Vickers Varsity
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Location: Wiltshire
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Some amateur film footage from 1968 attached-unfortunately no sound.
About 2 minutes in the film the train approaches Oakington station, evidently the circuit is busy with Varsities. Some brief footage of the flightline as well.
How things change in 50 years. Railway replaced by a guided busway, airfield replaced by another faceless housing estate.
Watch Cambridge - St Ives online
About 2 minutes in the film the train approaches Oakington station, evidently the circuit is busy with Varsities. Some brief footage of the flightline as well.
How things change in 50 years. Railway replaced by a guided busway, airfield replaced by another faceless housing estate.
Watch Cambridge - St Ives online
Went to 5 F.T.S. Oakington in Jan 1964. Still recall that the joining instructions said" Do not leave the train at Oakington Station. Get off at Longstanton and phone for M.T."
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: LOndon UK
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A quick query, I've just come across a not very good photo of a Varsity from 1963 - around Easter. I was at school in Birkenhead and the CO of the CCF RAF section had wangled a week's visit to RAF Gutersloh. Memories fade but we were flown to Wildenrath from (I think) Topcliffe in this Varsity - the interior of which was set out for either navigational or signals training. From the photo the serial was WF329. Would this have been Topcliffe? And what unit would the plane have been from? One clear memory is that we sat on the apron for 45 minutes while trying to start one of the engines.
airfield replaced by another faceless housing estate.
Yes two officers mess,s .One for permanent staff was to the left as you entered the camp gates and the other was behind the airmens blocks to the right of the NAAFI.There was a general car park opposite the students mess and a bridle gate which led down a lane to the "Hoops"pub!
At the beginning of 1962 the Varsities moved down from Valley to Oakington. I had been at Oakington on Vampires and the our previous course had just passed out. This meant that my course then moved to the main officers mess as was the custom so we let all those piston pilots have the Student's Mess.
My initial flying training was at Tern Hill on Provost T1s. Only two of us were selected for all jet advanced training at Oakington, the rest went to Valley for Vampire/Varsity training. The result of the shifting around was that our fellow students at Tern Hill were fell behind so they ended up as the supporting flight to mine and my colleague's Wings Parade.
My initial flying training was at Tern Hill on Provost T1s. Only two of us were selected for all jet advanced training at Oakington, the rest went to Valley for Vampire/Varsity training. The result of the shifting around was that our fellow students at Tern Hill were fell behind so they ended up as the supporting flight to mine and my colleague's Wings Parade.
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Location: down 'ere my lovely
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Join Date: Jul 2014
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Thanks. Nice photo. Gutersloh in 1963 was a lively place - two busy Hunter PR squadrons, if I remember rightly, and a couple of detached Lightnings always sitting waiting to do something noisy.
Gutersloh in 1963 was a lively place - two busy Hunter PR squadrons, if I remember rightly,
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Oakington 1962
I was a school boy at Hatton Park school in Longstanton in 1962 and remember the loud drumming noise of the arriving Varsities. We were used to the whistling of the Vampires and a few Meteors. I rushed home to our married quarter called "The Mount" which stuck out onto the dispersal and spied at least half a dozen Varsities parked haphazardly on the grass just outside. I inspected them all and they appeared a motley collection as every single one was painted differently. I remember F Freddy was the coolest looking and J Juliet looked really scruffy! Within a few months I think 5 FTS had the entire alphabet and were soon painted the same. My dad let me inspect the inside of the aircraft and I soon became an expert on the drift sight mounted immediately on the right of the rear entry door. I will never forget the sounds and smells of that aircraft as I drift off flying my 777 now through the ever ending night skies!
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Spent quite lot of hours in the back of a Varsity as a trainee navigator in the 1950s. Trips up to 8 hours, one to Tripoli in the days of King Idris. Re-fueling stop at Istre in France
Based at Bishops Court Northern Ireland near Downpatrick, google earth still shows runways
got my Nav Brevet, still got one at home somewhere.
My logbook does not show full serial numbers, only last three numbers
Based at Bishops Court Northern Ireland near Downpatrick, google earth still shows runways
got my Nav Brevet, still got one at home somewhere.
My logbook does not show full serial numbers, only last three numbers
Last edited by Exnomad; 5th Feb 2017 at 17:56.
All is not lost.
Apart from a couple of oddballs, the RAF's Varsities were serialled WF3xx, WF4xx, WJ8xx, WJ9xx and WL6xx. So knowing the last 3 numbers would be enough should you wish to identify individual aircraft.
Apart from a couple of oddballs, the RAF's Varsities were serialled WF3xx, WF4xx, WJ8xx, WJ9xx and WL6xx. So knowing the last 3 numbers would be enough should you wish to identify individual aircraft.
Crew: Air Commode Student and Master Pilot instructor. Detail. Circuits and very bumpy bumps (optional) After one lurching skidding hopping event (I wished that I'd never clambered aboard the beast) master pilot speaketh up. 'And now I'd like to see a normal landing' His highness muttering under his breath 'So would I son so would I'
One VRT officer cramming hanky into mouth to stop ungentlemanly laughing.
One VRT officer cramming hanky into mouth to stop ungentlemanly laughing.
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Chief Instructor at Oakington c1965
During a student's night flying test at Oakington, the examiner was the Chief Instructor, of Polish descent, who wore a monocle. During the test, the CI gave the student a simulated engine failure, to which the student responded with "Engine Failure Checklist starboard engine". At this point the CI was scrabbling round on the floor and his response was "You vill haff to vait. I haff dropped my v****ng monocle!!"
