By Wayne Bailey
February 2010
The Greenwood Museum's
Bolingbroke aircraft restoration project came from a farmer's field
near Dauphin, Manitoba, having rested in a swamp since World War II (WW
II). Built under license by Fairchild Aircraft Limited, Longueuil,
Quebec as a Canadian version of the Bristol Blenheim, Mark IV, this
aircraft saw service in western Canada as a trainer for the British
Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP).
Conceived in the mid 1930's by
Lord Rothermere, a wealthy British newspaper publisher, the Blenheim was
to be a fast (250 mph) commercial aircraft to carry up to six people
plus pilot. Although the Bristol Aircraft Company was somewhat reluctant
to build an aircraft that was superior to anything then being flown by
the Royal Air Force, the aircraft was developed and constructed, with
the first flight in 1935. Initially equipped with wooden propellers, a
change to metal propellers was made shortly after production started.
The new propellers astonished the aircraft designer as he watched his
aircraft exceed 300 mph - eighty mph faster than anything in the Royal
Air Force at the time!
With the outbreak of World War II,
the British warmed to this fast new aircraft and Bristol quickly
transformed the aircraft into wartime production as a fighter/light
bomber. The Blenheim could "fly rings around the other British
aircraft of the day….."! (Timothy W. Shire ensign.ftlcomm.com).
In fact, the first bombing raid of WW II was carried out by Blenheims on
4 September 1939 from RAF Station Wattisham. Greenwood's 404 and 415
Squadrons flew the Blenheim bomber versions overseas, while the BCATP
units at Greenwood flew the Bolingbroke (affectionately known as the
Bolly) as a target tug and utility aircraft. The distinctive yellow and
black markings of a target tug have been selected for the Museum's
restoration project.
Leading the restoration team is
Robert "Bob" Johnson (aka CO 517 F/L Graham Air Cadet
Squadron), with team members Norm Bonney, Peter Davis, Rolf Hippman, Bob
MacDonald, Ian Patrick, David Richards, Hugh Ryan, Brian Troniak, and
Malcolm Uhlman. In the workshop behind the Museum, organization was the
key word last month with the start of the project. So, where to start
such a daunting project? Bob MacDonald constructed an adjustable cradle
of 2" x 8" spruce on heavy casters to hold the fuselage. His
next task is the adaptation of the cradle to enable the team to turn the
fuselage on its side, giving access to the bottom of the fuselage where
many panels will need to be replaced.
As the aircraft is constructed of
aluminum panels riveted over aluminum ribs, the main job is to simply
drill out the old rivets, allowing the panels/ribs to be repaired or
replaced - the old panels being used as templates for any new pieces.
Progress, so far, is slow but steady as the team cleans up the
structures and learns how to do the required work. The gun turret, the
horizontal and vertical stabilizers, and many small parts have been
removed. Besides the Restoration Team, Cadets from 517 Squadron have
been known to slip in after hours to offer needed help. Thanks to them;
all help is appreciated.
Next month, a more detailed look
at the aircraft and the work done so far will be presented. To view the
progress of the project, go to the internet:
http://cid-51dcd035840dc300.photos.live.com/albums.aspx
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