Ongoing Halifax reconstruction project

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Member for

14 years 6 months

Posts: 2,172

Chaps,

Here is the latest update about 57Rescue Canada's project to bring back another Halifax to Canada.
Have a look at the latest update about the main spar restoration. Take a look at the many previous video's. It's amazing and proves what can be done to bring back a four engined bomber.

Well done chaps

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5NoWX4Ik7To&feature=youtu.be

Cees

Original post

Member for

20 years 3 months

Posts: 1,494

I take my hat off to them! Superb work.

The Stirling forward fuselage jig I am currently helping to design will need to be bigger than this. It is good to see others work, as it puts what we are doing into context.

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11 years 2 months

Posts: 3,650

Hi All,
Why not join the cause with a donation £10.30 gives them CAN$20 to play with, they need all the help they can get if they want to have the worlds only Halifax with running Hercules engines all four of them what a lovely sound they will be when completed, saving up for that plane ticket hope I live long enough to fulfil my dream :D saving up for that plane ticket c'mon guy's you know it's worth it....;) http://www.57rescuecanada.com/

Geoff.

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Member for

11 years 2 months

Posts: 580

That's so strange to see that Hercules run without the big fan thingie up front to blow the smoke away.
Sure sounds sweet!

Seeing those folks flip over that very impressive spar, made me think that they should get MNM's on board as a sponsor, 'cause their logo is repeated so many times through the structure :)

Looks great!

Andy

Member for

14 years 4 months

Posts: 1,665

Isn't it best to have some load on the engine by way of a counterweight or cut down prop?

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16 years 2 months

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What is the purpose of this main spar construction? Is it to facilitate a restoration of LW170 if they eventually salvage it or is it another, seperate project, i.e. should LW170 elude them, they'll build a replica Halifax around this spar anyway?

Member for

11 years 10 months

Posts: 635

Am I being too picky? Some of the strutting on the spar looked rather mauled as though they were trial pieces rather than proper.

Member for

14 years 4 months

Posts: 1,665

Its nice to see the Maltese Hastings be used for something but I can't get my head around the fixation with LW170. Unlike the past two recoveries the location isn't known; surely it would be better chasing a shallower confirmed site such as the Halifax recently found off Norway?

Regards,
Rich

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24 years 2 months

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The Halifax recently discovered in a Norwegian fjord is a war grave so can't be recovered

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24 years 2 months

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I'd have to agree with Rich there. Not only is the location of LW170 unknown, it is also sitting in salt water, which isn't going to be conducive to long term conservation. That said, I understand the need to hang some form of identity onto the next project, to keep the interest. A bit like Freckle cream jars...

Bruce

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14 years 6 months

Posts: 2,172

Karl is passionate about Canadian Halifaxes and in his opinion a restoration needs to have a Canadian provenance like LW170 has. Finding this airframe was what started this quest. The Maltese hasting sections may have spurred a new project. My cockpit drawings have gone to Canada and Karl is scouting the globe for Halifax parts. A set ( possibly two) of wings are feasible and work on the mainspar is ongoing as you have seen. Recently several Halifax wrecks have been discovered in the Baltic and are under investigation.
By the way, please stop referring to wargraves.
Good show Karl, show the naysayers what can be done to bring back a Halifax, any Halifax.
Cees

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14 years 4 months

Posts: 1,665

Cees its not naysaying. I appreciate what they're doing and Elvington's Halifax captivates me every time I see it. But the recently found Norwegian Hally is a way better candidate than LW170. It wouldn't be the first aircraft recovered that had mia crew on board either, so the 'war grave' argument doesn't carry weight. Its not like its a 45,000 ton warship that can never be lifted off the bottom.

If there are other located aircraft then maybe they should be the target. If the needle in the haystack which is LW170 is found it looks as if she's going to be repurposed as Bomber Command memorial rather than remaining a Coastal Command aircraft which I find a bit off.

Regards
Rich

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11 years 2 months

Posts: 3,650

Hi All,
The 1st video of the Hercules running was the 1st engine run after being restored unless I am mistaken, but here is another video from 2014 a Hercules on a Dolly and with a Cut down prop enjoy.....:applause: Please, please forumites take the time to Check out,Join or simply donate to this magnifiscent cause The only Halifax that will be live in the world. http://www.57rescuecanada.com/ The site has all relevant project information and reports of the location and possible retrieval of LW170 I live in England like I mention saving up if I am lucky enough to see Four Hercules run on the restored Halifax....:eagerness:

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14 years 4 months

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I've followed the search... But just like the Titanic, where it sank isn't necessarily where it hit the sea floor.

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24 years 2 months

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The Norwegians have said that the Fjord Halifax is to be considered a war grave and will not be recovered so that really is that as far as that airframe is concerned Rightly so IMHO

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14 years 4 months

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Whats your source for that? And why set a precedent with this aircraft when they have let others be recovered with missing/killed in action crew aboard? The idea of treating a wreck as a grave just because that is where it fell is pretty distateful in my opinion but thats another argument entirely, the crew should be brought home if possible.

To put it into perspective; there were crew lost on Halifax NA337, and the recovery went ahead anyhow.

Regards,

Rich

Member for

15 years 1 month

Posts: 261

Totally agree. The "war grave" argument is too often used as an excuse for not recovering the dead. Recover the bodies as a first priority if possible - and it clearly is possible in the case of the Halifax. Then conserve or restore the aircraft as a fitting tribute to the crew.

Member for

14 years 11 months

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To put it into perspective; there were crew lost on Halifax NA337, and the recovery went ahead anyhow.

IIRC, the crewmembers of NA337 who perished that day, were all known to be no longer aboard the aircraft. Hence it was not a war grave.

The remains of two of the crew members of W7656 however are thought to still be aboard the aircraft.

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24 years 2 months

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None of these aircraft are defined as "War Grave", the term does not exist in International or relevant State Law and there is no legal precedent/statute in either International or relevant State Law to totally preclude any operation on them.

Ross

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14 years 4 months

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No, there was one thought to be left on board NA337- the Flight Engineer, hence the extensive sifting of the mud as it came out of the aircraft post recovery. The 'assumption' on record is that he got out the aircraft unnoticed and died in the waters of Lake Mjosa. At least there's some comfort in that while he has no known grave he has one utterly magnificent memorial.

Its all very well shouting "War grave" but if it works for one, it works for them all - or not at all. It shouldn't be used purely when convenient to your cause. Besides which it doesn't mean W7656 can't be recovered, just that as a designated grave any interference needs the correct permissions. With it being in the location it is and the photos showing the escape hatches open, there's a similar possibility that her crew also got out and never made it to shore as the Halifax was known to have a good survivability rate of its crews. How will you ever know? Recover the aircraft..!

Regards,

Rich

Member for

15 years 1 month

Posts: 261

Correct, Ross_McNeill. It's a term that is misused as a convenient smokescreen for not doing the right thing - which is making every possible attempt to recover the dead. Personally I'd love to see W7656 recovered, and displayed at Hendon as a tableau in conserved condition. Which of course would allow a proper and long-overdue restoration of W1048...