Percival Proctor

Percival Proctor
Land	Uk
Role	Radiotrainer/communicatievliegtuigen
Eerste vlucht	8 oktober 1939
Gebouwd	1143

De Percival Proctor was een Britse radiotrainer en communicatievliegtuig uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog. De Proctor was een eenmotorige, laagvleugelige eendekker met zitplaatsen voor drie of vier, afhankelijk van het model.

Bron: Percival Proctor op Wikipedia

Percival Proctor III Rond Te Lopen
Fotograaf	Cees Hendriks
Lokalisatie	Onbewust
Foto 's	23

Percival Proctor III – 01

Percival Proctor III – 03

Percival Proctor III – 10

Percival Proctor III – 04

Percival Proctor III – 02

Percival Proctor III – 05

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Percival Proctor III – 07

Percival Proctor III – 08

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Proctor IV Vega Gull Rond Te Lopen
Fotograaf	Onbewust
Lokalisatie	Onbewust
Foto 's	16

Percival Proctor IV Vega Gull 01

Percival Proctor IV Vega Gull 02

Percival Proctor IV Vega Gull 03

Percival Proctor IV Vega Gull 04

Percival Proctor IV Vega Gull 05

Percival Proctor IV Vega Gull 06

Percival Proctor IV Vega Gull 07

Percival Proctor IV Vega Gull 08

Percival Proctor IV Vega Gull 09

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Percival Proctor III Rond Te Lopen
Fotograaf	Onbewust
Lokalisatie	Onbewust
Foto 's	13

Percival Proctor III 01

Percival Proctor III 02

Percival Proctor III 03

Percival Proctor III 05

Percival Proctor III 04

Percival Proctor III 07

Percival Proctor III 06

Percival Proctor III 08

Percival Proctor III 09

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Zie ook:

Proctor IV Vega Gull Rond Te Lopen
Fotograaf	Onbewust
Lokalisatie	Onbewust
Foto 's	16

From Luxury Tourer to Military Drudge

De Percival Proctor was a military derivative of the elegant pre-war Vega Gull. While its predecessor was a record-breaking civilian speedster, the Proctor was “beefed up” for the rigors of service life. It became the standard radio trainer for the RAF and Royal Navy during WWII, used to teach thousands of wireless operators how to use the cumbersome T/R 1154/55 radio sets they would later operate in heavy bombers like the Lancaster.

Attribute	Technical Specification (Proctor Mk IV)
Role	Radio Trainer / Communications / Liaison
Bemanning	3 or 4 (depending on variant)
First Flight	October 8, 1939
Krachtbron	1 × de Havilland Gipsy Queen II 6-cylinder inverted inline
Horsepower	210 hp (157 kW)
Maximum Speed	160 mph (257 km/h)
Cruise Speed	140 mph (225 km/h)
Bereik	500 miles (805 km)

Design Refinement & Military Tweaks

The “Preceptor” Redesign: The Mk IV (originally intended to be named the Preceptor) featured a significantly larger, deeper fuselage than the earlier marks. This allowed it to carry a crew of four—a pilot, an instructor, and two students—making it a much more efficient classroom in the sky.
Wing-Folding Capability: Inherited from the Gull family, the Proctor’s wings could be folded back along the fuselage. This was a critical feature for the Fleet Air Arm (Royal Navy), allowing the aircraft to be stored in the cramped hangars of aircraft carriers.
Wooden Construction: The airframe was primarily built of wood (spruce and plywood) covered in fabric. While this saved strategic metals during wartime, it led to the type’s eventual downfall in the 1960s when concerns about “glue failure” in aging wooden airframes saw most Proctors grounded.
The “Emergency Bomber”: In 1940, during the height of the invasion scare, a variant (P.29) was tested as an emergency light bomber capable of carrying 16 small 20lb bombs under the wings to attack landing craft on British beaches.

Post-War Service & Civil Success

The “Proctor 5”: After the war, Percival produced the Proctor 5, a dedicated civilian model based on the Mk IV. It was popular with charter companies and wealthy private owners as a fast, comfortable four-seat “air limousine.”
Record-Breaking Pedigree: In 1946, the famous long-distance pilot Jim Mollison flew a Proctor 5 from England to Brazil, a journey of over 4,600 miles, proving that the Proctor still possessed the long-range DNA of its Vega Gull ancestors.
Global Operator: Proctors were used by over a dozen nations post-war, including the Belgian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force (used by the Governor-General), and the French Air Force.
Rare Survivors: Because of the wooden structural issues, very few airworthy Proctors remain today. One of the most famous survivors is NP294, which was famously found in a private garden being used as a child’s plaything before being rescued for restoration.