RCAF museum to get Hudson

[Mike Berry]

I snapped these during my first visit to the museum in 2004.

Looks like a section of cockpit floor and controls on the ground behind the aircraft.











Regards,
Mike

[jdvoss]

Helinut:

I noted your comment above about the subject Hudson being assigned to No.1 Group Hq at St. Johns, Nfld. Upon reviewing my book "RCAF Squadrons and Aircraft" by Kostenuk I looked up the Group in Appendix 5 (pg. 235) and noted that No.1 Gp was made up of the following four squadrons:

No. 5 Sqn (BR) based at Gander w/ Canso A/C
No. 127 Sqn (F) based at Gander w/ Hurricane I
No. 125 Sqn (F) based at Torbay w/ Hurricane I
No. 145 Sqn (BR) based at Torbay w/ Hudson Mk. I & II ( sample s/n's were BW 430, BW 441, BW618, 762, 766, 771 and 784). This sqn had the fuselage code of "EA" and the one photograph in the book showed an all white aircraft.

Note: Both Hudson 771 and 784 have U-Boat victories.

Do you by chance have the s/n of the pictured Hudson ?? I would be great to find if it was indeed 771 or 784 !!!!

jdvoss

[DaveM2]

Hudson MK.VI s/n 42-47022, construction number 6942

[hercrat]

Great! Glad to see that something is finally happening with this Hudson!
That is indeed part of a Hudson cockpit that was lying beside the aircraft. The VMFA donated that to the museum wwwaaaaayyyyy back and it comes from the Brighton Ontario farm of George Ventress, just down the road from Trenton!
This aircraft was a lifeboat carrying Hudson (we have pics) and did not have any sub strikes to it's credit.
Look forward to seeing this aircraft again when next in the area!

[JDK]

Mk VI Hudson

The Mk VI Hudson was the Royal Air Force designation for the Lend-Lease model A-28A light bomber and maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The Museum's plane (FK 466, s/n 42-47022, construction number 6942) was one of over 2000 Hudsons delivered to the RAF during W.W. II.

It was taken on strength during 1944 and served with No. 1 Composite Squadron, RCAF, stationed at Torbay Newfoundland. Its gun turret was removed, and it was equipped with a lifeboat for rescue missions. It participated in the successful rescue of a downed B-24 crew in 1945. The fuselage was found languishing in a scrap yard and is believed to be the only surviving Mk VI in existence, in Canada.

Currently this aircraft is in long term storage. It is also not on display to the public at this time. It is planned that at sometime in the future the Museum will restore this valuable aircraft, therefore, we are collecting parts for the aircraft. However, it will be sometime before work begins.

http://www.atlanticcanadaaviationmuseum.com/
(See 'Aircraft museum' then 'Aircraft in storage'.)

[davem]

Hudson MK.VI s/n 42-47022, construction number 6942

The museum lists it as being RCAF FK466 - but this id was never assigned by the RCAF.

[DaveM2]

Hudson MK.VI s/n 42-47022, construction number 6942

The museum lists it as being RCAF FK466 - but this id was never assigned by the RCAF.

I see it noted on the open door shot in Mike's photo further up the page. Perhaps a glitch in the records?

[davem]

Hudson MK.VI s/n 42-47022, construction number 6942

The museum lists it as being RCAF FK466 - but this id was never assigned by the RCAF.

I see it noted on the open door shot in Mike's photo further up the page. Perhaps a glitch in the records?

The markings inside the door seem to have been more recently applied - note the white lettering seems to be over the older scratches in the paint on the door. There was a FK465 and a FK467, but according to my records FK466 was not assigned as a RCAF id.

[DaveM2]

Well spotted, any chance of cross referencing the c/n with the records without a getting stuck with a migraine

[davem]

Well spotted, any chance of cross referencing the c/n with the records without a getting stuck with a migraine

I don't have anything good on Lockeed to cross reference, but FK466 was a RAF id (as were all in this series), perhaps the aircraft stayed with the RAF and was never transferred to the RCAF? There are many wise minds on WIX and I'm sure it will be resolved.

[JDK]

Interesting - my understanding (not being a serials guy) the RCAF (and the other Commonwealth countries) rarely used USAF serials (42-47022) IIRC, most of those using US serials were in more desperate times such as the early Pacific War, so I'd assume (yup - assumptions...) that it would be assigned an RCAF or maybe an RAF serial, as implied - so, what would it be?
Regards,

[Mike Berry]

Great! Glad to see that something is finally happening with this Hudson!
That is indeed part of a Hudson cockpit that was lying beside the aircraft. The VMFA donated that to the museum wwwaaaaayyyyy back and it comes from the Brighton Ontario farm of George Ventress, just down the road from Trenton!
This aircraft was a lifeboat carrying Hudson (we have pics) and did not have any sub strikes to it's credit.
Look forward to seeing this aircraft again when next in the area!

George had an outhouse constructed from a Hudson nose section. It's possible that spare cockpit floor was removed from the same airframe.

[Mike Berry]

Maybe the door is a spare from FK466?

[Barrie MacLeod]

There is an intact Hudson in eastern Canada. In 1967 a local airline pilot flew Kenting's former Hudson BW769 into Gander and it was put on a "pole" as the Atlantic Ferry Command Memorial. It is inside now. I took this photo in May 1972 when I was an air controller in Gander. It was painted then in the colors of the first Hudson to fly the Atlantic, piloted by Bennett in 1940.

[helinut]

The museum has photos of FK466 flying and dropping the boat these, pic came from a pilot that flew it back then a Mr Jou Mc Dermott.Iread in a book once that FK 466 was transfered from the RAF and was modified in Scoduc NB to carry the boat.