XN593 - WG478 became VH-MMS. It's nice to see My Girl featuring in your logbook! Courtesy of Geoff Ambrose from Air-Britain, I do have a comprehensive history of her RAF career, thanks.

Fareastdriver - I'm not sure that WP850's camouflage finish stems from her time with 114 Sqn on Cyprus in 1959. She indeed was there (coded "B") but the only photo I've seen of this aircraft on Cyprus (and indeed all photos of the other 7 Chipmunks) show them in the then trainer finish - overall silver with yellow bands. I'd love to be proven wrong though...

Dan W. - PM sent.

Fastdriver ...

WP850 in the US in 2007 (latest) ... not sure on her current airworthiness.

WP859 Chipmunk

Like Dora-9 ... It would be great to source a pic of her in the camouflage you describe ... sounds smarter than the green/brown scheme used by the Army with their Spitmunk.

Best ...

Coff.

And just to muddy the waters a bit.....I seem to remember the interiors of B1 and B1A Vulcans to be black but the B2s were green.

...or it might be a memory lapse. :E

Dan,

I have a bog standard Chipmunk T10 sitting in the hangar, albe it ex-Navy, and it has a four prong spring thing on the Left side beneath the RPM gauge for the stopwatch. The back seat does not have it, but there is a Normal/Mute switch in that position so it may have been changed at some time.

As for the color, they were all painted in zinc chromate rather than the cockpit green that the Tiger, Magister, Anson etc. were. Zinc chromate varies in shade from a Yellowie Green to a very Dark Green as can be seen inside mine after various repairs/additions were made. Then the cockpit area from the back of the back seat to the firewall were over sprayed in Matt Black.

Speedbird 48

Hi Speedbird48 may I ask which one you have in the hanger?


gordon

There is a list of places you can fly in a chippie here

renewal UKCAA license on pref chipmunk pref countryside airfield

t7a, Courtney Mil,

Likewise ditto, but flying schol at Surrey & Kent at Biggin- in 1963, most of the training was on the Aircoupe. It couldn't really stall, so that part of the GFT was on the Chipmunk. Then met up with the Chipmunk again at OUAS later that year- hence my pprune ID!:ok:

Hi Gordon,

It was once WP801, or Navy 911.

If you have any memories of the machine please send me a PM.

Speedbird 48.

Peter Bennett
 

Hi,

I know this is a longshot, but I am looking for a Peter Bennett who used to fly G-AOSU at Yeadon in the 1960's .
He also used to fly a Leopard Moth G-AIYS and a Peil G-ASCZ possibly out of Croydon, Elstree or Biggin Hill.

I have photos of him with these planes, which I would be more than happy to send you to see if you remember him.

Best Wishes
Sally

I only ever saw black cockpits on the Chippie (mid 70s to retirement) but developing the yellowy green primer angle, I was on camp at St Athan (Summer 79 I think) and saw one of Ark Royal's de-navalised Phantoms being air tested in an all over yellow/green primer. At the time all of the Ark's fixed wing a/c seemed to be there and were being brought up to RAF spec.

Very happy days - all eight of them :sad:

Edit to add: It occurs to me that certainly during the 70s the air cadet fleet of VGSs were equipped with the Sedbergh and Kirby Kadet T3. The T3 definitely had a green inner cockpit (more than eight very happy days this time ;)) as these types were often co-located I wonder if the mists of time have just conspired to blend these two details?

Flying Instructor/Engineer
 

Hi. Do you remember someone from Yeadon called Peter Bennett? He was associated with the airport at that time and I have a picture of him with GAOSN. Cheers, Paul.

Colour
 

Perhaps this is the earliest note. November 1952, 10 BFTS at RAF Anstey, Nr Coventry. Interior matt black but with lots of dark green zinc-chromate showing through around footwell and elbow areas. Actual pedals silver aluminium from lots of student pedalling! Dennis K.

I think Dennis has the answer. Most RAF aircraft were painted on top of a primer that was anything from dark green (zinc based ISTR) to bright yellow (chromium based ?) I suspect that any green showing in the cockpit would be in areas of high chafing from ingress, around frequently operated switches etc. that would be no surprise, my experience of 6 AEF would see an awful lot of ATC cadets scrambling in and out all day, causing the wear and tear to the paintwork, and the occasional boot through the upper mainplane canvas.

Smudge:ok:

Peter Bennett
 

I have also flown G-AOSU at Yeadon during the 1960's. I have no photographs as yet. Would it be possible to have those pictures also sent to my e-mal: [email protected] ?

Re availability: I did my last SE Piston Land renewal at Booker in G-BXGL in 2006.

In the 70s the Chipmunks I flew had all black cockpits...

The Chippie.
 

All the Chippie's cockpits at Church Fenton in the early seventies were painted matt black over green primer.
Oh happy days

For those of you who may be interested, I heartily recommend the book "The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk - The Poor Man's Spitfire", if it's still available. A weighty tome but packed full of information and possibly the definitive work on this wonderful aircraft. Many happy memories of Ced Hughes et al at 5 AEF....

The DHC-1 Chipmunk

Apologies for thread drift but he asked . . .

The cabin was painted overall black, but the rear crew's seats were green.

WG362 (cockpit with the ATC in Ely, Cambs) has a black cockpit interior, the green is reserved for the inside of the fuselage.