Javelin Prototype & Avro707 - Farnborough 1952?

[PeteP]

Two more images from the box of glass plate negatives which I believe may have been taken at the Farnborough Air Show in 1952. The Javelin is WD808, the second prototype which was lost in June 1953. I can't see a serial on the 707 but maybe the experts here know of another way to identify which one it is - any help appreciated to allow correct cataloguing. Both photos are unedited except to reduce them to 800 x 600.





Pete

[Garry Russell]

Hi Pete

The 707 were all different

Going by the dates here it looks like VX790

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_707



Garry

[PeteP]

Thanks, Garry - I'll list it as a 707B then, unless anyone else here knows otherwise.
Pete

[MALTBY D]

Hi Pete/Garry

That is definitely the prettier 707A. It has the wing intakes instead of dorsal intakes of the 707 & 707B.
And it can't be the 707C because that one had circlular side windows.

There were two 707As.
WD280 - salmon pink, then red, then silver.
WZ736 - orange, then yellow.

A quick look at the info I have says that WZ736 wouldn't have flown until 1953, so if your date is right it's likely to be WD280 in salmon pink. Hmmm lovely. :tonqe:

ATB
DM

[TSR2]

See DM... all that info DID come in useful... eventually

Lovely shots. What a lovely aircraft. Thanks Pete

[DaveB]

Ahh.. the 707 will probably haunt DM for EVER Thank goodness you guys never got to fly the one that flew better inverted! ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[PeteP]

... if your date is right it's likely to be WD280 in salmon pink.

Thanks very much, Dave, that's great.

I'm reasonably confident of the date. The envelopes containing these negatives were both marked 'SBAC'. A little Google-ing on the Javelin's serial, WD808, showed that it first flew in August 1952, made its first public appearance at the 1952 SBAC show at Farnborough in September that year and was destroyed in June 1953. Not conclusive but I think Farnborough '52 is a reasonable assumption.

I'll catalogue it as an Avro 707A, believed to be WD280 at Farnborough in 1952.

Thanks again
Pete

[Nigel H-J]

Ahh.. the 707 will probably haunt DM for EVER Thank goodness you guys never got to fly the one that flew better inverted!

Dunno about that, I can think of at least one member who would....our very own Peter Mclelland!!

Nigel.

[DaveB]

You're darned right there Nigel. How did I miss that!

ATB

DaveB :tab:

[MALTBY D]

Thank goodness you guys never got to fly the one that flew better inverted!

I'd forgot about that. If you could simply turn an air file upside down that model would have been fantastic.

Pete, 100% certain it's WD280.
I'd not noticed the black patches around the intakes. Never seen a pic of WZ736 with that feature, wheras WD280 always had.
Also I have a pic of WZ736 labeled as SBAC 1953 & it didn't have the AVRO logo on the tail or the circle logo at the front either.

And WD280 was probably on its second red scheme by the time of your shot.
I've got a B/W pic which has that 'first flight' look about it & it isn't quite the same. The logos are in different positions & unlike your shot, there's no mistaking it was PINK at the time.

DM