Wings of Death

by David Holman

  The workforce at Brinton Aviation Ltd in Cumbria will be notified and with no other Government contracts in progress, it is likely that the plant will close with the possible loss of six hundred and fifty jobs. The company has been at the forefront of British aircraft design since the 1920s. In other news, pop group The Beatl….’

  Swan turned off the radio and banged his hand on the steering wheel in anguish. He drove down Constitution Hill, around past Buckingham Palace into the Mall, then through Admiralty Arch and around Trafalgar Square down to Whitehall. He parked in Wellesley Mews and instead of entering the office, made the short walk around the block to the Air Ministry. A few minutes later, he sat across from the desk and looked sullenly at Higgins. It had all been in vain, the Americans had won.

  Higgins could barely speak about it. ‘A black day for the industry, Alex. All those jobs at Brinton’s.’

  ‘So why the decision to destroy everything to do with the Silver Angel?’

  ‘Beats me if I know, Alex. I guess the Yanks insisted on it during the PM’s secret meeting with them. Most probably, they realise that our kite was always the better one after all and they want to ensure that it can never be re-produced. A bit like what happened with the Canadians a few years ago with their excellent Arrow. Still, at least some of the systems will be used on the new supersonic airliner and following our collaboration with the Frogs on this project, we are in negotiation to co-develop a new ground attack aircraft with them. Mind you, although quite a long way off, mind, we are looking at a plan for a multi role combat aircraft, which we may jointly produce with the Germans of all people, and maybe even the Italians for that matter, as they have also shown a keen interest. There’s even a few whispers around the ministry that we won’t even get the FB-X in the end. You see Alex, it needs a lot more work before it meets anywhere near the operational requirement and that is going to send the development costs through the roof. Probably end up with the BK- 98, the carrier-borne job that our senior service is about to receive. I can picture the old Admiral now rubbing his hands with a big, smug smile on his face.’

  ‘So what’s all that about then?’

  ‘The Admiral wanted the RAF to have a land - based version of the BK- 98. Rumour was that he went around with models of the thing in his briefcase, and at meetings with all the potential Rapier customers. He would get them out along with one of the promotional Rapier models, and say for one of those, they could have five BK-98s. The South Africans seemed to have fallen for it. They’ve just ordered sixteen of them.’

  ‘Indeed,’ said Swan in surprise.

  ‘What’s happened about the Yank?’ Higgins asked.

  ‘Brannigan has been handed over to the embassy; we couldn’t do anything because of his diplomatic immunity. Stratton’s got a meeting with his opposite number. Hopefully, they will realise that Brannigan was just a pawn in the bigger game, played by The Eagle’s Lance. Somehow, I do not feel we have heard the last of this strange outfit.’

  Higgins agreed ‘At least the McGregor case has been solved. His fiancé will be pleased.’

  Swan shook his head. ‘I am afraid not, Sir Alistair.’

  Higgins looked puzzled. ‘How so?’

  ‘Let’s just say that the whole affair has had an official lid put on it’

  Higgins gasped. ‘Good lord. So what will you do now, Alex my boy?’

  ‘Carry on, I suppose. I have a new case to get my teeth into at the moment, so will be busy for a while. I may even need your help on this one. My client is an old Luftwaffe test pilot.’

  Higgins beamed a smile ‘A Hun eh? Anytime, Alex my boy. You know where to find me.’

  Swan rose from the chair, leaned across the desk and shook the Air Commodore’s hand.

  *

  A few weeks later, at the recently renamed Airframe & Airborne Weapons Testing & Evaluation Establishment (A&AWTEE) at former RAF Pembridge, Corporal Kenneth Connolly checked the straps on the blue tarpaulin of the secure load on his Queen Mary trailer outside Hangar 1.

  He turned to the approaching technician in a blue overall who handed Connolly a clipboard and pen. ‘You’re all clear to go now, sir.’

  Connolly signed the document and climbed into his cab and the other man watched as the lead escort Land Rover moved forward. He placed his foot on the accelerator and the lorry moved off to follow it across the concrete apron and out to the main road. The guard at the main gate checked the documents handed to him by the driver, and then returned them. He then lifted the red and white barrier and waited for the convoy to pass. At the end of the approach road, the vehicle turned left, shortly followed by the Queen Mary trailer with the rear escort Land Rover completing the ensemble.

  On the trailer, wrapped tightly in the tarpaulin, was the second prototype of the BR-101 Strike and reconnaissance aircraft known as Rapier P-Two. This airframe had remained in Hangar 1 to await repairs that were never undertaken. The BR-101 project had been officially cancelled in favour of the American GK FB-X, and an anglicized version of this new revolutionary aircraft was due to arrive at the A&AWTEE for trials at the end of the year.

  Connolly drove the Queen Mary at a steady pace for its long journey to the storage facility at RAF Wenslow. There it was to be eventually broken up by G Harris & Sons, the local scrap merchant.

  Back at Pembridge, the technician who had signed away the load sat in the canteen, looking deeply into his tea. He had been accustomed to projects coming and going at the top secret base, but of all the aircraft he had been involved with, the Rapier had been the most close to his heart.

  Like previous cancellations, there was always hope that a last minute reprieve would come from somewhere, saving an airframe from the scrap man’s torch, and suddenly in his mind’s eye, he thought to himself how nice it would be to one day take his future grandchildren to see a surviving Silver Angel, as it stood proudly in a museum.

  On the same day, some 240 miles south east of RAF Wenslow, MP Harry Dobson lifted the barrier to allow another transporter through the entrance onto Gunnery Site 5 on the Shellbury Weapons Range, situated on the Essex coast. He knew that today would be a sad day. The transporter driver climbed out of the cab and walked over to the control hut.

  Harry acknowledged him. ‘Morning mate,’ he said solemnly.

  The driver nodded his head to return the gesture. ‘I have a delivery of one beautiful aircraft for you.’

  Harry replied in a similar, somber mood. ‘What a bloody shame.’

  He shook his head as he passed a clipboard to Harry. ‘Airframe no XR439 confirmed and received, and yes it is a bloody shame, the only one to fly as well.’

  ‘What will happen to her?’ enquired the driver.

  ‘She’ll be reassembled, and then towed out to ‘Tin City’ over there,’ Harry pointed to the area that was littered in intervals with airframes of ex-service aircraft. ‘They’re due to start AP live round firing tomorrow. I reckon that she’ll last until the end of the month and what’s left will go to scrap.’

  The driver shook his head again. ‘Why?. I mean, she could have gone to a museum or something.’

  Harry nodded. ‘You know how it is with this new government of ours. They tell us and then we just do it. We’re not allowed to ask why, even though some of those things, (he pointed to the trailer) seem bloody ludicrous!’

  Harry forced a displeasing smile, watching as the driver then worked in silence to detach the trailer from the cab. When finished, he shook Harry’s hand and climbed into his cab. Harry walked over to the barrier while the driver reversed to turn the vehicle around, and then moved it slowly forward towards the exit to the site. As he passed he gave a quick wave to Harry who returned the compliment and then closed the barrier.

  The driver looked in his rear view mirror and filling the panoramic view, was the solitary shape shrouded in a blue tarpaulin on the trailer. As he stared, a tear began to well in his left eye and trickle down his cheek.

  The next day out at Tin City, large exp
losions ripped across the waste ground, as shells penetrated the upturned complete wing of Airframe no XR439, sending chunks of silver metal flying up into the air. Later, over a series of live firing tests from an array of ordinance, the fuselage of the Silver Angel would experience a slow and destructive transformation, from a sleek looking and state of the art war machine, to a mangled metallic resemblance of Swiss cheese.

  Epilogue

  Almost six months after the cancellation of the most sophisticated military aircraft ever built, Alex Swan sat next to Arthur Gable as his ex-Scotland Yard colleague negotiated the Sapphire through Hyde Park Lane. Swan’s left arm was in a sling, following a scuffle with a large deerhound encountered while the two men had entered a private residence which had revealed a covert safe house for Soviet agents. Gable had been lucky, managing to climb onto a wall to avoid the dog after Swan had spotted it bounding towards him. Swan had helped Gable up to safety, however, the animal had flung itself at him as he raised his arm to protect himself, and was wrestled to the ground. Gable was left with only one option: Knowing that Swan could have been more badly hurt or even killed by the beast, he had taken out his revolver and pulled the trigger.

  The car radio was on and being midday, it was time for the news. They both listened attentively to the broadcast, but it was the second item that caught their interest.

  ‘Earlier this morning the first American GK FB-X aircraft was delivered to RAF Pembridge to commence a series of operational evaluation trials. The FB- X has been selected as the primary strike and reconnaissance aircraft, following the cancellation last year of the BR-101 known more commonly as the Silver Angel.

  The FB-X is due to enter service with the RAF next year, although there has been some speculation from military advisors whether the aircraft will be able to fulfil all the roles of the original official Air Ministry requirement.

  The FB-X has also been purchased by Australia. The first BR-101 prototype and the only one to fly was transported to a weapons range in Essex, where it still languishes in a dilapidated state as a gunnery target and armaments test platform. The second prototype aircraft is currently at RAF Wenlow, and will not be repaired after being damaged in a transport accident. It is not known as to what will be the fate of this particular aircraft.

  On cancellation of the project, the wooden mock up and all remaining uncompleted airframes and assembly jigs at Brinton Aviation, were dismantled and blueprints and technical spec drawings were ordered destroyed by the Air Ministry. Brinton Aviation was purchased at the beginning of the year in a takeover deal by American aircraft manufacturer, GK Systems Incorporated. However the BRE-303A engine that was the power plant for the BR-101, is currently being evaluated for the Anglo-French Supersonic Airliner programme.

  In other news, England football team manager Alf Ramsey will be shortly naming his squad for this year’s World Cu-.’

  Swan turned off the radio. ‘Well, there you have it Arthur. The Yanks got their way after all.’

  ‘Sacrilege, sir. That’s all I can say. This is a final nail in the coffin of our own aircraft industry I reckon.’

  Swan nodded, staring out of the side window. ‘I quite agree with old Hammer. I can’t see this country ever producing another military aircraft on this scale again without the collaboration of other countries.’

  The two men sat in silence and Swan gazed through the windscreen up at the statue of Admiral Nelson, as Gable brought the Sapphire around Trafalgar Square heading towards Whitehall.

  *

  Later that year at RAF Wenlow, Rapier P-Two sat forlorn, set up on supportive hydraulic braces. A Warrant Officer in overalls stood before a team of apprentices. To his right, stood a man explaining the avionics that were on full display within the open panel on the side of the aircraft.

  Larry Smith had been pleased, when at the final hour following the decision to scrap all existing Rapier airframes had been given, two of them had been saved. The ex-Brinton Aviation technician now stood next to airframe no XR440, in full lecture mode with his students, pointing out the different areas and demonstrating the viewing panels for each. ‘Here is the TACAN, or Tactical Air Navigation System control, which would have been able to be placed to two settings: Low level and Altitude. The SLAR which stands for Sideways Looking Airborne Radar is here. This could have been either manually set, or integrated as part of the automatic system.’ Larry continued for another hour, going over every part of the beautiful piece of machinery that was centre stage amongst the other aircraft in the teaching hangar. In a way, although he still had managed to remain with the Silver Angel, he felt sad each time he had to add all the what may have been comments to his instruction. Despite all the disappointment that he had experienced since leaving Brinton’s, he would later be jubilant to hear that as well as XR440, another partially built aircraft, the XR442, had been earmarked for use as another instructional airframe.

  For another eight years, they would each continue to be used for ground instruction, until the time came for their retirement from the RAF technical training circuit. From then on, both airframes were earmarked to become respective museum pieces and generations to come would have the opportunity to add their own personal views, opinions and dreams as they stood and stared in awe and appreciation at what would turn out to be the swansong of the British military aviation industry.

  Acknowledgements

  This piece of historic fiction would not have been possible without the essential reference gathered from a variety of sources such as other novels of the genre and period, magazines, newspaper archives and TV programmes in which there are so many, that I regret that I am unable to list all by name.

  However, there is one source that I feel that I should express my sincere gratitude to and that is for the excellent account written by Frank Barnett-Jones: TSR- 2 Phoenix or Folly? ( GMS Enterprises 1998).

  During the writing of this novel, Frank’s book was to be my bible, as I flicked back and forth through the chapters covering both the engineering and the political properties of this remarkable aircraft.

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