Static Mew Gull - Rebuild for Alex Henshaw

AJD Engineering restored the original Mew Gull G-AEXF after its crash at Shuttleworth and have been asked by Alex Henshaw to manufacture a static Mew Gull, exact in every detail and configured in the Cape configuration. This aircraft when complete will be initially on display at the RAF Museum Hendon and will be dedicated by Alex as a tribute to the in-between Wars activity involving private pilots who succeeded in record breaking attempts throughout the world and air racing.

"Henshaw was born in Peterborough, the eldest son of a wealthy Lincolnshire family. He was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Stratford-on-Avon ("Shakespeare's School" where he sat at the bard's desk), and Lincoln School (grammar school). He was awarded a Royal Humane Society medal for saving a boy from the River Witham.

Henshaw took to motorcycles, and then learned to fly at the Skegness and East Lincolnshire Aero Club in 1932, funded by his father, who bought him a de Havilland Gipsy Moth. Henshaw received his private pilot's licence (no. 4572) on 6 June 1932. He made a name for himself in the 1930s in air racing, competing against legendary pilots like Geoffrey de Havilland. Aged only 20, he competed in the blue riband of air racing, The Kings Cup, in 1933, in his Gipsy Moth, winning the Siddeley Trophy. After flying in a Comper Swift, Leopard Moth and an Arrow Active, Henshaw moved on to a Percival Mew Gull. He won the inaugural London-to-Isle of Man air race in 1937, and won the Kings Cup in 1938, flying at an average speed of 236.25 mph.

Henshaw then turned his attention to long distance flying. After reconnaissance of the eastern and western routes in 1938, he set off from Gravesend at 0335 GMT on Sunday 5 February 1939 to fly his Mew Gull to Cape Town and back. He refuelled on the way out in Oran in Algeria, crossed the Sahara to land in the Belgian Congo and then Angola, landing in Cape Town after flying 6,377 miles in 40 hours. He spent 28 hours in Cape Town, and retraced his route back to the UK, landing on 9 February after a flight of 39 hours, 36 minutes. He completed the whole 12,754-mile round trip in 4 days, 10 hours and 16 minutes, breaking the record for each leg and setting a solo record for the round trip. By the end, he was so tired that he had to be lifted out of the cockpit." Information taken from Wikipedia

 

a

Map of Henshaw's Record Breaking Journey

b

Newspaper Cutting showing Alex just landed at the end of his Record Breaking Flight

c

Fuselane showing Inner Structure towards Tailplane

d

Whole Fuselage from Front View

 

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