More British stuff-CAF Swordfish?

Enemy Ace · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:04 am

What's happening with the Stringbag that we saw a picture of on the Me108 thread?
Gary posted that it was a static display? Any plans to assign this swordfish and get it going? Could it be assigned if a wing showed interest?
Is it all there? questions abound....

JDK · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:18 am

I have a list here, on a piece of paper, of CAF wings that are keen to take on a British biplane bomber with a funny British engine...

...no, wait, it seems to be empty.

Oh. That is that list.

Bristol Pegusus engines are a bit of a challenge, parts not widely available. Even less so in the US. The Shearwater NS Stringbag borrowed a carb from the UK's flyer for it's couple of flights. Vintage Wings have the ex- Spence example which will fly again, in N America. AFAIK, there's very few and mostly peripheral US connections with the type.

But then the structure's big, but straightforward, even for a British design. IIRC, it's not all there - again, it could be completed, but the 'value' both emotional and cash probably isn't there in the US.

I'd like to be wrong...

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:48 am

that stringbag is a 1st class restoration. by the way...... for any lurking mods i'm sick or logging on every time, please fix the snafu :badpc:

JDK · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:51 am

tom d. friedman wrote:

that stringbag is a 1st class restoration.

It's nice - but to static. Who knows what evil lurks within the heart of the Peggy? The Shadow knows...

Quote:

by the way...... for any lurking mods i'm sick or logging on every time, please fix the snafu :badpc:

Sorry, Tom, I (and I presume we) don't have any control over that. FWIW, I'm not having any problems at the moment, although it does happen. Might be worth checking your cookie prefs?

Regards,

cozmo · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:05 am

Well, its a nice looking airplane anyway, and big.

Never knew what stringbag meant until I saw the one in Midland.

retroaviation · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:12 am

The Swordfish in Midland will never fly again. It is now part of the "museum" and they despise anything that flies. Additionally, it's my guess that someday, it'll be disassembled and placed in storage somewhere so that nobody can ever see it again.....but that's just my guess, based on how they prefer to do things with other items in their collection. :roll:

I've probably said too much and will likely get accused of something else I haven't done now. Or perhaps the guys in the grey jumpsuits and mirrored sunglasses will now "pay me a visit." :roll:

Can anyone tell I'm kinda bitter right now?

Gary

cozmo · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:36 am

retroaviation wrote:

Can anyone tell I'm kinda bitter right now?

Gary

Yes, and I'm sorry to hear that. I kick myself for not going over to meet, and thank you for the work you did on the planes I grew up admiring. But you were really busy the day I was there.

JDK · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:43 am

Gary - How complete is the aircraft internally? Can you say?

marine air · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:12 am

We had a guy in Nashville attempt to start a British aircraft museum with the hulks of a Lysander, Beaufort, and Swordfish.
The Swordfish is huge for a biplane, think Antonov AN-2. With the fabric removed, it is a hopelessly complicated myriad of tubes, cables, wires , etc. The spars were completely rusted out and would have to be fabricated from scratch. They are not aluminum, either.
Of course the aircraft in Nashville had received the "Tallichet treatment".
Every project I have ever seen for sale by Tallichet has had every component and subcomponent disassembeld down to the smallest screw or nut and is missing from the aircraft and it's locale.
The story is always the same, " We have all the parts" they are in shipping barrels(2,000 miles away) as removed by the natives in Bungy Bungy and carried on their black sweaty shoulders out of the jungles near Snatchy Snatchy." "They were paid a dime a day, and as that's a fortune to a savage, they were overly zealous with their screwdrivers of which they had to be intstructed how to use."

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:33 am

James,

I spent just a little time examining the Swordfish when they were assembling it. It appears to me to be a great restoration. As far as I could tell all the bits and pieces are there and in the proper places. I, like most who have seen one for the first time, was amazed at the size of that airplane. The propeller was on a bench outside the sheetmetal room and I walked past it a couple of times before realizing that big honkin' thing was for the Swordfish! I wish I'd taken the time to shoot photos of the disassembled parts and such.

Scott

Dan K · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:07 am

retroaviation wrote:

I've probably said too much and will likely get accused of something else I haven't done now. Or perhaps the guys in the grey jumpsuits and mirrored sunglasses will now "pay me a visit." :roll:

Just saw this on CNN:

Robbie Stuart · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:15 am

Dan K wrote:

retroaviation wrote:

I've probably said too much and will likely get accused of something else I haven't done now. Or perhaps the guys in the grey jumpsuits and mirrored sunglasses will now "pay me a visit." :roll:

Just saw this on CNN:

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:36 am

heck... I was hoping to see the Stringbag and the Polidropoff dogfight at Airsho.

But seriously it is a behemoth! A veritable leviathan! A Big Freakin' Airplane with parts made out of Unobtainium!

Maybe we could stick a Pratt and Whitney on her?

Gotta go press my grey jumpsuit and get ready for a
"social call"

"I don't send solicitous letters... I apply a bit of...pressure!"
:wink:

SPANNER

Chris · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:46 pm

The plane was at the Arizona Wing in Storage for a considerable amount of time. While there, the CAF took bids from different restorers to put it into flying condition. Bids came in well over what the CAF could reasonably afford even with reserve stashed away for it. Virtually every tube in the fuselage was corroded and the spar caps were history too. Could it be made flyable? Absolutely. Possibly a Rod Lewis or Paul Allen could finance it and put it back in the air. Very few groups within the CAF could manage it with their limited resources both financial and manpower.

retroaviation · **Posted:** Wed Jun 10, 2009 3:08 pm

Sorry for the late reply y'all...I was out working on the Voodoo.

It seems to me that just about everyone here is correct on the Stringbag's current condition and it's former condition. The only thing that should be added, was that when the airplane was donated, so was the funding to make it airworthy. It was decided to use that money "elsewhere" and just make the airplane into a static display. Darn shame in my opinion. There was also an inquiry from those nice British folks who operate the Stringbag over there, to do some trading with us. They wanted the engine off of this Swordfish, since it's not locked up and is a good candidate for an overhaul, which would be a spare for a flying airplane, and in trade, they'd give us a nice "displayable" engine. I want to think they even mentioned a little monetary donation or additional parts to "spruce ours up," but all offers were immediately turned down, as the museum didn't want to "compromise" their museum piece.

Well, dang it....I've gone and vented again, haven't I? Well, I reckon that's about all I should say about this topic. I gotta run outside now.....I think I hear a black helicopter hovering over Austin Acres. :roll:

Gary

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