Tiger Moths at RAF Cranwell Flying Club

[DonExAir]

Not strictly military flying but military based at RAFC CRANWELL.
In or about 197O there were 2 Tiger Moths at the RAF Cranwell F. C. One was G-ANEF in which I first soloed in May 70 but there was another prior to this date. Can anyone provide details of its reg and what happened to it?
Regards,
Don Ex Air.

[Lima Juliet]

Not strictly military flying but military based at RAFC CRANWELL.
In or about 197O there were 2 Tiger Moths at the RAF Cranwell F. C. One was G-ANEF in which I first soloed in May 71 but there was another prior to this date. Can anyone provide details of its reg and what happened to it?
Regards,
Don Ex Air.

G-AOBH CAA Register entry here: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AOBH-2.pdf

However, quick details are 23 Aug 1962, looks like she crashed around 20 Oct 1966 but was back on the register with a different owner by 1 Dec 1980 and rebuilt to flying standard by 27 Oct 1982. Prior to that the aircraft belonged to 47 Sqn Flying Club between 1955 and 1956. Prior to that she belonged to the RAF from 1941 as T-7997 of which she is now in the colours of: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/158325/G-AOBH/T-7997

The other one that you haven’t mentioned was G-AVPJ. Here is her registration history: https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AVPJ.pdf

A quick history - built in 1943 and flown by the RAF as NL879. Sold to RAFC Flying Club on 20 Jun 1967 who then sold her to a private owner in 1973. Sadly involved in an accident in 2009: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422fc60ed915d13710008b5/DH82A_Tiger_Moth__G-AVPJ_09-09.pdf
But happily rebuilt and still flying in 2021: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1767774

[TimL]

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/732x394/slide4_2__5269d8388a8f7ea3f95885a82b187937140faa9a.jpg
21 Sep 62 - I was flying the Tiger.

-- Tim L

[polecat2]

I was posted to Cranwell in 1976 and by that time G-ANEF was repainted in early Training Command colours and given the serial no. BB748. Here's a photo I took at the time, also a photo taken before repainting plus a Flying Club Jodel.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/cranwelltiger0__834a40519b4fcf1561e7214f51db1cfe42215d31.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/cranwelltiger02_85d926d4b2fe778e332d7c76b308516903c2c5f1.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/cranwelljodel01_906909815255e55995ae4f7c0be9438c9cddc5a5.jpg

[The B Word]

polecat2
Take a D- for your recce test. The aircraft at the bottom is not a Jodel. It is Rollason D62b Condor made by the Rollason Aircraft Company at Croydon Airport in the 1960s.

[polecat2]

Oops - sorry about that .. But it was a long time ago.

Polecat

[SpazSinbad]

RN Tiger Moths DL - wot the hell - HMS Eagle 1964 [more info in the 5 page PDF attached]
http://www.navy.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/RANC_Magazine_1964.pdf (119Mb)
&
http://3j8lrq31uyjk1yo9b01c7jub.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MysteryPhoto14.jpg

"...The wires [HMS Eagle] were unrigged, 20 knots of wind over the deck and the Tigers approached at 45 knots. It was almost a hovering touch down. As soon as the wheels hit the deck two handlers raced in from either side and grabbed the wing tips – the Tigers had no brakes. Take off was entirely straightforward – line up on the axial deck from about six spot, two handlers hanging onto the wings, full power, handlers let go and we were air-borne by about the island....One of the staff pilots was (then) LCDR Lyn Middleton who later commanded HERMES in the Falklands war. It was a special occasion on about five levels but I suspect we were the last biplanes to land on an RN Carrier...." Andy Craig
http://www.faaaa.asn.au/mystery-photo-no-14-answer/
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1258x778/tigermothinclosehmseagle1964craig_dd3704e927701b3658fe451461 e9d5f58590fd1a.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1575x912/tigermothrnhmseagle01jul1964_c5da49e03fe27c4426374d462c51916 f2073fac2.jpg

[DonExAir]

Thanks for all your inputs so far.
I am curious why the aircraft remained unsold from August '69 to March '73. Perhaps it was damaged or laid up for some other reason and remained in the flying club hanger.
Any light on the subject would be most welcome.

[D120A]

I was a member of the RAF College Flying Club throughout 1966, and soloed in G-ANEF on 29 May. I am sure it was the only Tiger Moth there then. The only other aircraft associated with the Club at that time was Auster 5 G-AOCP. There was also a privately-owned Jodel Ambassadeur in the hangar, G-ARXT.

Unfortunately, G-ANEF came to an unhappy end. It was damaged at Cranwell some years later and sold to Sweden to be restored. Immaculate in bright RAF yellow, it became SE-AMM and also bore the original RAF serial for the aircraft. It was involved in a double fatal accident at Karlstad in 1999; the link to the accident report is here:

https://www.havkom.se/assets/reports/English/rl2000_16e.pdf

[treadigraph]

According to A J Jackson's "British Civil Aircraft" G-AVPJ was apparently "damaged beyond repair" in June 1970, so presumably a slow rebuild followed...

[DonExAir]

message for lima Julie
Is it possible to provide me with the registration details for G-ANEF as you kindly did for G-AVPJ?

and

D120A

G-AVPJ apparently did not arrive until mid '67 so after your time at Cranwell unless you returned.
I returned from the Gulf early '70 and the aircraft in the hanger were : Tiger Moth G-ANEF, Rollason Condor D62 G-AWZT (early '73), Auster J1n G-AIFZ.
Others privately owned but hangered there too: Auster 6a, Auster Mk. 5, Taylorcraft D in 1974 & Jodel DR 1051 1975.
​​​​​​

[Lima Juliet]

Here is G-ANEF - https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ANEF-2.pdf

It seems she was built for the RAF in 1941 as T5493. Registered as G-ANEF in 1953 she was sold to the flying school at Barton Aerodrome. She was with CCFC from 1963 until 1996 where she was sold to a buyer in Sweden and registered SE-AMM. Sadly she was written off in a fatal flying accident on 7 Sep 1999 at Karlstad, Sweden. Both occupants were killed when it flipped over and caught fire.