Sywell Aviation Museum
A WIMPEY AT SYWELL – BEFORE ‘ER ‘OOP!
Vickers Wellington MKI L4352 was part of an initial order for 180 machines placed with Vickers at Weybridge in 1937. Whilst details of her service are scant, it is believed that she was sent to Egypt for service with 1 General Reconnaissance Unit in 1940. There some suggestion that she was converted into a ‘DWI’ variant.
‘Directional Wireless Installation’ was a cover story for variants fitted with a 48 ft diameter metal hoop, which were used for exploding German magnetic mines by generating a powerful magnetic field as it passed over them.
The first successful mine detonation occurred on 8 January 1940 followed by a second on 13 January. In the latter the aircraft flew below the safe 35 ft altitude and was caught in the explosive blast though remained flyable. The hoop was an aluminium coil in an aerodynamic balsa case; turrets were faired over and unnecessary equipment removed to reduce weight.
The first mine detonation unit No. 1 GRU at RAF Manston was joined by a second (No. 2 GRU) at RAF Bircham Newton. To protect the unarmed Wellingtons, Bristol Blenheims of No. 600 Squadron RAF flew escort during the Battle of France. One DWI was detached to the Middle East to act as the pattern for conversion of Wellingtons there. They were used for clearing the Suez Canal Zone and, later during the North Africa campaign, ports along the coast.
This undated photograph dates from the immediate pre-war period (note underwing serials) before her conversion to a DWI variant. She is seen at Sywell garnering much interest from Brooklands staff.
Photographer unknown.
Sywell Aviation Museum
The wonderful thing about Sywell is the fact that you never know who’s going to turn up!
Delightful 1937 DH87b Hornet Moth G-ADUR, 1957 Tipsy Belfair G-APIE, 1951 DHC Chipmunk G-BWMX and 1928 Travel Air 4000 N5427 are seen here basking in the sunshine 😎
Ooh hang on two more Hornet Moths and three more Tigers, a Dragonfly, DH60 and Leopard Moth have just arrived- we can’t keep up!
Don’t forget the Museum is now open on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons between 1200-1600 as well as weekends and bank holidays 1030-1630!
What will you catch a glimpse of when you visit? 🙂
Sywell Aviation Museum
BANNER TOWING AT SYWELL C.1936 & WHY OLD TIGERS NEVER DIE!
This lovely photograph shows an advertising banner being towed through the overhead at Sywell Aerodrome during the mid 1930s.
It reads: ‘NURD FILMS FOR SNAPPY SNAPS’ (presumably a local photography studio) note the drogues at the rear of the banner to keep it taught. Can anyone identify the tow aircraft?
In the foreground we can see de Havlilland DH.82a Tiger Moth G-ACEZ in smart Brooklands Aviation (Sywell) colours.
Built in 1933 she went to National Aviation Day Ltd, Ford, to be operated by Sir Alan John Cobham as part of his ‘Flying Circus’. She was flown inverted (presumably after modification!) across the English Channel on the 25th July 1934 by Geoffrey Tyson to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Louis Bleriot’s flight in 1909.
On 12th October 1935 she was registered to Brooklands Aviation Ltd and operated by 6 Elementary & Reserve Flying Training School, RAF Sywell, Northamptonshire (renamed 6 Elementary Flying Training School on the outbreak of war on 3rd September 1939).
Impressed into RAF service as BB790 in September 1940 she crashed at Sywell on 5th July the following year and was sent to de Havillands for repairs.
She then went to 26 EFTS, RAF Theale, Berkshire then in August to 12 MU RAF Kirkbride, Cumberland. July 1945 saw her allocated to To RAF Scampton Station Flight Lincolnshire and remained there with various units until sold as parts to to Wiltshire School of Flying Ltd.
Her pre war registration was restored on 4th March 1955 and she flew again with WSF. She had an eventful life with them – overturning whilst taxying in 1957, damaged in a forced landing in 1961 after a bird strike, then was eventually written off in August that year when she crashed again, injuring her student pilot.
Just to prove that old Tigers never die – her rear fuselage was fitted to Thruxton Jackaroo G-AOIR on rebuild in 1961. ‘OIR is one of three Jackaroo’s still airworthy – she is owned by Aero Legends of Headcorn.
Photo by Eric Roberts.
Sywell Aviation Museum
To help celebrate Volunteers’ Week 2025- an example of team work making the dream work at Sywell Aviation Museum!
As you know we are currently fitting out our DH Rapide cockpit (G-AJHO) ‘Rachel’ with authentic equipment.
The Rapide throttle quadrant tracked down by one of our volunteers and kindly donated by Caernarfon Airworld Museum was missing a knob… Trustee Damien Burke designed and 3D printed a replacement, Honorary Member Nick Arnold machined the missing metal fittings and it was fitted by Trustee Roger Batten- one job -3 people- all volunteers!
Finally the JetsTeam of Trustees Cliff Wilkin, Andy Shemans and Rob Colbert have finished painting both sides of the fin on Jetstream G-RAVL ‘Jenny’ meaning the whole upper fuselage is now primed and ready for top coat!
🫡 our volunteers are ace- we wouldn’t be here without them! 🙂
Sywell Aviation Museum
AN UNUSUAL CALIFORNIAN CHOPPER AT SYWELL
The McCulloch J-2 was designed by Drago Jovanovich and first flew in June 1962. The McCulloch Aircraft Corporation of California acquired the design in 1969 and put it into production, building 83 aircraft over the next three years. They sold for some $15,900 apiece.
The two-seat design was powered by a Lycoming O-360. It featured a belt clutch and a transmission which could be engaged to spin the rotor blades to high speed before take-off to produce short takeoff runs. A lever on the rear cockpit wall would select the drive position for the transmission.. The rotor could be spun to over 500 rpm before takeoff, well above the normal flight range (typically 425 rpm). Release of the spin-up lever would disengage both the clutch and the transmission, while placing the blades into flight pitch. After a very brief takeoff run (typically 25 to 200 feet, depending upon load and winds) adequate flight airspeed would be attained, while the rotor speed decayed to the normal flight range. The rotor was not engine-driven in flight. The aircraft apparently enjoyed nimble handling with light control forces, but suffered from a shallow climb gradient. Maximum speed was noted at around 106mph with a range of 200 miles.
Early versions were equipped with a two-bladed wooden Sensenich propeller. A later ‘Super J-2’ variant employed a three-bladed Hartzell controllable-pitch propeller, accompanied by an increase in allowable gross weight.
In 1974, the rights were bought by Aero Resources, who planned to return the Super J-2 to production, but could not find a market for the aircraft and no more were built.
Most examples of the J-2 were sold to pilot owners in the United States but this sole example was imported to the UK G-AZWZ by CSE Aviation of Oxford as a demonstrator on 19th June 1973.
‘ZWZ is seen here at Sywell on the 8th July 1973.
Later sold to Spooner Aviation (Shoreham) that September then to John Turner in January 1975. Sadly she did not survive for long, ditching off Worthing Pier on 21st September 1975. According to the Birmingham Daily Post the next day, he was retrieved by a lifeboat "just a bit cold, wet and miserable."
Beyond repair she was withdrawn from use on 28th October that year.
Photo courtesy Gordon Riley ©
Sywell Aviation Museum
Sywell Aviation Museum is with Lilham Aviation.
It’s always lovely when the Museum receives an invitation from its neighbours for a cuppa!
Huge thanks to all at Lilham Aviation for their superb evening event to view the magnificent Normandy Spitfire MK912 (G-BRRA) up close as well as their beautiful Buckers! Thanks to Matthew, James and team for their hospitality!🙂🫡
Don’t forget to drop a like on their Facebook page below 🙂
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Sywell Aviation Museum
Rachel the Rapide update!
As regular followers will know our latest cockpit section is a de Havilland Rapide replica formerly on display at Speke Airport and kindly donated by Mike Davey. It has now been restored into Brooklands Aviation (Sywell) colours as G-AJHO.
Before Easter our friends at Caernarfon Airworld kindly donated some original Rapide cockpit parts which we are also restoring and adding to the cockpit to make it more accurate. Following some slight engineering work by our friend Nick from Overstone Engineering the trim wheel is now complete and has been fitted by Rapide project lead & Trustee Roger Batten. The throttle quadrant was missing a knob which Trustee Damien Burke has designed and 3D printed prior to fitting alongside.
Once that’s done we will look at refurbishing the original instrument panel and control yoke, column and pedals. Truly a team effort!
Sywell Aviation Museum
NEW ANSONS FOR SYWELL
These photographs were taken by E.J.Riding at the Avro airfield at Woodford near Manchester on the 17th January 1939 and show a flightline of brand new Ansons awaiting delivery.
The closest, N4934 was delivered to 6 Elementary Reserve Flying Training School at Sywell shortly afterwards. 6 ERFTS operated Tiger Moths, Hawker Hart and Hind Trainers, Hawker Audax and Ansons at that time. It became 6 Elementary Flying Training School on the outbreak of war on 3rd September that year. The unit standardised on Ansons and Tiger Moths.
There were two other Anson operators at Sywell in 1939, No 8 Civil Air Navigation School and No.8 Air Observer and Navigation School. Both merged and left Sywell in November 1939.
N4934 subsequently saw service with other training units and whilst on strength with No.5 Pilots Advance Flying Unit at RAF Tern Hill, Salop, she was written off when she collided with Miles Master EM281 on take off at Martins Farm, Longford on 7th November 1943.
Taken from – ‘A Flying Life: An Enthusiast's Photographic Record of British Aviation in the 1930s’ which includes a super collection of photographs taken by author Richard Riding’s father E.J.Riding and published in 2013 and is highly recommended.