jonbru1 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 (edited) Here are the first four aircraft built as a project to represent aircraft associated (by me) with Filton airfield from the 1960s until the airfield's untimely closure in 2012. There will be more to follow, with an F111 and Concorde in the pipeline. All aircraft will be built in 1/144 scale, which is a little limiting but does mean the collection will not take over the entire house. More pics and details of the individual builds to follow. Some aircraft associated with Filton airfield in the 60s and 70s by jonbru0903, on Flickr From left to right in the picture above we have: G-AXLR, the VC10 test bed for the RB211 engine, initially designed for the Lockheed Tristar; D-BABC, the third prototype VFW-614 based a Filton for a few weeks as part of the development programme for the Rolls-Royce/SNECMA M45H engine; XA903, probably the third best known Vulcan, used for testing the Blue Steel missile among other things prior to arriving at Filton to be modified to carry the Rolls-Royce/SNECMA Olympus 593 engine for Concorde. Later it also tested the Turbo-Union RB199 for the MRCA/Tornado; Finally, on the right, G-AMPO a DC-3 used in the communications and transport role, primarily in relation to the Concorde flight test programme based at Fairford. Some aircraft associated with Filton airfield in the 60s and 70s by jonbru0903, on Flickr Edited November 3, 2014 by jonbru1 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 That's a fine line up! Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Brown Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Fantastic and subtly different! Britannia and Brabazon to follow? Rick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 PRISTINE....BEAUTIFUL.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snitok1983 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Very Nice and neat ! Looks Great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Beautiful line up of very interesting and historic aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Very nice line-up and all very well built and painted. Nice to see a VFW-614, used to work on their M45's. Great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristol boy Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 A bit after my period of interest but still great to see someone flying the flag for Filton especially as it all soon disappear. Looking forward to the Aerospace Museum opening in a few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 I love stuff like this, thank you for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 Very cool collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batcode Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 great line up, was a shame they closed it, remember seeing the airbuses all lined up, and flew from there several times when I was in the atc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetherudders Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Very nice, I used to live up the road and also remember Concorde flying when I was in school, also did a fair bit of flying from the field. You could add Chipmunks from the AEF along with Bulldogs from the UAS. There was also a Blackhawk and Harrier GR5 there in the late 80's flying from the Rolls Royce hanger which is now the Royal Mail depot. I'll be watching with interest! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Where are you going to get the 221, 188, Hunter, Gnat and Gannet in 1/144? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamS Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Yep - really love the test aircraft. Nice ones Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Belbin Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Beautiful! Are you keeping all models to the same scale or move 'up' to 1/72 for some? Forget that question - just re-read the original post - doh! Just as aside, Heinz Frick, the Harrier test pilot, used to live next door to us in Lower Almondsbury - wish I'd talked to him more - and he would regularly fly over . . . And, of course, we had the pair of Spitfires . . . And I seem to recall a pair of Harriers and the Spitfires flying around in formation one day but can't remember why. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbru1 Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Very nice, I used to live up the road and also remember Concorde flying when I was in school, also did a fair bit of flying from the field. You could add Chipmunks from the AEF along with Bulldogs from the UAS. There was also a Blackhawk and Harrier GR5 there in the late 80's flying from the Rolls Royce hanger which is now the Royal Mail depot. I'll be watching with interest! great line up, was a shame they closed it, remember seeing the airbuses all lined up, and flew from there several times when I was in the atc Hi both. I used to fly in the 3AEF Chipmunks when in the CCF at Bristol Grammar School. Good times (the flying, not being at BGS!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbru1 Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Where are you going to get the 221, 188, Hunter, Gnat and Gannet in 1/144? John Hi John. Anigrand produce a resin 188 in a package with a Valiant and FD-2 in 1/144. I intend to build this set as I remember Valiants attending the air displays in the early 60s and a passable 221 can be worked from the FD-2. Revell produced a 1/144 Hunter. Welsh Models produce a Gannet (as well as Argosy and Beverly) though the gnat is more problematic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbru1 Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Beautiful! Are you keeping all models to the same scale or move 'up' to 1/72 for some? Forget that question - just re-read the original post - doh! Just as aside, Heinz Frick, the Harrier test pilot, used to live next door to us in Lower Almondsbury - wish I'd talked to him more - and he would regularly fly over . . . And, of course, we had the pair of Spitfires . . . And I seem to recall a pair of Harriers and the Spitfires flying around in formation one day but can't remember why. Nick Hi Nick. Intend to stick to 1/144 for the forseeable future as there are plenty to build before the supply is exhausted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greased Lightning Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 What a fabulous idea! It's a disgrace they are now building yet more houses over such an historic airfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonl Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Hi both. I used to fly in the 3AEF Chipmunks when in the CCF at Bristol Grammar School. Good times (the flying, not being at BGS!). Does anyone have any pictures of 3AEF Chippies. I used to fly in them with th ATC and would like to build WP962 but cant find any decent references. Anyway back to the subject. The collection looks great very inspiring.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robvulcan Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 WOW !!! , just amazing what a sight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzn20 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Great collection there. Sorry about this but please can you show some more of the VC-10 'XLR? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbru1 Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 Great collection there. Sorry about this but please can you show some more of the VC-10 'XLR? Thanks! Will do in the not too distant future. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzn20 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Cheers Jonbru. I used to visit and work in the Brabazon Hangar on the A300 freight conversions and A310 C/D Checks and also on the VC-10 K4 conversions. When did the Airbus servicing/conversion work finish? I assume the Hangar has a preservation order on it,I hope it does anyway.Thats some hangar and one of the important buildings of the UK's aviation and industrial heritage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbru1 Posted November 5, 2014 Author Share Posted November 5, 2014 As far as I understand, Airbus work finished in 2002 with work on BAe146 finishing in 2004. In 2003 Air Livery set up in the East Bay, repainting around 260 aircraft before moving to Manchester Airport in June 2009. At the same time MK Airlines set up a maintenance base in the Centre and West Bays servicing its own and other aircraft prior to going into terminal administration in 2010, probably sounding the death-knell for the airfield. Regarding listed building status, this from the Bristol Post (Feb 2nd 2012) The Evening Post revealed two weeks ago that English Heritage has turned down a request to list the hangar as architecturally important and therefore protected from being pulled down. The Government body decided that although the hangar was steeped in history, it was "otherwise fairly unremarkable". Jon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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