Jump to content

A Very Special Dakota,..... British Airborne Forces Dak during its early service with RAF Coastal Command,.....1/72nd Airfix kit.


Recommended Posts

2 minutes ago, iainpeden said:

I had my first ever flight in her as G-AMPO. It was at the RAF Waddington in 1978/1979 (ish) and I think she was in Air Anglia markings at the time.

I don`t think that this Dak has ever been a civvie aircraft? By 1978-79 it was on display in Aldershot. G-AMPO was KN566 in RAF service.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're right Tony, I knew G-AMPO well from my time at Air Atlantique, she was a bit derelict having been decommissioned from oil dispersant duties and stripped and AA donated her to 47 Air Dispatch at Lyneham as a gate guard in 2001.

I helped arrange disassembly and road transport (we did try to talk the RAF into using a Chinook), scrap engines etc were provided for display purposes and a group of us went to Lyneham for the unveiling, 47 AD also very kindly gave me a signed and framed print by Anthony Cowland "Green On" in appreciation and this sits proudly on my wall to this day.

When Lyneham closed, 47 AD and 'PO moved to Brize Norton where she sits outside their facility, my career took me around but I've finished up at Brize too. 

So 'PO and I keep bumping into one another.

By the way Tony, superb Dak and an unusual variation on the scheme, I had G-AMPY on charge in the Support Command version. Happy Days.

 

Dave

Edited by Coors54
Additional information
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Coors54 said:

You're right Tony, I knew G-AMPO well from my time at Air Atlantique, she was a bit derelict having been decommissioned from oil dispersant duties and stripped and AA donated her to 47 Air Dispatch at Lyneham as a gate guard in 2001.

I helped arrange disassembly and road transport (we did try to talk the RAF into using a Chinook), scrap engines etc were provided for display purposes and a group of us went to Lyneham for the unveiling, 47 AD also very kindly gave me a signed and framed print by Anthony Cowland "Green On" in appreciation and this sits proudly on my wall to this day.

When Lyneham closed, 47 AD and 'PO moved to Brize Norton where she sits outside their facility, my career took me around but I've finished up at Brize too. 

So 'PO and I keep bumping into one another.

By the way Tony, superb Dak and an unusual variation on the scheme, I had G-AMPY on charge in the Support Command version. Happy Days.

 

Dave

Cheers Dave,...... I had some good mates at 47 AD and also JATE. I loved Lyneham and remember reading about the AD lads getting a Dak from AA,... glad to know which one it was now, cheers. I did my jumps course at Brize and later still was posted there in the early 90`s,.........  easily the best posting of my career with a great bunch of blokes,.....along with the JATE and PCAU lads we were the only Army on the entire camp and my JATE mates got me up on some AD sorties for a jolly including MSP drops containing vehicles.  Where is the new 47 AD compound on the airfield,.....near to JATE I presume on the far side of the airfield? Back in the day 101 Sqn with its tanker VC-10`s was the only other inhabitant over there,...... but the airfield has been massively deveoped since I left in the mid 90`s. 

My missus knew that I`d always wanted to fly in (and jump from) a Dakota and she bought me a flight in G-AMPY at Coventry,...... loved every minute but they made me land in it too! 

All the best mate,

                           Tony

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very nice model, the Airfix Dakota looks very good, although I know the deep trench panel lines are not to many peoples liking.

I have a photo of my dad when he was in the Paras, with the Dakota behind, would love to know the colour scheme of it, I believe it was taken before Operation Longstop in 1947 I believe

 

thumbnail-IMG-1177.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, tonyot said:

I don`t think that this Dak has ever been a civvie aircraft? By 1978-79 it was on display in Aldershot. G-AMPO was KN566 in RAF service.

My mistake; I knew she had been preserved and am pleased that she still exists.

 

Being a Dak, somebody will probably get her back in the air again sometime in the next century.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, kev67 said:

Very nice model, the Airfix Dakota looks very good, although I know the deep trench panel lines are not to many peoples liking

Thanks Kev,.... they can always be filled in mate,......... the shape is spot on. I filled the panels in the Airfix Lanc and it did look much better and would probably fill them in on this kit if I were doing another airliner style scheme,

 

Cheers

          Tony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did the old Esci kit many years ago, and found that a very easy build, I know its not the most accurate, but looks like a Dakota, one day I could build the Airfix one as it looks more like one, especially the nose

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, kev67 said:

I did the old Esci kit many years ago, and found that a very easy build, I know its not the most accurate, but looks like a Dakota, one day I could build the Airfix one as it looks more like one, especially the nose

Agreed,..... the Esci kit was superb apart from the underneath of the nose. Italeri over did the nose,..... but Airfix have got it just right. Even the panel lines on the Esci kit were a bit much to be honest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/8/2019 at 10:07 PM, kev67 said:

Very nice model, the Airfix Dakota looks very good, although I know the deep trench panel lines are not to many peoples liking.

I have a photo of my dad when he was in the Paras, with the Dakota behind, would love to know the colour scheme of it, I believe it was taken before Operation Longstop in 1947 I believe

 

thumbnail-IMG-1177.jpg

What a great photo, what a thing to remember your Dad by. By 1947 most Dakota`s were being stripped of their wartime camouflage back to bare metal and that looks to be the case here. The letters on the nose are the last two of the radio callsign. Roundels were probably wartime C Type,..... that is without the yellow outline,...... sorry I cannot help further,..... it would have had Sqn codes in black,...... but there were unrelated to the radio callsign,... maybe some searching on Ex/ Op Longstop would come up trumps? The same photo appears on the Paradata website;

 

https://www.paradata.org.uk/media/article/11186

 

The caption reads,.....6th (Welch) Bn, Parachute Regt, 2nd Para Bde- Pte Stan Payne, front row, pictured second from right.

 

Exercise Longstop in 1947 was the first major airborne exercise conducted in Britain after World War II and involved members of the 2nd Parachute Brigade Group who had returned from Palestine earlier in the year.

The purpose of the exercise was to capture an airfield, Netheravon, which was performed in front of various dignatries including Field Marshal Montgomery and Lord Tedder.

 

All the best mate,

                           Tony

Edited by tonyot
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 08/03/2019 at 16:59, tonyot said:

...... there is going to be a paratrooper statue unveiled in Princess Gardens in July,..... money raised by ex Para`s.

 

I visited the Traf’ today and put my money in the collection bucket, that place is crammed with Para memorabilia. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Rickoshea52 said:

I visited the Traf’ today and put my money in the collection bucket, that place is crammed with Para memorabilia. 

The Traff in its Heyday was a wonderful thing,...... no memorabilia back then as it could have been used as a weapon!! Cheers for the contribution,..... I`m hoping to get down for the unveiling in July, the Traff should be packed. 

 

3 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Beautiful work as always Tony, and what a great scheme. I hope the DC-3 keeps flying forever.   :)

 

Cheers,

Bill

 Thanks Bill,..... if any aircraft continues forever I think that it will be the DC-3 mate...... what an awesome aeroplane.

 

2 hours ago, Buzby061 said:

Lovely build & great paint job. 

 

Not an aircraft I associate with Coastal Command. 

 

Pete

Thanks Pete,..... glad you like it,...... that is why I chose the scheme,..... something a bit different and yet still RAF Coastal Command.

 

Cheers,

          Tony

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...