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Vickers Varsity

Old 1st Jan 2009, 16:03
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Yes Day-glo paint, but still very bright I remember on this one. Day-glo could be very 'orangy' but sometimes became quite 'reddish'.
I do see two unit emblems on the nose, but on the other side was just the Electronics School one I believe.



I even took a cu of it.



Did RAF units do 'graffiti attacks' on others' aircraft, as was common in the Far East for visitors to Australia and New Zealand? Loads of the planes at Changi turned up with kangaroos and kiwis on their noses. This sometimes stretched to unit badges as well.

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Old 1st Jan 2009, 19:27
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WF409 "C" belonged to No 2 Air Navigation School and WJ903"F" was with the AES, strange it has the CFS Pelican badge ,this aircraft went to Glasgow Airport Fire Service on 6.2.75. They were probably based together at Hullavington at that time.
Thank you for posting and Happy New Year to all "Flying Pig" fans .
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Old 1st Jan 2009, 20:36
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My guess is that it was a CFS machine at the time, but loaned to the ES, hence the addition of their badge.

The mystery I still haven't quite solved is why my early memories of Varsities at Strubby involve aircraft with the dayglow orange cheatline (with a thin black outline) that used to run along the fuselage and then zig-zag down towards the nose. All the photographes I've seen of CAW machines suggest they didn't carry this paint scheme but had a simple blue cheatline.

Anybody recall if any other non-CAW Varsities operated from Strubby at any stage? It would explain the mystery!
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Old 2nd Jan 2009, 19:00
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Tim,
I believe Varsities of the RAF Signals Command based at Watton,Tangmere and Cottesmore carried the orange/black cheatline with the nose zig zag flash. Some of these aircraft found their way into training units hence the mix. The CAW machines carried the blue thin cheatline with aircraft numbers on the nose and fin,whereas other units used alphabet letters.

The machine in the photo at Singapore was probably loaned to the CFS and being used by "trappers" to check out Valetta crews ?
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Old 3rd Jan 2009, 00:44
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Just to complicate things still further, I believe most of the Signals Command Varsities actually had yellow cheatlines oulined in black, but with the usual dayglow trim on the rest of the airframe (as seen on the colour shot on the last page in fact). From what I've seen, I think it was mostly Topcliffe that had Varsities with the afore-mentioned dayglow/zigzag cheatline, but I presume other units had some too. It just seems odd that the only Varsities I can remember seeing at Strubby had the zigzag dayglow cheatline and yet all the CAW Varsity photographs I've seen show the straight blue cheatline. Strange business indeed!
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Old 3rd Jan 2009, 15:06
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WF 379 was one of a pair of Varsities I recall working on during my time at the Royal Radar Establisment, Pershore from 1967-70. I had the pleasure of my second flight in this aircraft. In case you are wondering, my first flight experience was in a Tiger also based at Pershore.

Photos: Vickers 668 Varsity T1 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
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Old 3rd Jan 2009, 15:29
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Here are a couple from a rainy At Home Airshow at Finningley many moons ago. The colour picture is from an aviation mag in the 70s and found its way into my log book. Sadly I didn't take any pictures during flying training. Just surviving the course seemed higher priority at the time.

The standard fit in my day was an API, a GPI, a drift sight, gee and console. Decca was only fitted in the Dominies IIRC.





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Old 3rd Jan 2009, 19:44
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Earlier in this thread was a picture of Varsity WJ911, so I thought I would add another of the same aircraft. This was taken shortly after it overran the end of the runway at RAF Lindhoilme on 09 April 1954 having narrowly missed two small boys who have never run so fast, before or since. They were QuepPee and his brother. Obviously the aircraft was repaired and put back into service.
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Old 3rd Jan 2009, 20:37
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I am amazed at the cracking photographs posted on this forum for everyone to enjoy. Thank you for bringing the Varsity to life again .
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Old 4th Jan 2009, 14:46
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Geehovah

Decca plus Flight Log (8a?) was fitted to the pilot trainers' at 5FTS Oakington for the Airways' part of the syllabus (only had one ADF) and to facilitate keeping within the local training area when on General Handling'. The Flight Log was excellent and certainly accurate enough to complete an I.F. R/W Approach to a DH of 300', though never "officially". Changing to the correct keys in the turret-head of the Flight Log was vital especially when going "overseas" e.g. Berlin.

Aw Dit.
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Old 4th Jan 2009, 17:14
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Geehova,

The standard fit in my day was an API, a GPI, a drift sight, gee and console. Decca was only fitted in the Dominies IIRC.
The 2 ANS (Gaydon) Varsitys had the fit you describe except for the GPI. The GPI was on the 1 ANS (Stradishall) aircraft that had Green Satin. In the late 60's the 2 ANS aircraft received twin VOR and Decca 8A, the latter to replace GEE as the rapid fixing aid! Some time after the move by both units to Finningley the fit was standardised as Green Satin/GPI, Tacan and twin VOR and Decca.

aw ditor,

Well if you could watch yourself taxying on the flight log it stood to reason that it was good enough for an approach, not sure that I would contemplate it now though! Having the correct keys was only half the battle. I seem to remember that the big challenge was not cing up the chain change.


Happy days
YS

PS.
We have all neglected to mention the Rebecca/Eureka

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Old 4th Jan 2009, 18:50
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Must be time for another 'cracking photo'!
Here is WJ908 of the College of Air Warfare landing at Odiham in September 1968 wearing the black (not blue)cheatline that Tim describes, which does seem to be unique to CAW Varsities during the 'silver and dayglo years'. I don't have any photos of CAW Varsities with the dayglo zig-zag cheatlines!
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Old 4th Jan 2009, 20:13
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If I may let the decca drift us slightly off-thread , when I was flying Wessex we had 1" O.S. maps with Decca overlay. It was quite feasible to make an approach to Odiham, using (IIRC) the green 30 line for left/right and the purple lines for range, with the other pilot calling out the ranges and recommended heights. Of course, that always assumed he knew his left from his right!

OK, back on thread.
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Old 4th Jan 2009, 22:42
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Cracking photo indeed! As mentioned, the blue (or is it black? Hadn't considered that possibility!) "non-zigzag" cheatline seems to have been exclusive to CAW although a "zigzag" version of the blue line seems to have been adopted by the BCBS at Lindholme (plus a few other odd eaxmples with the RAE etc.). The yellow cheatline seems to have been exlclusive to Signals and the dayglow cheatline more common to Topcliffe, Stradishall and Gaydon machines. I have no idea why I kept seeing Varsities with the dayglow cheatlines at Strubby, unless they occasionally borrowed aircraft from other unit ...and to think that I used to imagine that all Varsities looked the same!

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Old 5th Jan 2009, 13:09
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Early in this thread was a question about a Varsity "bent" at Oakington when 2 students lost it while doing a barrel roll. It happened in the summer of 64, when I had just finished the course and was waiting to start the Shack (MOTU) course. I went to have a look at it in the hangar and there were distinct stretch marks in the lower wing skin. I've a pretty good idea who dunnit (not me). Perhaps it happened again later, if people recall it as 66/67.
Also that summer was the 5 FTS "Balbo". The fast jet FTSs had been doing 4 ship flybys at the BFTSs, and the CFI, Stanislas Wandzilak was determined to go one better. All 26 Varsitys got airborne, and formed a 24 ship formation with a spare and a "whipper in". "Did" all the BFTSs, returned to Oakington and shuffled into a 26 ship echelon starboard for a run over the field, peel off port and a stream landing, landing left and right sides of the centre line. We were on short finals with about 8 aircraft ahead on the runway, luckily no-one had a brake failure.
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Old 5th Jan 2009, 16:19
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Oxenos

The (attempted) barrel roller was "interviewed" by the AOC. I believe it was more like a roll over and pull through! Uncle Stan's Balbos were great fun unless you were right on the inside or the outside of any turns. You were either stalling or going b***s-out to keep up!
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Old 5th Jan 2009, 17:56
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Being at the back of a rear box was no fun either. As I recall the 24 ship was two vics of boxes, stacked down, so the rear aeroplanes were a hell of a lot lower than the leader.
On return to Oakington, after the switch to echelon starboard, the lead was taken by an ex Coastal pilot, who in best maritime tradition called "Break port now,now, NOW" Result was two big twitches, followed by the break.
I heard that the two students had already done two sucessful barrel rolls, but lost it on the third one.

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Old 7th Jan 2009, 09:15
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Thanks for posting WJ908 Amos . This machine was struck off RAF charge on 25.1.71 and sent to Manston fire school. Has anybody got any good internal photographs please ? showing the nav stations and bomb bay area of the Varsity.

Did the RAF get value for money out of the Vickers Varsity ? I think so considering it's length of service and different roles. Also the engines and airframe stood up well to intensive use . What do former aircrew and groundcrew think ?
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Old 12th Jan 2009, 09:05
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Vickers Varsity

3kingham - Photobucket - Video and Image HostingIf this has worked, you should be seeing a photo of the cockpit of WL 692, and the nav position. Both taken in Mar 70.
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Old 12th May 2009, 09:24
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Varsity U/C procedure

Nice reading all these varsity threads!Brings back many(groundcrew)memories of Oakington!Now all you Pilots,after take of or maybe before behind the captains seat there was an electric actuator with two positions which was changed over before/after take off,my memory is a little dim on this ,was it to do with the U/C emergency system?Can someone enlighten me please!!I was standing between pilots on at least two "Glide approachs "and can tell you the first was hair raising for me(wouldnt be now though!)also remember a memorable low level from Waterbeach to Oak via the Bedford levels,must have frightened a few fishermen types!If there is an ex pilot reading this who played football for Oak in 66 against Stradishall I have photos you might like!Name I think was "Bas""Basil?"
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