Posted to News on 21st Feb 2016, 00:00
Extrusions aid historic WWII bomber project
The reconstruction of a Short Stirling Bomber aircraft used in World War 2 has been aided by a vital extrusion supplied by Sapa Profiles, helping to construct a forward fuselage section which incorporates the main crew stations in the plane.
The extrusion supplied by Sapa, located at the bottom of the fuselage bomb bay, attaches to the bottom of the frame and is where the outer bomb doors are attached. The extrusion is an integral part of the bomb bay structure and acts as the main keel of the fuselage.
The project was launched in 1995 under the chairmanship of a former XV squadron navigator. The Stirling Project team is a group of volunteers, dependent on donations, aiming to construct a scale replica of the original front fuselage while also preserving rare drawings and aircraft components.
The Short Stirling Bomber was the first operational four-engine bomber to be used by The Royal Air Force. The aircraft was mothballed in 1946 due to design-limitations. Out of the 2,383 constructed, there are no surviving examples.
Sapa sales director Steve Nash comments “Although there is no volume associated with this project, I feel it is Sapa’s social responsibility to contribute to such projects, to recognise both the invaluable service, and in many cases, the lives given by the pilots and crews during World War Two.”
Richard Doel of The Stirling Project comments “We were extremely pleased with the support offered by Sapa Profiles UK. Following invaluable expertise during the design stage, Sapa supplied the extrusion for the outer bomb bay keel structure, without which we could not proceed to the build stage.”
