The first significant stage in rebuilding RB396 is very nearly complete – the rear fuselage. This is a major milestone for the project and shows that, with your support, we can really achieve our goal. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this happen.
Over the last few months a number of our supporters have been able to see the rebuild in action for themselves at Airframes Assemblies (AA) on the Isle of Wight; the last visit being at the beginning of July. At that time, the bottom skin had been riveted to the frames on the jig and the second skin was just being attached. As you can see below, there’s been quite some progress since then.
Just a few items remain to be completed, some of which now make sense to be done at a later date. The first of these is the integrating tubes and structure that will attach to the cockpit. Perhaps unsurprisingly the type of steel tubing used originally is no longer available and, as the aircraft is being returned to flight, a design modification needs to be approved before these parts can be created. AA will complete these structures, but leave the fitting to the Aircraft Restoration Company (ARCo) who will handle the fitting of the cockpit when it’s ready.
ARCo will also fit the canopy slots and rails onto the fuselage from a kit created by AA. This will allow ARCo to adjust the positions appropriately to match the cockpit rails. Of note, drawings for these fuselage parts do not exist, but the parts on the Hawker Tempest fuselage that forms part of this project’s inventory, have been used as a pattern, as the parts are identical.
A final piece to be completed is the telescopic footrest / step. It wasn’t clear how this part operated and therefore what parts needed to be manufactured, but this has now been solved by multiple visits to the Hawker Typhoon MN235 at the RAF Museum, Hendon, by volunteer team member Andrew. The project is very grateful to the RAFM team for allowing access to MN235 to secure information. The step will be completed and fitted to the fuselage shortly.
The original estimate of the cost of the rear fuselage was £400 000. The current spend is £475,000 with a few invoices left to come in for the small amount of work remaining. Therefore, total spend on this section will be in the region of £500,000. It’s not too surprising, as some hiccups have been encountered along the way but, usefully, some elements that hadn’t originally been included in the original scope of the rear fuselage build have now been completed. These costs don’t include the time and effort of the Group’s volunteer team members, particularly Andrew, who we really rely on for technical insight, but all those others who kee the wheels on the project and the charity turning. Without them, the cost would likely have been around £100,000 more.
These costs have been shouldered entirely by supporters and other charitable activities. The project does not, at this time, have any large scale corporate backing or sponsorship. So this just shows what can be achieved when a large group of people all pull together, to give what they can, in order to achieve an aim. It has not been easy, but it has been done. If you’d like to join those who have supported so far, please visit the “support us” section of our website, here:
When RB396’s rear fuselage travelled over to AA in May of 2019, no one foresaw the world events which were just around the corner. Two years of covid, lockdowns, then just as the world was coming out of that, the situation in the Ukraine blew up, and then there was the still-enduring cost of living situation. The combination of these factors led to the rebuild being paused in late 2021, finally restarting – after stirling efforts by the team to secure the remainder of the funds required – just before Christmas 2023, leading up to where it is now, which is in the final weeks before completion. It is, truly, a milestone.
All in all, the fuselage rebuild has been a fantastic success and a large amount of original material has been incorporated. Approximately 80% of the structure is original material; RB396 will be a true rebuild. The rear fuselage is the original surviving section of RB396, indeed, the original skins on the port side, which are being saved for their historical value, carry its identity, in the form of its original paint. The paint clearly shows its squadron markings, “XP” its letter, “W” and its serial number, “RB396”. It is for this reason that the rear fuselage was chosen as the first section to be rebuilt; it forms the basis and the identity of the whole project and everything that goes around it.
Again, thanks go to all those, past and present, who have supported the project and who have enabled it to get this far. The focus of the fundraising now turns fully to the next section on which work will commence, the cockpit. This section is not yet fully-funded and as a result, needs your support in order for it to commence, continue, and be completed.
We look forward to bringing the next update, which will detail the rear fuselage’s completion.
