The team is always seeking original Typhoon parts to help with the rebuild and so news of recovery operations are always of interest. Tim Struyf and Andrew Boakes recently attended one such recovery in Alblasserdam in The Netherlands.
Typhoon MN954 from 609 squadron was hit by flak on 28 September 1944. The Belgian pilot, Flight Lieutenant J N Vandaele, bailed out but was unfortunately too low. His body was found close to the crash site.
The marshy, clay-filled soil persevered the recovered parts well. The larger parts are expected to go on display at a local museum, but it is anticipated that other items will be made available to projects like ours once they have been conserved and recorded.
In other news regarding parts, we have recently acquired an access panel for the port side aileron jack and a Typhoon wheel. Any Typhoon part can be useful for the project. In good condition, they may be used in the rebuild itself; whereas, parts in poor condition can be useful for reverse engineering. So if you ever hear about a Typhoon part, please let us know!