example of the Douglas C-133, the broadly American equivalent, is set to be scrapped at the defunct Chanute museum.
Too big to move by road, too expensive to fly.

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 9,821

Sorry, we shouldn't be preserving the better (foreign) aircraft that Britain should have operated (or produced), we should be preserving the actual aircraft that Britain did produce and operate...

...otherwise 'history' will record that the only aircraft, or the only 'good' aircraft, were American!

So the RAF crews that gave their lives in Hudson's, Mustangs, Catalinias, Dakotas, Thunderbolts, etc etc. should have their aircraft overlooked?
Surely, you don't want that.

Likewise the sterling service of the Hercules, Sabres, Phantoms, Neptunes, Washingtons, Whirlwind, Wessex, Sea King, Sentry, King Airs and the rest should be honored.

For a country with a great aviation history, there is a lot of petty nationalism here.
I don't see many 707s or C-130s being preserved.

Let's face it, large transports are never going to have the popularity (as a display or as a flying "warbird" or antique as a "sexy" warbird fighter.

If one feels strongly, go to a meeting of warbird operators...I'm sure they'll have a marquee at Legends...and ask them to quit funding countless Spitfire and Mosquito rebuilds and put some of their money into a Bristol, Argosy, or Belfast.

Let us know how that works out. :)

Member for

11 years 10 months

Posts: 352

Have to agree with J Boyle here. We should be preserving more than just home built aircraft.

And I am finding the lack of appreciation for the less famous, less glasmorous and less successful aircraft on a forum visted by aviation enthusiasts about the preservation of hitoric aviation slightly concerning (of course my sarcasm detector might be on the blink).

The Bristol Feighter was a British post-war success story.It does has as much right to be preserved at Filton as Concord and I do hope that soon one will be.

The Short Belfast did see service in the RAF. And if it is not the largest British designed and built aeroplane then it must come very close and is certainly to largest to be preserved..

Member for

11 years 10 months

Posts: 635

..... the P1121, which would be a wonderful project if someone were to actually finish it off (it comprises the complete fuselage and one wing. The rest could fairly easily be built. But it's not under threat - just waiting for time, money and willpower. .....

Well that is rather an exaggeration. The P.1121 is a partly constructed hulk consisting of a centre fuselage shell, a cockpit shell and one wing only partly skinned. It is not my idea of easy to finish off. Anyway what would be the point, it is an accurate representation of its history as it stands.

Member for

14 years

Posts: 1,788

Well that is rather an exaggeration. The P.1121 is a partly constructed hulk consisting of a centre fuselage shell, a cockpit shell and one wing only partly skinned. It is not my idea of easy to finish off. Anyway what would be the point, it is an accurate representation of its history as it stands.

I fully agree: if someone wants to build a replica then fine. But why would you "finish off" a valuable set of artefacts which were never complete in period? I does however deserve an inspired restoration and display.

But this is off-topic: let's hope that the Cairns Belfast has earned a stay of execution.