Aeroplane Monthly 1976-05
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Personal album
Douglas Dakota I FD784 over East Africa. Over 50 Mk Is were supplied to the RAF under lend-lease. The RAF's Dakota I corresponded to the USAAF's C-47, and No 117 Squadron was the first to use them in the Middle East.
North American Mustang Mk IVA KH859 was photographed on the Fayid dump, but was later flown. A total of 865 Mustang IVs served with the RAF, and Fighter Command was still using some in November 1946.
North American Harvard IIB KF970 at Fayid after flying from Nicosia. This particular aircraft, bearing the distinctive diagonal stripes of a target tug, was built by Noorduyn in Canada and has a 550 h.p. Pratt & Whitney Wasp R-1340-49 up front.
Avro Lancaster Mk III ME545 was built by A. V. Roe at Yeadon and is seen at Fayid in 1947-48. The Lancaster III was fitted with four American-built Packard Merlin 28s of 1,300 h.p. each.
Supermarine Spitfire F.R.XIV TP440 of No 32 Squadron, based in Palestine and seen at Fayid, Egypt, in 1947 during a goodwill tour of East Africa. Note the squadron's Hunting-horn emblem beneath the windscreen.
A freight-carrying Avro 685 York C.l, MW268, at Almaza, Cairo, in 1946-47, built at Manchester, it was powered by four 1,620 h.p. Rolls-Royce Merlin T24 or 502 engines. The last York was retired from the RAF in March 1957.
De Havilland D.H.89A Dominie K4 of the Kenya Air Force over East Africa. A military variant of the 1934 Dragon Rapide, the RAF name "Dominie” was not bestowed until after the outbreak of war. The example here was probably a communications machine.
Beech Traveller I FZ43S, probably photographed at Khartoum, was one of a batch of 12 delivered to the Royal Navy under lend-lease from October 1943. The Traveller was a five-seat communications aircraft powered by a 450 h.p. Pratt & Whitney Wasp junior radial engine.
Mosquito P.R.34 PF634 was built by Percival Aircraft and flew with No 13 Squadron. It is seen preparing for an air test ot its Fayid base in 1947-48. The wooden Mosquitoes suffered from the tropical operating conditions, and were kept under close scrutiny.