Shackleton WR963 at Coventry, return to flight!!!

[hunterxf382]

We have an important letter from our chairman Dave Woods to share with you all please!

Hello all,

Avro Shackleton WR963 needs YOUR help as a matter of urgency, let me explain why....
We have been told by the Airport Management here at Coventry, who by the end of this month will have ownership of Hangar 7, that we CAN have time in the hangar to do the much needed NDT testing on the Wing Spars. The down side is that we will of course have to pay for it. As many of you will know, the successful “Kickstarter appeal” last year has covered the funding for the testing, but not the time in the hangar as we had an arrangement with Airbase which, given that they are now closed, is no longer in force.

Why is it urgent?
There are plans for the future of the airport, no it’s not going to close or be built on, but we may not have access to Hangar 7 after this year; and of course hangarage is on a first-come, first-served basis.

We need you to put your hands in your pockets and donate to this Hangar Appeal. Hangarage for half of Hangar 7 for the year is around £70k. Whilst this would be nice, it’s not what we need. Some of XH558’s engineers (yes that’s right – the Vulcan) have helped us in their free time, with the schedules for the NDT work, and it is estimated that the work could be done in around 14 weeks. This would bring the cost down to around £20k. WE NEED TO GET HER IN THE HANGAR as this work cannot be carried out in the open air. As you know, this is a significant step towards putting a Shackleton back in the air in the UK.

We need you to donate, so what will you all get out of it?
To all those donating £30 or more – you will receive a frameable certificate stating that you helped get 963 undercover for the NDT work. You will also get your name in a Supporters Log to be kept onboard 963 in perpetuity.

I hope you feel that you can help in this and put 963 back in her element.

You can donate here: http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/fundraising.html, and please state “Hangar Appeal” so that we can put your name in the log.

Hangar Appeal Logo by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

[hunterxf382]

A timely nudge about our Hangar Appeal! We still need your help if possible please, we're some way off the target figure to be able to book the space to get WR963 inside for the vital NDT checks to be carried out!
No NDT, NO chance of flying the Old Grey Lady.... it really is that vital that we can fund the costs of the hangar fees. Please donate if you can, and please share this post around on your profile, your friend's profiles, any aviation forums you belong to, in fact anywhere you can PLEASE!!!!

http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/fundraising.html

[2e1var]

Perhaps your page should be updated, it says £13k raised against a target of £12k.

Rich

[hunterxf382]

That figure is relating to the Kickstarter Appeal last year which we exceeded by the small margin given? That was the funding for the actual NDT checks when we were under the watchful eye of Airbase who were going to let us use their hangar.... all of which has now changed due to the closure of Airbase and the Airport asking us for hangar fees, as explained in our Chairman's letter

[quid21]

Apparently Cheffins at Sutton Cambridgeshire are auctioning Shackleton parts including Boost control units, exhaust manifolds, coolant pumps, propellor dome, fairly recently run engines, props as part of a collection of working engines the collector showed to enthusiasts at airshows:

http://www.cheffins.co.uk/catalogue/vin ... tion-459-0

http://www.cheffins.co.uk/lot/-1175040-vintage-0

[hunterxf382]

We are aware of this auction - Bill was one of the original Trustees of our Shackleton Preservation Trust.
Our funds are prioritised in getting WR963 airborne, and with our current spares holding we aren't in a position to bid for even more from this.....

[quid21]

No worries, just thought I'd mention it.

[hunterxf382]

A timely nudge about our Hangar Appeal! We still need your help if possible please, we're some way off the target figure to be able to book the space to get WR963 inside for the vital NDT checks to be carried out!
No NDT, NO chance of flying the Old Grey Lady.... it really is that vital that we can fund the costs of the hangar fees. Please donate if you can, and please share this post around on your profile, your friend's profiles, any aviation forums you belong to, in fact anywhere you can PLEASE!!!!

http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/fundraising.html

Hangar Appeal Logo by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

[hunterxf382]

An update on a moment in history!

Since our last review of activities, a lot of work has been ongoing in the background by our incredible volunteers. Months of planning came to fruition on Saturday April 9th when we made a little bit of history when we carried paying passengers onboard WR963 for not one, but two taxy runs carried out by our Chief Pilot Jon Corley assisted by our highly experienced onboard crew.

Prior to this momentous day, preparations had included a big wash day to remove accumulated algae and residue which had settled over the winter period and changed the white surfaces into a slight camouflage appearance! Much work has also been carried out on the engine issues which had bothered the team recently, with magneto and fuel pump niggles to overcome particularly on No.2 engine. Luckily for us, not only do we have spares available, but our own knowledgeable ex-Shackleton Chief Engineer Druid Petrie able to pluck essential data from his memory as if it was yesterday, rather than 1991 when he last had the pleasure of engineering outside in all the weather that Scotland could aim at him and his colleagues....

Several test runs of all engines were carried out in the weeks prior to the big day, and all seemed good for us to have a special reason to enjoy our moment!
Not content with dealing with just the aircraft, huge strides had been made by our illustrious chairman Dave Woods at meetings with the Airport Management at Coventry who have helped us enormously since the demise last year of the resident “Airbase” and “Classic Air Force” operations. We not only received sponsorship from the airport which is helping financially towards the costs of being on site, but we were also offered the use of a large portacabin which had previously been the Visitor Reception for Airbase! The airport’s help means that we finally have somewhere undercover to act as a welcoming visitor centre and shop, but also a crewroom for our hard working team to have a much needed brew....

Saturday 9th April finally arrived, and the arriving volunteer team who had travelled from far and wide were greeted with pleasant sunshine! We were busy right from the moment of arrival with a quick set-up of our new shop and crewroom facilities, as well as starting to prepare the aircraft. Well that should have been the plan, but your ever-busy publicity officer had other ideas, and made everyone stop and stare by arriving in our brand new support vehicle which has been loaned to us by our other new partnership with SsangYong GB. The pick-up truck is complete with sign writing and will appear at events towing our Shackleton nose section amongst other duties!

After a crew briefing, we all set about preparing WR963 to be towed out onto the concrete ready for her performances later on, and also greeted the visitors who had started to arrive for their unique experience...
Part of our plan involved pairing up public with key volunteers so that they could take an active part in some of the vital pre-taxy preparations themselves! That was hugely enjoyed by all, and gave a small insight into how hard we work to achieve just one day in the life of our aircraft!
The next stage was another unique treat – lunch with some of our crew onboard the resident DC6 Diner which has recently re-opened as both a cafe and formal diner! The public really seemed to enjoy chatting to us whilst gazing out across the airfield and eating a fine meal...
After lunch, the pace quickened as we finished off a few tours onboard, and finally got the teams mustered prior to start for the first of two taxy runs! All seemed to be going well until one of our crew spotted a broken brake hose, which couldn’t be changed right away, and so was capped and isolated from the rest of the system to the satisfaction of our pilot.

The crew may have been nervous inside, but showed little sign of that as they climbed onboard with our first group of public. As soon as Jon Corley had obtained clearance, it was time to start those mighty Griffons! All went well, and after clearing the start crew and equipment away, Jon eased WR963 out onto the taxiway and trundled slowly down to Bravo Apron, turned, and then came back! Of course we couldn’t just leave it there, so whilst alongside the “Airlock” gate adjacent to the old Airbase hangar, Jon stopped, and opened up the throttles for a few minutes of “Griffon Growl” resonating across Coventry, and shaking the ground where our groundcrew stood....
Once back at our allocated parking area, the aircraft was shut down for a brief rest, and once the entire onboard crew and public were disembarked, a group photo was taken in front of the star of the day!

The crew carried out a turnaround check on the aircraft whilst the public passengers went off to get their souvenir certificates and have a brew with the rest of our team.
Second group were mustered, crew found from their hiding places near the tea urn, and it was time for the second taxy run, or so we thought!
Once we had got everyone onboard and secured the door, Jon started going through the usual pre-starting checks.... only to pause when it came to requesting our usual fire cover from the airport’s fire station only a few hundred metres away. After what seemed like an age, the welcome sight of a fire truck who had been rather busy on a tea break meant that we could carry on with our rigorous checklists.
Engine start seemed to go ok on the starboard side, but when it came to the port side, No.2 engine was reluctant to start! Knowing that we may have faced a ‘hot start’ situation with a small risk of exhaust fires, we were being extremely cautious with this second start. After starting No.1 engine whilst resting the starter motor on No.2 engine, this was tried again, and finally came to life, albeit with a resounding backfire that gave a brief scare to our crew-chief standing only a few metres away on the comms lead....

With all four running, it was time to go for another trundle around the taxiway, which followed the same pattern as the first, almost! On the return stop by the airlock gate and the higher rpm blast – the watching team wondered why No.2 Engine seemed to be running slightly rougher than the others, which soon manifested itself into a premature shut-down of that engine! With due consideration given by the team onboard to the prospect of slow taxying being made difficult with asymmetric power, it was decided to also shut down No.3 engine too, leaving both outboard engines to provide the means to taxy back the short distance to the parking area...

Once all had gone quiet again, the entire onboard crew and public posed once more for the group photo, and the public made their way over to our crewroom as the weather had declined somewhat during the late afternoon. This left the crew to debrief with our pilot on the engineering situation with our beloved aircraft...
Typically for aircrew, the engineers gave him a near perfectly serviceable aircraft to go and play with, and it came back with a list of ‘snags’ which aircrew expect to be easily fixed in time for their next sortie...... but we really like our pilot so we are only too happy to get dirty once again and repair the issues, test it all again, and get WR963 ready for her next starring role!

To summarise the issues left with us as our pilot made his way home:
No.2 engine ignition issues to be investigated as not only was it reluctant to start, but ran rough on the second run, before finally shutting down completely.
No.1 engine seen to develop a small oil leak underneath, which needs investigating by closer inspection with the cowlings off.
One brake hose to be changed
Hydraulic system to be investigated as we found that the handpump handle locating bracket had sheared off and caused the handpump handle to strike an adjacent hydraulic pipe resulting in a breakage and subsequent total loss of the hydraulic system.

Anyone familiar with aircraft will know that these engineering challenges are just part of what we expect when dealing with a 62 year old airframe, and we will just fix her up and carry on smiling as usual!

After an exceptionally long day, the last few team members left the site after 8pm leaving WR963 resting in her usual parking position on the grass. It took a few days for most of us to recover from this one, but we would do it all again without question!

By creating this event, we hope to have given an insight into just what is involved in maintaining our Shackleton, and given the paying public a real hands-on experience that they won’t forget in a hurry! Every single person onboard went home smiling, despite the weather change in the afternoon, and some are coming back for more now that they have experienced the appeal of the Avro Shackleton close up!

Without doubt, the day was a success, and raised vital monies towards keeping WR963 alive and moving towards our long-term goal of return-to-flight! We are fully aware that she needs to be run on a regular basis to keep all systems healthy, and are already planning more events like this throughout the year! Our website and social media will give more on these as soon as we can!

Finally, and on a nice note to finish with, it was especially wonderful to see Richard Woods pay is a visit to see how we were getting on! Richard had been a vital part of the team for many years before personal circumstances meant that he had to take a break from the constant travelling to Coventry, but couldn’t resist a return to see how the old girl was behaving!

George Aldrich by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Andy Rowlands 1 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

George Aldrich 4 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

George Aldrich 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Aaron Hiscock 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Ian Preece by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Andy Jones 1 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

George Aldrich 5 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

SPT Edit by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr


Hope you enjoyed this very brief review of our historical day, and we hope to see you all down at Coventry soon!

Regards

Pete Buckingham
Publicity Officer

[paddyboy]

Great article: great pics and great news update on a great Grey Lady

Thanks

Paddyboy

[hunterxf382]

One long month and one huge update!

Since our previous double taxi runs that took place April 9th, an awful lot of engineering work has been carried out by the amazing team of volunteers that work hard to continue the success of WR963’s public appearances!
Going back to the runs – we suffered a few technical issues which required careful analysis after the event which then required the following work:

The hydraulic handpump decided it did not like being part of the main hydraulic system and let go in spectacular style including shearing off its handle attaching bracket! The internal seals had ruptured and subsequent high pressure fluid flowed around the system before dumping itself overboard.
The Pressure Relief Valve and Handpump were skilfully rebuilt by one of our resident engineers Mark Ward who regularly surprises us with his ability to make old parts like new again!

Mark Ward 3 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Mark Ward 4 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Even Richard Woods assisted by dismantling the long-removed original handpump to find the same problem had occurred before....

Richard Woods 1 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

The system’s filters had been long suspected of being a culprit in this problem, and on subsequent removal they were found to be totally clogged up and unable to filter anything in the system at all!

George Aldrich 3 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

George Aldrich 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Once the gauze / mesh filters were cleaned up (for now), fresh hydraulic oil was replaced in the system, and after a very long hand-pumping session the entire hydraulic system was bled through and systems checked to make sure they all worked again. This work involved some very long hours and extended beyond our normal Saturday work days too, with good weather helping some of the team who worked mid-week on the system too...

George Aldrich 1 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Water ingress in the No.2 Fuel Tank has been another long standing issue to be dealt with, which was suspected of causing a premature shut-down of No.2 Engine during the taxy run, and on a subsequent test run too.... The fuel system is drained of water each time we attend to the aircraft, but the water ingress also crept into the fuel pump, so a suitable drain tap was installed to help us drain the water efficiently rather than continually having to dismantle the pump each time.

Water ingress may also be the culprit on the overhead panel above the pilot’s head, where the engine magneto switches are located. Previous corrosion had been found on the contact points of these switches which led to the belief that water was getting in – more noticeable after a downpour!
On the taxy runs, it rained between the two runs, and we then experienced problems on start-up for the second run. In the long term, we will need to replace the bank of switches of course (if anyone happens to have an example as illustrated that they wish to donate then please get in touch!), but we also need to address the water ingress itself. Our Chief Engineer (the one and only Druid Petrie of ex-8 Sqn Shackleton fame) assures us that the correct method involves an application of Cellulose Dope around the Escape Hatches, so that is being looked into as we speak once we source the correct Dope of course....

5CW 1252a by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

On various engine runs, the crew noticed that the Radiator Shutters were not working as they should on No.2 engine, so a replacement “Inching Controller” box has been installed to hopefully sure the problem. Another test run will confirm this.

Mario McLaughlin 1 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Nitrogen... a vital gas to top up the pneumatics system used on the Shackleton to provide braking etc. Well despite the aircraft not having any major issue with its own system, our portable trolley decided it required attention as it was leaking badly from behind the inflation control panel.
So another of our intrepid engineers, Mario McLaughlin took the panel apart, sourced and repaired the leak, and even repainted the control panel while he had five minutes to spare! These trolleys were a common sight at any RAF Airfield, but never before did one look so shiny as ours does now!

Mario McLaughlin 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

On the subject of pneumatics, we had a brake hose fail on us, which was spotted before we taxied the aircraft. Suitably isolated to carry on the taxy runs, the hose was subsequently replaced with a newly manufactured one by Mark Ward once he had sourced the correct fittings needed.

Mark Ward by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Engine Ignition issues continued to give the team a good reason to keep checking the points gaps on all engines, which is no easy task when you compare the average family car engine with the huge Griffon V12 ones we have! Nevertheless, another job tackled by our team of course!

Not content with the technical items that formed quite a list of jobs to do, other work has been carried out on site.
The prominent red spinners on WR963 had started to look rather faded, so Andrew Clarke volunteered himself to polish them all up again with the assistance of young George Aldrich. They now look stunning in the sunlight again!

Mark Ward 2 by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

“Zebedee” or VP293 our loaned Mk1 nose section received some attention prior to heading out on the roads for the first time in a long while! This season will see Zebedee appear at various events away from Coventry, so a good tidy up inside was in order, plus making sure the trailer he is mounted on was ready for the journeys ahead. There is ongoing progress with the nose section itself too, with more internal refit of original equipment to take place soon, which will get the interior looking more authentic as well as replacing parts which famously vanished during a period of storage at another venue before we took charge of the nose on behalf of the owner on a permanent loan basis. Keep an eye out for a Shackleton Nose on the roads this year!

Dscf2685a by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

And finally....

A personal touch to raise a smile or two.

Ongoing crew training has resulted in another person able to operate the Engineers Panel during ground runs / taxy runs, giving us more flexibility with crew availability, with another member currently in training....
However, the post taxy run banter amongst our crew deserves sharing if only to show that we are all human (friendly ones of course).
Our crew training has been undertaken by our highly experienced Chief Engineer who apparently knows a thing or two about Shackletons, and has accumulated many hours / years of sterling service on the aircraft up until the end of service with Number 8 Squadron up at RAF Lossiemouth. We are constantly amazed at the depth of his knowledge, and he teaches us all an awful lot, which gains him the respect he fully deserves!

So picture the scene when the first taxy run was completely successful with a slightly nervous newly qualified Engineer on the panel throughout....
However, on the second taxy run, our well respected Chief Engineer decides to have a go, and brought back an aircraft on two out of four engines running; a hydraulic failure; and a suspected electrical generator fault too!!!!
We thought he was trying to recreate the pressure the Squadron were under back in the 90’s when faced with QRA alerts on an old aircraft – whereas we were told this was just to test our ability to work under pressure

And then there is other BIG news too!!!

Number 8 Squadron (Royal Air Force) Reunite with The Avro Shackleton!

In the summer of 1991, the RAF said goodbye to a long-serving eye in the sky when the Avro Shackleton bowed out after 40 years of operational service – the last 19 years of which were with Number 8 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. Replaced by the state-of-the-art Boeing E3-D “Sentry AEW MK1, Number 8 Squadron continues to serve our country to this day.

July 9th 2016 marks two special anniversaries which we are happy to announce!

25 years ago to the day, our Shackleton WR963 flew in to Coventry Airport for preservation, and in the same month, it has been 25 years of operational service for Number 8 Squadron’s Sentry AEW MK1 aircraft!

The Trust were delighted to hear from a representative from Number 8 Squadron recently, and even more excited when hearing that the current squadron wanted to establish a formal working relationship with us, as we are looking after one of their old airframes!

Number 8 Squadron themselves have a long history, first forming on 1st January 1915 as part of the Royal Flying Corps as a Fighter Squadron. Over the years, the Squadron have operated many aircraft types ranging from the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c, through De Havilland Mosquitos, Hawker Hunters, and of course the Avro Shackleton.

Despite operating a high tech aircraft in the current RAF, Number 8 Squadron have always acknowledged their long history, to the point of having an Number 8 Squadron Hawker Hunter as their current Squadron “gate guard” outside their HQ at RAF Waddington.
Our own Shackleton served with the Squadron right up to the end in 1991, and we do our part to keep its history alive too.

Our partnership with Number 8 Squadron means a lot to us, and the Squadron will be coming over to Coventry on July 9th to help take part in our special 25th anniversary celebrations, although sadly we can’t fit a Sentry AEW MK1 into Coventry Airport.... Members of the squadron will see for themselves their old aircraft, and we cannot wait to show them around! Despite being some 60+ years old, I’m sure our volunteers will delight in highlighting that the Shackleton could still perform the AEW task today if things got serious
The Squadron are also offering to help us with providing manpower if possible during any intensive engineering times such as our anticipated NDT strip down checks this coming winter. Of course this will be subject to operational circumstances, but any assistance from their crew will be most welcome indeed at any time!

There is much more besides the above to formalise, but we really do look forward to establishing a great formal partnership between our two organisations!

Looking in to the future, and our own return-to-flight status, it goes without saying that 8 Sqn’s base is definitely on our own bucket list, which I’m sure will be a much anticipated event when that happens!

Bringing an element of Number 8 Squadron’s history alive is a unique and exciting prospect, and one that we, the Shackleton Preservation Trust will endeavour to accomplish with great pride!


Website Logo by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

WR963 Waddington 1991b by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

JR7b by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

JR4b by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

8 Sqn 25 Years b by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

[paddyboy]

Hi Pete

Fabulous news all round

Great work as always by you all

Best regards and the best of luck

Paddyboy

[hunterxf382]

Thank you Paddyboy, much appreciated!

We're really excited by the future.... and continue towards the end goal of returning WR963 to the skies!

[Ryan22]

Incredible amount of work going into this project and some fascinating updates which give you a snippet of the complexities involved. Absolute credit and respect to your volunteers. Please keep the updates coming as they are a brilliant insight into your work. It'll all be worth it when the sight and sound of a Growler in the air is there for all to marvel at once more!

[hunterxf382]

Thank you for your reply, rather humbling to read, and reassuring that we are so eagerly anticipated!
Our forthcomng events give us the chance to let people see for themselves what we are achieving of course, and with Number 8 Squadron attending on July 9th we hope to show the modern Air Force that their old grey lady is in good hands

[Satan1274]

Hi can any one update me on progress of this project.
I organise lectures for the Defence Academy Swindon Royal Aeronautical Society and I am wondering if there may be a talk here.Does anyone have any contact details for the project management team please?

[hunterxf382]

In reply to you Satan1274, I will send you a PM as I am the Trust's Publicity Officer and we do offer talks on our work.

Regards

Pete Buckingham

[richw_82]

Hi all.

Just a quick drop in by me to remind you all about the 9th July approaching, whch marks 25 years since WR963 touched down at Coventry and entered preservation. She's come a long way, and a short distance in that time. Usually you can find her providing shade for visitors and occasionally killing the grass in patches when the Griffons are run up just across from Hangar 7, Coventry.



Then occasionally she takes a stroll. Its only been once or twice a year so far, but the bar is being pushed. The 9th July will see another taxy run, and there'll be more this coming year once this event is past. The intent is to try an bring her serviceability up to be capable and reliable enough to taxy once a month, something the team is pushing hard to achieve. I got lucky last year - I was Engineer for the taxy run in the Vulcan day. ONce everything was behaving I took a chance and got these two shots from the window, but the memory will last forever. A couple of chaps on the recent taxy run in April got even better footage... a chance that others can take advantage of too incoming months!





One thing that struck me when I visited recently was that although I've removed myself from duties with SPT; I still want to see WR963 fly and I still believe it can happen. I want to see this taxy past, become a turn onto a runway and off into the blue yonder. Hear the Griffon growl and watch '963 become a distant speck in the distance.



SPT have got a hell of a long way, and managed to secure funding for the NDT work, then when everything seemed to be a done deal they then had a new problem in having to find the money to rent hangar space after our long time friends at Air Atlantique decided to start ceasing activities. So far without resorting to endless chain e-mails or campaigns, they've already got over half way. Please support the SPT, as visitors are still welcome as ever. Go and watch a ground run up, or visit. Book a taxy ride when the spaces become available. Or, if you have a spare minute online and fancy donating to help go here: http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/fundraising.html

A Shackleton will fly again, and your help would make it happen that bit faster.

Regards,

Rich

[hunterxf382]

We are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the last flight of WR963 which departed RAF Waddington and touched down at Coventry Airport on this very day in 1991. This marked the start of the next era in the life of this Avro Shackleton with the airframe being purchased at auction as one of a pair (the other airframe being WL790) by the late David Liddell-Grainger. The intention was to fly one of the airframes in civilian ownership with the other acting as a spares source.
After a few years of struggling with bureaucracy in vain, WL790 was flown out to the USA where she operated under FAA rules for 14 years until retirement into Museum life...
WR963 had been the chosen spares ship for WL790, and as such had been a test-bed airframe and stripped of many parts. In 1997 the Shackleton Preservation Trust took over looking after this airframe and set about returning the airframe to working condition as best they could...
Eventually, in 2008, a taxy run was achieved down the runway at Coventry which proved the viability of continuing to work towards returning WR963 to full working order once more!
In 2012, after a huge amount of careful research and gathering documentary evidence, the CAA was approached again to gain approval for a “Return to Flight” status... Amazingly, this time it was approved, and the hard work really began for the team!
In recent years WR963 has proved she wants to fly again with several taxy runs taking place, many ground runs, and an influx of dedicated volunteers increasing the ability of the team to overcome all the obstacles in our path!
Interest in our project soon reached higher places, with the recent surprise announcement that WR963’s old squadron (Number 8 Sqn Royal Air Force) wished to forge a unique working partnership with us to push forward this project! On July 9th they will be coming back to see their old aircraft for the first time in 25 years as a result, and we want you to be there too!

We will not only be welcoming the Royal Air Force at Coventry, but also have members of 8 Sqn Association attending too! Several VIP guests will be coming, who have been involved with WR963 in various ways over the years.
There are plans to have some airborne visitors too (though sadly not a current Sentry aircraft due to operational circumstances)
The entire team at the Shackleton Preservation Trust would love you to come and see what we have achieved and what our plans are for the future!
To celebrate this special anniversary with us, our Chairman has even discounted the admission price especially for this event too!

Public entry will be just £15 per person for the entire day’s activities where you can take a close look at our aircraft, meet the team, witness WR963 perform on the day, and be part of an historical occasion!
We do ask that if possible you book your place online via our website, and remember to include a message with paypal payments telling us that the payment is for “July 9th 25th Event” please!
http://www.avroshackleton.co.uk/latest-news.html

You will not get an actual ticket, but your name(s) will be on a list at our gate as proof!

We will allow admission on the gate too, but it helps us to know who is attending if we know in advance!

You will be on a live airside apron at Coventry Airport for this event, so our team will be looking after you at all times for your own safety and airport security too of course.

Light refreshments will be available in our Cabin, but we would also recommend the adjacent DC-6 Diner for great value food too, although pre-booking a table might be advantageous as we expect them to be busy on this day!
DC-6 Diner can be contacted on: 07944 512305 or 02477 459020
Website Logo by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

8 Sqn 25 Years b by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

Dscf2685a by Pete Buckingham, on Flickr

[XPLUMBER]

Great news, unfortunately I will be at RIAT, so wish you and the Team all the best for this wonderful project.