REPORTS FROM Duxford suggest increased engineering work is being carried out on the Fighter Collection’s resident Bristol Beaufighter XIc JM135. The project has been ongoing since the 1990s, and the fuselage and wing structures have largely been completed, but finding suitable powerplants to incorporate into the overhaul has been challenging.
However, recent activity indicates progress to overcome the difficulties with high hopes the Beaufighter’s rebuild to flying condition will gather pace. Currently, there are no airworthy examples of the type anywhere in the world.
According to The Fighter Collection’s website, the example being worked on is made up of centre sections and fuselages recovered from Drysdale, Australia, [circa 1981] and subsequently moved to Sydney. The parts are said to come from British-built Mk.XIs A19-144 (JM135) and A19-148 (JL946). The cockpit was originally fitted to an Australianconstructed Beaufighter, the identity of which is unknown.
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