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| Based on "Hamilcar" cargo glider built by General Aircraft.
The first prototype G.A.L. 60 flew on June 20, 1950. Entered service in January 1955. 47 built.
| MODEL | B-101 |
| ENGINE | 4 x Bristol "Centaurus" 273, 2125kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 64864 kg | 143001 lb |
| Empty weight | 35940 kg | 79235 lb |
| Payload | 22400kg or 94 troops or 70 paratroopers | 49384 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 49.38 m | 162 ft 0 in |
| Length | 30.3 m | 99 ft 5 in |
| Height | 11.81 m | 39 ft 9 in |
| Wing area | 270.9 m2 | 2915.94 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 383 km/h | 238 mph |
| Cruise speed | 278 km/h | 173 mph |
| Ceiling | 4875 m | 16000 ft |
| Range | 2092 km | 1300 miles |
 | A three-view drawing (800 x 927) |
| Revd. Andrew MacKenzie, e-mail, 20.03.2024 14:05 Glad to say that it seems that the future of this last remaining Bev is mow assured, as the Solway Aircraft Museum plans to purchase it, and move it to Carlisle. See their site for more info. reply | | Anonymous, 20.03.2024 14:04 Glad to say that it seems that the future of this last remaining Bev is mow assured, as the Solway Aircraft Museum plans to purchase it, and move it to Carlisle. See their site for more info. reply | | "Taffy" H, e-mail, 29.12.2021 20:34 THIS IS MY THIRD CONTRIBUTION TO THIS INTERESTING LIST!
I forgot to say that the Night Jump episode I described here is taken from my book "The Other Side of Life". There I describe my experiences
through P Company and Abingdon Para. School training in 1958 - blow by blow.
jgh 23 PFA reply | | "Taffy" H, e-mail, 29.12.2021 20:25 THIS IS MY SECOND CONTRIBUTION TO THIS INTERESTING LIST!
At ten-forty-five on the following evening - to use the jargon - I got one more “under my belt”. A night-jump - without weapons containers - and, for my first time, from the boom - through the upper floor aperture of a Beverley.
In my diary I wrote “Wind speed low”. The other atmospherics were different, and so was enplanement.
From the half-light moonshine outside, our Beverley boom-stick of about 30, emplaned - walking from the portable steps into the dimly lit vast cavernous cargo-hold. From there, like monkeys - except we had parachutes on! - we randomly climbed up the high side wall-bars; then, like bees returning to their nest, struggled through a hatch, onto the boom-deck above. It was also dimly - eerily - lit.
In my mind -
I must STEP….. I must NOT JUMP,
I must STEP….. I must NOT JUMP,
I must STEP….. I must NOT JUMP, …..
I said that the learning sequence began in a relatively simple way, then - jump by jump - progressed to be more difficult and dangerous. Now I tried to reassure myself that, coping at night, was simply another “little” stage of that experience! Another concern was the exit rate - the rate at which we were dispatched from the plane. The tempo was increased on each successive jump.
But what an experience!
I must STEP….. I must NOT JUMP,
I must STEP….. I must NOT JUMP,
I must STEP….. I must NOT JUMP, …..
• “GREEN-LIGHT! GO….!” “GO….!” “GO….!” “GO….!”
.. I must STEP..I must NOT..!
“GO…!”
I must STEP….
Through the ample floor aperture, I stepped into a turbulent blackness -nearly a thousand feet deep. I was out, passing through the quick-flit of the boom’s shadow, in dim, and swift, bracing night air. Lying back, my rigging lines stretched across the sky like lines on music-staff paper. I was surfing again. Oh! the unbridled joy of it.
Under a clear expansive sky, four throaty engines - each a thousand unsilenced Harley Davidson’s - first above - then behind - spat short, yellow, stabbing flames from twin concentric circles of heated-blue-blazing engine exhausts. Even unreality seemed unreal!
I was somewhere below the vast heavens, in a lengthy line of sky-borne scatter-graph points of flowing silks sown on moving air - in a new silence - too soon broken by crowded, anxious, excited, collision-avoiding voices carried on the night-air from afar.
Against the light sky, white parachutes were surprisingly more readily seen than khaki. But, for me? I had all the safe-airspace I needed.
Below, were two long parallel lines of flickering paraffin-flares, evenly-spaced. They were not so much for me (to land between) as for the Beverley’s navigator to find the DZ. (In combat, they would have been placed by the Guard’s Pathfinder Company, following their ‘unmarked jump’.)
The flares were valuable; they not only showed me where to aim, but during the last few critical seconds, they also gave the best indication yet, of my height and ground-speed. reply | |
| | David C-W, e-mail, 07.07.2021 12:28 Loved this aircraft. Flew it on 30 Sqn, Eastleigh, Nairobi from 1962-64 as a copilot and covered - very slowly - all of Middle East and East and Central Africa. Subsequently, had two and a half years as captain on 47 Sqn at Abingdon 64-67.
Amazing short takeoff and landing capability, huge payload in even the hottest conditions, utterly unreliable (had some 12 engine failures in my time) and gloriously quirky. Dreadful of the RAF Museum at Hendon in the 1980s to deliberately destroy their only example of this idiosyncratic flying machine that was much loved by all who flew her. The last remaining one at Fort Paull has just been auctioned for £22,000 to be turned into a cafe: utter disgrace. reply | | terry scott, e-mail, 14.11.2020 00:14 I was with 142 sdn venoms at raf Eastlegh niroby we flew with 30sqdn to thornehill in Rhodisha to instructRRAF pilots on hunter air craft.they looked afterus verry well even took us down a gold mine in a place called Gwellow.The Beverly was a big part of my servie whith the raf in komaksa keya and Bharain
1954 - 1968 the best years of my life. reply |
| John, e-mail, 19.11.2017 19:53 As a Radar Mechanic on the 'ol Bev, fond memories of having nothing to do, servicing Reb 4, Gee 3, IFF & Rad Alt 7. Spent most of the time at Abingdon helping out the 'heavies'with Plug Changes etc. on SSF. One memorable evening, the Station Commander was 'getting his Flying Hours in' on a Para Drop to Weston on the Green. As part of the 'Start Up Crew', White Overalls of course, all 4 Engines running, followed by a complete 'shutdown'! Unaware of the problem, it transpired that a Para Dispatcher had been struck by a "foreign object" entering the port fuselage, causing injury to his neck! The Flight was cancelled, I never discovered the cause, nor the Station Commanders eligibilty for "Flying Pay" or the wellbeing of the Dispatcher! Priorities being in reverse order of course!! Were you that Dispatcher?? reply | | Mo (Noddy Hawkins, e-mail, 22.08.2016 00:21 I 1967 I flew as a passenger from Khormaksar up to Masirah in a Beverley. A /C taxied right up to the edge of the bondu and we all deplaned. About 50 locals gathered around the front of the a /c (security was non-existent for some reason) They must have been unaware of the prop reversing facility because the Bev's four engines started up and the a /c reversed under its own power to taxy away and the spectators disappeared in a huge cloud of sand - hilarious start to a month's detachment! reply | | Harper, e-mail, 05.08.2016 00:41 On 84 Sqn Aden in 1966 / 67. Flew as a Navigator and like most aircrew I loved The Old Bev. Most para seemed to prefer it as a jump platform as opposed to The Hastings, but doubt if the engineers liked it too much! Many happy memories of trips around South Arabia, and down Africa (mostly East Coast). Rough field operations were a breeze for The Bev on strips that would destroy a C130.
Will never see its like again (probably for the best)! reply | | John Kent, e-mail, 21.07.2016 02:12 An insult to engineering. A complete pig to work on especially in Bahrein 1964-65. Torquemeter system was a nightmare. Whoever authorised the purchase of this hideos piece of junk should have been shot. Even the great Burt Rjtan woild not have designed anything so ugly. reply | | Taffy H, e-mail, 04.07.2016 23:10 14-04-59 @0900 Last para jump (Bridgeham Heath, Thetford, PTA) OS: TL 924 877 with 23 Para Fld Ambulance from the boom. Number 4 in the starboard stick. At Blackbushe gettin' weapons container and chutes up the steep steps into the boom hole was a struggle (just like P Company!).
Loved The Bev. Spent a night with her over the Med - going to Jordan July '58. reply | | paul scott, e-mail, 19.02.2016 17:55 A fine aircraft, strange shape, seen on film, in the TV comedy series 'Get Some In!' about RAF 'Erks' doing their National Service. reply | | MICK KELLY., e-mail, 31.10.2015 04:55 I served in Malaya 1961-1963, with Royal Australian Engineers,attached to Royal Engineers.Our unit, 4TH.FD.TP.RAE.,Once flew from Singapore to Butterworth, via a Beverley.Before entering the aircraft we were addressed by the Captain, typical RAF type, handle bar mustache etc.His words were "On our journey North we will follow the Coastline.Reason being If we do happen to crash in the jungle chances of surviving are nil.I we crash into the ocean our chances are so much better as these Aircraft will float. WE THINK."
Any way we arrived safley.
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' reply | | Stevo, e-mail, 28.04.2015 16:43 Is there any info online about the internal dimensions of both upper and lower cabins? reply | |
| | Jim Davidson, e-mail, 11.04.2015 16:51 Happy memories of para jump training from Hastings & Beverlys in June1957.
Syndicate PJI was one Sgt Dorward - A1 instructor reply | | Garry Warrington, e-mail, 21.03.2015 12:20 I had the misfortune of being part of the "Funeral Party" at RAF Abingdon, 1956, for the 24 Police (and their dogs)all died when the Beverly crashed trying to land on a vary foggy day. Something I will always very sadly remenber for the rest of my life!! reply | | Derek, e-mail, 22.01.2015 01:18 Versatile aircraft one of which I witnessed being written off at Habilayn, formerly known as Thumier in South Arabia (Aden) in 1967. Early morning flight up from Khormaksar had landed. The pilot took full advantage of the entire runway venturing just slightly off at the end as he manoeuvred prior to backtrack along the runway to the off-load point. Unfortunately the starboard main gear wheels found the anti-tank mine the "gollies" had laid for our water tanker vehicle. Incredible sight - as the wing rose in the air accompanied by smoke and loud bang. Fastest I have ever seen RAF personnel move but it was an aircraft evacuation!. No injuries except pride and writer's cramp from the subsequent written reports and explanations. Another Beverley was nearly written off that afternoon at the end of the same runway but that's another story and this sandbag is getting uncomfortable. reply | | Howard West, e-mail, 22.08.2014 01:35 I was a USAF GCA Controller at Keflavik Iceland 1956-1957. I made one run with a Beverley, biggest thing I had ever seen up to that point. reply | | Jim SPIERS, e-mail, 05.06.2014 23:14 which meant about every thirteen weeks or so we had to pack up and fly out for a fortnight in the sun!!!!! reply | | jim shergold, e-mail, 03.01.2014 21:57 Hi Iwas at Abingdon in 58 and 59 station workshops also had the pleasure of working on the old Bevs. Great camp and agood croud of lads, very good memories,Cheers. reply |
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Shay
Hi Terry,
My grandfather served with the RAF in Nairobi, similar date range as yourself. Adrian ALLEN. Is this name familiar to you and if so, can you share any information?
Cheers
Shay
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