Operation Skua, still on the move.

GERMANY
In April we had a brief visit to Deutsches Technikmuseum (DTMB) in Berlin
Together with Heinkel-pilot Horst Schopis, we took a closer look at Arthur Von Casimir's
He 111, (Kampfgruppen 100 Viking) recovered from lake Jonsvatnet, Norway, in 2004. 
Curator Heiko Triesch, DTMB, took us to his workshop.

NORWAY
In June we arranged a visit to Norsk Luftfartsmuseum (NLMB) Bodø, Norway.
Attending was: Peter C Smith, Klas Gjølmesli, Birger Larsen, Simon Partridge, and Oyvind.
Staff from the Museum, museum magazine, and members of  (BLHF)
Visit Bodø Aviation Historical Society

We did a lot of research on Blackburn Skua, reports, parts, drawings, and photos.
During our visit we were given full access to the museum stores, library, and archives.

Simon: The trip to Bodo was fantastic. Oyvind, Klas and Birger looked after us splendidly [and Peter Smith the Skua author was also there]. The Aircraft Museum is a marvellous modern building, and Birger took us to his storage hangar and started to rebuild a Skua on the floor in front of me with the parts they have salvaged. I did see parts from my father's second Skua which I never knew existed.

Simon Partridge holding a divebreak-flap (with a bullethole) from his fathers Skua L2995

Simon Partridge: I'm the son of the late Major Dick "Birdie" Partridge, DSO, RM, and CO of 800 Squadron during the Norwegian Campaign, and author of "Operation Skua".

In mid-June as part of my researches into my father's wartime career I went with Oyvind and others to the marvellous Norwegian Aviation Museum at Bodo where they have the largest collection of Skua parts anywhere - including, which was news to me, substantial parts of my father's last Skua L2995.

Bodo have serious plans to rebuild a complete Skua based round the 60% or so of parts they have now collected from various crash sites. To this end we decided that the time was ripe for a meeting of the "last of the Skua men" at the FAAM this Autumn to gather as much living experience of the plane before it was too late - and to display the fantastic rebuilt cockpit they have at Bodo with some real Skua pilots sitting in it again etc!
The Norwegians are particularly short of parts from the TAG cockpit.



Fleet Air Arm Officers' Association  http://www.fleetairarmoa.org/

Royal Navy Historic flight  http://www.royalnavyhistoricflight.org.uk/home/

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