Flt Lt John Dunbar R.I.P. Five into four won't go
Taken from three tapes
BB John continued to fly after leaving the air force. As it is not relevant to the thread I have sumarised the details:
Out of work, John applied for a job with Hunting Air Travel flying Dakotas. It did not last long – redundancy along with a number of other aircrew. Joining Airwork John flew a DH Rapide in the middle east, on one occasion being offered money to drop a bomb on TelAvive! There is an excellent photo of the Rapide on it's nose after landing during a sandstorm outside Baghdad. Reg – G-AGOP.
Returning to the UK John joined Flight Refueling in time to take part in the Berlin Airlift, flying as a co-pilot on Lancastrians taking fuel into the city. He was promoted to Captain in June 1949. Operating from Wunstorf and Hamburg, John made 104 return flights. Flying throughout the airlift, he was conscious of sitting on the end of a 3,000 gal petrol tank with a take off weight 1,000lb above normal landing weight.He mentioned that they were used for target practice by Migs and when landing at Tegal at night it was not unknown for the Russions to shine searchlights at them.
John then left aviation and joined a steel company where he eventually becamea general manager and director before retiring in 1983. Over the years he always said that people would not believe you if you told them what conditions were like in Burma, they would not believe you or think you were shooting a line, which is why so many kept quiet.