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

Utilitarian to the max! Larger wheels would have made it even more utilitarian. Can you imagine a float/seaplane version? I can.
http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/...ioneer-2_1.jpg

"Route of the Orient Star": http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/...et/PI-C434.jpg

We have one of the twins operating in OZ still.

Twin_Pin_Page

The BHP mining company operated one, maybe two in Western Australia from 1961 until I don't know when.

Couple of others in museums.

Thank you megan for providing superb photos of the type.

Thanks guys, let's hope there is the will to get Primrose airborne again. She appeared at Biggin a few years ago along with ost of the Air Atlantique fleet. I remember seeing one or two of the Flight One fleet out and about in the 1970s.


I did wonder how the Farnborough Pin managed to damage its elevator! I've seen pics of a Porter standing on its tailwheel (also at Farnborough I think) but the elevator was well clear of the tarmac.

I remember watching the famous Twin Pioneer bicycle demonstration (where its very low takeoff and landing speed is illustrated by being overtaken by a bloke on a bike).

Fittingly, it was at Prestwick (though the highlight of the show was the Albatross doing a RATO):

http://www.linton-gin.com/pics/prestwick_67_in2.jpg

Don't forget JFA (John Fisher Airlines)....operated 2 from Portsmouth Airport for a short time around 1971-73. I recall one was painted bright red, not sure on the other ones colour. Replaced by a BN Trislander

That's one of the two in the photo in post #11.

Their other one was a sort of orangey/yellow.

Correct my mistake!!

I remember on the Twin Pin OCU at Odiham cars on the A30 would reach Basingstoke before us when outbound to the West on the NDB!

78 Sqdn had twin pins at Khormaksar,think they were fitted with "guided missiles",well air to ground fly by wire things!!

When I was on Wessex, we shared the OCU at Odiham with the Twin Pins. In the low-flying area there were a number of fields where the farmers were happy for us to land. I recall one day, whistling round a copse, planning to land in a "small" field, only to find it already occupied by a Twin Pin! Super little aeroplane.

It certainly was a great little aircraft. Had a most enjoyable first tour on them at RAF Sharjah 152 Squadron B flight.Did what it said in the brochure!

Evansb " Larger wheels would have made it even more utilitarian."

You beat me to it. I cannot believe the size of the wheels. ( Castors? )
A look on Twin pin images on google comes up with two photos of aircraft on their noses. No doubt there were others.
On any sort of rough or soft strip it must have been a nightmare.
Anyone know why the designers opted for such small wheels?

Yup. Pratt & Whitney's and bigger wheels would have made this aircraft a WORLD RENOWN bushplane. http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/...osford2013.jpg

But then you'd have to call it a Twin Otter.

evansb,
The Series 2 Twin Pin was produced with the P&W R1340 Wasp for certain markets.
That Philippine Airlines example pictured earlier would have been one of those.

The surviving 'BHP' one in Oz mentioned by megan would be VH-AIS (Australian Iron and Steel).
That's been sitting for years rotting at the side of an airstrip in Queensland due to ownership/ financial problems.
A real shame, considering it had had a real lot of money spent on it not long before that.
No doubt a suitable offer would secure it on an "as is, where is" basis.

Sweet! I love this forum. The information I gleen from this forum is priceless. Pprune is the best.

Clearly to cut down on parasite drag.;)

A few years ago I had a shop selling militaria which was a magnet for ex military types.

One day I had a very interesting chat with a chap who had delivered a Pioneer (single I think) to Singapore, by air. The flight consisted of 2 or 3 Pioneers and a Piston Provost or two which were heading for Pakistan. I don't remember the route in detail but range limitations and political considerations dictated a very circuitous route, which went South to North Africa, skirting the Sahara and crossing to the East Coast, then along the coast for a short sea hop over to Aden. Then up the coast to the Gulf, over to Pakistan where the Provosts were dropped off, and then across India and eventually down Malaya to Singapore. I have no idea how many flying hours were involved, but I seem to recall the whole flight took around 35 days, including rest stops, etc. Not much quicker than the ones which went by sea, I should think!

What an adventure, but I suspect probably something enjoyed more in retrospect than at the time!

I had a flight in a single Pioneer of 209 Squadron from Seletar to an up country strip in Malaya. To demonstrate the low speed capabilities of the aircraft the pilot put down both full flap and the leading edge flaps, which made the cabin interior quite dark! We followed the path of a main road at about 1,000' at around 30 knots, watching the cars below overtaking us. I think the stalling speed with everything down was 19 knots, but I stand to be corrected on that.

Stanwell, just for background, the BHP office at Whyalla was the holder of the aircrafts registration, and she operated from Derby out to Koolan Island (always referred to as Yampi within the company) iron ore mine.