2008 Anniversaries

70th anniversary of 616 sqn-the last & the first!!!

Formed at Doncaster 1/11/1938, the last of the pre-war Auxilliary Squadrons & in 1944 the worlds first operational jet sqn.

AW Argosy – January, 1959

Roger Smith.

50th anniversary of Britannia G-ANCF’s first flight (19th November 1958)

Jon

Some first flight 50th anniversaries coming up:
December 1958 Fiat G91R
January 20 1959 Vickers Vanguard
February 20 1959 Handley Page Victor B Mk 2
February 28 1959 SE 3160 Alouette III
February 1959 Beriev Be 12 Tchaika
March 25 1959 Sikorsky S-60 Skycrane
April 5 1959 Aero XL-29 Delfin
May 4 1959 Pilatus PC-6 Porter
May 6 1959 English Electric Lightning T.4
June 10 1959 Sud Aviation SA 3200 Frelon
June 17 1959 Dassault Mirage IV-01
June 27 1959 DH Comet 4B
July 2 1959 Kaman H-2 (SeaSprite)
August 27 1959 Vertol YHC-1A
October 20 1959 Dassault Mirage IIIB
October 27 1959 Myasishchev M-50
November 4 1959 Lockheed Model 475 (their first helicopter)
November 15 1959 Canadair CL-44D Yukon
November 23 1959 Boeing 720
November 24 1959 Hiller X-18
December 12 1959 Avro Canada VZ-9V
December 30 1959 Sud Aviation Caravelle III
December 1959 Antonov An-24

Hi everyone, one of the important anniversaries this year is the “200th” anniversary of the start of “D.Napier and Son”, as you know, maker’s of some of the finest aero engine’s and engineering product’s ever made.

A party was held earlier this year and brought together the Napier-Railton, a Napier Deltic engined loco, various aero engine’s, memorabilia and many of the ex-Napier employee’s.

Andy

Joglo. Why not put an elastic band on your r/c a/c and throw it just as you did 60 years ago. The rubber band won’t help it fly but if you post some photos of the crash we can all share in your event.

It’s 60 years this year since I first successfully flew a rubber powered, Keil Kraft kit, it was a Hurricane!

I’d hope to mark the occasion with a r/c flight, but my batteries are dead. 🙁

Hello Super Sioux: here is one of the pictures I took that day, and there others (but not of Lightnings) on the same site, look for “1968”:
http://www.planesandchoppers.com/picture/number4138.asp
Unfortunately digital cameras didn’t exist then and film (and developing) cost money . . .
Papa Lima

FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF RAF

We had a whopping RAF celebration at Abingdon in 1968 – both HM the Queen and myself (a humble Sergeant Technician) were there – and I have photos to prove it! At least one other Forum member was there too, and his pictures are much better than mine!

Hi Papa Lima, I found this thread when trying to find certain info. about the North American Savage and on reading my way through it found this entry. I too was in the RAF in 1968 in the lowly rank of Junior Technician (airframes) and was part of the team keeping the Ruskies at bay with the **** Lightning.
As part of the celebration we and other Lightning users gathered many Lightnings together at Wattisham for, I think, the Queens do at Abingdon and it was a noisy send off.. Photo taking at this camp was frowned on, so no visual memories . Have you any shots of the Lightnings at Abingdon that day?
If so could you PLEASE show them on the site or send a personal message.
Ray:D

Lindy’s Lad, I appologise whole heartedly.

Don’t worry about it. I upset people by breathing anyway……:eek:

Tim, you must be wearing your pedant hat at a rather jaunty angle because in the true spirit of pedantry not every year is an anniversary of every event. The years preceding the actual events are not anniversaries of said events so the use of the word every is overstating your postulation.

Now that depends upon how you view anniversaries. By my reckoning every year following an event can be classed as an anniversary. Ergo, once an event has occured it can be celebrated every year thereafter.

Take for example a wedding anniversary. I am in the lucky position of being about to celebrate my 18th year of marriage. It is 18 years since I got married and therefore I will be providing an expensive meal for the two of us plus the now obligatory extremely large bouquet of flowers. It is obligatory.

I apply this simple rule regarding anniversaries to all past events, but not to future events that I am not yet aware of.

Nurse…

re

Evening all

2008 will see the 40th anniversary of an unusual event which took place on April 5th 1968. This is the day Al Pollock flew a Hawker Hunter under Tower Bridge, in protest against the lack of official celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the RAF.

Freebird

wow tell us more. does the ac survive?

Hej Daniel!
Kunde jag vänta inbjudan till din jubileumsfest då (som officiell bildplåtare kanske)!?
Hälsningar och grattis i förväg, Peter den fräckis

Din fräckis! Självklart är du välkommen. Jag ska bara bestämma mig om det blir en jubileumsfest eller en tillställning för att dränka mina sorger. 😉

(Gentlemen, sorry for the internal chat :p)

Hej Daniel!
Kunde jag vänta inbjudan till din jubileumsfest då (som officiell bildplåtare kanske)!?
Hälsningar och grattis i förväg, Peter den fräckis

Pedant hat on. Every year is an anniversary year for every event. Pedant hat off.

This year on March 5th will be the 72nd anniversary of the first flight of the VS Shrew.

More significantly it would be fantastic if 2008 saw the ceasation of global military action and international hostilities. Cynical hat on: How would military powers test the effectivenes of their expensive toys against nations with inferior to. Cynical hat remaining on to cope woth rest of day.

Just thinking out aloud here (as I’m not near my reference material) but wouldn’t 2008 be the 70th anniversary of many Airfields of the RAF pre-war expansion period? Here at St Athan the anniversary is 1st September.

50th birthday of Air Atlantique’s DC-6A, G-APSA on 13 June.

She’s out and about lots this year to celebrate – www.thedc6.com has more details…

30 years of ME!!!!!!:eek: 😮 😮

G’dmn, when I think about it (I usually don’t) – it’s 30 years of me too! 😮 😮

Lindy’s Lad, I appologise whole heartedly.

We had a whopping RAF celebration at Abingdon in 1968 – both HM the Queen and myself (a humble Sergeant Technician) were there – and I have photos to prove it! At least one other Forum member was there too, and his pictures are much better than mine!