Trident restoration begins!
Apr 15th, 2010 | By admin | Category: Featured articles, Project News
Work has finally started in preparing the last complete Trident 1C airframe anywhere in the world for display in a museum.
G-ARPO is our aircraft, and last week members from the Save The Trident team, including Tony Jarrett, Neil Lomax, Peter Foster and Phil Biley, met at Durham Tees Valley Airport to begin preparation work on the airframe.
Following important and useful discussions with both Durham Tees Valley Airport authority, and members of Serco’s International Fire Training Centre, to secure arrangements to move the aircraft off site, work was begun on parts of the interior of the aircraft.
Trident expert Neil Lomax directed the work, which saw the blacked-out interior window panes removed, illuminating the cabin for the first time in many years and allowing workers to see their workspace much more clearly. Other work took place in the cockpit, closing the DV window which had been stuck open for a long time. Ceiling panels and overhead locker doors were also removed for storage/disposal.
The new, light interior!
This major milestone in our project is very exciting. This preparation work is taking place before cutting and transportation later in the year. It enables us to remove any unnecessary clutter and weight from the airframe, and begin securing parts from any further damage.
Our thanks go out to the helpful staff members at DTVA and Serco for assisting us in our plans to preserve this aircraft. We can’t confirm any dates of moving yet, but can assure you the logistics are all falling into place.
We still desperately need donations towards the cost of restoration. We’re getting close to the time when we need to think about purchasing materials such as paint, upholstery, carpets etc. Everyone agrees we have the chance to put together a very special aircraft here, so please help if you can!
Neil working in the cockpit
As an ex-HSA/BAe Hatfield man and Trident myself, it is excellent to have come across this website and the good work you guys are doing. If only you weren’t located at the other end of the country I would lend a hand myself!! I have managed to get into the Trident fuse at Salisbury Hall and the cockpit section located at Farnborough in recent years, just to keep the interest going! If it helps, I have a pretty full set of complete airframe colour scheme drawings (blueprints) with dimensions, etc, which were used to paint the original new aircraft way back in our Hatfield paint shop. If you ever need to look at them for reference, please ask…
Keep up the great work at keeping one of Hatfield’s finest going….
With very bets regards,
Mike Farrier
Hi Mike,thank you for your comment’s,ref livery blueprints we would be very interested in the Northeast scheme please e mail me on nwl209@aol.com ,i am an ex resident of Old Welwyn…. and Barnet so i was happily near the Hatfield site.
Hi Mike,thank you for your comment’s,ref livery blueprints we would be very interested in the Northeast scheme please e mail me on nwl209@aol.com ,i am an ex resident of Old Welwyn…. and Barnet so i was happily near the Hatfield site.
Hi i am aircraft engineer and worked on all Tridents with BA at Glasgow and was my first aircraft type licience . Fantastic aircraft so i hope all goes well wth restoration. i was happy to donate to restoration fund . Could you please inform me when its completed. would love to see it again.
LES.