Coastal Command Hastings

Thanks Richard. So I needn’t alter my logbook!

Re pogno’s post:
In my post #7 above, I mentioned my flight to Gibraltar in Met 1 TG566. I certainly recorded it as a Met 1, but the fact that it was used for personnel transport (eg my flight in 1958) and that it is quoted as a C1 in the accident report of 1962 http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1962.htm
suggests that it may indeed never have become a Met 1. If so, I should update my logbook!
Anyone have any clues?

Laurence
As I said I can confirm TG566 was a Met 1, I did find some good pictures of it coded ‘D’ lying on its belly surrounded by foam and with the fire crew in attendance at the time of its accident, but cannot find then again. Apparantly the fuselage was twisted so it was scrapped.

Richard

Re pogno’s post:
In my post #7 above, I mentioned my flight to Gibraltar in Met 1 TG566. I certainly recorded it as a Met 1, but the fact that it was used for personnel transport (eg my flight in 1958) and that it is quoted as a C1 in the accident report of 1962 http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1962.htm
suggests that it may indeed never have become a Met 1. If so, I should update my logbook!
Anyone have any clues?

according to web sources the last six Hastings were completed at Radlett as C(Met).1 airframes, with nineteen being converted there, though unsure if the nineteen includes the final six?

I can only find the following registrations TG503, TG504, TG505, TG511, TG517, TG565, TG566, TG567, TG572, TG616, TG621, TG622, TG623, TG624 with TG503 being used for suitability trials but not converted. Making a total of 14 actual MET1’s.
TG521 is often listed as one but I have never found confirmation of it being anything other than a C1 then a T5.

Richard

Thanks chaps.

Is this right, or their interpretation of DSG or EDSG?

The same colour as the Shacks AEW2, MR3, T4- whatever that was!

DD

Thanks chaps.

Is this right, or their interpretation of DSG or EDSG?

I’m stumped!

Thanks chaps.

“No. 202 Squadron, Aldergrove, have recently shed their drabgrey finish for the new Coastal Command blue…“

Is this right, or their interpretation of DSG or EDSG?

They look fantastic in the all over dark sea grey scheme, does anyone here know the colour of the cheatline?

In Tim Senior’s book both white and yellow cheat-lines are referenced!

Found this, but maybe not a proper answer…
“No. 202 Squadron, Aldergrove, have recently shed their drabgrey finish for the new Coastal Command blue, plus white lettering and “cheat lines” as shown on this page.“
FLIGHT, 20 July 1956, p.119

This is a link to the Hastings met aircraft on Air Britain that I mentioned earlier, http://www.abpic.co.uk/search.php?q=Handley%20Page%20Hastings%20MET1&u=type
Aircraft shown are TG504, ‘505, ‘511, ‘517, and ‘622, add these to TG565, ‘566, ‘567, ‘572, ‘616, and ‘623 mentioned above, according to web sources the last six Hastings were completed at Radlett as C(Met).1 airframes, with nineteen being converted there, though unsure if the nineteen includes the final six?

They look fantastic in the all over dark sea grey scheme, does anyone here know the colour of the cheatline?

I have tried recently to work out the identity of the MET1 Hastings, but from pictures its not easy as the registrations are often invisible on the grey fuselages, but from that research I think the two here are.
TG623 with the white fin which made the final ‘Bismuth’ flight in 1964 and ended up at the Manston fire school in 1968, by then with a dark grey fin.
The other is TG565 with the weather radar radome(was this the only one with a radome?) and coded ‘H’ which went to Catterick for disposal in 1966.
If anyone else has MET1 pictures I would love to see them.

Richard

TG565 without radar radome
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1090711/
and
TG565 air-to-air
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1951/1951%20-%201390.html?search=Hastings
and
a ‘Maritime Hastings’
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1951/1951%20-%200615.html?search=Hastings

Maybe you know this article ‘On the track of the weather’ already
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1952/1952%20-%202968.html
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1952/1952%20-%202969.html

Two pictures inside the cabin of a Met Hastings
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1961/1961%20-%200457.html?search=Hastings

One more to add to the list of Met 1s is TG566 in which, as an ATC cadet, I flew from Lyneham to Gibraltar and back in May 1958. Unfortunately the only photo I have is of the wingtip taken from inside during the flight.
It ran off the runway taking off at Aldergrove on 19/9/1962. There is a poor photograph of the incident on http://www.ukserials.com/losses-1962.htm (scroll down to the date and click on the serial). It went to the firedump at Cosford. The fuselage was still there in 1969.

I have tried recently to work out the identity of the MET1 Hastings, but from pictures its not easy as the registrations are often invisible on the grey fuselages, but from that research I think the two here are.
TG623 with the white fin which made the final ‘Bismuth’ flight in 1964 and ended up at the Manston fire school in 1968, by then with a dark grey fin.
The other is TG565 with the weather radar radome(was this the only one with a radome?) and coded ‘H’ which went to Catterick for disposal in 1966.
If anyone else has MET1 pictures I would love to see them.

Richard

Hastings Colours

Some of the photographs were reproduced in Tim Senior’s excellent Hastings book that was published by Dalrymple & Verdun in 2008.

Plus, having just quickly looked through that publication I see that TG517 is depicted twice on page 85 of the ‘Hastings Colours’ section of the book – copies of which I believe may still be available in the Museum Shop. 😉

Thanks for the information guys, I must have a look at those photos next time I am in Newark.

Newark Air Museum’s Hastings TG517 was returned to Radlett in October 1950 and converted to MET 1 standard and also served with 202 Squadron at Aldergrove until 1958.

The museum archive has photographs of it during these Ops – all over dark grey scheme IMMSMC!

Nice pics, thanks for sharing. I think most of the Hastings T.5s were converted from the C(MET).1s.
There are some good photos of Coastal Hastings on the Air Britain pictures site.