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Shackleton WR963 moves under own power for first time since 2008

  • 27-09-2014 10:56pm
    #1
    Irish Steve
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 6,522 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    The only Shackleton in the UK that has a realistic possibility of flying again has moved under its own power for the first time since 2008.

    Based at Coventry, UK, WR963 moved around under its own power today as part of the plan to get the aircraft back into the air on the civilian register.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e5TVCUo3EM&feature=youtu.be

    Shackletons were a significant part of the operation at RAF Ballykelly for many years.

    Hopefully, today's success will be a step along the way to seeing this aircraft in the air again, it's a descendant of the Lancaster, and there are very few of either type airworthy now.

    Congratulations to all involved in this step towards flying WR963 again.

    Shore, if it was easy, everybody would be doin it.😁



Comments

  • #2
    arubex
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,197 ✭✭✭arubex


    Excellent news! I can't even imagine the complexity of those propellor gearboxes,

    Thre is a Mk.3 at the Newark museum which they occasionally open for inspection; the smell inside is quite amazing, a mixture of leather, oil, grease from the galley and Old Aeroplane.


  • #3
    PukkaStukka
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,203 ✭✭✭PukkaStukka


    Thanks for sharing this. Excellent video too. I never knew the shacks had twin contra-rotators... :) You learn something every day!


  • #4
    Irish Steve
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 6,522 Mod ✭✭✭✭Irish Steve


    arubex wrote: »
    Excellent news! I can't even imagine the complexity of those propellor gearboxes,

    Thre is a Mk.3 at the Newark museum which they occasionally open for inspection; the smell inside is quite amazing, a mixture of leather, oil, grease from the galley and Old Aeroplane.

    And if you could bottle that smell for sale, it would be worth a fortune:D

    963 is open to visitors most Saturdays, if you let them know you are coming, that makes life easier, I'm planning a trip over at some stage before too long, as a friend (former engineer on Shackletons) and I are about to start work on building a flyable scale model (10Ft wingspan) and there are some details that will be simplest to find out by crawling around the full size beast with a camera, tape measure and notepad.

    Yes, the Griffon engine (a development of the Merlin) was a powerful engine, and 4 of them on song was a sound never to be forgotten, I hope the trust get it back in the air again, and can possibly fly it alongside the Lancaster, a few weeks back, it was seriously emotional seeing the BBMF and Canadian Lancasters in the air at Portrush, and some of the modern generation could learn a few things from being reminded of just how high the real cost of the freedom they enjoy was for so many people.

    Shore, if it was easy, everybody would be doin it.😁



  • #5
    Aerohead
    Closed Accounts Posts: 688 ✭✭✭Aerohead


    Giving away my age now but I remember seeing a Shackleton very low as it passed the sea front at Salthill Galway, it was returning to the UK after searching for the KLM aircraft that crashed 80 miles west of Galway, the sound was unreal, sadly no one survived


  • #6
    EchoIndia
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,160 ✭✭✭EchoIndia


    Aerohead wrote: »
    Giving away my age now but I remember seeing a Shackleton very low as it passed the sea front at Salthill Galway, it was returning to the UK after searching for the KLM aircraft that crashed 80 miles west of Galway, the sound was unreal, sadly no one survived

    This 1958 accident, I think:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KLM_Flight_607-E


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