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THE AVRO SHACKLETON

I thought I might extend coverage to other restored examples of the breed. One that stands out as a benchmark of condition is WR977. She has spent her entire life in the open and visitors can not only see how pristine she presents but can also go inside!

WR977

WR977 at Newark Air Museum 27th November 2011- compare with XF708 below and guess which one has been Outside for ALL of her life!!

Night shot 1st November 2008 - photos courtesy Howard Heeley

Thanks to the generous support of a local building contractor and the recent spell of good weather some high level painting work has been possible on several of Newark Air Museum’s larger airframes.

Utilising the loaned hydraulic platform (‘cherry-picker’) two of the museum’s ‘qualified’ operatives have been able to undertake some repainting work on the Shackleton and Vulcan aircraft.

Whilst the unit is on site some of the more difficult sections of the Hastings may also be tackled. Thanks go to David Randall of Turnstyle Construction Ltd for the loan of the hydraulic platform.

WR977 interior - New Year's Eve 2006

WR963

Just got my teeth back in!! Photo courtesy of Richard Woods 26th January 2012

Back in the sunshine and three quarters on song - courtesy of Richard Woods.

VP293

AS SHE SHOULD LOOK

Nose compartment of WB836 at Changi 1961 - by David Taylor

The Stripping of VP293's Nose

Norman Thelwell's restored Nose of Mark One VP293 was ransacked sometime before August in 2010 while at Duxford.

He sent this request around the time of the discovery:

I would ask all the people who use your website to keep a sharp lookout for any early Shack Mk.1 bits. As I mentioned previously, before I left for the UK in July I saw a Mk.1 Control wheel for sale on eBay from Canada. It looked exactly like one of mine complete with brake levers etc, but I thought at the time, mine were still in the nose section! Unfortunately, I didn't keep the eBay auction number for reference and thus have been unable to trace it so far. I will keep trying to at least establish were this eBay control wheel came from!

7 April 2011

Just returned from the UK. Renovation on VP293 going well at Coventry, but recovering the stolen cockpit items has not happened yet! Investigations are still ongoing with Duxford etc and I will keep you informed on progress.

Quick update. An aquaintance mentioned that he visited Pima recently and '790 is looking very rough with no progress on renovation etc. This surprises me somewhat, as I always thought the Pima Museum would get the Shackleton into a reasonable display condition. Unless something happens fairly soon the old girl will rot away in the hot climate.

Re 'XF08 at Duxford, I did see this Mk.3 when I visited the museum in Feb. She is inside the main renovation hanger which is part of the very large display building next to the main entrance. Wing tanks and tips have been removed (stored?). The paint work has received some attention, but no new paint has been applied. I'm presuming the interior is still badly corroded, especially the fuselage floor. I went inside this Shack when she was still outside and the floor was badly rotted from a leaking roof. Many years ago, I was taken around this Mk.3 by a Duxford contact and the interior was complete with ALL equipment still in place and no rot whatsoever. What a pity this Shack was not preserved at that time - a total lack of foresight by the Duxford Authorities. I hope to be over in the UK this coming July, and I'll get you some photos.

Trust all is well

Norman Thelwell

WL790