The "Whistling wheelbarrow"
Residents in the flats along the Maala Straight had to guard their blocks at night. The designated warden for each block was issued with a Smith & Wesson .38 and five rounds of ammo, which was handed from guard to guard at the end of their two hours stints. All the bullets I ever saw were dated between 1945 and 1947, long past their sell by date. During our six monthly range practices five out six of the same aged bullets only managed to fall out of the end of the barrel. After our flat was broken into by a local I bought a very nice Colt automatic from a white hunter aquaintance in Nairobi.
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Twin Pins
tlightb,
Interesting to read the Tales From Dhala so perhaps I should add my own. 21 Sqn had a daily Twin Pin service.
Thought it was 78 Sqn that did the Twin Pin runs ? I stand to be corrected obviously, PH.
Interesting to read the Tales From Dhala so perhaps I should add my own. 21 Sqn had a daily Twin Pin service.
Thought it was 78 Sqn that did the Twin Pin runs ? I stand to be corrected obviously, PH.
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Zetec2, Brakedwell is correct. I believe the sequence was that 21 Sqn had been based in Kenya with Twin Pins and the previous Aden operator 78 Sqn converted to Wessex when 21 Sqn moved to Khormaksar. When I was there in 66/67 the squadron had five or six Twin Pins, one Dakota and two VIP HS748s.
The Twin Pin in the RAF Museum at Cosford (XL993) is ex-21 Sqn. It was ferried back in Sept 66 for refurb. I was the Nav on that trip.
The Twin Pin in the RAF Museum at Cosford (XL993) is ex-21 Sqn. It was ferried back in Sept 66 for refurb. I was the Nav on that trip.
tlightb: I'm kicking myself that I can't remember the name of the pilot who normally flew that Dakota. And I seem to recall that, contrary to what one might expect, pilots from the Hunter Wing were keen to volunteer to fly as copilot with him on that rare remaining WWII aircraft - or have I just imagined that over the years? (I think there was also one in Oslo for CINC AFNORTH around that time, and they were probably the last two on the RAF's books.)
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ICM: When I first arrived at Khormaksar the pilot was Flt Lt Pete Norris and when he was tourex the pilot was Flt Lt Mike Bennett. You may remember Mike from Nav School as he was a staff pilot there prior to Khormaksar and not universally popular, but on the Squadron he was fine as he was at home with the rest of the old wartime boys. Regular Nav was Fg Off Alan Barker whom you may know too.
My logbook says the Dakota was KN452 and I seem to recall it was sold to a civilian operator at some point and subsequently scapped after further commercial use.
Ref the Hunter pilot as co-pilot you are correct, there is a recent book by Chris Bain who was a pilot on 8 Sqn (or 43) and he flew as co to Mike Bennett. The book covers this and other Khormaksar tales; title is Cold War, Hot Wings, publisher is Pen & Sword but the local library provided my copy.
Hope this helps. Rgds.T.
My logbook says the Dakota was KN452 and I seem to recall it was sold to a civilian operator at some point and subsequently scapped after further commercial use.
Ref the Hunter pilot as co-pilot you are correct, there is a recent book by Chris Bain who was a pilot on 8 Sqn (or 43) and he flew as co to Mike Bennett. The book covers this and other Khormaksar tales; title is Cold War, Hot Wings, publisher is Pen & Sword but the local library provided my copy.
Hope this helps. Rgds.T.
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Here's your Dakota - at Khormaksar.
Douglas Dakota KN452 at RAF Khormaksar 1967 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Douglas Dakota KN452 at RAF Khormaksar 1967 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
IIRC, around 1988 there were the CinC and 2 AOCs retiring from Brampton, so they all went for a final flight in the RAE Dakota. Got a round of applause for it at their Dining Out, accompanied by a mass launch of polystyrene Tucanos
Speedbird 48:
Yes, I think that's the same Andy. I bumped into him in a pub in West Sussex about 20 years ago and he was on the 747. I'm sorry but I've no idea where he is nowadays.
Yes, I think that's the same Andy. I bumped into him in a pub in West Sussex about 20 years ago and he was on the 747. I'm sorry but I've no idea where he is nowadays.
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ICM,
A bit of a thread drift, but:
The Dakota in Oslo was KP208 and it is now a memorial to the para's, It was once at Aldershot but I believe has now moved.
There was another one for the AOC Gib' KN452 as I was on it until 1959 when they replaced it with a Devon. Dennis Barty was the boss.
There were 4 more somewhere, I believe fitted with skyshouting loudspeakers?? But the brain has forgotton where.
Speedbird48
A bit of a thread drift, but:
The Dakota in Oslo was KP208 and it is now a memorial to the para's, It was once at Aldershot but I believe has now moved.
There was another one for the AOC Gib' KN452 as I was on it until 1959 when they replaced it with a Devon. Dennis Barty was the boss.
There were 4 more somewhere, I believe fitted with skyshouting loudspeakers?? But the brain has forgotton where.
Speedbird48
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Hi JW411,
What a small world, again!! That must be the same Andy as he lived in Storrington, W. Sussex in 1986 and had two fancy Italian cars that he had fixed up.
He was the same guy on 707's as when one of the stewards had not latched the rear galley door, Andy depressurised and went back and udid the door slightly, just enough to get the latches locked and then went on the Toronto.
That is when F/E's were real F/E's and knew their stuff.
Speedbird48.
What a small world, again!! That must be the same Andy as he lived in Storrington, W. Sussex in 1986 and had two fancy Italian cars that he had fixed up.
He was the same guy on 707's as when one of the stewards had not latched the rear galley door, Andy depressurised and went back and udid the door slightly, just enough to get the latches locked and then went on the Toronto.
That is when F/E's were real F/E's and knew their stuff.
Speedbird48.
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tlightb,
Not sure when it was in Aden but I am guessing before we got it in Gib'.
After Gib' KN452 went back to the UK and after a few years it was sold to the Kenya Police Air Wing to replace one that crashed about Christmas time after a load shifted on take-off. I was there with East African at the time.
From there I believe it went to Canada and finally ended up in the Far East where it was broken up, or so the history books show..
An interesting aircraft as it had been on the Berlin Air Lift. there are pictures of it in various books. When we had it in Gib' the floor was taken up and there was a lot of coal dust in the bottom. 10 VIP seats and Oak panels above and coal dust below!!
Sorry for the drift once again.
Speedbird48.
Not sure when it was in Aden but I am guessing before we got it in Gib'.
After Gib' KN452 went back to the UK and after a few years it was sold to the Kenya Police Air Wing to replace one that crashed about Christmas time after a load shifted on take-off. I was there with East African at the time.
From there I believe it went to Canada and finally ended up in the Far East where it was broken up, or so the history books show..
An interesting aircraft as it had been on the Berlin Air Lift. there are pictures of it in various books. When we had it in Gib' the floor was taken up and there was a lot of coal dust in the bottom. 10 VIP seats and Oak panels above and coal dust below!!
Sorry for the drift once again.
Speedbird48.
If I remember correctly, KN452 left Khormaksar for UK at the beginning of November 1967 in company with the last three remaining 84 Sqn Beverleys.
I have a reference that it was sold on 22 July 1969 but where it went, I know not.
I have a reference that it was sold on 22 July 1969 but where it went, I know not.
If I remember correctly, KN452 left Khormaksar for UK at the beginning of November 1967 in company with the last three remaining 84 Sqn Beverleys.
tlightb: Of course, Mike Bennett on the Dakota.... and my first trip at Stradishall (Navex A1, All Aids Day). And I went through South Cerney and started at 2ANS with Al Barker.
But back with the Argosy - to my mind, one of the things on JW411's list of things that differentiated the military from the civil version in a very particular way was the occasional dropping of two linked Medium Stressed Platforms (MSP), with a Land Rover and trailer on each. Navs had only to call 'Green On' at the right moment and then hang on for dear life to the board on which they would lie up front for supply dropping whilst the extractor chute fell, deployed, and started to pull the weight of a full freight bay out of the back. Upstairs, both pilots had to prepare to deal with the immense and rapid change of trim about to occur as the second platform went over the ramp, something that then threw the Nav and his board up in the air for a moment before crashing back down. I have no doubt that someone can explain more fully the challenge involved in this mildly hair-raising procedure!
But back with the Argosy - to my mind, one of the things on JW411's list of things that differentiated the military from the civil version in a very particular way was the occasional dropping of two linked Medium Stressed Platforms (MSP), with a Land Rover and trailer on each. Navs had only to call 'Green On' at the right moment and then hang on for dear life to the board on which they would lie up front for supply dropping whilst the extractor chute fell, deployed, and started to pull the weight of a full freight bay out of the back. Upstairs, both pilots had to prepare to deal with the immense and rapid change of trim about to occur as the second platform went over the ramp, something that then threw the Nav and his board up in the air for a moment before crashing back down. I have no doubt that someone can explain more fully the challenge involved in this mildly hair-raising procedure!
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JW 411. Just looked in my log book to note that on Nov.22 1965 I was crewed on XP 443 and flew Muharraq to Teheran and then back to Akrotiri. I think that as there isn't another entry until the 26th I must have 'hitched' home.
Mally 35
Mally 35