Vickers Valetta
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Lancing, Sussex
Age: 92
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Valetta
I did around 40 hours nav training in Valetta (pig) in 1952 at Bishops Court. Valetta were use to teach use of nav aids,(Gee Rebecca, Babs) before being allowed out on our own.
When the Car ferry Princess Victoria sank on the Stranraer- Larne route, station aircraft were used for search. Some station staff iuncluding at least one Pilot I flew with (Sgt Petrie) when down in it.
When the Car ferry Princess Victoria sank on the Stranraer- Larne route, station aircraft were used for search. Some station staff iuncluding at least one Pilot I flew with (Sgt Petrie) when down in it.
Laurence
Sorry, no pictures of Buraimi. Only went there twice - once with the cash convoy and then at dawn the next day to pick up the (rather battered) 'prisoners' to take them back to Sharjah. As far as I know, at that time, there was only one strip for the oasis.
The mention of "old tarmac" from Sharjah would be from a much more modern era. In my day, the runway was oil soaked sand which broke up regularly with our landings and takeoffs. The resident 'Works and Bricks' man Charlie had a regular chore of resurfacing with his steam roller and oil cart.
A bit OT but I spent 10 days there when the airfield was flooded and amused myself accompanying 'Shani' Wallis in his gigantic Scamell desert recovery truck and helping 'Bomber' Wigley hammer 6 inch nails into wood battens sitting on top of 1000 lb bombs. Sharjah was that sort of place!!
Sorry, no pictures of Buraimi. Only went there twice - once with the cash convoy and then at dawn the next day to pick up the (rather battered) 'prisoners' to take them back to Sharjah. As far as I know, at that time, there was only one strip for the oasis.
The mention of "old tarmac" from Sharjah would be from a much more modern era. In my day, the runway was oil soaked sand which broke up regularly with our landings and takeoffs. The resident 'Works and Bricks' man Charlie had a regular chore of resurfacing with his steam roller and oil cart.
A bit OT but I spent 10 days there when the airfield was flooded and amused myself accompanying 'Shani' Wallis in his gigantic Scamell desert recovery truck and helping 'Bomber' Wigley hammer 6 inch nails into wood battens sitting on top of 1000 lb bombs. Sharjah was that sort of place!!
In my youth on 225 in Borneo,the 52 Sdn det. were always looking for co-pilots on some of the drops,and so I spent many hours poling the `Pig` with such people as F/L Capp,S/L John Oldham,Bill Gopsil,F/L Baxter,and M/Plt Tom Owen;a real bunch of`old-time`professional aviators who knew how to `drop` on a hot LZ. also vaguely remember going to a 52 party ,up the hill in Penang,when I was on SAR Det at B`wth,and then getting a `wallah-wallah` water taxi back in the middle of the night onto the beach to go on shift at 0600.Happy days..Syc
ps,average age of 52 sdn?....52..oldies,but goodies!
ps,average age of 52 sdn?....52..oldies,but goodies!
JW411
I imagine that things must have changed (improved !)in the intervening years. We were 'entertained' overnight by the Resident, a fine old 'Raj' style individual who could best be described as eccentric!! His diet was, apparently Heinz soup and gin and he looked remarkably well on it. He had been there for a great many years and did not want to leave. He had imported and installed several UK road signs "Steep Hill", Sharp Bend" , Dual Carriageway, etc., - not, perhaps, essential for an almost flat island containing only one vehicle - his Land Rover!!! Interesting days but never an ambition to return.
I imagine that things must have changed (improved !)in the intervening years. We were 'entertained' overnight by the Resident, a fine old 'Raj' style individual who could best be described as eccentric!! His diet was, apparently Heinz soup and gin and he looked remarkably well on it. He had been there for a great many years and did not want to leave. He had imported and installed several UK road signs "Steep Hill", Sharp Bend" , Dual Carriageway, etc., - not, perhaps, essential for an almost flat island containing only one vehicle - his Land Rover!!! Interesting days but never an ambition to return.
Cornish Jack:
I wouldn't mind betting that the Resident was one and the same chap. He was definitely one of a kind. I have a feeling that his name was Archie Wilson. We didn't night stop but left the wheels there for the weekend to be picked up on the Monday morning but we did visit the Residency.
The hot water system was powered by the sun and a one inch thick plate of glass on top of a large water tank and the air conditioning consisted of vents and louvres on the roof.
The Resident was most eager for me to post some packages for him when I got back to Khormaksar. He then asked us if we liked crab. He sent one of his servants to go and get five crabs so that we would have one each. This seemed a bit odd to me but I kept a diplomatic silence. When we got back and opened the cool box, we discovered that the crabs were the size of dinner plates!
I also remember an old 1920s car parked in front of the "terminal" underneath a basha. It looked like a Model T but I seem to remember that it was a Buick and was the first car on the island.
If you send me a PM with your email address I will send you a couple of photographs that I have recently converted from colour slides.
I wouldn't mind betting that the Resident was one and the same chap. He was definitely one of a kind. I have a feeling that his name was Archie Wilson. We didn't night stop but left the wheels there for the weekend to be picked up on the Monday morning but we did visit the Residency.
The hot water system was powered by the sun and a one inch thick plate of glass on top of a large water tank and the air conditioning consisted of vents and louvres on the roof.
The Resident was most eager for me to post some packages for him when I got back to Khormaksar. He then asked us if we liked crab. He sent one of his servants to go and get five crabs so that we would have one each. This seemed a bit odd to me but I kept a diplomatic silence. When we got back and opened the cool box, we discovered that the crabs were the size of dinner plates!
I also remember an old 1920s car parked in front of the "terminal" underneath a basha. It looked like a Model T but I seem to remember that it was a Buick and was the first car on the island.
If you send me a PM with your email address I will send you a couple of photographs that I have recently converted from colour slides.
Typical 'up-country' turn round in progress. Don't know which of the many strips but could be Mukheiras (with its 4 lbs boost deficit!
) Its big plus was that the edge of the escarpment was close to the end of the runway - a feature used to full advantage by Arthur H when he 'lost one' on lift-off.
"Anybody have any prohibited items, nail scissors, large bottles of shampoo, things like that?? No? OK, let's get on board"
) Its big plus was that the edge of the escarpment was close to the end of the runway - a feature used to full advantage by Arthur H when he 'lost one' on lift-off."Anybody have any prohibited items, nail scissors, large bottles of shampoo, things like that?? No? OK, let's get on board"
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Bedford
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Cornish Jack, Very nice photo's thank you, who said the Valetta was ugly it certainly earned its keep.
I have checked my fathers log books and he completed a short Valetta conversion course at 242 OCU,Dishforth from Jan 09 -24th 1956 flying VW848,VW825,VW146,WD166,VW152. His instructor was Pilot Office Hall.
At the time he was on Balliol's with No 238 OCU at Colerne.
I have checked my fathers log books and he completed a short Valetta conversion course at 242 OCU,Dishforth from Jan 09 -24th 1956 flying VW848,VW825,VW146,WD166,VW152. His instructor was Pilot Office Hall.
At the time he was on Balliol's with No 238 OCU at Colerne.
T21
I was just a few months ahead of your father. I finished the 242 course at the end of August 55. PO Hall featured a couple of times as our instructor also - he must have been a 'retread' from NCO pilot..Unsurprisingly, most of those airframes featured on our course as well.
I was just a few months ahead of your father. I finished the 242 course at the end of August 55. PO Hall featured a couple of times as our instructor also - he must have been a 'retread' from NCO pilot..Unsurprisingly, most of those airframes featured on our course as well.
