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Victor gets ready for a new look

Scaffolding is going up at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington near York but not around of the site’s historic buildings – it’s covering one of the museum’s aircraft as it undergoes a repaint.

The Handley Page Victor XL231 was built in 1961 as a nuclear bomber before being converted to a tanker – refuelling other aircraft mid-air.

XL231 is currently in the same hemp – grey colours it’s had since the mid-1980s, and which it wore during Operation Granby, the first Gulf War, in 1991. These were its colours when it flew into the Yorkshire Air Museum in 1993.

The Victor in current colours

It’s now being repainted in a camouflage design for the first time in forty years.  These are the colours that Victors carried when they were used extensively during the 1982 Falklands conflict, flying from Ascension Island in the mid-Atlantic.

The Victor on Ascension Island
The Victor on Ascension Island

The four-engine jet aircraft is 117 feet (36 metres) wide and 114 feet (35 metres) long and the repainting requires it to be covered in scaffolding. Work is due to start on May 6th and while the scaffolding is expected to take a couple of days, the full repaint is like to take around a month.

The scaffolding is being erected around XL231 by specialist firm Kaefer who are supporting the project free of charge.

The painting itself is being carried out by Bagnalls and will following the precise pattern of a 1980s RAF Victor K2.

There will also be a time lapse video recording of the entire process, thanks to specialists Site-Eye, who will be installing a camera on the roof of the 1940s Control Tower, to capture the work as it unfolds.

Yorkshire Air Museum Communications Manager Jerry Ibbotson said:

“This is such an historic project, returning XL231 to her camouflage colours after decades in the hemp scheme. It’s going to look incredible when it’s done, and I think the process of painting her will be fascinating to see. We’re hugely grateful for the support of everyone involved – this is a true partnership”

Trevor Woodward, Director Business & Strategy from Kaefer, who are erecting the scaffolding around the aircraft said:

“Kaefer UK and Ireland is pleased to support the Yorkshire Air Museum in restoring the Victor to its original combat colours. With our expertise in specialist access solutions and industrial services in the defence sector, we are well positioned to enable projects that preserve the UK’s heritage. It’s an honour to play a role in ensuring this historic aircraft can be appreciated for generations to come.”

Joanne Gualda, Marketing Director of Bagnalls, who are carrying out the painting work, said:

‘Bagnalls relishes challenges and opportunities to demonstrate our painting expertise so we are extremely proud to have been chosen to repaint the Victor plane at the Yorkshire Air museum. With a heritage that spans 150 years in the coatings industry it is great to be involved in a project that supports the restoration of our country’s aviation history! ‘

Andre Tempest, the leader of the Victor team at YAM, said:

‘The preservation of history for future generations has been at the heart of everything that has been done on the aircraft since retiring to the Yorkshire Air Museum over 30 years ago. This partnership with Kaefer and Bagnalls, and the continued efforts of the Yorkshire Air Museum has ensured that the completion of this restoration will hopefully help preserve those goals for a further 30.’ 

The official unveiling of the new scheme is scheduled to take place at an event at the Museum – Cold War Wheels – on Sunday June 15th.

If you are a journalist and require more info about this story don’t hesitate to email pr@yorkshireairmuseum.org

Blackburn Mercury Monoplane 1911 (Replica) AH (BAPC) 130 YAM Jan.1995

The Blackburn Mercury Monoplane is regarded as the first truly successful aircraft made by Blackburn at their factory in Leeds. The Mercury I, powered by a 50 hp Isaacson radial engine, was displayed at the Olympia Aero Show in March 1911 and made its debut flying from the beach at Filey with the newly formed Blackburn Flying School. In May 1911, it flew from Filey to Scarborough and back in 19 minutes at an average speed of 50 mph, reaching an altitude of 1200 feet.
This aircraft crashed the next day when the engine seized and the propeller flew off! The Mercury I was followed by two Mercury II aircraft powered by 50 hp Gnome engines, and six Mercury III aircraft, with a number of different engines. Sadly, a Renault powered Mercury crashed at Filey in December 1911, killing an instructor and passenger.
The Museum’s replica was built for Yorkshire Television in 1979 for the Edwardian drama series ‘Flambards’, and was taxied with a car engine. It came to YAM on 10th January 1995 and after a long period in storage it was painstakingly restored to a superb display standard, and was unveiled in June 2000 by Professor Robert Blackburn, grandson of Robert Blackburn, the aviation pioneer.

AVRO 504K ‘H1968’ (Replica) AH (BAPC) 42 YAM Oct. 1994

The Avro 504 first flew in 1913. In the opening phases of the First World War, it served with front-line squadrons in the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service for bombing and reconnaissance, but from 1915 onwards the aircraft entered the training role for which it is most celebrated.

Over 8,000 Avro 504s were built. In 1918, the Royal Air Force had about 3,000, of which 2,276 were trainers.

The Avro 504 was stationed at many Yorkshire airfields, including Tadcaster near the A1/A64 junction, where a period hangar can still be seen.

The Yorkshire Air Museum’s replica was built by apprentices at RAF Halton and appeared at the Royal Tournament in 1968 to commemorate what was then fifty years since the end of the First World War. The aircraft was refurbished in early 2015 to be transported to Thiepval, Northern France, for the Somme Centenary commemoration event, on request of the British Government. In May 2018, it was also displayed at the impressive Hotel Les Invalides in central Paris for a joint RAF / French Air Force event to mark the Centenary of the Royal Air Force and over 100 years of British and French Air Force collaboration.