Chipmunk WD331 Info. Request

Thanks Albert, PM on way.

Albert,

Excellent photos! The new owner has asked me if you maight be able to let him have some higher res. copies. If so, I’ll PM a suitable e-mail address to you.

My pleasure! PM his e.mail address to me.

Aha, a sister ship to our WP790 at the Mosquito Museum (Thats ‘790 behind 331 in the first pic!)

Very nice to see.

Bruce

Albert,

Excellent photos! The new owner has asked me if you maight be able to let him have some higher res. copies. If so, I’ll PM a suitable e-mail address to you.

Nice shots Albert……thanks for sharing….even tho I was only involved at weekends and in the summer for a couple of years, it’s nice to see a bit of UBAS history

When I joined the RAF in 1971, I was on my Air Traffic Control Course at Shawbury and often flew with Birmingham University Air Squadron including WD331 coded ‘W’. Here are some shots I took over Shawbury on 19th September 1971.

Stringbag and David – Thanks, PMs duly sent.

Now, about those photos – anyone? (Yes, I have been to Airliners.net, Google, g-info etc. but can’t find much!)

Have a chat with Rod Brown – he will have chapter and verse on her. PM me for his email address if you wish.

PM Paul Flynn (Relight9) as he may be able to help.
I’m sure he has records for his JP Mk.4 which were retrieved from the RAF Museum.

There was certainly AEF activity when I was at Shawbury in ’88/’89, the Adult Cadet Warrant Officers would pop into the Sergeant’s Mess for a slap-up feed at lunchtimes on a Saturday and Sunday!:D
(occasionally I was up early enough at a weekend to have lunch:diablo: )

I did wonder if the ‘service history’ had been provided with the aircraft, which would give you an idea of where it had been!

I’m not up on the maintenance card thing, but I believe that this (or similar) definitely should exist. There are people here who can tell you exactly how to get hold of service records and things like that.

Shawbury certainly is active (and I think has never been ‘inactive’ (?)). I knew 8AEF followed UBAS around, as I used to be involved with them during my time in the ATC. Unfortunately I missed out on the chippy experience by about a year, as I joined my ATC squadron in 1995.

MerlinMagic might be able to give you some more info on 8aef/bulldogs as he is a squipper with 8AEF/UBAS still (I think).

Coanda

Thanks Coanda,

I had found the first couple of links that you suggest but the Air Britain one was new to me. I’m pretty sure that Shawbury remained active beyond 1972 as I spent a Summer Camp there with the CCF in about 1977 when 8AEF were still operating Chipmunks.

I believe each RAF airframe has/had a record card which may now be archived at Hendon. Am I dreaming this and, if not, how should I go about accessing the information?

sorry….been updating my post as I go…….

www.cnapg.org/chipmunk has it as Cosford Station Flight and Birmingham UAS but no dates.

1. Airliners.net has WD331 down as being used by a HP Hastings at least in 1965…..

2. ukserials.com has WD331 down as the following:

C1/0270 WD331 Chipmunk T10 Sold 27/02/1997

3. Some chappy here:

http://www.crouze.com/spotting/log.php?mindate=19890731a&maxdate=19890806z&location=

Has WD331 down as ‘A’ at RAF Swinderby on 04/08/89

4. And sometime in the 20th century this site:

http://www.cnapg.org/chipmunk.htm

Has WD331 down as being with UBAS at RAF Cosford before being sold and registered on the civil list.

and this document:

http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/ABN%201972-1.pdf

dated Jan 1972

Seems to tie-down some of the time it spent with UBAS….Operating from RAF Shawbury until it closed in July.

And thats as much as google is willing to give me……….