Shackleton WR963

[Jigsaw]

I read this on FB earlier and I reiterate, this is SUPERB news. I really do wish you all the very best

[Dan4th]

That's amazing news, Rich

Step one of an long and exciting journey!

It won't be easy, I'm sure, but nothing
really worth doing ever is.....

Danf.

EDIT: Somehow I have a picture in my head
of 963 in formation with the BBMF

D.

[Xplumberlives]

An EARLY Christmas present, thanks Rich!

[Hazzer111]

Great news rich!!!!

That's amazing news, Rich

Step one of an long and exciting journey!

It won't be easy, I'm sure, but nothing
really worth doing ever is.....

Danf.

EDIT: Somehow I have a picture in my head
of 963 in formation with the BBMF

D.

I have a similar image but with,Nx611 Just Jane their as well as next year shes meant to be flying

[Kermit]

Announcing such great news right before the engine run made us all even happier to be in Coventry to hear the Growler today, what a thrill to think of her reaching for the skies again soon ! All present were both stunned and impressed.... It ll be a struggle, financially mostly, but I am quite sure that we ll all help as much as we can

A great afternoon in the usual cold Coventry wind, we all went home dreaming of 963 up there where she belongs. As for who with, fingers firmly crossed but I d like to see her with the other Avro that successfully reached for the skies a few years ago. The Vulcan. What a spectacle that would be....Add the Lancaster(s?) for good measure......
And as you know Rich, I am not the only one to think it possible !

Thanks for a brilliant afternoon, it was the best news ever

[MOD]

FANTASTIC news


ibw

[Richw_82]

Thanks for the messages of support/encouragement so far chaps, it is appreciated.

There's a ton of preliminary work to do which is why of late we've been working through the spares and sorting out where the archive is going to go. We've got to go through the aircraft and audit her to find out how much life components have left and whether we can replace or rebuild them. You won't see any visual change in the aircraft for a while as we can do this work and can keep her in one piece - and WR963 will be very useful to persuade people/companies to donate if they can get up close and personal while she's running.

You should see '963 appearing on the civil register soon, and the big efforts start in the new year with a new website on its way. We're going to be pestering people at shows (sorry!), as there is going to be quite a bit of fund raising required for a respar... which will be the first one done on an Lancaster derived wing since 1994 and the first one on a Shackleton since around 1981. If we could get it approved - and there is a slim chance - flying using the current wing would be less effort initially but it would increase maintenance and cut the flying life drastically. A new spar should see '963's wing good for another 40 years... which is what we would like to see.

The feasibility study indicates the minimum time to see the work completed to return our Shackleton to flight is 5 years. We're all looking forward to seeing how accurate a number that is.

Kind regards,

Rich Woods
SPT

[Mayfly]

These things take a surprisingly long time Rich - I hope you achieve all you aim for. Fingers crossed for you.

[Dan4th]

So, it will take a long time and be
very trying and difficult.....

It will all be worth it when 963 parts
company with the ground

What a Day that will be!!!!!!!!

Danf.

[Sploosher]

Thanks for the update Rich, thats great news indeed..................

I can just imagine 963 flying in formation with her 2 sisters from EK and the BBMF.........

[ThePropKing]

Hello all,

I haven't posted for some time but i have to say this is wonderful news for the old girl.

All the best to everyone involved.

[Richw_82]

Hi all,

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

Not much work happened on WR963 this weekend what with the cold weather conditions. Despite attempts to hide out of the weather early on there wasn't much warmth to be found and there were a few muttered comments about the sanity levels in our team. I'm glad to report though that all thoughts of rebellion were quashed, and it was a productive day..

We have been getting all the covers we have out to try and protect WR963 somewhat from the coming harsh weather and much fun was had trying to fit engine covers, cockpit covers and the like. Its much easier in good weather when covers and fingers aren't cold and stiff. Cockpit cover in particular is a necessity now due to all the new glass that has been fitted.

We've also closed the bomb doors to try and keep things as sealed up as we can - a task which involved an unsuspecting victim (why is it always me?!) manning the hand pump for the hydraulics in the starboard undercarriage bay.

Inside, there has been some minor work on replacing some of the damaged upholstery. We have to be careful as we don't want to remove the well used look WR963 has, but attention to specific areas works wonders and can be noticed. Things like damaged rudder pedal grips, the protective pads under the instrument panel and various capping strips here and there.

On the return to flight side - there's still contact going back and forth with the CAA as we try to supply them with the information they require. The level of detail required on even minor items at this initial stage is impressive; but we're rising to the challenge. There's some major digging going on through archive material.


Other news

The next ground run is going to be in early February (weather permitting).
Volunteers wanted, to work on Nimrod..


Regards,

Rich

[Richw_82]

Work on WR963 tomorrow has been cancelled...



(Photo courtesy of Mark Chitty)

[Xplumberlives]

All nicely wrapped up!

[Dan4th]

Given the name "Shackleton", I
consider the snow and ice cover
to be very a propos

And she STILL looks Wonderful!

Danf.

[Richw_82]

Hi all,

The next ground run for WR963 is planned for the 9th February. There was to have been one this month, but the bad weather took a couple of weekends away from us. This weekend will see us checking through for moisture and doing a few minor maintenance items ready for the following weekend.

Things haven't been completely at a standstill, with research going on for sorting out the PTR1751 radio fit as at the moment we can receive but not transmit. Our electrician has been talking to some kind people at Hendon, and seems we might be getting to the root of things.

We've got some appearances at shows booked with Norman Thelwell's Shackleton nose section, including East Kirkby, Cosford, Wellesbourne, Waddington, Dawlish, Yeovilton, and the IPMS Nationals at Telford to name a few. Plenty to keep us busy there and get people aware of what we're doing!

Don't forget - despite Airbase being closed you can still visit us and look around the Shackleton


Regards,

Rich

[Mackrick]

Thanks for the update Rich.

Don't forget your camera on your next visit as would love to a see a few more photos.

[Richw_82]

2 Feb


WR963 has got through the cold snap quite well. No water ingress in the fuselage, no sign of it in the fuel tanks, and all the covers we managed to fit are present and correct. It was hoped we'd get plenty done on the aircraft today but efforts were stifled by the number of visitors we had. Despite Airbase being closed, with careful management we can still allow people access to WR963 up close and personal.

Most of todays work centred around work on our ground equipment, with the old Tugmaster getting prodded and poked until it awoke in a cloud of grey smoke. There seems to be an engine problem with this, so those of a military vehicle bent will get an update when things get a bit more radical.

At least the sunshine kept spirits high...







There are other things needing doing around the place though. Part of that is looking in the archive for some drawings.



You can't see the other two walls, but they're floor to ceiling too with Shackleton drawings and AP's. This is not counting the contents of the 16 large boxes of drawings stored in the hangar. There's all kinds of things in there such as this:



There's lots more such as MOTU course notes and the like. We're sending a lot of this to Avro Heritage, so EVERYBODY can make use of it not just us.

However, we weren't just messing around in the archive. We have a mission... to find all the necessary drawings for lifed items. Including these rather large booms.





Wonder what they're for..?

Also nice to receive was an email regarding the civil registration, which indicates that should be processed shortly.

More next week and an engine run.

Regards,

Rich

[Mackrick]

Rich you star

You need to get scanning and get some of the APs digitised....

Keep up the good work....

[Richw_82]

We've been scanning some of the AP's to make usage easier (the Griffon 58 was the first one done..). If we can get permission then in the near future we might be able to sell them digitally. Some of the drawings are way too big for us to deal with, but we have contacted those with the skills and kit to sort it out.

Regards,

Rich

[Mackrick]

That's good news .. Digital is easier sometimes but you can't beat pouring over proper tech pubs.
Hope you have them all listed and catalogued.

[Jigsaw]

This is brilliant. Another great update. Cheers mate

[Sploosher]

She certainly is looking in good shape,I have said it before and will say it again, you guys are doing a wonderful job............

onwards and, hopefully not to long, Upwards

[Richw_82]

Hope you have them all listed and catalogued.

All the drawings in the archive are listed, numbered and described on a printed manifest. The boxes in the hangar haven't been open in years, but will be catalogued before they go up to Woodford.

[MOD]

What are the cumulative flying hours of 963 Rich?

As you said previously, regarding the possibility of returning 963 to flight, that the critical hurdle would be :

"the rear spar booms in the intermediate wing section; which have a life of around 4,300 hours."

When will you get to know whether they need replacing - have they been inspected yet?

How's the new website coming along?

And finally - will you be there on (this) Saturday?

Ian