Blackburn Beverley

[Aircav]

This is just the site for anyone thinking of building a Blackburn Beverley
http://www.beverley-association.org.uk/sto...ies/stories.htm

[Captain Canada]

Cool site....thanks Stevie !

I'm seriously considering buying one of those sanger Engineering Bevs. Always liked that ugly duck...just something romantic about it. Would look great in canadian colours !

Anyone ever build one of those Sanger kits ?

Cheers !

 

[The Rat]

When I was about 5 or 6 I went to an airshow (North Weald maybe?) and saw one up close.      

FRIGGIN' HUUUUUUGE!!!

Always been a favourite.

Would it take RR Tynes?!    

[Gary]

I must say, I've seen pics before but not with a car nearby to give a sense of scale. That thing looks a tad large.

[Mossie]

Taken some years ago now, the last remaining Beverley, XB259.  Kept at Fort Paull, near Hull.  She's in a semi authentic desert camouflage scheme,, it's correct except they didn't paint the black undersides due to concerns of excess condensation so close to the river Humber.  XB259 never wore this scheme as she didn't serve in the RAF, she was a development aircraft at Blackburn before going to the Royal Aircraft Establishment.

Close up of nose


Longer shot of nose


Three quarters shot


Undercarriage, with motorbike for scale


Tail boom


Centaurus engine


Interior shot of paratroop compartment in the tail boom, they went out through a hatch in the bottom of it.


Cargo hold.

[rickshaw]

Having just been redirected to this thread by Mossie, I must admit, I've always like the Beverley in an ugly ducking sort of way.

When in the Australian Army many moons ago, I served with an English Sergeant who had served in the RAF in the early 1960s before migrating to Australia.  He told me a story of travelling in a Beverley and of the dangers of going to the Loo in mid-flight.  Apparently the loo was situated at the extreme end of the tail boom, with just in front of it the paratroop dropping "hole" hatch.  Apparently the latches on the hatch weren't reliable and prone to coming open without warning! 

I was rather surprised that the RAF had still persisted with the "hole" for parachuting after the war, after the dreadful damage that the one in the Whitley used to do to Paratroops' teeth.   Is anybody able to lend credence to the story?

[Librarian]

Great site, thanks. That's just how I remember it all those years ago...biiiiig and brown .

[Mossie]

Few whiff ideas for the Beverley:

The civil version was known as the Universal, but never went into service.  Plenty of scope for that, Heavylift colours for instance?
Car Ferry, Silver City where interested and Beverley was converted with a mechanism to stack six cars in the hold.  Never entered service, but Silver City or BUF colours maybe?
Flying boat, that high wing and deep fuselage has got to be a natural for conversion to a planing hull?
Court Line bought XB259 with the intention of using her as a spares hauler before they went bankrupt.  A Beverley in Court Line colours would really catch the eye!

[The Rat]

Flying boat, that high wing and deep fuselage has got to be a natural for conversion to a planing hull?

Been thinking that for a while.

[NARSES2]

I was rather surprised that the RAF had still persisted with the "hole" for parachuting after the war, after the dreadful damage that the one in the Whitley used to do to Paratroops' teeth.   Is anybody able to lend credence to the story?

Yup. A friend of mine was in the Parachute Regiment during the 60's and jumped out of that hole a few times, surprised me when he told me as well. Has some interesting stories about cadging lifts in the tail boom.

[jcf]

The fuselage is actually too short to be an effective hull for a flying boat.
You'd want to add some length to rear, extend the bottom aft to a point
and then sweep the structure to the tail boom like the Grumman Duck,
the earlier JF version of course.

[Gondor]

Its not as wide as I thought it would be

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

I could tell numerous tales about Beverleys..... 

When 47 Sqdn first took them on at RAF Abingdeon when I lived there they had a number of engineers injured and at least one killed because they walked aft inside the boom and fell through the open parra-drop hatch. It's a LONG way to the ground from there, and as a result they fitted safety guards that were just aft of the plexiglass barriers in Mossie's photos.

The boom only needed to be wide enough to carry two columns of paras, wheres the main hold could take a Landie and a pretty hefty sized gun as well.

There actually was a 'civvie' Beverely as the prototype was bailed back to Blackburn with a civvie reggie and was used in the Middle East to carry some oil drilling equipment as it was the only aircraft at the time that was large enough.

I've got more than a few hours flying in Beverley's, probably one reason why I have a hearing aid in one ear, including going all the way to Gibralter and back, by mistake.... 

[jcf]

How does one go to Gibraltar by mistake? 
Details please, Good Sir.

[Captain Canada]

Is there a 144th scale Beverly available ? Would like to see one ( or die cast ) just to get the 'feel' of it.



Oh, and the bike in the above photos looks like an old Can-Am. Certainly sporting the big Rotax 4-stroke !