Sunday 1 December 2013

December Newsletter No 2

clip_image002 Welcome to the Second of our newsletters.

In this copy and over the next few issues I would like to introduce you to the team behind the build of the Whirlwind and, as our research and development team stretch from North America through Norway and all the way to New Zealand, we find that the best way to get together is online, this we do on a monthly basis. There are a lot of avenues that the team are exploring and I had hoped to tell you this month that building had commenced, but due to ongoing problems it will not start till early next year.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Arthur Lee-White for his very generous donation to the project. Arthur lives in New Brunswick, Canada and was a member of 263 Squadron.

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Copyright Central Press/Getty images

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Thanks to Radovan Tuma for sending in this photograph of a group of pilots from 263 Squadron during March 1943. Can anyone put names to these men as it would be good to acknowledge what they achieved flying the Whirlwind. We believe that the dog’s name is Lynn.

clip_image008The Picture on the above shows the scan we did of the Radiator which is on display at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum at Hawkinge this will be added to the CAD drawings that we are being done by Gunnar in Norway. I think we were a little surprised at the fact that it was round as the leading edge intakes suggest that it should be oblong.

clip_image010The picture above shows the Radiator as it was recovered from the crash of P6966 in Scotland. Also courtesy of the Kent Battle of Britain Museum Hawkinge

Wants

Spinners:

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Images ‘Flight” Copyright

Nothing on the Whirlwind was standard or simple. Even the spinners, often dismissed as just a pointy cone of metal to make the propeller look nice, were complex items. Whirlwind spinners employed the VDM locking design allowing simple access to the de Havilland pitch-change gubbins inside – and it seems that these were initially made by the VDM licence holders, Constant Speed Airscrews Ltd of Warwick. The spinners nevertheless had a de Havilland drawing number – P30200A/C

It seems the complex process was: Westland draw up a profile to fit (which it does – compare the smooth lines of the Whirlwind nacelle with other in-line designs, which have pronounced chins, shoulders etc). They tell the propeller manufacturer of choice (de Havilland) who then gives the necessary design a DH drawing number. However, De Havilland then use a VDM design, licenced to Constant Speed Airscrews, for the mechanism and structure, combined with their profile drawing, based on a Westland profile.. Whether they or Constant Speed Airscrews Ltd, or even VDM spinners Ltd (of the same address) do the actual manufacturing is uncertain.

One would think that this process involves so many parties that someone would have a design drawing or two. It seems not.

HOWEVER, owing to apparently close links between Government and Sankey’s engineering (in fact one of the Sankey family became the Regional Controller for the Ministry of Production in 1942) a contract to manufacture de Havilland and Rotol spinners was awarded to Sankey’s on September 30th 1941. A subsequent document would appear to refer of the transfer of ex-Constant Speed Airscrews manufacturing machinery to a new spinner works in 1942 - (sounds like a stitch-up, but I digress).

http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/GB149_DB-25_5_4_14/

As the Whirlwind was not cancelled until January 1942 there is a CHANCE that they received plans for the P30200 as a potential part of the new work that they were taking on, even if it is unlikely that they ever produced any.

Therefore, some spinner details MIGHT be at the Wolverhampton Archives & Local Studies Service http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/institution/GB149/

In this file: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=149-db25&cid=5#5

This is the kind of long-shot that we have to pursue – and which has resulted in what we know so far.

Any volunteers to go to Wolverhampton?

Does anyone have any information on G42B cameras?  Specifically drawings or examples of said camera.  The controller in the cockpit was interchangeable, fitting on to the same mounting plate - but we could do with knowing if the camera itself was also interchangeable.

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Do you, or any one you know, have stories to tell about the Whirlwind?

What sparked your interest in her? Please let me know by dropping a message at the WFP web site, or to me at chris-hayward@outlook .com

And talking about stories.

This covers the crash of a Whirlwind at Saltford Station.

http://www.saltfordenvironmentgroup.org.uk/stationarchive.html


 

It’s that time of year again and following two successful draws we are again running a members draw.

First prize: One aviation oil painting (oil on canvas)one wooden whirlwind model an A4 artist sketch of ww2 fighter pilot signed plus a T shirt ,a mug, a coaster and a reap the whirlwind poster signed by H Penrose.

Second prize: One aviation oil painting (oil on canvas) A4 artist sketch of WW2 Pilot signed plus a T shirt and a mug as well as a reap the whirlwind poster signed by H Penrose.

Third prize: One wooden Whirlwind model, one T-shirt, one mug and a coaster. Also a Whirlwind poster but unsigned

Fourth prize: T-shirt, mug and a coaster plus a whirlwind poster unsigned.

THE COST OF TICKETS  £2 STERLING EACH or SIX FOR £10 STERLING

TO GET YOUR TICKETS. DO NOT APPLY VIA THE WEB SITE WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF GETTING A BANK ACCOUNT SET UP WITH BARCLAYS FOR THE PROJECT. IN THE MEAN TIME IF YOU USE THE PAYPAL FACILITY ON THE WEB SITE PAYPAL WILL TAKE 10% OF EVERYTHING.

To get your tickets apply via mike@firefly53.freeserve.co.uk request your quantity of tickets and then pay in one of the following ways.

Paypal  account: aviationfire@hotmail.com mark as just sending money NOT for goods etc.

Bank internet payment:

Barclays bank account:             Aircraft Restoration group

Sort code:                                 20-37-13

Account number:                      03814785

any ref: xmas draw.

By cheque or postal order;  Payable to Whirlwind Fighter project

Unit 6, Little Pickhill workshops, Pickhill, Thirsk, North Yorkshire ,UK, YO 7 4 JU

Once we have payment confirmed you will be notified of your draw numbers. The draw will be made on Monday 23rd December 2013 at 20.00 hrs GMT and winners will be notified immediately and the results and money raised will be published on the site within 24 hours. Good luck and your support will help the project as nothing will be taken out from the draw funds as all prizes have been donated.

Don’t forget the Whirlwind Years book signing at the Aviation book shop in Tunbridge Wells Kent on the 14th of December at 10:30hrs. Several members of the team will be there including me, so looking forward to seeing you all.

And even more important don’t forget…It’s never too late to donate!

clip_image015As it’s coming up to that time of year again and this will be the last newsletter before Christmas I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our members a very happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year from all the team at the Whirlwind Fighter Project.

The Secretary, 57 Bramblefield Lane, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME102SX.

chris-hayward@outlook.com

Newsletter 1

October 2013.

Welcome to the first newsletter of what we hope will be a regular edition to keep you all up to date on progress.

We will include some stories, there will be a Wants Board whether it’s for help needed or parts wanted.

There will be details of what is available in the project shop for you to purchase.

There will be news on the appeal and how the fundraising is progressing.

My interest in the Whirlwind – Chris Hayward, Secretary

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Many years ago about 35 in fact I caught the Whirly bug, this meant that a certain amount of time was taken up at the Public Records Office in Kew and several visits to the Imperial War Museum in London. The idea was to write a book so Squadron record cards were peered at, dreadful writing deciphered and conclusions drawn. After a while the project was shelved as Children came along and time got sparse. All the information was put in a folder and then filed away and forgotten about until I got involved with this project.

I want to tell you a little about P6966

This aircraft was the second of the first production batch which first went to 25 Squadron at North Weald for their evaluation as a night fighter. They didn’t like it and thought it wasn’t suitable for that intended role.

She was then destined to become part of 263 Squadron. They had been working up at Drem since June 1940 and then moved to Grangemouth the same month.

On the sixth of July the first Whirlwind arrived and was flown in by Squadron leader Eeles. Later, on the nineteenth two more arrived and so started the transition to this new aircraft.

On August the seventh P6966 was being flown by Pilot Officer I.M. McDermott, who was Canadian, unfortunately the aircraft burst a tyre on take-off this damaged the engine nacelle and made it impossible for McDermott to land the plane safely, his only option was to bail out and let the aircraft crash, this it did into a large field at Lanton Farm in Stenhousemuir. McDermott was taken prisoner by the local Home Guard who thought that he was a German because of his accent but he was later released when his Squadron Leader vouched for him.

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Photographs courtesy of the Kent Battle of Britain Museum Hawkinge

The Armour plate from the nose and the cooler from P6966 were recovered from a dig during the seventies by a team led by Steve Vizard and Andy Saunders. Another article from the dig included a main wheel tyre with a large split in it. When a team from the project visited Steve recently it was discovered that the tyre was from a Hurricane! So the question now is did a fitter fit the wrong tyre and was that the cause of the burst tyre?.

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An image of the scanned data

The above photo is of one of the nacelle spars and has been scanned so that it will go into the CAD drawings when ready.

You can find Mugs , T shirts and Baseball caps for sale in the Project Shop along with these wooden models by the Wooden Model Company. The three models shown retail at £60 pounds each with proceeds going towards the build.

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Fundraising

This got off to a slow start but has been gathering pace, we now have unredeemed pledges to the value of £900, also £1600 in the bank from donations that have been kindly sent in by members.

You can of course help by pledging £100 to get your name or business on to the airframe when the project is completed or you can always pop a cheque into the post to me at the address on the bottom of the newsletter, every little helps so please help us.

Wants list

The other way to help is by researching or looking for items that can be fitted into the airframe, a list of items that we need or jobs you can do online are below.

Fuselage construction photos:

If any member is in or going to be in the Plymouth area, there is an album of photographs held by the Council's archive service that MIGHT include images of the assembly of rear fuselages and other Whirlwind components by the local subcontractor, W. Mumford (Coachbuilders). http://archive.commercialmotor.com/article/18th-january-1946/21/a-bodybuilders-war-effort

They are held in this file – http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/archivescatalogue?record%3D0%26cid%3Drt510445wllbe455yeqtaabj%26criteria%3D3713 - the archivist there said she wasn’t good at aircraft recognition and that someone had better go and look for themselves.

And finally a message from our Chairman.

Hi looking for any information on wrecked and crashed Westland Whirlwind 1 fighters. And the fates of individual aircraft in more detail than those listed in the usual books. Cross reference for those crashed in the sea off channel Islands and Dutch coast wanted.
Mike Eastman

See you again soon.

The Secretary, 57 Bramblefield Lane, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME102SX.

chris-hayward@outlook.com