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Armée de l'air T-6s in Algeria


bobmig

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While looking at photos of Armée de l’air T-6s in Algeria I noticed something odd. The aircraft seem to be in either of two schemes… overall aluminum paint, or trainer yellow. But I did find a few photos which seem to show yellow aircraft with a light colour undersurface. (See photos below) At first I thought that some of the trainer yellow aircraft may have had a light lower surface colour applied. But there are obvious paint drips from the yellow into the lighter colour. So perhaps they started as overall aluminum, and had yellow applied to the upper surface. I’ve read that the T-6s were rotated back to France for refurbishing around 1958-59, part of which was to repaint them aluminum. Could some units, upon receiving these “new” aluminum T-6s have painted the upper surface yellow, while leaving the lower surfaces aluminum? That would maintain some sort of uniformity to the appearance of the unit’s aircraft, while at the same time leaving a more suitable undersurface colour for the COIN ops. Anyone have any thoughts or info… especially any of out French members?

Bob

algeria1.jpg

 

algeria2.jpg

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Hi

The a/c started as Yellow all over in trainer colours then they had the yellow Yellow Paint taken off to leave a nat-metal finish  not all a/c had this done some stayed yellow and no Ally paint finish to any of them the yellow paint was taken of to save weight so a bigger load could be carried and also the heat was a factor.

There are a few good books on French T6's That i have but aim at work.

When the Yellow paint came off they left yellow bars on the top of the wings as a rescue markings.

You will also find a/c made up of parts from other a/c to keep them flying so you can have yellow and nat -met parts on the same a/c.

There are a few decal sheets out there also that have the markings you will need.

Hope this helps.

Paul

 

 

 

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Thanks, Paul... makes sense. So you are saying that at some point these aircraft were stripped, and then for whatever reason re-painted with yellow, because that's obviously yellow paint that has dripped down on to the undersurface!

Bob

drips.jpg

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Take a look here, you'll have to scroll down the page but there's an article of the T-6 in Algeria.

 

The first photo shows a T-6 with a different colour underside on the lower fuselage aft of the wing, the cowling, carburettor intake and upper part of the machine gun pod mount are plainly still painted in yellow.  If there hadn't been the suggestion that the yellow paint had been stripped off to reveal natural metal I would have put it down to mud thrown up by taxiing on a muddy airfield, now I'm not so sure...:hmmm:

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