The Roe 1 replica on the site of A V Roe’s pioneering flight trials of 1907-08 (Julian Temple).
exhibition lighting. AIVAF was due to set up the interactive displays in early October and Ay-Pe was due to install the audio-visual elements at around the same time.
Definitely the most ambitious and challenging task to date was the installation of our Hawker P.1127 jump-jet XP984 in the Bellman Hangar roof space, supported on steel mounts above the new mezzanine floor. After much deliberation about the lifting method and specialist equipment required, local contractors Finch of Bookham were appointed, a new front fuselage trestle was designed and fabricated in Essex and the aircraft was towed into the Hangar by the restoration team led by Dave Cotton on 5th August. Preparations for a four-day craning operation then began, with Finch’s staff setting up their equipment on 8th August. Two days later, under Andrew Finch's direction, the aircraft was slowly lifted using four overhead hydraulic winches and then, with the wing-tips just clearing the high-level guide-rails, carefully winched back over the edge of the mezzanine before finally being lowered into the designated position. After Elmwood, Richard Rogers Conservation and S-Fabs had set up five specially-made mounts, XP984 was eventually successfully and safely se- cured onto its new supports. The entire operation had begun around 8.00am and ended more than 12 hours later well into the evening, having proved slightly more difficult than most of us had expected, but we are of course extremely grateful to everyone who helped make this happen. For anyone interested, Andy Lambert has produced a video record of this move which can now be seen at
https://youtu.be/NFmoeLpBsH8 On 16th August the fragile Roe 1 biplane replica
was carefully removed from the Vimy Pavilion by a team of volunteers, skilfully directed by Steve Green, and is now on display again in its relocated replica shed. While being manhandled across the restored Finishing Straight, we realised that this was
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the first time that a Roe biplane had been seen in this location since 1908 and therefore paused briefly for this significant photo opportunity. Exhibit installation work in the Bellman Hangar was temporarily halted by flooring issues in late August but resumed with fitting the P.1127’s expertly restored cockpit canopy on 16th September, before the tricky installation by volunteers on 20th September of the heavy 1970s ‘Romanian’ lathe and an Olympus engine in a confined space below the mezzanine floor. Both required use of Andy Lambert's versatile mobile crane ‘Milly’ and after another lathe and four more aero engines were fork-lifted into place nearby, our 1940s Ransome and Rapier crane (now in British Aircraft Corporation colours) was positioned opposite them. The carefully con- served Vickers Supermarine Swift fuselage was rolled in alongside the crane the next morning. With the opening of the new exhibitions, we would be very pleased to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer in the Aircraft Factory and Flight Shed, particularly assisting visitors with getting the most out of the new interactive activities. If you might be interested, please contact Sue Lewin, our new Volunteer and Staff Resources Manager via suelewin@brook-
landsmuseum.com
Julian Temple
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