Canadian Argus maritime patrol aircraft

Argus

I was in Malta on det with 42 sqdn just before Christmas 1968 when an Argus come through heading home, trying to get there for Christmas. The Argus used the same radar as the MK3 Shack, ASV21 and this Argus had a duff radar. I received a call from the ground crew asking if we could help them with the problem. This was frowned upon by the management and second lines because the Canadians were often several mod states behind us. It was obvious when a Canadian unit turned up because the serial numbers all started with a 9. Anyway we swapped their faulty modulator for one of ours and took the moans.
9 months later I was with a MK3 when we landed at RCAF Greenwood and who should be the first person that I saw when when vacated the aircraft but the radar eng from the Argus in Malta! A small world indeed. Had a really great week in Nova Scotia, we basically parked the Shack, partied and finally dragged our tired, hungover bodies back to St. Mawgan a week later.

Lots of CP-107 Argus pics…
http://www.geocities.com/cp107argus/cp107_argus_photos.htm

A friend and co-worker of mine was an engine fitter on Argus’ back then. He told of going to the UK. on some of those trips. He was based out of CFB Greenwood, in Nova Scotia, my home province. Sadly, he passed on recently, shortly after early retirement.

I miss those late-night stories, Ron.

Took these pictures at Comox on Vancouver island. Canada.

🙂

They used come to Gibraltar regularly in the late 70’s.

Used to get a few trips with them………..longest was 16 hours 😮

A225HVY

The interesting thing was their pholosophy re. the aircrew, usually SNCO pilots and JNCO crew.

I was in the maritime world in the ’70s (both ends of the country) and my experience was that the RCAF/CF structure was broadly similar to the RAF. I recall a good many “JMC debriefs” in the Scruffs at Kinloss.

exmpa

Any of you old timers remember any stuff about the Canucks and the Argus.
It looked a bit like a Brittania with piston engines.

It was pretty much! It was a new fusalage designed with the ASW role in mind, ie non pressureized, crew look outs, bomb bay, radar, MAD boom etc mated to Brittania wings, tail, tailplane and undercarriage. Proteus turbines were changed for the then more plentiful, reliable, and suited to lower levels, Wright 3,700 R-3350 Turbo-Compound. However as with most of these hybrids, parts are not interchangeable as the componants were standardised for Canadian production.

I just about remember the final Argus Mk.2s (along with French and Dutch Neptunes) at Mawgan in the early ’80s and remember the windows reverberating to the sound of their piston engines.

I always think that the Argus was way ahead of what the RAF had, especialy when you think that it entered service the same year as the Mk.3 Shackleton.
It had a more modern structure and far more internal room for crew comfort and equipment layout. They didn’t have to stick two jets on to it neither!
The Canadians, and Dutch, were always very approachable even in the latter years, in fact my only Aurora and Orion rides have been with those guys.
They always seem to have had a good time in SM Sgt’s mess, I know there have been many good dos in there, unfortunatly I attended the closing do and still have my special tot glass.:(