Blackburn Beverley

Background The origins of the Beverley can be traced back to the British aviation company General Aircraft; their chief designer F. F. Crocombe worked on the concept as early as 1939. It had been envisaged that, in light of the intense demands of the Second World War, large aircraft designed specifically for transporting bulky payloads would be immediately attractive to military planners. Furthermore, it was reasoned that such an aircraft would also have a future on the civilian market. Into flight Construction of the first prototype was undertaken at General Aircraft's Feltham, Middlesex factory. Following the company's merger into Blackburn Aircraft, it was agreed that construction would continue at Feltham, but that, due to the unsuitability of the adjacent Hanworth Aerodrome, it would be disassembled and transported by road to Blackburn's facility in Brough, Yorkshire, where it was reassembled. On 20 June 1950, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight, piloted by chief test pilot Harold Tim Wood; the flight was reportedly trouble-free. At the time of the flight, it was Britain's second largest landplane (the largest being the prototype Bristol Brabazon). Within four weeks of first flying, the first prototype had flown 21 flights and completed all preliminary handling, performance, and load tests. On 14 June 1953, the second prototype performed its first flight. Into production On 1 October 1952, an initial order for 20 aircraft was placed on behalf of the Royal Air Force (RAF), which designated it as the Beverley C.1 (Beverley, Cargo Mark 1). The name Beverley was officially given to the aircraft in December 1952. To accelerate production, Blackburn had several of the aircraft's subassemblies, including the accessory bays, undercarriage systems, and the clamshell doors, manufactured at the works in Dumbarton. Further orders were subsequently received by Blackburn, including for nine aircraft on 30 July 1954, eight more on 2 January 1956, and another ten aircraft were ordered on 24 September 1956, for a total order of 47 aircraft. All of the production Beverleys would be constructed at Blackburn's Brough facility. Several production aircraft participated in evaluations and test programmes. Amongst these were its tropical trials, conducted in North Africa in the summer of 1955, and its winter trials, conducted in Canada during late 1955 and early 1956. In December 1956, the first production Beverley performed a rocket-assisted take off (RATOG) during short take off trials. On 23 April 1953, the Beverley received its certificate of airworthiness. A total of 49 aircraft were produced, with the last Beverley being completed during 1958. Various proposals were studied by Blackburn for refined or reconfigured variants of the aircraft, but no other customers were ever secured for the Beverley. One specific customer that Blackburn had pursued in the civil sector was Silver City Airways. It was envisaged that the aircraft would be operated as a cross-Channel car ferry, capable of carrying up to six cars and five motorcycles along with 42 passengers. ==Design==

The Blackburn Beverley was a large transport aircraft, designed for carrying large and bulky payloads and landing on rough or imperfect runways, or dirt strips. In terms of its basic configuration, it was a high-wing cantilever monoplane with a fixed undercarriage. The engines and associated accessories were installed in easily interchangeable bays on the lower surface of the wing. The twin-spar wings comprised two separate sections that were bolted onto the fuselage. Simplicity and maintainability were key focus points of its design, thus the Beverley deliberately lacked both pneumatics or cabin pressurisation. The high-mounted tailboom permitted access to the rear of the fuselage through removable clamshell doors. A device called an ''Elephant's Foot'' could be fitted under the centre of the fuselage just forward of the clamshell doors when loading heavy items to prevent the aircraft from tipping back. The flight deck was positioned relatively high, and was accessed via a ladder in the forward portion of the hold. The floor, composed of light alloy, was corrugated and stressed to take distributed loads of 325lb per square foot. Various payloads could be carried, including numerous vehicles. In one configuration, a maximum of nine Jeep-style road vehicles could be carried, a single fully-fuelled bulldozer could also be transported. Paratroopers in the upper passenger area jumped through a hatch in the base of the boom just in front of the leading edge of the tailplane; paratroopers were also able to exit the cargo hold through the side doors. The Beverley was equipped with toilets, which were situated in the tail beyond the paratroop hatch located on the floor of the tailboom. Following a fatal incident where a serviceman fell twenty feet to the ground while exiting the toilet, unaware that the paratroop hatch had been opened, modifications were made to prevent the toilet doors from being opened while the paratroop hatch was open. ==Operational history==

On 29 January 1955, the first production Beverley from an original order for 20 aircraft made its first flight. This same aircraft was delivered to No. 47 Squadron, stationed at RAF Abingdon, on 12 March 1956. The type was quickly used to establish regular freight services to RAF Wildenrath in Germany. Upon its entry to service, it was the largest aircraft operated by the RAF. It became commonly regarded as being "ungainly but highly effective" and was described by Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Freer as "like something out of the Ark, but it was a superb supply dropper." During early 1957, No. 53 Squadron, which was also based at RAF Abingdon, received its first Beverleys; it was absorbed into No. 47 Squadron in June 1963. Its introduction allowed for the retirement of the Handley Page Hastings. During February 1966, No. 30 Squadron started performing its most distant assignment to use the type, delivering humanitarian aid and other supplies to Da Nang, South Vietnam. The squadron continued operating the Beverley until October 1967, at which point the squadron disbanded. During April 1957, No. 30 Squadron received its Beverleys, being initially based at RAF Dishforth. In June 1958, it participated in airlift operations to Iraq in response to a coup d'état. The squadron and its Beverleys would be subsequently deployed to RAF Eastleigh, Kenya and RAF Muharraq, Bahrain. In the former deployment, it assisted in efforts to combat the Mau Mau rebellion and to support Operation Vantage. During this time, No. 34 Squadron carried out flood relief work in South Vietnam. Prior to this, from June/July 1959, the first four Beverleys to go to the Far East formed the Beverley Flight, No. 48 Squadron, based at RAF Changi, Singapore. During 1958, No. 84 Squadron became the sixth squadron to fly the Beverley. Based at RAF Khormaksar, Aden, the type was active during the Aden Emergency, providing airlifts and supply drops to British and Saudi Arabian forces stationed in the region. ==Variants==

• G.A.L. 60 Universal Freighter Mk.1 : General Aircraft Ltd Designation for the first prototype aircraft. • G.A.L. 65 Universal Freighter Mk.2 : Designation for the second prototype aircraft. Blackburn company name B-100. • Beverley C Mk 1 : Medium-range tactical transport aircraft for the RAF. Blackburn company name B-101, 47 built • Blackburn B-107 : Projected Stage 2 development of the B-101 Beverley designed in 1956 that retained the Beverley wings and tail; and added a completely new rounded fuselage with a larger unobstructed freight hold. The intended powerplants were to be four Rolls-Royce Tyne turboprop engines. The design allowed for 75 paratroops or 108 troops to be carried. The design project never progressed beyond the planning stage. • Blackburn B-107A : Projected Stage 3 development of the B-101 Beverley designed during 1959. The B-107A was similar to the B-107, but included main loading doors in the nose and rear doors for para-dropping only, as well as a repositioned flight deck. Like the B-107, this project never progressed beyond the planning stage. ==Operators==

Nine aircraft were lost in service with the RAF, including one in the Sutton Wick air crash. Two were written off after being damaged by explosive devices (one landmine, one bomb). ==Surviving aircraft==

Only a single Beverley has survived: the first production aircraft, XB259 was on display at Fort Paull, just east of Hull, in England, but was sold at auction in September 2020 and then partly dismantled for a proposed move to the nearby former RAF Riccall. In late January 2024, the Solway Aviation Museum acquired the aircraft and launched a £60,000 appeal for donations to cover the costs of further dismantling work then transporting the aircraft to Carlisle for restoration and permanent display there. Three other aircraft survived (two on public display) until 1977, but all were subsequently scrapped: • XH124 was on display at the RAF Museum London, Hendon. Kept outside, the aircraft deteriorated and was scrapped in 1989. • XL149 was scrapped at RAF Finningley in Spring 1977 but the cockpit is preserved at South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum, Doncaster. • XB261 was on display at the Southend Historic Aviation Museum in 1971. When the museum closed it sat outside for years being weather-beaten and vandalised. It was scrapped in 1989; however, part of its cockpit has been preserved at the Newark Air Museum, Nottinghamshire. ==Specifications (B-101)==