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By: - 31st October 2010 at 16:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Looks like a regular 1930's domestic light switch (but before my time). :)
By: - 31st October 2010 at 16:14 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There are often some like that on ebay, under Air Ministry.
Dave
By: - 31st October 2010 at 17:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I am aware of the single swtiches that look like household switches, but I am after the "twin" switches. If you look carefully at the photo, the switch has two knobs. I haven't seen them like that before. I am hoping the "brains trust" here might be able to point me in the right direction.
By: - 31st October 2010 at 18:48 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I've got Avro turnbuckles. I'll pm you.
By: - 31st October 2010 at 21:30 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I am after the "twin" switches. If you look carefully at the photo, the switch has two knobs
I've got one of those to switch the first floor sitting room lights from the second floor bedroom. Apparently completely unnecessary as I have to activate both switches together or the lights won't come on/go off. I never could understand why there were two switches on a single unit. But then, I've got a great deal of "unusual" electric wiring in my old house! Maybe a previous owner wired the place using surplus aeronautical fittings!
By: - 31st October 2010 at 23:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
5c/625 ;)
By: - 1st November 2010 at 09:49 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Splendid! Thank you Smirky!
Avion Ancien - amazing where some of these things turn up - your house sounds "interesting".:)
Air Ministry - would love to hear from you.
Thanks gentlemen!
By: - 1st November 2010 at 12:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I never expected to be posting images of my light switches on this forum!
By: - 16th December 2010 at 20:11 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
And now there are two...
G'Day Boys and Girls,
A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to recover the remains of Avro 616 Genet Avian Mk IV M Sports, C/N 529, registered intially as G-ABME and after importation to Oz, VH-UVR. I had received a phone call from a fellow in Bundaberg, responding to an ad I had place looking for parts, etc for my Avian Mk III. He said "I used to have an Avian and pranged it in Cloncurry in 1959. I believe it's still there." After a bit of research and a few phone calls, I was able to establish that it had been sighted three years previously. I had a few days off coming up and after confirming with the locals that the area was still dry and accessible, I jumped into my car, with trailer in tow and drove 1700 Km from Brisbane to Cloncurry, dodging dead 'roos and road trains. First thing in the morning, after an overnight rest and with the help of a local garage owner, I soon located the steel tube remains in the long grass, just off the Airport boundary.
It took about three and half hours to dig it out in the soon scorching sun.
Onto the trailer. Stopped near the original QANTAS hangar at Cloncurry for a photo...
Then drove 1500 km to Bundaberg to catch with the original owner, Ron Rooke. He nearly cried when he saw it...
He had left it in Cloncurry after this...
Ron Rooke photos.
He had pranged it at the Cloncurry Air Pageant in December 1959, after a "drunken flying" act had gone wrong. Ron was a Policeman based in Camooweal at the time and simply didn't have the money to recover/repair the poor Avian. Consequently, it was abandoned there, eventually being shoved off the airport, where it lay for the next 51 years.
Ron has told some highly amusing stories of his adventures in the Avian, which he owned from 1954 to 1959, chasing cattle duffers and other crooks and searching for missing people.
So, I have a list of items I will be looking for to rebuild 'UVR:
Husun Mk III Compass
Reid & Sigrist Inclinometer 6A/380
Devonport Cross Level
Smiths Mk IVA Airspeed Indicator
Smiths Mk VA Altimeter
Mk V Tachometer
Period Oil Pressure & Temp Gauges
Twinob Magneto Switches
Hand Crank Starting Magneto
Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major Mk 1A Engine and/or parts thereof.
Avro type Turnbuckles – 4 and 5mm
Tiger Moth Main Wheels and Shock Absorbers
Can anyone help?
I also believe that this aeroplane was used for air racing in the UK (the Kings Cup in 1932), when it was G-ABME. Are there any photos of this aeroplane in the UK?
By: - 16th December 2010 at 20:24 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Whew, that's some shopping list.
By: - 16th December 2010 at 20:59 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Fantastic finding those remains,well done and thanks for posting the pictures.Good luck with it.Will we be seeing an article in a future "Classic Wings"?
By: - 17th December 2010 at 10:04 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Well done Avro, I flew my Tiger Moth to Cloncurry, how far from the runway was it? so I know what I should have looked for.
cheers
By: - 25th December 2010 at 12:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi All,
Having a quiet night at work, so here are a couple of replies....:)
Avion Ancien - love the photo of your "light switch"! Very cool...
Yes, I have quite a shopping list, but it looks like it may be getting a little shorter already....;)
Proctor VH-AHY - I found UVR off the end of Runway 06, a stone's throw over the boundary fence.
By: - 17th February 2011 at 05:17 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
G'Day All,
Last week I received a package of Avro Turnbuckle parts from Air Ministry...
There are enough bits to produce 51 turnbuckles that should look like this (though not as rusty! :)).
Around 34 of these are required to brace the rear fuselage structure on the steel framed Avian alone.
Thanks for your help Air Ministry! :)
Best regards,
Paul
By: - 17th February 2011 at 05:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
look like the internal bracing in a Tiger Moth wing
By: - 17th February 2011 at 05:28 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
While I'm here, has anyone got one of these and would consider parting with it?:D
By: - 17th February 2011 at 05:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
look like the internal bracing in a Tiger Moth wing
Yes, you are right. The larger 5mm type are used in the Tiger Moth wings and I will need a few of those too, mainly for the wings in the Avian and a couple in the forward fuselage.
By: - 17th February 2011 at 09:13 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
So are you going to rebuild UHC and UVR? Any pics of the other remains?
By: - 17th February 2011 at 11:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
G'Day Fouga23,
I am planning to rebuild both VH-UHC and VH-UVR. I have come accross VH-UVR almost by accident. However, I figured if I am going to build one set of wings and tail feathers, it is not much more effort (in time and money) to build two. The wings and tail are almost identical - the ribs are certainly the same and I have just finished the jigs for all the tail surfaces - to the point I hope to have the first ribs completed in the next few days. I do have enough drawings to cover both variants of fuselages and all the different engine installations.
Here are a few photos of some of components VH-UHC...
One of the lower mainplanes...
Set of flying wires...
Set of steel Interplane Struts...
Fin and Rudder Spars...
Main Undercarriage (with very sexy wire wheels..:D)
I do have a box of other small steel fittings for the fuselage, but no photos to hand.
By: - 17th February 2011 at 12:40 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Probably of no help whatsoever, but when I were a young lad, many, many years ago, I used to spend a lot of time at Rochford/Southend airport.
On the Eastwoodbury Lane side, near where the church is right by the runway, there was a footpath which crossed by the runway junctions. On that side were hangars for ? Channel Airways and other main operators.
I remember that one hangar was right beside the footpath and between the footpath and the hangar wall was a rusty derelict airframe skeleton. I had heard that that was all that remained of an Avro Avian.
Whether it is still there almost 50 years on, is unknown, nor if that is actually true.
There are some chaps who regularly post about Southend Airport on the forum, so a quick search might provide people who could verify whether it's true and/or still there....
I also remember what I thought were 5 or 6 Rapide fuselages and wings at the back of one large hangar...
Sorry if this not of interest, but....?
Posts: 585
By: Avro Avian - 31st October 2010 at 15:54
G'Day Boys and Girls,
I have the mortal remains of Avro Avian Mk III VH-UHC (G-AUHC) that I am currently rebuilding to fly here in Oz. Not much remains of the wooden structure, but I do have a number of the metal fittings, the main undercarriage (including wire wheels) and a large number of original factory drawings. I also have two very incomplete ADC Cirrus Mk II engines.
I am looking for the following for this project:
A complete ADC or ACE Cirrus Mk II
Is there such thing as a parts catalog and overhaul manual for this engine? I have a service manual already. Do drawings exist to support this engine?
A 1st World War Mk V Oil Pressure Guage
Avro type turnbuckles - 4 and 5mm
Magneto switches like this, or at least a part number:
Arthur Withy photo