Bluebird Archive Photos & Films

[KW Mitchell]

Sorry, Mike, the job's taken as I fit all the self-fulfilling criteria:-

1 Donald Campbell and I both had rheumatic fever when we were kids and were rejected by the RAF as Fighter Pilots.

2 I was alive when the tragedy occurred in '67.

3 From several hundred yards, I bear a striking resemblance to what DC would have looked like if he'd survived to age 61 (see below).

4 I am also several kilo' lighter than some of the more rotund members of TBP so K7 will have no problem planing with me in the cockpit.

[Renegadenemo]

Keith,

Something horrible has happened to your boat in the above picture. It's turned green, the engine seems to be at the wrong end and the sponsons look slightly long and flattened. If it's been in an accident I'm sure we can fix it for you.

[KW Mitchell]

Keith,

---- If it's been in an accident I'm sure we can fix it for you.

Oooh, Billy - that thought sends shivers down me spine!

The late Ray Hanna would not have been best pleased if I'd bent his beloved 'MH434' ------!!

[Renegadenemo]

I keep getting asked about this so I've finally dug it out. In the NDT report carried out by the RAF in 1966 says the following.

Engine pick up brackets:- Examined visually and by dye penetrant application.
Port bracket found defective at weld near lower attachment holes. This item has been rewelded.

It has too. There's no evidence that it was ever defective. The report also notes 'severe internal corrosion of the bottom frame members particularly the rear cross member at frame 1'.
This is particularly important to us becuase the concern in 66 was whether the rudder, fin or water break would rip out of the damaged tubes with obvious consequences. Corrosion pits of .020" to .030" covering approximately 25% of the surface area were observed. Now then - examining the inside of the tubes today shows no obvious deterioration from that state so we know the internal corrosion existed in 66/67 and that the rudder, etc didn't rip off at 328mph so we ought to be good at 100mph. That's useful to know.

[Excelsior2007]

What an awesome set of archive photos of Bluebird and Donald Campbell. There are a number in here that I haven't seen before. What a treasure trove.

[Excelsior2007]

1034531.jpg

Bill, only too happy to keep the pics coming... I will send you a PM in the AM (if you see what I mean!)

By the way, look at this picture. Speed well over 260 mph (look at the angle of the ariel), but with a perfect trim. Ever so slightly nose down - never better. K7 would have got the job done on the 4th of Jan - good and proper... no doubt about that, had impatience and fate not intervened.

That has to be one of my favourite pictures of Bluebird at speed in her element, doing what she was meant to do.

[sheppane]

A nice image of K7 tramping down Canandaigua Lake on July 57. Starboard fin is just in sight...

[sheppane]

Just noticed.... A lot of the pics have dropped off because they exceed 600 x 600 in size. Anything anyone can do about this?

Anyhow, here's another small pic... DMC in K7's cockpit in Nov 66

[Renegadenemo]

Easy for you to look at 'nice references', all I can think is, sh*t! we still have to build most of what you see in that pic from scratch.

[Piston Broke]

Great pics Neil, thank you for sharing.

Maybe the existing uploaded photos were affected in the same way as the avatars were in the recent forum update? Maybe Al will come along and bail me out again!

EDIT- have just increased the allowed attachment size to 900x900, though I guess the older stuff is either lost, or in a back-up somewhere?

After a lot of head scratching and trying different things it looks like I have manged to restore the uploaded attachments

If any are not showing please let me know and i'll see what I can do