Aeroplane Monthly 1993-03
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Personal album
Douglas C-47B Dakota VP-KHK of East African Airways, before it was named Kongwa Pioneer. It is seen at Nachingwea circa 1950.
This view of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanganyika, was taken from C-47B Dakota VP-KHN of East African Airways in December 1952 during a flight from Nairobi to Dar-es-Salaam.
Belvedere HC.I XG451 of 66 Sqn bringing in supplies to a detachment of the 3rd Green Jackets operating in the forest. No 66 Sqn was the last unit to operate the Belvedere, known in Borneo as the Flying Longhouse.
Royal Navy Wessex HU.5 XS483 of 848 Sqn bringing in supplies and personnel to a trigonometrical point in the forest. Patrols operated in these areas of valleys, plateaux and near-vertical hills in dense tropical rain forest. Two hundred yards an hour was considered reasonable progress through streams infested with leeches and where a jungle boot had a "life" of two weeks.
Another 848 Sqn HU.5 over the forest. The squadrons also supported operations against the Indonesian forces by airlifting troops into ambush positions.
An 848 Sqn Wessex HU.5 touches down in a forest clearing. The 100ft trees have been cleared away to provide an area only slightly larger than the diameter of the rotor blades.
Nangagaat is situated on the confluence of the Rivers Baleh and Gaat. Helicopters stationed here supplied patrols operating in the forest and covered about 350 miles of the 900-mile border.
Lt Mike Smith, 848 Sqn detachment commander at Nangagaat. There was also a detachment at Sibu; the squadron base was HMS Albion.
Lockheed 18-07 Lodestar VP-KFA of East African Airways caught during take-off from Nachingwea circa 1950. Earlier, in 1941, this Lodestar was nominally registered to BOAC and, manned by Norwegian crews, flew as G-AGBT on the Leuchars-Stockholm route. The aircraft later flew for many years as SE-BUU in Sweden.
Lockheed Lodestar VP-KFA again, refuelling from drums at Nachingwea airfield, Tanganyika circa 1950. Note the thatched Shell BP oil and fuel store in the background.
Handley Page Hermes 4 G-ALDE Hanno pictured at Khartoum airport on July 5, 1952. Registered to BOAC in February 1950, it passed to Skyways in 1955, to Bahamas Airways Ltd in 1960 as VP-BBO and spent its last months with Air Safaris Ltd. In May 1962 'DE was scrapped at Hurn.
Taxying out of Dar-es-Salaam harbour on October 30, 1949 is Short Solent 3 G-AHIL City of Salisbury. It was the occasion of the last flying-boat scheduled service out of Dar-es-Salaam. First registered to BOAC in June 1948 as a Solent 2, 'IL was converted to a Mk 3 the following year. BOAC withdrew the 'boat from use in September 1951 and it was scrapped at Hamworthy, Dorset in 1954.
Percival P.54 Prince 1 VR-TBC Prince Charles, in company with VR-TBD, was sold to the air survey division of the Tanganyikan government. It is pictured at Nachingwea airfield in the Southern Province, circa 1952. Normally operated by a crew of three, the long-nosed Prince had vertical and oblique camera hatches and carried an observer in the nose. The P.54 was powered by two 520 h.p. Alvis Leonides 501/4 radial engines.