A Hornet's Tale...

[Robomog]

Modellers rule no 6 :- "hold on to everything, you never know where the next whif/kitbash is going to come from "

 

Mog
>^-.-^<

[Claymore]

Modellers rule no 6 :- "hold on to everything, you never know where the next whif/kitbash is going to come from "

 

Mog
>^-.-^<

Indeed, but it’s a constant battle with Mrs Claymore!   

[Claymore]

A Hornet’s Tale – Part 1 (Fact)

Aircraft PX393 was a de Havilland DH.103 Hornet F3 and was the 80th aircraft built out of a primary batch of 85 Hornet F3’s constructed between 1946 and 1948.  After initial flight acceptance, PX393 was delivered to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at RAF Boscombe Down in Wiltshire where it was, rather ignominiously, held as a spare for possible future trials work.

However, in need of a replacement aircraft, PX393 was to join 64 Squadron at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire in mid-1950. There she stayed, in squadron service, until 64 Squadron converted to the Gloster Meteor F4/F8 and was moved to RAF Duxford in March of 1951.  At much the same time all of the other UK-based Hornet F3 units (19 Squadron, 41 Squadron, 65 Squadron and 288 Operational Conversion Unit) also converted to the new generation of jet fighters. 

This was not to be the end of the Hornet as in the summer of that year considerable numbers of F3s (including 47 new-builds) were redeployed from Fighter Command to the Far East Air Force (FEAF).  The Far East Training (FET) Squadron along with 45 Squadron, 33 Squadron and 80 Squadron were equipped with the Hornet F3 and participated in combat operations during the Malayan Emergency.

Aircraft PX393 did not deploy to the far east and was, once again, placed in hangered storage pending possible reactivation as a battle damage replacement. 

Specifications (Hornet F3)

General Characteristics
Crew: 1
Length 36ft 8in (11.17m)
Wingspan: 45ft 0in (13.716m)
Powerplant: 2 x Rolls-Royce Merlin 130/131 (left-hand and right-hand rotation) V-12 liquid-cooled piston engines, 2,070 hp (1,540 kW) each

Performance
Maximum Speed: 475mph (764km/h) at 21,000ft (6,400m)
Combat Range: 1,480mi (2,380km)
Ferry Range: 3,000mi (4,800km) with additional 200 Imp gal (909L) drop tanks on outer wig hard points

Armament
4 x 20mm Hispano Mk V cannon (with 190rpg) in lower fuselage nose
2 x 1,000lb (454kg) bombs under wing, outboard of engines
8 x 60lb (27kg) RP-3 unguided rockets
Normal Loadout: 2 x RP-3 rockets and 1 x 1000lb/500lb bomb under each wing

The model is a Frog DH Hornet F3 and is of PX393 in 64 Squadron markings as she would have appeared on 8 November 1950 during a live-firing sortie to the bombing ranges at RAF Wainfleet.

Stay tuned for Part 2…

[References: Wikipedia and gruppofalchi.com]

[Buzzbomb]

Spiffing good scheme 

Like the work on a simple kit, great job

[Kerick]

Beautiful job! Nice work on the silver.

[Frank3k]

Looks fantastic! Quite the SHOW

[Claymore]

Isn’t it. Isn’t it though! 

https://youtu.be/mGp4DvFEgh8

[Old Wombat]

For an AFV bloke, you do pretty good Fly Boy stuff.

Nice job, mate!

[Claymore]

For an AFV bloke, you do pretty good Fly Boy stuff.

Nice job, mate!

Many thanks.  I guess that as an ex-RAF type, albeit on the soldiering side, I do have to try now and again! 

[Claymore]

A Hornet’s Tale – Part 2 (Fact)

In 1951, Sea Hornet F.20 TT193 was dispatched to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to conduct winter trials.  Following these tests, TT193 was sold rather than be transported back to the UK. Registered as CF-GUO, the aircraft was operated by Spartan Air Services Ltd (an aerial survey company) before being sold on to Kenting Aviation in a swap for 2 x Lockheed F-5Gs.  On 11 July 1952, an engine failure caused a forced landing at Terrace, British Columbia and CF-GUO was written off. 

On 21 May 1955, the last operational Hornet sortie was flown by 33 Squadron from RAF Butterworth, North Malaya and by mid-1956 all Hornets had been recorded as having been withdrawn from operational service.  None of the F3/F4 sent to the Far East Air Force (FEAF) was returned to the Uk with the last aircraft being disposed of, in theatre, by the end of 1956.

A Hornet’s Tale – Part 2 (Fiction)

During a re-evaluation of its aerial survey operations in early 1953, Spartan Air Services Ltd realised a need for a fast courier aircraft. Whilst its fleet of DH Mosquitos and Lockheed F-5Gs were excellent photographic survey platforms, the limitations of wet-film processing necessitated the rapid and secure movement of said film from potentially remote operating fields back to established processing facilities.  Their experience with CF-GUO suggested that the DH Hornet would be an excellent candidate should more be made available.  Having already purchased one aircraft from the UK MoD, Spartan Air Services’ initial approach was not dismissed out of hand and although progress was slow, by mid-1954 the writing was on the wall for the Hornet in RAF service and it was obvious that a number of airframes could safely be made available for sale. 

Ten aircraft from UK storage were selected: six that had never been allocated to squadrons (PX291, PX299, PX309, PX329, PX 334 and PX368); and four that has seen squadron service but which had the lowest flight hours (PX387, PX391, PX393 and PX395). Our aircraft of interest, PX393, was duly registered with the Canadian authorities as CF-HVA and after some time being brought back to full flying capability with de Havilland Canada, joined Spartan Air Services proper in early 1956.

Specifications (DH 103 Hornet)

General Characteristics
Crew: 1
Length 36ft 8in (11.17m)
Wingspan: 45ft 0in (13.716m)
Powerplant: 2 x Rolls-Royce Merlin 130/131 (left-hand and right-hand rotation) V-12 liquid-cooled piston engines, 2,070 hp (1,540 kW) each

Performance
Maximum Speed: 475mph (764km/h) at 21,000ft (6,400m)
Range: 3,000mi (4,800km) with additional 200 Imp gal (909L) drop tanks on outer wing hard points

The model is a Frog DH Hornet F3 and is of CF-HVA (PX393) in Spartan Air Services Ltd livery as she would have appeared during the late 50s and 1960s.

Stay tuned for Part 3…

[References: Wikipedia and gruppofalchi.com]

[Old Wombat]

And another, just as good as the first!


Now to see what the third looks like!

[Claymore]

And another, just as good as the first!

Now to see what the third looks like!

Thanks again mate.  Now tis time to move onto the AZmodel Hornets and a bit more in the way of chop and swap! 

[GTX_Admin]

 

[Frank3k]

Isn’t it. Isn’t it though! 

https://youtu.be/mGp4DvFEgh8

Isin't it, Isn't it. All blinged up an' shit

[Claymore]

Isn’t it. Isn’t it though! 

https://youtu.be/mGp4DvFEgh8

Isin't it, Isn't it. All blinged up an' shit

 

[apophenia]

Wow! Gorgeous build on your Part 2 Hornet 

On "(Fact)", the story of CF-GUO and its eventual parts recovery and restoration of  can be read here:
-- https://vintageaviationnews.com/restorations/de-havilland-sea-hornet-airworthy-restoration-project.html

On "(Fiction)", The RW reg sequence CF-HVA to CF-HVY was issued by the DOT at the beginning of 1955. But the specific registration CF-HVA was held in reserved but never applied to its initially intended type. Finally, in March 1958, 'HVA would be allocated to a Taylorcraft BC12D (c/n 8971; ex-N96671). [1]

__________________________________________

[1] Air Britain's CF list for 1975 shows 8971 as "SALE REPORTED/VENTE SIGNALEE" on 04 April 1954 but does not list the original owner. In 1962, 'HVA was sold to Frederick W Raaflaub, North Bay, ON, and that reg wouldn't be cancelled until April of 1998.

[Claymore]

Wow! Gorgeous build on your Part 2 Hornet 

On "(Fact)", the story of CF-GUO and its eventual parts recovery and restoration of  can be read here:
-- https://vintageaviationnews.com/restorations/de-havilland-sea-hornet-airworthy-restoration-project.html

On "(Fiction)", The RW reg sequence CF-HVA to CF-HVY was issued by the DOT at the beginning of 1955. But the specific registration CF-HVA was held in reserved but never applied to its initially intended type. Finally, in March 1958, 'HVA would be allocated to a Taylorcraft BC12D (c/n 8971; ex-N96671). [1]

__________________________________________

[1] Air Britain's CF list for 1975 shows 8971 as "SALE REPORTED/VENTE SIGNALEE" on 04 April 1954 but does not list the original owner. In 1962, 'HVA was sold to Frederick W Raaflaub, North Bay, ON, and that reg wouldn't be cancelled until April of 1998.

Thanks mate!  Yes, after a long and not at all fruitful search through the 1955 register to find an unallocated number, I settled on CF-HVA as the closest thing to being a viable possibility.  Had it not been there, I would have had to do a bit of handwavium but would still have settled for a CF-HV-something code to get the right date.

[Claymore]

The next iteration of my Hornet almost gave me kittens!  The initial work went just as planned and then it came to the paint scheme... Well, I didn't like the fist result (light grey wings and dark grey fuselage) and thought the best thing to do would be to go back to cover everything up with a new coat of primer - OMG!!! Seems that one of the modelling gods didn't like that idea as the primer did its best to crawl back into the can.  I should have taken some pictures, but I was so horrified at what was happening that I slightly lost it.  A great wailing and gnashing of teeth was heard across the Highlands!!! 

Long and the short of it, I think I saved it but it was a damned close call with Mr Bin...

Here are the WIP pics before the painting debacle.

[Claymore]

A Hornet’s Tale – Part 3 (Fact)

At the beginning of 1973, Spartan Air Services’ assorted fleet of survey aircraft were taken over by its fellow Canadian competitor, Kenting Aviation. [1]

A Hornet’s Tale – Part 3 (Fiction)

The writing had been on the wall for Spartan Air Services from the turn of the decade; unable to remain competitive in the ever more expensive survey market, a buyout or collapse was inevitable. The one highlight for the ailing company was that their fleet of high-speed, long-range courier Hornets has proved hugely successful well beyond the demands of their initial survey support work. It was, therefore, decided that while the parent survey company would be sold to Kenting Aviation a new transport company, Spartan Logistics, would be formed based around the remaining Hornet aircraft. 

However, having already lost three of the original aircraft to various engine faults, it was obvious that the Hornets and their aging, and none to reliable, Merlin engines were in dire need of a facelift. So it was, that with the backing of billionaire statesman, entrepreneur and aircraft enthusiast Henry Newton Rowell ‘Hal’ Jackman, the seven remaining aircraft were given a full work over and rebuild by de Havilland Canada.  Essentially leaving the factory as new aircraft, the upgrades included, although were not limited to, the replacement of the troublesome Merlins with far more reliable and efficient Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines and the installation of external fuel tank hard points beneath the inner wings.

Returning to operational service in 1975, the ‘new’ DHC 103D (Dart) Hornets, gave Spartan Logistics a fast, reliable and long-range courier.  With Hal Jackman’s influence, it wasn’t long before Spartan Logistics were providing direct support to various Canadian governmental agencies, the banking sector and anyone who needed high value assets moved quickly and securely.

Specifications (DHC 103D (Dart) Hornet)

General Characteristics
Crew: 1
Length 38ft (11.58m)
Wingspan: 45ft 0in (13.716m)
Powerplant: 2 x Rolls-Royce Dart Mk 532-7 two-stage centrifugal compressor turboprop engines, 2,250hp (1,678kW) each

Performance
Maximum Speed: 520mph (832km/h) clean at 21,000ft (6,400m)
Range: 3,600mi (5,760km) with additional 250 Imp gal (1140L) drop tanks on inner wing hard points

The model is a AZmodel DH Hornet F3 and is of CF-HVA (PX393) in Spartan Logistics markings as she would have appeared during the late 70s, 80s and 1990s.

Stay tuned for Part 4…

References:
[1]: Spartan Air Services: Book Project by Robert Stitt

[Old Wombat]

OK, I'll forgive you putting bunsen-fans on a piston-engined fighter, but only because it rounds out an excellent series of aircraft builds. 


Very nice finale to a fantastic run of builds! 

[Claymore]

Finale?

This has just been the build up. There is still a Part 4 to come! 

[Old Wombat]

I sit corrected! 

(I'll stand corrected shortly, when I head for bed.  )

[Claymore]

I sit corrected! 

(I'll stand corrected shortly, when I head for bed.  )

 

[apophenia]

Oh that is pretty! So glad that "Mr. Bin" was denied his potential greimeag

Nice to see the continuity of DHC 103D still being registered 'HVA in its renewed life. And I like the detail of the radiator housings simply being enclosed (become a space for reserve fuel tanks, perhaps?).

Anyway, a lovely build ... and I hope that the Highlands have recovered from their shock at all that primer-related wailing and tooth-gnashing!

[Claymore]

So glad that "Mr. Bin" was denied his potential greimeag

Indeed! 

Nice to see the continuity of DHC 103D still being registered 'HVA in its renewed life. And I like the detail of the radiator housings simply being enclosed (become a space for reserve fuel tanks, perhaps?).

Yup, I wanted to keep the developmental trail fairly clear and yes, having realised that the wing shoe is actually quite complex, it was easier (and more logical) to keep it unchanged and make the space available for fuel.

Anyway, a lovely build ... and I hope that the Highlands have recovered from their shock at all that primer-related wailing and tooth-gnashing!

Thank you, the hills are more or less quiet now!