Searching in stories... |
Timeline |
Options
|
|
||
|
||
|
||
Show the latest entries |
||
Searching in stories... |
Timeline |
The Blackburn B-101 Beverley was a 1950s British heavy transport aircraft built by Blackburn and General Aircraft.
Designed and built by General Aircraft as the GAL.60 Universal Freighter, the first aircraft was dismantled at the Feltham, Middlesex factory and transported to Brough in Yorkshire to have its maiden flight on 20 June 1950. This was followed by a second, the GAL.65, which was modified from the original. Clamshell doors replaced a combination of a door and ramp, and the tailplane boom received seating for 36 passengers. The Bristol Hercules engines became Bristol Centaurus with reverse-pitch propellers a feature that gave it a short landing length. The RAF placed an order in 1952 as the Beverley C.1, (for Beverley, Cargo Mark 1). All 49 Beverleys would be built at Brough.
The aircraft is a high-wing cantilever monoplane with a fixed undercarriage. The large fuselage has a tailboom fitted with a tailplane with twin fins. The tailboom allowed access to the rear of the fuselage through removable clamshell doors. A 36ft main fuselage space was supplemented by passenger accommodation in the tailboom. The main cargo hold could accommodate 94 troops with another 36 in the tail-boom.
The aircraft was designed for carrying large bulk loads and landing them on rough or imperfect runways, or mere dirt strips. It could trace its design back to the GAL49 Hamilcar glider of the Second World War. At the time of its entry into service it was the largest aircraft in the Royal Air Force. It had a large interior cargo area split into two levels which amounted to around 170 cubic meters of space. Paratroopers in the upper passenger area jumped through a hatch in the base of the boom just in front of the leading edge of the tailplane.
In total, 49 of the aircraft were produced, with the last one being manufactured in 1958, and final retirement from RAF service was in 1967.
The first operational aircraft was delivered to 47 Squadron Royal Air Force at RAF Abingdon on 12 March 1956. 53 Squadron, also at RAF Abingdon, received Beverleys but was absorbed into 47 Squadron in June 1963. They were flown until October 1967 when the squadron disbanded. 30 Squadron received its Beverleys in April 1957 at RAF Dishforth subsequently deploying to RAF Eastleigh, Kenya and RAF Muharraq, Bahrain where it disbanded in September 1967. The longest serving Beverleys were in the Far East. 34 Squadron received its aircraft at RAF Seletar in October 1960 and continued flying them until the end of 1967. The squadron strength was supplemented in June 1959 when 48 Squadron, then based at RAF Changi, was absorbed into it. The sixth squadron to fly the Beverley was 84 Squadron at RAF Khormaksar, Aden which flew them until August 1967 when they were exchanged for Hawker Siddeley Andovers.
Only one Beverley has survived: XB259 is on display at Fort Paull, just east of Hull, England. Two other aircraft were on public display but have since been scrapped:
XH124 was on display at the RAF Museum, Hendon. Kept outside, the aircraft deteriorated and was scrapped in 1989.
XB261 was on display at the Southend Historic Aviation Museum in 1971. When the museum closed it sat outside for years being weather-beaten and vandalised. It was scrapped in 1989, however, part of its cockpit has been preserved at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.
XL149 was an instructional airframe after its RAF service and was scrapped in 1977.
Nine aircraft were lost in service with the RAF. Two of these were write-offs after explosive damage (1 landmine, 1 bomb).
— — — = = — — —
— — — = = — — —
![]() |
You choosed to show only the famous things! (Via the Options menu)