G-MOOS - 1955 PERCIVAL P56 PROVOST T1

1955

PERCIVAL

P56 PROVOST T1

G-MOOS

Used

4730.0

currently owned by a small group of enthusiasts including our MD. This aircraft delivers a great 1950’s War-bird feel for a minimal capital investment. A great tail wheel trainer that delivers the same training experience as a Harvard but for half the price ! Sold with a new permit to fly from November 2017 & Large Spares Package 1 x ALVIS LEONIDES 126 1 v ROTOL R107/3-20-3/1 The Percival P.56 Provost was designed to Air Ministry Specification T.16/48, issued in 1948 calling for a single engine basic trainer as a replacement for the Percival Prentice. It was one of 30 proposals submitted and was one of the two aircraft finally chosen The other being the Handley-Page H.P.R.2). It was an all-metal, 2 seat monoplane with a conventional fixed landing gear and it replicated the handling characteristic sand roll-rate of the modern jet fighters entering service at the time. The prototype (WE522) was designed by Polish born aeronautical engineer Henry Miller and flew for the first time on 23rd February 1950. The first two prototypes (WE522 and WE530) had been ordered in January 1950 and they were powered by the Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah engine, this engine being replaced in production aircraft by the Alvis Leonides on a third prototype. After evaluation at Boscombe Down, the Leonides-powered P.56 was selected and an order for 200 aircraft (designated Provost T.1) was placed on 29th May 1951. The Provost entered service with the RAF in 1953, the first batch of aircraft being delivered to the Central Flying School (CFS) at RAF South Cerney. The first training course to use the Provost started in October 1953 and allowed students to move straight into training in the De Havilland Vampire. From 1956 the Provost was issued to some University Air Squadrons, the first being the Queen’s University Air Squadron, Belfast in January 1956. The last RAF production aircraft was delivered in April 1956. The Provost served with the RAF in the training role until the early 1960s, when it was replaced by the Jet Provost. A small number remained with the Central Air Traffic Control School at RAF Shawbury until the last example was retired in 1969. In addition to 391 aircraft for the RAF, the Provost was exported to Rhodesia, Ireland, Malaya, Burma, Iraq, Muscat and Oman, and Sudan, total production being 461 aircraft. Export variants had provision for the carriage of bombs or rockets below the wings. Production was completed in 1960. Although the Provost served for a relatively short time with the RAF, it led to the development of the Jet Provost, which introduced abinitio jet training to the RAF. Powerplant One 550 hp Alvis Leonides 126 Span 35 ft 2 in Maximum Weight 4,350 lb Capacity Two seats – export variants (Mk 52 and Mk 53) with two machine guns and external carriage of bombs or rockets. Maximum Speed 195 mph Cruising Sped 177 mph Range 650 miles

Engine Hours: 633 On condition under permit Prop Hours: 613 TBO 1000 hrs no time limit