Aeroplane Monthly 1977-04
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Personal album
Photographed at the Bristol Company’s Filton airfield on July 17, 1948, Beaufighter RD802 is seen after conversion from a T.F.X. anti-shipping strike fighter to a T.T. 10 target tug. Delivered to No 19 MU on June 2, 1945, it served with 695 Squadron after conversion and then with No 2 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit. On October 15, 1954, it went to the Communications Flight at Malta, but was struck off charge on October 20 after a flying accident.
Bristol 164 Brigand B.I RH798 was probably photographed at Colerne on September 30, 1955, and bears a yellow trainer band around its rear fuselage. It spent several months with the A & AEE at Boscombe Down in 1948, and from August 11, 1950, to February 6, 1951, it was used by the Telecommunications Research Establishment at Defford, Worcester.
Representing the last Supermarine biplane, Royal Navy Sea Otter II JN202 was powered by an 855 h.p. Bristol Mercury XXX radial. This variant replaced the Walrus in the air-sea rescue role, and for this purpose grab rails were installed from the nose to beneath the wing leading edges and along the fuselage sides aft of the trailing edges. Production Sea Otters were built by Saunders-Roe, a total of 290 being delivered.
Photographed at Hamble on August 6, 1949, Bristol Beaufort T.II torpedo bomber ML672 was delivered to 44 MU on August 22, 1944, and went to Air Service Training Limited's Civilian Repair Depot, Hamble, on November 12, 1945. It was struck off charge on December 26, 1946.
Avro Anson C.19 VM328 had quite a distinguished career, being based at Paris for use by the British Air Attache from July 1948 until October 1949, and then serving with Air Forces Western Europe at Fontainbleu (renamed HQ, Allied Air Forces Central Europe in May 1951) from July 1950 until June 1955. It subsequently served as a communications aircraft with various units including 2 TAF Communications Squadron, Station Flight Hornchurch, 61 Group Communications Squadron and Station Flight, Lyneham, before it was finally sold for scrap on October 4, 1963.
Built by Brush Coachworks Ltd at Loughborough, and powered by two 200 h.p. Gipsy Queen IIIs, de Havilland D.H.89A Dominie I NR677 was built for the RAF as a radio or navigation trainer, being delivered to No 18 MU on July 15, 1944. It was passed into the Royal Navy's charge on August 20, 1945.
Possibly seen at Colerne in 1955 or 1956, Bristol Buckmaster I advanced trainer RP201 was delivered to 19 MU on November 28, 1945, and spent a lot of its life passing back and forth between its builders and operators. It was delivered to 238 Operational Conversion Unit at Colerne on October 26, 1955, and went into storage at 49 MU on July 2, 1956. It was disposed of on September 28 that year.
Miles Master II advanced trainer W9056, powered by a 870 h.p. Bristol Mercury XX radial, was delivered to No. 15 Maintenance Unit on December 24, 1941, and served with the Central Gunnery School from November 27, 1942. It went to Miles for repair on September 19, 1945, and was returned to the CGS on March 21, 1946. On February 14, 1950, it passed to 48 MU, being struck off charge on June 5, 1950.