Pioneer and Twin Pioneer
 

I am currently researching the Prestwick Pioneer and Twin Pioneer with a view to putting together a combined history of the types. So far it seems that production lists and individual aircraft histories will not be too difficult to come by but I am trying to avoid producing a dry, boring list of facts and figures.

My hope is that there are some veteran PPruners out there willing to share some anecdotes (verifiable) or images of the types in service which will give a more immediate feel to the story of what I feel were underrated aircraft which deserve to be remembered.

I would be very grateful for any stories, images or tips which come my way. All original material will be treated with care and returned with the minimum of delay.

Thanks & regards

Try the `Mil Forum..

http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/...et/pioneer.jpg

http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/...%20pioneer.jpg

Try a search on herre for `Sharjah`,as I think there were quite a few references and pics...

I imagine if you can find anyone who did the delivery flights (especially to Malaysia), they might have some interesting stories to tell, perhaps with maintenance and training, too. Neither were known for their range...

I dont know about the Twin Pioneers but certainly the single engined variety were shipped to the Far East by sea. When I was at RAF Seletar, 1961 to 1964 I was in the 17th Singapore Scout Group and we were gifted a "Pioneer Box" by the RAF to use as a secondary storage room and scout hut. It was basically a large box painted in a grey colour and I clearly remember it still had the shipping details stencilled on the side. I would strongly suspect that the Twins were also shipped this way as well.
Always used to enjoy watching them and the Beverleys doing circuits, I can still hear them now........must be an age thing.

QP

QP,
If you wish to be reminded of the sound of a Twin Pin's Leonides, have a look at the Tube of U under 'Twin Pioneer at Wedderburn'.
That one, VH-EVB, is an ex RMAF one.

I attended one of the open cockpit evenings at the RAF Museum at Cosford a couple of years ago. (To be recommended, really enlightening).
Most of the open aircraft had an attendant to explain and answer the inevitable questions.

The Twin Pioneer had as an attendant an ex RAF NCO who had served on them in the Far East and regaled us with tales of the aircraft being fitted with a very high powered loud speaker system. It would appear it was to be used to transmit propaganda to the bad guys below but was in fact never used for that.

It was however used as a very good taunting system on the other resident squadrons to good effect. Ribaldry from the skies !

No doubt an email to the museum would uncover the gentleman.

Back in the 1980's I had my aircraft radios maintained by the late Doug Hooper at Gloucester Staverton.
There was an old Twin Pin sat next to the tower.

Anyone know what happened to it?

Bradwell is your man. See posts RAF Sharjah. Also if you go to the 152 Squadron web site some very good info.

These two derelict Twin Pins were broken up at Staverton:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisengland/27258462116

but in 1978.

navstar1:

I think you mean "brakedwell" not "bradwell".

As a 12, 13 year old I can clearly remember the Skyshout Twin Pins. A few days before Christmas each year, they would climb out of RAF Seletar and spend the next hour or two at relatively low level flying over the married quartets and hiring in and around the camp playing carols at high volume.

Nothing to do with this thread but I also remember as an even younger lad, the Skyshout Pembroke's at RAF Eastleigh in Kenya. I have some photos somewhere.

OK back onto Scottish Aviation's masterpieces.

QP

Twin Pin G-APRS was still being flown by Air Atlantique recently - is it still airworthy?

I believe an over-enthusiastic test pilot hauled the prototype Prestwick Pioneer off the runway at one of the 1950s Farnborough shows, somehow badly damaging the elevators in the process. A fairly hasty circuit was followed by an uneventful landing!

The prototype Single Pin was woefully underpowered until they re-engined it with the Leonides.

Not all of them, hence my comment. As a young spotter, I remember seeing two of them one day when I rounded the terminal building on a wet afternoon at Speke. Photo in post below:

Perhaps, as a result of the early flights, it was decided it was better to crate them and send them by sea.

treadigraph,
The last I heard about Twin Pin G-APRS was that it had mainspar issues.

Sadly, it is not currently airworthy.

06 September 1952..........Same afternoon as John Derry & Tony Richards lost their lives in the deH 110 accident..... The tail plane struck a loudspeaker tower as the aircraft took off.

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...ps1bqznz7c.jpg

I have this dated as 21/04/1962 at Speke. Maybe they were 'boxed' later, but I know for sure that this was a delivery flight.

Barry,

I cannot speak about the Malaysian aircraft but I do know that there were quite a few Pioneer boxes lying around at Seletar in the early 60s so at least some of the RAF aircraft were shipped by sea.

QP