Dominie MK1 - Training colours

[You want it when?]

Navigation training in the late 60's for V force crew would I believe have taken place on the Dominie MK1 which came into service around that time.

I note it is still being used to train fast jet navigators today - and why not it still seems to have a good turn of speed.

Would it be in the same colour scheme then as it is now? White over grey with a red band around the beam? Finally can anyone say if the navigation trainers would have had the text "ROYAL AIR FORCE COLLEGE OF AIR WARFARE" above the windows?

I'm hunting on the web for these answers too, but this forum has always turned up some very helpful responses. Cheers. :ok:

[Tiger_mate]

A lot of V Bomber training was done on the Hastings. The Dominies were based at Stradishall in the sixties. Another option is a Valetta which I thing at least one did have College of Air Warfare on it. I think said College may have been at Manby in Lincs.

Nav Trainers were:

Valetta
Varsity
Dominie

Bomb aimers (& V Bomber Navs?) Hastings.

History of the RAF Vol 3 has a Dominie in 1968 I think.

Dominies nowadays are mainly Black with a White roof. ...and less windows!

[John (Gary) Cooper]

I was at Stradishall 1ANS from Oct 65 to Oct 67, the NF14 Meatboxes were being phased out as the Dominies were coming in I thought the colour scheme on those Doms was red and white.

The Varsities were very much in service at Strad too at that time.

'1066 Squadron' were the last to fly the Hastings Mk T5 used by BCBS

[BEagle]

Those Hasings weren't phased out until around 10 years later!

[PPRuNe Radar]

Dominie colours .. early 1990's (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/493294/M/)

Dominie with RAF College band ... 2000 (http://www.sbas.ndirect.co.uk/Images/bv12/h125xs736.jpg)

Dominie colour scheme - 1968 (http://www.rob.clubkawasaki.com/js6.jpg)

Can't find any CAW examples but assume they were the same basic scheme with maybe a title on the aircraft somewhere.

[You want it when?]

Many thanks people. It's the '68 colour scheme I wanted. Much Obliged to you PPRuNe Radar.

[spekesoftly]

The only Dominies that may have had "RAFCAW" markings were the three based at RAF Strubby, and were primarily used for the Aerosystems Course. When Strubby closed in 1972, they transfered to their parent base at RAF Manby, until it also closed in 1974. Twenty Dominies were delivered to the RAF between 1965 and 1966, and AFAIK, all were originally in the same colour scheme, as shown above on the 1968 link.

[BEagle]

When the Dominies arrived at Cranwell in 1974 from Manby (I remember their arrival formation flypast!), they looked just like the rest of the RAF's Dominies.

Interesting that 1968 photo! OK spotters, how many other ac in the piccy? I reckon Jet Provost ( Mk 3 or 4- can't tell which), Gnat, Harrier, Lightning and Javelin. Any corrections or additions....??

[spekesoftly]

I can only add three foam fire extinguishers to BEag's tally! ;) That picture also reminds us of just how small and low-slung was the Gnat, and how large the fin was on the Javelin. I can't even remember what the external/visible difference was between a JP Mk3 and Mk4. Was the jet pipe tail-cone slightly larger on the Mk4?

How many of the original 20 RAF Dominies remain in active service?

[You want it when?]

Damm this site is good. Thanks again. :ok:

[pr00ne]

spekesoftly,

No Dominie aircraft were ever 'based' at Strubby. The College of Air Warfare had a fleet of 7 Dominie T1 aircraft.
They were based at Manby but frequently flew from Strubby, which operated as a satellite and relief landing ground for Manby, because it had a longer runway than Manby and the runway lighting was a tad more reliable than that at Manby which would turn itself off with monotonous regularity owing to lousy wiring!

The colour scheme was exactly the same as those of No.1 ANS and later 6 FTS other than the College of Air Warfare titles in black on the fuselage sides above the roof.

Manby was a delightful station and it's closure hit the local community hard, unemployment in the area was high and a lot of the workforce at Manby was civilian contract, which only goes to show that there is nothing new under the sun!

[spekesoftly]

pr00ne,

Perhaps my use of the word 'based' misled. Pre September 1972, didn't the CAW Dominie Squadron have their crew room and offices in a hangar situated on the airfield at Strubby, from where they did the greater part of their flying? The Varsities used for multi-engine refresher courses were similarly operated from Strubby, which unlike Manby, was equipped with NDB, ILS and PAR installations. Jet Provost refresher flying kept Manby itself busy enough.

I seem to recall that prior to the Strubby closure, a need was identified by OC Dominies for a Precision landing aid at Manby, before his Squadron could satisfactorily operate from there. Hence an ancient CPN4/MPN11 GCA truck arrived at Manby!

Thanks for clarifying the other points.

[Tiger_mate]

Could do with one or two of those GCA trucks now as the `new` PAR has failed at numerous installations around the country!

[hairyclameater]

Have seen photos of the Dominie prototype in silver with yellow training bands but IIRC the whole fleet were delivered in the then new (and very attractive- black sucks!!) red/white scheme.

The Cranwell birds had the light blue college colours on the fin fillet originally, nice to see it re-emerge of late, albeit as a band which is more in keeping with the RAFC.

IIRC 1ANS was at Stradishall and 2ANS was at Gaydon with Varsities before they merged in 1970 at Finningley to form 6FTS -am I right ? I was only 5!

Also of similar vintage, I've seen CAW Dominies acting as support for the Macaws JP team based alongside at Manby. Isnt that how the Macaws got their name ? - MAnby College of Air Warfare?

8 Upgraded Dominies (should have been T2s or? T1A?) still in service with 55 Squadron, struggling in and out of Cranwell (!)

[kitwe]

I was on the 5th nav course to fly the Dominie at Stradishall (April 1966). There was at least one Dom in the corner of the hangar painted silver with day-glo markings. Memories of that time are a bit dim but this may have been the aircraft that did a wheels-up landing at Manston.

[4Greens]

I thought the Dominie Mk 1 was a biplane! I flew one and it was very hard to land. It was coloured silver and had yellow training stripes.