Here is TG503 at Scampton on 24 June 1976, with four Cod War fish symbols just visible below the cockpit.

I was lucky enough, as a civilian and temporary ROC "recruit", to do a 4-hour trip in 503 that day, including a low level run across Exmoor, Bristol Channel, the Welsh Hills and Cumbria and over the Yorkshire Moors back to Scampton. Captain, Flt Lt Fred Hambley. Fred, if by any chance you lurk here: it may have been a routine day in the office for you, but for me it was a very memorable occasion. Thank you again!


http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/o.../76-106web.gif

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps76cac86a.jpg

I think this is the Pershore Hastings but could easily be wrong, Taken from the Herc at Akrotiri with a VC 10 'escaping' !

Three generations. From a pilot's perspective, this is the best photo on this thread ever.

evansb,
thank you for your compliment. But just a case of right place, right time with for a change, a camera.

Ancient Aviator,

I would bet next weeks pension that the picture is of TG536 or TG568 from the bombing school.

They had 2 unmodified Hasting for crew training and 'transport support', and were allowed 'out' to various places for the weekend!

I would guess it was taken in the early 1970's, and I would be pretty sure the crew was in a bar somewhere!

Two of an older generation at Khormaksar in 1958

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...n/HastAden.jpg

Unfortunate incident at Lajes in December 1957 when WJ332, a mark 2 Hastings, broke free from it's picketing and rolled back into a Portuguese Air Force RB17 during a gale.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ps83b1af36.jpg

staircase,
I doubt that your pension is in peril ! As I implied in my caption I was not sure who owned the a/c. Thanks for the correction.

Brakedwell,
reminds me of the time at Lajes when our Herc pulled out the ground picket points and made a dash for freedom. Found next day at the fence but amazingly without damage.

Seeing we're going into Hasting with different generation aircraft here is three with a Valiant at Tripoli.

It's a bit mauvy because its Agfa that fades with time.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...2-2010_016.jpg

An earlier generation perhaps, but the Hastings outlasted the Valiant by 12 years.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps322c5fe6.jpg

A slightly more intact Hastings at Lajes.

Our bent Hastings looked ancient compared to the MATS aircraft passing through Lajes in 1957.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...psf09c4807.jpg

Also seems ancient looking from the inside out!
(Heading north from Nairobi 1958)

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...on/HastKen.jpg

brakedwell,

Your Lajes picture of the C-54s brings to mind something I've always wondered about. Why didn't HP design the Hastings with tricycle gear?

It did - Google Handley Page Hermes.

I reckon the question should have been why did the RAF not buy the one with the nose gear.

To do with the loading height for military cargo, wasn't it?

They did - It was called a Hermes, but only 29 were built. BOAC used them for a short time before they were passed down to the independents.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ps1fe18d66.png

The RAF was lumbered with the tail wheel Hastings because the Army wanted an aircraft capable of carrying underslung loads.

brakedwell,

I never would have guessed that the Army were involved in the decision!

BW - not sure I follow the last bit - ISTR there was a pannier for the Hastings, but surely it would have worked equally well with a tail or a nose wheel

W00
We used to drop underslung vehicles from the Hastings. The Army Heavy Air Despatch unit at Abingdon possessed an endless supply of battered Austin Champs, which we used to deposit on Watchfield with varying degrees of success. That's when I discovered a Champ can be reduced to 12" high if the parachutes fail to open! It was also possible to drop (small) field guns and trailers, but I never saw it done.

OK, would love to see a photo, but still cannot understand why if the aircraft is going to have its fuselage roughly parallel from the ground immediately before rotation (and maintain load clearance from the ground), it matters whether the beast has a nose or tail wheel.

Hasty bird
 

I bet the guys on 99 wouldn't allow that registration these days.

It is my understanding that GAY was the last three of the radio callsign (in this case - MOGAY).

Tail dragger
 

When I joined the Hastings fleet in 1965 I was told that it was a hangover from the last little European disturbance when towing gliders was in vogue. There were still a lot of ex- WW2 top brass around in '65. You could ask a similar question as to why the Hercs originally had an astrodome - in a pressurised aircraft. Many an AQM, sorry, loady, refused to sleep on the top bunk!

callsigns
 

I always hoped for the callsign Mike Oscar Golf Golf Yankee!

Until my first visit to Duxford about 15 years ago I had never heard of the Hastings, and then saw their one parked outside. I must admit that I was underwhelmed by its look, but at the same time found it curiously interesting.

I read up a little on it and the Hermes, but this thread has been really fascinating, great to read people's experiences with these old beasts! Many thanks.

The other herc
 

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l1...ps6aec0fb1.jpg

The hercules before the hercules? Somewhere near Gib I think

and another
 

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l1...psb11f997d.jpg
UK somewhere, Exercise Maydrop 20 May 1966

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps7420cc60.jpg

Hastings at Bermuda, one of the nicer places we used to visit.

joy ride,
we had two different marks of Hastings in service during my time. The Mk 1A, with the higher set tailplane and external tanks and the Mk 2 with the lower set tailplane and different internal fuel arrangement negating the need for external tanks.

Yes, I looked on Wiki yesterday and it mentions the different tailplanes and tanks.

My last trip in a Hastings was to some of the worst places we visited!

Marham - Luqa - El Adem - Khartoum - Khormakser - Mauripur and back 3 weeks later.

My last Hastings trip was on December 21/22 1967 to Luqa and back via Abingdon. A/c was 343 and we were full of families coming home for Xmas.
We decorated the a/c with balloons etc which burst as we reached top of climb !
January 1968 I started the Hercules OCU but that is another story being told on the 'Hercules' thread.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psa5f551d4.jpg

Final Hastings Xmas card from Colerne.

I remember my first night trip, looking out of the Co’s window to see 5ft of flame coming out of each exhaust stub. Frightened me a bit until the following conversation;

‘eng – co pilot, amazing sight all the flame coming out of the exhaust stubs’

‘Yeah – a lot of new blokes think the thing is on fire first time they see it’

That’s all right then, back to eating the butties!

Not so Jock, G was the 99 Sqn aircraft code. WJ332 happened to be AY. In those carefree days we were all gay, after a few beers of course :)


Sqn Markings 99_P

Well John, I don't think you can say that GAY was a 99 Sqn code for I have a photograph of WJ332 with the GAY code and the 53 Sqn diamond on the tail. (I am trying to post the photograph but I can't get into the URL for some obscure reason).

I also have a note in my book about 53 Sqn which states that "after the Berlin Airlift, Hastings aircraft carried the last three letters of the radio callsign in large letters behind the roundel".

So, I had always figured that GAY broke down as:

M = British Military Aircraft
O = Transport Command
G = Hastings Type
A = Unit (In this case, Lyneham Pool)
Y = Individual Aircraft (WJ332).

The other letter used by the Hastings was "J" (For example, JAZ was TG564). You may also remember that the letters used by the Argosy were "F" and "K".

I'll post the photograph of WJ332 when I can sort out my problems.

Not sure about that. I thought the G was our squadron letter when I was on 99 Hastings.

This image muddies the waters!

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...ps337d8cc2.png

It certainly does; I don't recall ever seeing "O" on a Hastings photograph but perhaps it was in addition to "G" and "J"?

Air Britain gives the history of TG551 as:

Dishforth/Topcliffe/Lyneham (53/99)/242 OCU/70/Lyneham (24/36)/70 then SOC 15.11.67.

Incidentally, I have just had a look in one of our albums and I have found yet another photograph of WJ332/GAY with the 53 Sqn diamond on the tail.

Looking at my 53 Sqn book, I see that I quoted the following examples:

GAC/TG604, GAF/WD491, GAJ/TG574, GAM/TG605, GAU/TG536, GAY/WJ332
JAB/TG529, JAM/WD488, JAY/WJ329, JAZ/TG564

Brakedwell and JW411: happy New Year (a bit late).

I can't comment on Hastings codes, as I only ever flew in one (Lyneham-Gibraltar, and that was a Met1).
But I have notes on some Beverleys: XL148 of 242OCU was "Y" and carried MOBCY, 53's XB268 was "D" MOBXD, and XB284 was "H" MOBXH. I flew from Abingdon to Odiham in "H" and then on to participate in the Farnborough show in 1961, thanks to pals at Abingdon.
I think I recall that the MOBxx code was painted quite small on the nose, and was also on the instrument panel. I had assumed that the B was type, the C or X was unit, and the last letter was the aircraft code.

Laurence

You are right about the old callsign system dedicated to individual A/C


53 MODB

99 MOJA

53 & 99 MOGA

Its at the bottom of this:

List of RAF Squadron Codes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And the same to you Laurence.
As the signaller was in sole charge of the radios I can't remember much about the comms.