The two Helicopters were only 3 miles along the road from the museum in Melbourne Auto’s “Car Parts Recycling Centre” at Storwood, East Yorks, so an immediate car journey was undertaken to inspect them, after 5 weeks of negotiations and persuasion they were purchased.

Later it was discovered that one of them (WH991) was almost certainly worked “hands on” by Mac in May/June 1956 when it went to the Helicopter Handling Unit at Lee on Solent.

WH991 was moved to the Yorkshire Air Museum early November 1994 where work started on it outside in the Museum car park in the early Spring of 1995, In the meantime the second Dragonfly was moved the Mac’s factory yard in Malton as a source of spares.

The two helicopters were in a very poor condition having been outside in all weathers for approximately 24 years. During that time damage was incurred and parts were robbed or disappeared.

Much of the bodywork of WH991 was damaged, all remaining instruments were smashed, many of the magnesium castings were badly corroded and the tail boom was missing.

WP503 was just a shell having served with Stanstead Airport Fire Service. Most of the panels were missing or cut through with fire axes and circular saws and holes were sheeted over with pop rivits and painted.

The wheels were badly corroded and the tyres were filled with concrete in an effort to make it look OK.

 
 

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