Paint Colours for Classic Dan Air Livery ?

Just make sure the compass and flag are going the right way!

Finally, the Dan-Air paint colour has been accurately determined from a colour chip, carefully grafted from the fin/rudder joint on JD. An exact colour match was found which is Karminrot (or Carmine Red, to us Brits). The chip matched the swatch exactly so the paint has been mixed and will be applied to the fin very soon.

You will have gathered from this post that the decision has been made to return Avro 748, G-BEJD to her early Dan-Air scheme. It’s (relatively) easily done and very attractive, too. Her existing Reed Aviation/Emerald white with avocado/cherry cheat lines has never quite done it for me so I’m pleased it will be going into the Dan-Air scheme. It will be of wider interest too whilst retaining its NW connection. We have the nose of G-ORAL in the Reed/Emerald scheme to represent a more local association with the type.

The fin will be painted before it is hoisted into position. It currently lies on the ground and is a darn-sight easier and safer to work on than being stuck 15ft in the air.

Anon.

Another pic of JD in the correct scheme for you

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The variation is a good thing from our angle as it gives us a bit of leeway. However, the first picture of JD is the scheme we are going to apply and the angle of the photograph gives us good references for alignment of lettering and lines.

Anon.

Wings, tailplanes and lower fuselage light grey. Engines natural metal. Note how much variation there is in this livery – white registration letters, black registration letters, slightly different fonts for DAN-AIR LONDON etc.
Hand-painted!

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The Comet at Wroughton is in this scheme. It’s your best bet for a live match. You’d have to ask for a visit as Wroughton is not open to the public.

Also, what was the colour of the lower fuselage? I’ve heard it said it is Dove Grey but that’s not from an authoritative source.

Were the wings natural metal, or were these grey also? I am led to believe the engine nacelles were polished metal.

Anon.

This be the scheme I’m looking for: http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1099131/

http://www.danair.org/

Try contacting the above.

The 748 at Liverpool (G-BEJD) was delivered in the “classic” scheme, with a single black line below the red cheat line, separated by white. The scheme on the Comet in your photos is a later varinant, with extra black. This was very short-lived before the red white and blue livery came in. Not sure whether JD had the clasic “variant” livery – it may have done. It certainly ended up in RWB, but never had the “white tail” livery.

Duxford Aviation Society has recently painted the Ambassador in Dan-Air red, so they may be able to help. For the best “original” colour match, the Comet 4B at Wroughton is in teh classic livery (not the “variant” livery). It’s original paint, and it’s hangared – so it’s a good match.

The East Fortune example is a bit faded now for colour matching.

A little confused here.

I tend to think of the dark maroon red broad cheat (with black edging) and tail with Davies & Newman flag in a white circle as the ‘classic’ scheme. The thinner red and blue cheats rising below the window line to sweep up the tail as the ‘new’ ‘final’ or ‘last’ scheme. Others could well think of the older (‘initial’) white tail with two horizontal lines as the ‘classic’ scene (as on the York at Duxford). For me at least, can you clarify which scheme you are looking for on the HS.748?

The National Museum of Scotland (or a group working for them) repainted the Dan Air Comet at East Fortune a few years back in the red tail scheme. Cannot think of any Dan Air aircraft preserved in the final red and blue scheme. Are you also looking for drawings of the rather complex flag that is part on the fin and part on the rudder? Suspect there could well be left and right handed versions due to the rudder split.

I’ve got slides galore of Dan Air aircraft, but can I find good ones when I need them to illustrate – not a chance!

I’m fairly confident the British Airways archive doesn’t have this information. You might try contacting former Dan Air staff via one or other of these websites
http://www.danair.org/index.html
http://www.danairremembered.com/dan_menu_page.htm
or failing those, Duxford should remember what colours they painted the York. I don’t think the red changed (not officially, anyway) through the years.