RAF Sharjah

[sisemen]

I'm looking for a map of RAF Sharjah circa 1967-68. I'm hoping to do a quick visit to the site at the end of June and I'm trying to get everything aligned to Google Earth via an old oblique photo taking from a Shack at about that time.

Google has let me down but I have faith in PPRuNers to come up with the goods

[parabellum]

I think you will find it almost unrecognisable now, as it has been built over.
Maybe a bit of an old fort left?

[sisemen]

Yep, the old fort is there (my work place as a member of the Mountain Desert Rescue Team) and the old control tower (now in a museum complex) and, of course, King Abdul Azis Road is the old main runway. I just thought it would be cool to wander down the street and point out to Mrs Sisemen where my room was etc etc etc - difficult to do that when extrapolating from an oblique photo!

[l.garey]

Have a look at my site:

l.garey - RAF Sharjah, Al Mahatta Museum

where I compare GE with an aerial photo. I have other aerials taken earlier and some modern views of King Abdul Aziz Street.

I was there again a month ago.

Laurence

[sisemen]

Laurence - Thanks. I had checked out your site some time ago. Unfortunately any magnification of the magnificent photo taken circa 1976 pixelates out without being able to determine too much detail (such as where my block was!). However, an excellent site nevertheless.

[l.garey]

Does this one help? 1964. Shows the original sand runways as well as the "new" tarmac one.

Laurence

[Capot]

I have a 1972 UK MoD 1:100,000 map for the whole UAE, apart from western and southern Abu Dhabi (it's actually several sheets taped together, of course.)

This includes Sharjah, probably as it was a few years earlier when the data were collected. In fact, looking at some of the town areas, shown as black shading, I suspect that they are as they were in the mid-60s.

It's based on photosurvey overlaid with tracks and other topo.

You can probably do a lot better better, but if an A4 scan centred on Sharjah is any use I could provide it, towards the end of next week.

It would cover from Dubai to Hamriyah, more or less.

[sisemen]

Thanks to everyone for all the info. Superb pic Laurence and is exactly what I needed.

Depart Perth at sparrow's (WA time) Monday for Dubai.

[l.garey]

Capot:
That would be of great use to me!
I have recently got hold of some aerial photos of the Buraimi area dated 1968, but they are gigantic files and I am still struggling with them. They give fabulous detail of the area of Buraimi which interests me, with its two airfields, Hamasa and Dau'di, about which I am trying to cobble together an article.

Siseman:
Have a good trip. You will see the 1964 aerial photo in the museum at Al Mahatta.

Laurence

[sisemen]

Capot - wouldn't mind a copy also.

[Capot]

L Garey and Sisemen

I would be delighted, but I have the impression that you would both like the whole map.......?

It's quite large, as you would expect @ 1:100,000.

The only way I can think of is to get selected areas colour copied on A3 and mail them. I'm happy to try and do that within reason if you would pm with the area(s) you're interested in, and the address.

If anyone can think of another way, please let me know!

PS L.Garey; I also have a BP map of all on and offshore installations in Abu Dhabi, including every hole, pipelines and so on in the mid-60s, a Bureimi Oasis map of the same period (if I can ever find it)etc..and a very large scale map of the Liwa showing virtually very track, garden and airstrip. Any use? I did have the US map for the Empty Quarter from Al Ayn to the South and West, which could be in the attic. It was complied fom aerial survey, with place names obtained by a team who took guides around and asked them what everything was called. It showed an awful lot of features (wells, dunes, salt flats etc) called "Ma 'Aaref" which many will recognise as "I Don't Know".

[l.garey]

Capot: PM on its way.
Laurence

[fordexplorer]

Capot

Would it be possible to obtain a copy of part of the 1972 UK MoD 1:100,000 map that you have? I'm only interested in the area around Fujairah and Kalba.

Best regards

Ford

[Capot]

Laurence I do apologise! I don't remember seeing your pm. Is there anything I can do?

fordexplorer; As long as it fits into a reasonable number of A4 chunks, scanning should be fairly easy. Locating the bedsheet map is the first hurdle; I know it's somewhere, but it's been a hectic 9 months, to say the least, and I'll have to think about where I put it.

Garage storage boxes? Attic? Office at bottom of garden? Let me see.............

[Lukeafb1]

Laurence,

I have one query from your website link.

You say that Comet XK655 was at one time based in Cyprus. Having been a member of 51sqn and crew on 655, I don't recall that it was ever 'based' in Cyprus. Its home bases whilst it was on 51, were Watton and later Wyton. We detached to Sharjah many times and Akrotiri occasionally, but 'based' in Cyprus? I don't think so.

However, if you know something I don't I'll be glad to apologise.

[alisoncc]

Some photos of the centre of the universe - otherwise known as RAF Sharjah circa 1966. This was before all the Aden mob took over the place.









Enjoy

[zetec2]

Sharjah

G-AOPL Prentice (I think) tail only, in the picture, what & why please ?, Rgds, Paul H.

[forget]

Off the top of my head - 252 redundant RAF Prentices were later bought in 1956 by Aviation Traders Ltd, a company owned by Freddie Laker. Most were eventually scrapped, but 28 were converted for civil use with two seats and two jumpseats behind the two pilots' seats, separated by a structure which housed the original 4-channel radio. This conversion had quite poor performance with 4 passengers. One aircraft was converted to a seven-seat layout for pleasure flights. One (G-AOPL) was acquired from Shackleton Aviation at Sywell by a Captain in the Trucial Oman Scouts and flown to Sharjah in 1967; later being flown on to South Africa where it remained until it ceased flying.

Actually -
Percival Prentice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[alisoncc]

One (G-AOPL) ........the Trucial Oman Scouts and flown to Sharjah in 1967;

I left in January 1967, so most likely there earlier.

Out of general interest here's a photo of Dubai taken back then. I understand it's changed a bit.

[old,not bold]

G-AOPL Prentice (I think) tail only, in the picture, what & why please

I'll surface from oblivion to say it was mine. I don't like to write about it too much, because Henry Crun gets so deeply envious of anyone who owned a Prentice.

Brief history; bought for £700 from Shackletons at Sywell Sept '66, exported from Gatwick (Bureimi Airways Flight 001 to Sharjah was called on the PA) 27/9/66, number of unforeseen occurrences on route including a forced landing after both mags failed in cloud over the Italian mountains, complete 2-month repair and refurb in Baghdad after an engine fire on takeoff (Shackleton's workmanship being the root cause), got to Sharjah Jan '67, flew round the desert for a bit, then 2 RAF officers on leave from Twin Pin flying took it to South Africa, where it was sold for £700 in mid '67.

The idea was to keep it in Sharjah and return to UK eventually, but an engine overhaul was imminent and Gulf Aviation, whom I later joined, stopped doing their own Gipsy Queen (Dove, Heron) overhauls in between my purchase of a Gipsy Queen for that reason and its arrival 9 months later.

It was bought by a farmer's boy who planned to use it to fly to Durban for riotous weekends from his Dad's farm, inland at 6000ft. He had just got his licence and rejected all offers of advice from the RAF officers about calculating Prentice take-off performance at 6000ft. The demo flight and deal were done at sea level, and the RAF officers got the next plane out.

The Prentice was an interesting aircraft to fly, suffering as it did from being grossly underpowered with the aerodynamic beauty of a s**thouse. Oiling up the rearmost plugs while taxying was its best trick; mag checks were pointless on the ground and I did them on the climb out, always a nervous moment especially over the sea. But rumbling along at 1900 RPM and 90Kts at 6,000 ft or so, sunny day over the Med, window open, it had its nice moments as well.

PS G-AOPL landing at Abu Dhabi International Airport Jan 1967...and Sharjah next day