Hi everyone,
quite a while back there was some interest in seeing pictures from the Canadian Museum of Flight's restoration of the Handley Page Hampden between 1985 and 2003.
The project was headed by Fred Gardham with help from many volunteers. Fred worked on Hampdens during WWII and used his memory and old drawings to reconstruct the CMF's example. He started restoring sections of the Hampden in a small workshop near his apartment in Downtown Vancouver, BC. From the pictures you can see how things were done in pieces. A lot of the work was done outside as the CMF has never had a facility large enough to cover out entire collection. This made for difficult times. Most if not all of the work was done during the summer months, which in this area are very short.
For more information about the CMF's Hampden including a story of it's crash into Patricia Bay, it's discovery, recovery, and restoration please check out
www.canadianflight.org/collect/col_11.htm
This is what she looked like in 1985, shortly after being brought back to the CMF's site in Crescent Beach(Surrey), BC.
The first section to be rebuilt was the nose section
And there's me in front of it... 1986.
Efforts were made to put the pieces together to resemble something like an airplane. The machine gun in the upper right part of the nose was its orginal machine gun and when the Hampden was recovered the gun was cleaned up and it still worked after about 40 years of being underwater.
Eventually the centre section, rear fuselage, and tail section were completed
The wing tips on either side were the next to be reconstructed
This image shows some of the conditions faced while working on the Hampden
A large pile of parts from the recovered wreck were always kept close by to reference. It became a favourite home for small snakes.
Eventually she started to look like a plane (ref:
www.canadianflight.org)
Eventually she was put back on her feet. Those are the original tires.
Here's me, a few years later, when I spent the summer helping Fred and co. with the restoration. This was my first experience with restoration work and I loved it. I learned a lot! I helped with metal work on the port engine nacelle. I was found to be very useful for climbing inside the cowling and holding the bucking bar.
In 1994 the CMF forced to move to a new homesite in Langley. Work on the Hampden stopped while the move took place. Work restarted, but at a slower pace until she was finally completed in 2003. (ref:www.canadianflight.org)
After the completion of the restoration there was a wonderful ceremony to mark the feat and to dedicate the airplane to Fred Gardham who put his heart and soul into the restoration. It was quite an amazing undertaking especially considering his age when he started it.
Fred Gardham
Me and Fred, 2003
So there you have it people. Currently the only Handley Page Hampden on display in the world and one of two in existance. Come and check it out. Hey Nathan, there's an early WWII airplane for ya!
Cheers,
David
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