Bolingbrokes in the USA

[David J Burke]

Hi -are there any of these lying around unloved in the USA ?

[WallyB]

There were 3 in the backlot at the BCATP museum in Brandon, Manitoba in 2007.
Pretty poor (sorry, make that challenging) condition and I don't know if they are still there.
I'd expect so though.

I know of no others although there are always rumors of "dozens" lying around prairie farms.

[John Dupre]

Didn't Tallichet have a couple of these in his storage yard in California back in the 1980s?

[gregv]

Not unloved for sure, but in the USA (and called a Blenheim...), and I believe it's one of the Tallichet airframes:

http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=42

and some info here:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17757&start=30

greg v.

[mrhenniger]

I would say the Pima example has received some love.

Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - Bolingbroke IVT, s/n 10073 RCAF
(follow the link to view the history)

[Dave Homewood]

Wow, it's nice to see one preserved in desert colours like that, the Blenheim played a big part in the war in the desert and Med area. Great stuff.

[triumph]

We have two complete aiframes in storage. Weeks Aircraft

[CAPFlyer]

Okay, none of the easily found references show it, but how does one distinguish a Bolingbroke from a Blenheim besides internals? It seems that the cowling between the two is identical, the props look the same, some Blenheims had the dorsal turret and the nose was incorporated to both versions.

[RMAllnutt]

Doesn't the Bristol Heritage Collection in Nashville, TN have one of the former Tallichet machines? I have wondered how this collection was going, as it's gone pretty quiet in the last few years.

Cheers,
Richard

[michaelharadon]

I remember seeing a couple in a fenced in area at Chino in the late '80's. They were disassembled, along with a disassembled B-25 and bits and pieces of a number of other aircraft. That yard could have been over by the hangar where someone was restoring one of the Marauders that bellied in in Canada. Didn't have any reason back then to remember more distinctly. But I do remember very well talking my way into the -26 and being totally amazed that I could stand upright in the bomb bay. I'm 6'8".

[JDK]

Okay, none of the easily found references show it, but how does one distinguish a Bolingbroke from a Blenheim besides internals? It seems that the cowling between the two is identical, the props look the same, some Blenheims had the dorsal turret and the nose was incorporated to both versions.

Not easy! But the distinguishing points can be seen in the pic above. The Bolly has a higher back to the nacelle (for a dinghy fitting) and the modified bulge is obvious in the latter photo. The small porthole on the stbd side just fwd of the turret is also on Bollies, not Blenheims.

The Bolingbroke is really a different name for the Canadian licence built Blenheim Mk.IV, rather like the P-51B and P-51C being about factories rather than a distinct type or development.
J
To confuse matters further, most surviving 'Blenheims' are modified or unmodified Bollies, confusing the distinguishing marks. Also 'Bolingbroke' was to be the name for what became the Blenheim Mk.IV.

"Confused? You will be, in the next episode of..."

Regards

[bdk]

There was at least one remaining fuselage in Tallichet's Chino storage lot after he died. I think I posted some photos back then.

[RobC]

The Pima airplane looks great from 20 feet. No reflection on Pima - the Chino climate was very unkind to Boly's. Something about onshore flow and the constant whiff of cow excrement didn't agree with the structure.

I know of one pretty complete Boly that has been stored indoors since the early 90's. It was the project Wes Agnew kept for himself. Probably the last non-museum owned airplane that is complete, since all of Jon Spink's projects went to Nanton when he passed. It has pretty much everthing except one prop and a few cockpit and engine accessories. It could fly with a thorough resto - the structure is free of corrosion and most skins are usable as is. The owners are a couple of curmudgeons who probably would let it go in exhange for a decent Stearman.

[Rob Mears]

I have photos somewhere of an example in outdoor storage in Hawkins, Texas. It was another of Tallichet's airframes at the downtown gas station resto shop run by Bob Schneider back during the early 1990's. There was also a PBY, three P-40's, a TBM, the remains of at least three Hawker Hurricanes, and a UH-1 Huey.

[RobC]

On a similar topic, does anyone know what happened to the Beauforts Tallichet used to have? He had about three airframes that sat at Chino for many years. These came out of Tadji and were covered in the 1974 Pacific Aircraft Wrecks book. They were there till probably ten years ago, when alot of Tallichet's aircraft were sold off. Kind of amazed they have never (publicly) surfaced anywhere.