Demise of Swiftsure

[Garry Russell]

WARNING

This link contains images of a mutilated Vanguard and should not be viewed by those of a nervous disposition

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthre ... 44&page=43

Interesting that the Dove G-ANAP seems to have acquired a BA livery whilst at the college

[DarrenL]

I also started at the beginning, got to about page 7 and stopped.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but when you start seeing fields of Spitfires and Mustangs being broken up it's painful.

[Garry Russell]

It's a long thread and as you say very painful to see so many sometimes familiar aircraft

G-APES is the only Vanguards I've ever set foot in. In the days when pilots could and did take kids around their aircraft I went aboard when it was RS and again after conversion to Merchantman but not in the cockpit that time as they were testing GPS for the military and the cockpit was strictly out of bounds

[DaveB]

Put blame firmly at the feet of Rolls Royce. Had HCA been assured of Tyne spares, both Swifty and Superb may still be flying or at least only recently retired. Same goes for the HL Belfast

ATB

DaveB

[Felixx62]

Very distressing images......Ah the Dove, Varsity and Trident were parked up for many years at my local airport Lulsgate..

[Garry Russell]

Hi Felix

When did the Dove get that BA basic??

It was in BoT (CAFFU) livery when I saw it there in about 1986/7

[Felixx62]

Hi Garry. sorry i dont know,never seen the Dove in the new livery. The last time i clapped eyes on it many years ago it was still wearing the CAA livery and parked next to the varsity and the trident at the airport.

regards Frank..

[Garry Russell]

Ah Frank.sorry

Maybe it was just an aprentice play thing at the end....amazing what turns up

The Trident ended up painted an an odball livery too so perhaps that was part and parcel of whatever the reason

[austerdriver]

Put blame firmly at the feet of Rolls Royce. Had HCA been assured of Tyne spares, both Swifty and Superb may still be flying or at least only recently retired. Same goes for the HL Belfast

ATB

DaveB

Don't know whats going on with the Heavylift Belfast.

Read somewhere that it cannot start its engines and also read that it will be scrapped.

[Garry Russell]

HeavyLift sold it some time ago

The new owners were hopeful of keeping it flying which is why the Belfast and Southend was scrapped for parts as the Tynes are only common to the Vanguard and not any other Tyne aircraft.

The CL-44-O at Bournemouth was partially stripped for spares but they are no use to the Belfast

The Canadair was to be scrapped but since then, an engine has been re fitted.........it was all a part of a package sold by Heavylift but there has been some disputes since that took place.

Whatever the outcome, the one remaining airworthy Belfast is not likely to live on for much longer due to spares shortages and other large freighters including the continuation in production of a second, suspended AN-225 which seems to have ground to a halt again pending an improved market.

There was even rumour of the Belfast returning to the UK, but that is unlikely.