Dervish

Didn’t happen, probably won’t but there’s still a vacant spine number.

618 Sqn aircrew were attached to RNAS Crail from July 1944 to conduct deck landing training in preparation for using Highball equipped Mosquitos out on the Far East. The training was conducted aboard HMS Rajah probably using Barracudas of 768 Sqn that remained under RN charge. In December 1944 six Barracudas were allotted to 618 Sqn from the RN Air Section at RAF China Bay. Three were loaded aboard HMS Striker and three aboard HMS Fencer on 8 December 1944, ostensibly for liaison duties between the two carriers during their voyage from Trincomalee to Melbourne although the decks were cram

There are a few photos on the Imperial War Museum website photographic collection. One such linked below that is of an aircraft of 803 Sqn, the other Skua unit aboard Ark Royal was 800 Sqn. Standard FAA colour scheme of the time, Sky Type S undersurfaces and dark slate grey / extra dark sea grey camouflage upper surfaces. There’s plenty of images online showing this. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205138144

The government has nothing to do with aircraft naming.

They are Shadow R Mk 1s.

The U.K. no longer has a system for naming aircraft and allocating role prefix letters and hasn’t had for some time. It is up to the MOD service department introducing a new aircraft to give it a name or designation. They only have to have mark numbers starting at ‘1’ although even that has gone by the wayside for, as previously mentioned, the F-35B along with Airseeker don’t even have mark numbers. Military Aviation Authority Regulatory Article 5307 refers. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/863141/RA5307_Issue_2.pdf

44-76330 was indeed an SC-47D, converted from a TC-47D.

Barracuda hand held fire extinguishers were a dull brick red colour and a natural brass coloured head, not too dissimilar to those still used today. It didn’t have a funnel type nozzle. We have an original one as part of the Fairey Barracuda restoration at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

National Archive digital downloads are free whilst it’s closed to visitors. You just need to create an account.

Smithy, just checked the Sqn ORBs for 85 and 43 and as you say, A Flight quotes codes whereas B flight quotes serials. 43 also quotes serials. In case you aren’t aware the National Archive are allowing digital downloads for free during lockdown if you have an account, accounts are free to create. All RAF ORBs are digitised so are free to download. File refs AIR 27/703/19 and /20 cover 85 Sqn during Sep 40 and AIR 27/441/17 and /18 cover 43 Sqn in the same period.

The Air-Britain serial listing has this built as a Mk VI, the only difference from the Mk I being the higher power Hercules engines. Canted tailplanes were introduced in production at some point but also embodied on earlier aircraft as a modification, so for earlier production aircraft, the Mk number is not a guide. To be definitive you’ll need a photo of the actual aircraft.

The UK Apache AH Mk 1 does not have a folding tail pylon, nor does any other Apache variant!

A rivet head that is 1/4 inch diameter in real life will only be about 3 thousandths of an inch diameter in 1/72 scale, and if countersunk will be invisible.

This photo is LS472 at China Bay in September 1944. Its IWM photo A25849. A25848 shows it being craned onto the lighter.

First time I’ve tried this. I hope these links work! https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ata9gakfuOrQg6oCXSMv-CqmQ_J2ow https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ata9gakfuOrQg6oEHsLcPbgEaTJ8kQ