BBMF Chippies new scheme
 

Looks sweet

http://i714.photobucket.com/albums/w...1687192jpg.jpg

Photo Copyright - Official BBMF

I preferred her in Training Command "Raspberry Ripple" ... here she is pre BBMF "High Viz Black" mid/late 70's.

The new Dayglo scheme looks more Navy to me than RAF ... but I could be wrong ?

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/...n101640001.jpg

Kind regards ...

Coff

Not so different to the first one I flew (which was actually WD322, not this one)

http://i486.photobucket.com/albums/r...ill/wd3471.jpg

I always liked the red, white and black on the Chipmunks and Bulldogs that I flew as it looked smart and about as military as possible without getting out the olive green or AD grey. This grey and dayglo harks back to a much earlier scheme as illustrated by Tigger. Of all the schemes I think the recent black has been one of the best and is probably the best for conspicuity. If I was pimping my Chipmunk I'd probably go for gloss black and a highly polished aluminium cowling.

I remember when Chippies looked like;

http://www.abpic.co.uk/images/images/1116547F.jpg

Just a thought, if black A/C are so conspicuous, why are the Air Force SAR Units still flying in all yellow?

Early 1970's scheme:


ULAS Chipmunk from White Waltham on Summer Camp at RAF Newton in 1972. WK518 was also on the sqn's strength at the time and would have had the same colour scheme.

Those were such fun days! But little did we know how the RAF would be decimated over the ensuing 40 years....:( Nowadays there's no RAF Newton, no RAF presence at White Waltham and UASs cannot even afford to detach for Summer Camps.

I rather liked them like this;
http://www.army.mod.uk/images/centra...munkA410px.jpg

I think that it looks great. As far as I know no-one has recreated this scheme before on a flyer.

It was the standard scheme on RAF & RN training types in the late fifties to early-mid 60's, until it was superceded by stick-on dayglo tape, which was easier to maintain. The Navy persisted with it for several years after the RAF .

Some great pictures. I enjoyed my ride in that one a few years ago and I felt quite nostalgic for a few minutes there. Good to see BBMF bringing the Chippie into the fold. She's a celebrity in her own right nowadays.

Didn't Middle Wallop have a camouflaged Chippie - known as the "Spitmunk"??

TTHead,

Certainly did! It had a hook as well and I was towed up by it many times from Odiham in the early 80s.

And going back to WD322, as mentioned earlier, I remember her at MUAS over 40 years ago! (How time flies).:O

It looks superb in that retro scheme, but I'm surprised that the highly risk-averse RAF would abandon the black scheme.

Didn't the RAF operate a pair in Berlin? They were in a dull grey scheme and were used to exercise the right to fly the corridors.

I'm sure I've seen one camouflaged Chipmunk in RAF or AAC service for FAC training or something like that?

Chipmunks were operated in Cyprus for AOP duties during the 'troubles' leading up to independence.

RAF Gatow-Based Chipmunks
 

AnglianAV8R

They did a bit more than just exercise the right to fly !

Follow this link then select "Aircraft" and "de Havilland Chipmunk T10"

main

Coff that is a great photograph, captures the 'mood' perfectly. Rasperry ripple for me, but I saw a Cambridge one at Cranfield a few years ago, silver and light blue. Looked good.

"I preferred her in Training Command "Raspberry Ripple" ... here she is pre BBMF "High Viz Black" mid/late 70's."


CoffmanStarter - RAF Manston?

I'm not keen on the new scheme - I think the Chippy looks better in some of the others, but would be interested to know the background and why the BBMF have chosen it.

Off the BBMF website

Hi Maxred and P6 Driver ...

Yep RAF Manston it is (the white control tower is a dead giveaway) ... yours truly up front with Boss John Shelton (RIP) in the boot of WK518 (he was fiercely proud of his Cambridge UAS "Blue" Bone Dome). Picture taken 4th August 1977 with a Kodak Instamatic 126 camera by my good friend (sadly no longer with us) Andy George RN Sea Harrier pilot. This was prior to her transfer to the BBMF in April 1983 where I believe she has been ever since. This trip was a Spin Check ... 6 left, 6 right ... PFL ... tea and debrief ... great fun a very long time ago !

I can't be sure there was a specific reason why she was selected for the BBMF ... but she was the only airframe that then had a 360 Channel VHF box as opposed to the 10 Channel Fixed Crystal 1986 VHF sets fitted to our other airframes ... this and airframe hours might, I suspect, have been the deciders.

Irrespective of colour scheme ... I'm so pleased that she is still flying and in RAF hands.

Kind regards ...

Coff.

AKA the "ChipFire".

The Gatow flight must have been entertaining! Did they ever get harrassed by Warpac aircraft?
Also, surprised that website doesn't go into any detail about the exploits of the 60 sqn Pembrokes in Germany ;)

AnglianAV8R the flights other Chippie is a Berlin veteran, having served at Gatow. Both WK and WG more than earn their keep these days.:ok: