FUSELAGE CREATIONS AVRO SHACKLETON MR3

Description

The Avro Shackleton is a British long-range maritime patrol aircraft which was developed from the famous Lancaster bomber. 

The Shackleton first flew on the 9th of March 1949 and entered service in 1951 with the Royal Air Force and in 1957 with the South African Air Force. In the fast developing post World War 2 world, it did not take long for Shackleton to see first operational deployment – 1955 in Cyprus. Less than a year later, first combat deployment to the Suez Canal, participating in Operation Musketeer. In the following years, the Shackleton saw operational use across many countries of Africa and Asia which formed the British Empire! A total of 185 aircraft of all variants were produced, until production ceased in 1958.

The tag in your possession is crafted from Shackleton MR.3 with RAF registration WR971, which first took the skies on 28 of May 1956. WR971 was delivered to 120 Squadron and coded ‘E’. 

‘E’ was one of the few Shackleton’s to be fitted with six engines. As well as the usual four Rolls Royce Griffon piston engines it was also fitted with two Viper 203 turbojets to improve take-off performance. 

WR971 remained in active service with the RAF through the years, before it was offered for sale in 1988 and purchased for display. 

Currently, sections of the aircraft are being restored at the Morayvia Museum in Scotland,  where Captain Paul Gibbs, founder of RAWTAG was able to obtain material directly from the museum. Fuselage Creations teamed up with RAWTAG to create this beautiful edition for aviation enthusiasts around the world to enjoy!

A donation from every tag sold will be made to Morayvia to help them continue their restoration work on Shackleton ‘E’.