aviation

Westland Whirlwind helicopters. There
were regular lights to UK military bases
worldwide and to the USA. In 1968, XR366
and XR370 moved parts for the European
Launcher Development Organisation rockets
to Woomera. The irst round-the-world
Belfast light was completed in October
1968, in a total lying time of 88 hours. The
aircraft covered 27,000 miles (43,542km)
and averaged 310mph (499km/h). Priority
freight was carried on many legs of this
light, including a consignment of McDonnell
Douglas Phantom II spares from the US to
Britain for the RAF.
In 1969, XR365 returned the Harrier
GR.1 (XV741) that won the Daily Mail Trans-
Atlantic Air Race to the UK. During 1970, the
Belfasts were heavily used in withdrawing
British forces from Libya, regularly carrying
loads of up to 78,000lb (35,380kg), much of
the equipment transported to Cyprus. After
the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in August
1974, Belfasts made 37 lights to evacuate
tourists caught up in the troubles.

REDUNDANCY
Despite the evident usefulness of the RAF’s
heavy-lifter leet, it became a victim of
the Government’s 1976 defence cuts. On
September 14, 53 Sqn was disbanded and
its aircraft were put on the market. Each
Belfast had lown between 6,000 and 9,000
hours of its cleared military service life of
17,000. The leet had lown 23 million miles
(37 million km) and 82,000 hours in service.
There was a large spares holding, which
included 30 Rolls-Royce Tyne engines.
Nine of the leet were lown to RAF
Kemble, Gloucestershire, for storage
but XR366 remained at Brize Norton
for demonstration lights to potential
buyers. Seven of the Belfasts were sold to

Rolls-Royce. Six of them were delivered

to the company’s airield at Hucknall,

Nottinghamshire, in August 1978, while the

seventh, XR364, arrived in June 1979 and

was scrapped there, as were XR366 and

XR370. These three Belfasts were broken up

so Rolls-Royce could recover its Tyne engines.

The inal production XR371 had been

delivered to Hucknall in August 1978, but

survived to make its inal light to the RAF

Museum at Cosford on October 6, 1978

where it remains on display. The other

three Belfasts bought by Rolls-Royce;

XR363 (G-OHCA), ’365 (G-HLFT) and

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 45

Number 53 Sqn received its irst Belfast,

XR367, at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire,

on January 10, 1966.

Air Support Command’s XR365 landing

at the Farnborough Airshow in 1970.

Stephen Skinner

Very few aircraft types could match the
Belfast’s outsized cargo capacity. In this
photo a 26,450lb (12,000kg) Ikarus bus is
being loaded onto G-HLFT for a light from
Manchester to Nashville, Tennessee. The
vehicle was 39ft long, 8ft wide and 10ft high
(12.3m x 2.6m x 3.1m). HeavyLift Cargo Airlines