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Airspeed Oxford Ambulance questions


Etiennedup

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This is going to be my next build using the Special Hobby 1/48 kit.
I do however have a few questions that I hope you learned chaps could help me with.
 
(a) I cannot find a detailed drawing of the tilt-up door that I plan to do. something with exact measurements would be most helpful.
Does anybody know of such a plan/drawing.
(b) Some Oxfords had a orange/brown tinted  top panel in the canopy, but the ambulance photos I have are inconclusive....any ideas?
 
Any help would be most welcome.............
 
Cheers.
Etienne.
 
 
Oxford.jpg
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On 12/12/2016 at 10:26 AM, Etiennedup said:
(b) Some Oxfords had a orange/brown tinted  top panel in the canopy, but the ambulance photos I have are inconclusive....any ideas?

 

 

Most likely trainers, I seem to remember reading trainee pilots wore tinted goggles (blue?) and the effect was similar to flying at night. The instructor wore no goggles and could see clearly. So unlikely to be on ambulance aircraft. I think there were removable orange/yellow panels for the side windows and windscreen.

Edited by rossm
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2 hours ago, rossm said:

 

Most likely trainers, I seem to remember reading trainee pilots wore tinted goggles (blue?) and the effect was similar to flying at night. The instructor wore no goggles and could see clearly. So unlikely to be on ambulance aircraft. I think there were removable orange/yellow panels for the side windows and windscreen.

Known as "Two Stage Amber".

The cockpit windows had yellow screens fitted inside,the aircrew wore blue tinted goggles to simulate flying in bright moonlight

during the day time,so an early form of synthetic night flying.

 

According to Guy Gibson in Enemy Coast Ahead,617 used it in the run-up to and practice for the Dams raids.

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On 13/12/2016 at 6:02 PM, Eric Mc said:

Why are they all running away?

The one with the glasses on has let off a right old `whizzbanger' inside the fuselage!  

 

Don`t know whether you`ve seen this photo of the undersides Ettienne? The upper window panels look to be clear to me.

Image result for oxford ambulance raf  

The undersides look to be white to me, but I`m not sure and they could be yellow.

Image result for oxford ambulance raf

 

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Thanks for the input so far gentlemen............
 
The fact that tinted canopies were used in training aircraft makes perfect sense so, clear it will be.
Yes, Tony and others .......white undersides were used as seen here  
and confirmed op page 11 of ‘British Aviation Colours’
My last hurdle however is the measurements of the tip-up-door that i want to open up.
I suppose in the end I’ll have to resort to my trusty mk. I eyeball. :-)
 
 
 8395028628_50f7f8bfe5_b.jpg  
Edited by Etiennedup
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Didn't know about the white for ambulance aircraft, I don;t think I've ever seen the instructions for it! Seriously though is that known to be a genuine WW2 colour photo? It looks awfully colourised to me: the shadows in the folds of the uniforms make it look like a BW pic which has been manually / electronically tinted.

Edited by Work In Progress
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How widely the white underside was applied, other than to these Oxfords and perhaps a UK-based Rapide or two, is another matter.  It doesn't seem to have been applied later in the Middle East, to the Bombays, Lodestars and Hudsons.  The Dakotas used for evacuation of wounded from the continent flew in normal Transport Command colours, I believe.  It would be interesting to see if any carried Red Cross markings, whether of significant size or not.

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42 minutes ago, Work In Progress said:

It looks awfully colourised to me: the shadows in the folds of the uniforms make it look like a BW pic which has been manually / electronically tinted

 

It comes from a 1943 publication "British Women go to War "by J.B. Priestley  with colour photos by P.G Hennell.

Considering the age of the publication I think they did a rather good printing job.

Have a look here https://propagandaphotos.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/british-women-go-to-war-by-j-g-priestley-p-g-hennell/

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