I was given this slide photo by Julian Andrews and he took the photo at Bournemouth/Hurn, circa 1977. The Sea Prince has just come out of a major overhaul and re-paint, but the serial number is unreadable (but possibly ‘WFxxx’ or ‘WPxxx’). Clearly it has been painted light aircraft grey and red, and it is definitely NOT day-glo like most other Sea Prince T.1s at that time. It is possibly the first (and only?) Sea Prince T.1 to adopt this revised colour scheme for FAA trainers, and at that time RN Chipmunks, Hunter trainers and Canberras were also having their day-glo replaced with red. The difficulty is that several preserved Sea Prince T.1s have had their day-glo overpainted in red, so they now look like this mystery Sea Prince. Also, of particular note in the 1977 photo at Hurn, are the prominent ‘modern’ aerials, not seen on other Sea Princes still in service at that time, or on current preserved examples.
By: Acklington - 30th October 2020 at 18:34
Many thanks Lynx815, my date of “circa 1977” was a guess, but fitted with the other photos in the box of slides that I was given.
I’ve just had a close look at the online photos of WF128, currently preserved with NASAM, and there is indeed a visible plate on the lower fuselage below the cockpit. This plate matches the location of the large aerial in the slide photo. Also the serial WF128 is close to what little can be made out on the slide photo. You have also shown that WF128 didn’t serve with all the other Sea Princes of 750 Squadron, which is why contemporary photos of that squadron only show day-glo aircraft. And finally if WF128 was with Belfast Station Flight, possibly on ‘Troubles’ related duties (the extra aerials), then that would explain why it was elusive to the cameras of mainland Britain.
Result! I can now caption the photo as WF128, dated 1975, Belfast SF/MoD(PE).
Many thanks again.
By: Lynx815 - 29th October 2020 at 20:36
There’s only one Sea Prince recorded in Air-Britain’s FAA Fixed Wing Aircraft since 1946 that was at Hurn in the 1970s, WF128. BAC Hurn 10.9.73 (radar equipment trials & mods); BAC Hurn 16.4.75 (avionics mods), then retd Stn Flt Belfast; BAC Hurn on MoD(PE) loan 28.7.75 (TI of mods). It may not be this one however but your comment about aerials would seem to fit, apart from the dates.
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October 28, 2020 at 10:49 pm