Unusual Paint Jobs

This is one of my all-time favourites (hope the scan comes out OK)
from page 47 of “Aeroplanes of the Royal Aircraft Factory” by Paul R Hare

I think the Swiss were pretty good at flash paint jobs – Papyrus, the tiger stripe jet, and best of all the Graffitti Hunter! If i can dig out a pic of the Graffitti hunter I’ll post it.

Here’s a few Canadian Aircraft that are painted up in unique paint schemes… (The first two were associated with demonstration teams)

Hi Kodak, you must have been there too. Did you get any shots?

If only I had ! – I just research special schemes and that is a special scheme legend!! I’m amazed how well my memory has served after reading the actual artists’ story on that link (thanks Swiss Mustangs!)
I will dig and see if I can find an image – or any other stuff

Zapped Harrier again:

http://harrier.hyperlinx.cz/gallery/mod10.htm

Would love to see a pic of this kite !
Martin

Hi Kodak, you must have been there too. Did you get any shots?

…and very tastefully done. :rolleyes:

It looks like an ex Czech A/F trainer to me, but others will surely know.

Taken at the Roudnice Airshow, near Prague, in June 1993.

This was a marvellous show. The ‘velvet revolution’ was rolling. Guy Black’s Spitfire TE566, in full post-war Czech livery, was the star of the show. The Czech RAF veterans were there in force to be rightfully honoured after the post war persecutions – tear jerking stuff.

Mark

Its a Let Z37 Cmelak (bumblebee), Czech late 60s vintage agricultural a/c.

Steve was this the time that #1 Squadron was based at Tangmere?

Noooo! Wittering -1976 – squadron exchange with French EC1/2 flying Mirage IIIEs at Dijon. RAF had painted a rather rude rendition of a cartoon harrier doing “things” with the stork of the French units insignia on the fin of a Mirage. AFter a night of debauchery the RAF crews were bussed to the apron to see that their French “comrades” had paid back the honour. The T2 had
its camouflage replaced with 3 coats of pink and white complete with eyelashes, red spirals and white blotches on any remaining camo! What made it worse was that the paint was emulsion rather than the agreed washable stuff!!

I believe the last aircraft No. 1 Squadron was based with at Tangmere were Hunters.

Is there anyone else like me, old enough to remember 1 Squadron’s pink Harrier T.4, complete with red eyes and lips on the forward fuselage? It was painted by the French Air Force on the last night of a squadron exchange and flew back to Wittering to be greeted by a very unamused Station Commander.
It was repainted very quickly!

I have a very poor shot of it at home somewhere, and if I can ever crack posting photos here, I will.

Steve was this the time that #1 Squadron was based at Tangmere?

In the pink…

…and very tastefully done. :rolleyes:

It looks like an ex Czech A/F trainer to me, but others will surely know.

Taken at the Roudnice Airshow, near Prague, in June 1993.

This was a marvellous show. The ‘velvet revolution’ was rolling. Guy Black’s Spitfire TE566, in full post-war Czech livery, was the star of the show. The Czech RAF veterans were there in force to be rightfully honoured after the post war persecutions – tear jerking stuff.

Mark

I have a very poor shot of it at home somewhere, and if I can ever crack posting photos here, I will.

Steve,

I am back in business – my computer is fixed.

We can do it.

Mark

Is there anyone else like me, old enough to remember 1 Squadron’s pink Harrier T.4, complete with red eyes and lips on the forward fuselage? It was painted by the French Air Force on the last night of a squadron exchange and flew back to Wittering to be greeted by a very unamused Station Commander.
It was repainted very quickly!

I have a very poor shot of it at home somewhere, and if I can ever crack posting photos here, I will.

Hi

nowadays resident in unspectacular NMF finish at the Swiss AF Museum – but it flew in the livery depicted below while being used as test-aircraft. It is Mirage III C J-2201 nicknamed “Blüemli” which is Swiss German dialect for “Little Flower”

Cheers
Martin

The T-33…

… an ‘ugly duckling’ on the ground transformed into a real beauty in the air – some may disagree.

Here is N155X taken from the jump seat of Max Hoffman’s P-51 ‘Boomer’ in 1974 in Windsor, Ontario. This was a loose formation exercise to drum up some publicity for the Warbirds ’74 Airshow at local towns by flying low down the ‘high street’. You can see three or four other fighters off in the distance.

The pilot of the T-33 was a Phantom pilot, current USAF, and a Vietnam vet. He suggested to Max some ‘dog-fighting’ with the 51. Well with the combination of ability and technology, for ‘dog fighting’ read ‘close formation flying’. Max couldn’t shake him off the our tail.

One of those special flying moments for me and the day before the airshow – we came in very low and very fast in close formation back to the airfield pulling gut wrenchingly hard up over the gathering aircraft and show pilots into a vertical split and break for landing.

I saw my wife later that morning. “Did you see that Mustang and the yellow jet” she asked…….Hmm shall I tell her, I thought – perhaps later! 🙂

Mark

With a very suitably clad gentleman at the left!

Here’s the other one of the Sikorsy “jungle” pair . . .

The funny thing is, Albert Ross, the other side of the turbo Beaver had a completely different but equally patriotic scheme, pity I didn’t take a picture of that side too!

I guess this Sikorsky scheme is quite well known by now.

Not quite vintage, but nevertheless I am sure it would be appreciated by our friends across the pond . . .

Ohh, that’s lovely! Thanks and any Beaver is considered ‘vintage’ in my books.