vintage overflight
Martin -
I think you'll find the current FAA Museum Avenger is XB446.
As per my post - XB446 was certainly the sole remaining flying Avenger at Culdrose in 1961-62 - it's side number 992 suggests it was looked after by Station Flight, as you say. There is a photo somewhere of XB446 adorned with some two dozen 831 aircrew, that puts it firmly in the mid-61 to mid-62 timeframe. XB831 is more likely to have been a Sabre.
Ian.
751 - (Watton then Culdrose) operated several ECM Avengers and regularly travelled from North Norway to North Africa in pursuit of Fleet and NATO exercises.
In early-mid 1958, 751 was renumbered to frontline 831 at Culdrose, to reflect the operational nature of squadron activities - including real sea time. The Avengers were then replaced by Gannets, equipped with essentially the same '1945 ex-US Navy' ECM gear. They also used converted Sea Venom 21s and 22s.
So in your time frame, your FAA Avengers were most probably 751/831 Avengers staging through the S of F - which might happened half a dozen times a year. Alternately it is possible that an 849 Skyraider flight (usually 4 aircraft) might have flown to the Med on occasions. The last operational 849 Skyraider flight disbanded Christmas 1960 after a year on Albion..
LFH
I think you'll find the current FAA Museum Avenger is XB446.
As per my post - XB446 was certainly the sole remaining flying Avenger at Culdrose in 1961-62 - it's side number 992 suggests it was looked after by Station Flight, as you say. There is a photo somewhere of XB446 adorned with some two dozen 831 aircrew, that puts it firmly in the mid-61 to mid-62 timeframe. XB831 is more likely to have been a Sabre.
Ian.
751 - (Watton then Culdrose) operated several ECM Avengers and regularly travelled from North Norway to North Africa in pursuit of Fleet and NATO exercises.
In early-mid 1958, 751 was renumbered to frontline 831 at Culdrose, to reflect the operational nature of squadron activities - including real sea time. The Avengers were then replaced by Gannets, equipped with essentially the same '1945 ex-US Navy' ECM gear. They also used converted Sea Venom 21s and 22s.
So in your time frame, your FAA Avengers were most probably 751/831 Avengers staging through the S of F - which might happened half a dozen times a year. Alternately it is possible that an 849 Skyraider flight (usually 4 aircraft) might have flown to the Med on occasions. The last operational 849 Skyraider flight disbanded Christmas 1960 after a year on Albion..
LFH
