Air Pictorial 1977-10
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P.Bish, A.Clancy - Belgian Fairey Tale
Impression of a General Dynamics F-16A in Belgian A.F. colours. Fairey S.A. and SABCA are to build 116 for the Belgian A.F. and 58 for the R. Danish A.F.
Avions Fairey, together with SABCA, built 100 Lockheed F-104G Starfighters for the Belgian A.F. plus 89 for the Luftwaffe
Next fighter to be built under licence by Avions Fairey was the Hawker Hunter - F.4 ID136 for the Belgian A.F. illustrated
Hawker Hurricane N-10042, one ol two completed by Avions Fairey before the German invasion in May 1940. Belgian A.F. Hurricanes had four 0.5-in. guns instead of the usual eight 0.303-in.
Philippines Aerotransport Hercules RP-C101 about to transport two Islander kits from Gosselies to Manila for assembly there by PADC
Set of skis produced by Fairey S.A. for U.S. Navy LC-130R Hercules operating in the Antarctic
Belgian A.F. Lockheed T-33 FT-28 after overhaul by Fairey S. A., 23/3/77
Just out of the Gosselies paint shop on 22nd March 1977, BN2A-27 Islander G-BEFM, c/n. 557, is the third for George Wimpey & Co.; orange/black/white colour scheme
Today much of the floor space at Fairey S. A's Gosselies factory ts taken up with Islander and Trislander production
Islander fuselage side panels in their jigs in the sub-assembly shop
During 1957-63 the company overhauled some 435 Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks for the Belgian and French A.F.s - latter illustrated
Dassault Mirage 5BA and (behind) two-seat Mirage 5BD supplied to the Belgian A.F.
The start of it all. Adoption of the Fairey Firefly II by the Belgian Air Force led to the creation of Avions Fairey at Gosselies in 1931 to build the type under licence
Pleased with the Firefly, the Belgian A.F. selected the Fairey Fox for its day-bomber and reconnaissance squadrons and this type too was built under licence at Gosselies. Shown are some of the first Hayes-built Fox IIs for the Belgian A.F.
First Tipsy design was the single-seat S of 1935. Shown here is S.2 OO-ASA, later G-AENF, at Bristol in 1936
G-AISA, a Tipsy B side-by-side two-seater built at Hanworth in 1947, is still in existence
BN2A Mk. III-2 Trislander G-BEHE, c/n. 1049, made its maiden flight at Gosselies on 23rd March 1977 during the authors' visit. It is the 53rd Trislander assembled by Fairey S. A.
Final assembly ol Trislander c/n. 1051 at Gosselies
Tipsy Nipper G-ASXI, built at Gosselies in 1960 as OO-KOC, was VH-CGH before coming to the U.K.
Second of two Tipsy Junior single-seat ultra-lights built, OO-ULA was imported into England in 1948 and exists today as G-AMVP
Gloster Meteor F.8 EG-224 was one of 67 built lor the Belgian A.F at Gosselies from parts supplied by Britain and Holland