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RAF Dakota KN452


stever219

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I’ve just started building the Airfix kit intending to finish it as KN452.  Thankfully there are a few images of this particular Dak on the internet, many showing her as depicted by the kit.  Some of these images originate from the 50 Years of the RAF celebration at Abingdon in 1968 and, interestingly, show the serial number under the port wing painted “the wrong way round” reading from ahead of the aeroplane instead of from behind.  Images taken at RAF Khormaksar the year before show the serial applied correctly.

 

In all of the images of ‘452 that I’ve found to date, apart from those depicting her before her service in the Middle East, she appears to have the two small T-shaped radio altimeter aerials below the rear fuselage and two small “bumps” on the starboard side of the lower rear fuselage, one about eighteen inches ahead of the roundel and the other three to four feet forward of that.  There’s a similar small bump almost directly below the trailing edge of the rear cargo door hinge on the port side (there may be another but I haven’t spotted it yet).

 

My question, such as it is, is what is KN452’s history after the Berlin Airlift?  Was she an ELINT/SIGINT platform during the airlift?  Did she have a career other than as an/the RAFME “hack” requiring non-standard equipment, or was she a flying test bed or employed for navaid calibration?  Your comments would be appreciated.  Unfortunately I can’t find a copyright-free image at present showing these features.

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Hello Stever219,

 

found a picture of KN452. Those Radalt aerials are clearly visible. There are two small air vents (outlets) on the rear fuselage. We have them in our club's pride and joy too, although she is originally an C-53.

 

COMINT -aerials were usually below the fuselage, roughly between the wing trailing edge and the rear edge of the cargo door. And you'll recognize them as soon as you see them. In our plane (Ex. DO-11 of the Finnish Air Force) radar warning aerials were located on the lower fuselage sides, just behind the wing trailing edge. They were two, round fiberglass plates side by side, diameter roughly 15 cm.

 

Based on these findings I would say that KN452 was not an ELINT aircraft.

 

Cheers,

Antti

 

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Thanks Antti, that’s brilliant.  I didn’t really expect that KN452 had been an ELINT/COMINT platform but it was a fascinating possibility.

 

I don’t recall seeing the air outlets on other Dakotas so I’m now off web-trawling to see if I can find some better images to work from to put them on my model.  It must be great having the real thing handy as a reference.

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12 hours ago, stever219 said:

I’ve just started building the Airfix kit intending to finish it as KN452.  Thankfully there are a few images of this particular Dak on the internet, many showing her as depicted by the kit.  Some of these images originate from the 50 Years of the RAF celebration at Abingdon in 1968 and, interestingly, show the serial number under the port wing painted “the wrong way round” reading from ahead of the aeroplane instead of from behind.  Images taken at RAF Khormaksar the year before show the serial applied correctly.

 

In all of the images of ‘452 that I’ve found to date, apart from those depicting her before her service in the Middle East, she appears to have the two small T-shaped radio altimeter aerials below the rear fuselage and two small “bumps” on the starboard side of the lower rear fuselage, one about eighteen inches ahead of the roundel and the other three to four feet forward of that.  There’s a similar small bump almost directly below the trailing edge of the rear cargo door hinge on the port side (there may be another but I haven’t spotted it yet).

 

My question, such as it is, is what is KN452’s history after the Berlin Airlift?  Was she an ELINT/SIGINT platform during the airlift?  Did she have a career other than as an/the RAFME “hack” requiring non-standard equipment, or was she a flying test bed or employed for navaid calibration?  Your comments would be appreciated.  Unfortunately I can’t find a copyright-free image at present showing these features.

Stever219. I don't think KN452 was based in Germany post WWII. I believe she served in MEAF and other overseas theaters but not Europe. Interestingly though there was a Dakota that was briefly assigned to photo reconnaissance duties in the Berlin Corridors in 1947. In the excellent Looking Down the Corridors book, by Kevin Wright and Peter Jefferies published in 2015 by the History Press, the following is stated:

The Mosquito's replacement (on photography in the Corridors) was C-in C BAFO's personal Dakota (KN645) with a hand held F.24 camera pointed out of the co-pilot's window. The Dakota was abandoned as a platform because the C-in-C became concerned about the compromise of his aircraft that he used when he represented British forces on the Continent and the rather unsatisfactory view from the Dakota's flight deck. KM645 is now on display at the Cold War display at the RAF Museum Cosford

 

Mark

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Thanks Mark.  I’ve seen KN645 at Cosford and had considered modifying the kit to represent her but I need to get some more reference photos first (next time maybe) .

 

I thought that I’d found an image of ‘452 wearing a Berlin Airlift number on the fin so there’s an excuse for a further web trawl😁😁.  Do you know if ‘452 is still around?

 

 

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47 minutes ago, stever219 said:

Thanks Mark.  I’ve seen KN645 at Cosford and had considered modifying the kit to represent her but I need to get some more reference photos first (next time maybe) .

 

I thought that I’d found an image of ‘452 wearing a Berlin Airlift number on the fin so there’s an excuse for a further web trawl😁😁.  Do you know if ‘452 is still around?

 

 

Following the end of its military service, it was bought by Shackleton Aviation and given the civilian registration G-AXJU, only to be sold to the Kenyan Police the following year, who operated it until October 1974. Having spent much of its service life in the Far and Middle East, it would once again find itself back in the region with Airfast Freight Services in Singapore, before eventually having its civil registration cancelled and being broken up for spares at Seletar airfield, with the remaining hulk scrapped – such an ignominious end for a hard working and well travelled aircraft.

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This aeroplane is beginning to bug me!  I’ve been looking at on-line images of her and I’ve begun to spot more oddities.

 

Starting with the aerial fit not only does she have the radalt aerials referred to earlier but, in no particular order, also sports a fine whip-style antenna pointing forwards and downwards below the nose, a blade aerial above the cockpit forward of the astrodome and the tuning-fork type antenna normally located there is moved aft of the astrodome.  There are also two whip aerials aft of this on the cabin top and a pair of antenna wires leading from the fin to terminals on the upper fuselage near the astrodome.  Finally, for now, there are three rod aerials under each wingtip similar to those seen on Shackleton.  As far as I’ve found this fit isn’t typical of the RAF Dakota fleet.

 

I can’t be certain from the images that I’ve found so far whether or not KN452 had the skin doublers on the front fuselage  sides in line with the airscrews.  It’s a bit of a pain getting these off but at least it is doable.

 

One image that I have found shows ‘452 with the front half of the cargo door open and this appears to have some form of liner installed which was light grey in colour.  There’s also a set of basic airline-style steps at the door suggesting, but not unequivocally demonstrating, that ‘452 was not simply a trash-hauling hack.  That being the case the question now is, did she have an airline-style interior rather than the bare interior green trash-hauler interior that she was probably built with?

 

I don’t doubt that I’ll find more oddities but, for now, if anyone has further thought or comments about this aeroplane I’d be delighted to hear them.

Edited by stever219
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Dakota KN452 appears on the "Model Alliance" sheet MA-72210  in the markings ( overall Dark Sea Grey with White top fuselage decking ) of Coastal Command Communications Flight, RAF Gibraltar, 1956.

 

Steve.

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14 hours ago, Rafdec said:

Dakota KN452 appears on the "Model Alliance" sheet MA-72210  in the markings ( overall Dark Sea Grey with White top fuselage decking ) of Coastal Command Communications Flight, RAF Gibraltar, 1956.

 

Steve.

Thanks Steve; I’ve seen that sheet but unfortunately it’s now out of print, rarer than hens’ teeth and my very good friend @avro683is presently hanging on to his copy for dear life!  (If it was me I would be too!)

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/23/2020 at 7:09 AM, Rafdec said:

Dakota KN452 appears on the "Model Alliance" sheet MA-72210  in the markings ( overall Dark Sea Grey with White top fuselage decking ) of Coastal Command Communications Flight, RAF Gibraltar, 1956.

 

Steve.

Are there any pictures of KN452 in this scheme? The decals only have the colour profile and I can’t find any other reference it!

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I believe I took this scheme from a side view in Aviation News Warpaint.

 

Steve

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I can't find it now and it may be a trick of an aging memory but I was sure I recently found a pic of her in those colours parked on the apron in Gibraltar.

 

David

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It’s a great scheme on the Dakota and I had heard that there was a photo around of it but haven’t managed to find one yet. I presume Aviation News must have seen it if they included it in the Warpaint profiles.

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  • 1 month later...

KN452 was used to fly the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on the tour of India in the early sixties. It was then issued to the Middle East Air Force and based at Khormaksar until the British withdrawal in 1967. It was always parked next to our Hunter pan but on the civil apron where it was maintained by Aden Airways, there being no Dakota skills on the RAF side. I have a few photographs which may, or may not be of some use but don't understand how to post using a URL.

 

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I built a model of fellow VIP Dak KP208 (now on display outside 16 Air Assault Bde`s barracks in Colchester) which also served with the Coastal Command Comms Sqn/Flt.,..... my WIP includes some pics of KN452 in case they are of interest?

Cheers

          Tony

 

Edited by tonyot
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Following up on my earlier post, a few photographs of Dakota C.4 KN452 in the Middle East:

 

1. A couple of views when parked on the civilian apron at Khormaksar in the summer of 1962. Hopefully you can see the underwing serials (my photos).

KN452_Aden%20Airport_06-62_RD-600x400.jp

 

KN452_port%20side-Aden%20Airport_1962_RD

 

2. Two photos depicting KN452 adorning the Arabian skies in the mid-sixties; one was taken low along the Aden coast and the second depicts '452 as one of a pair. C.4 KJ955, furthest away, joined the Khormaksar inventory in late-1964/early-1965 but was destroyed by a terrorist bomb in the May when parked on the civvy apron (both, Aviation Bookshop).

 

KN452_Barren%20Rocks%20of%20Aden_1965_RD

 

KN452%2BKJ955_airborne%20from%20Khormaks

 

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