De Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk WD361 Photo request

Thank you. That rules out my photo collection as a likely source as I was in the wrong part of the UK in the 60s. So we are looking for someone who took lots of photos of Chipmunks at Teversham (Cambridge) and/or Abingdon (Oxford) throughout the ’60s and into the early ’70s so covering operation by 5 AEF, 6 AEF, London UAS and Cambridge UAS (although I would welcome confirmation that these were the bases of those units during the 60s). Both London and Cambridge UASs wore an attractive badge so if photographic evidence can be found I’m sure that the Australian restorers would be delighted, although reproducing the day-glo colour could present problems. The AEF aircraft often did not have a badge applied, although at times 6 AEF did.

The History as far as I know is –

construction number C1/0302 Fuselage number DHB/F/178
WD361
26/2/51 awaiting collection
27/2/51 11 RFS
30/11/51 St Andrews UAS
30/11/52 11 RFS
6/11/53 1 CAACU
1/1/57 Hornchurch SF
29/3/57 CFS
3/5/57 5 FTS
4/12/57 C(A)
14/1/58 5 FTS
13/10/60 Cambridge UAS
11/11/58 22MU
13/7/65 5 AEF
13/1/66 Cat.3(R)
29/4/66 Cambridge UAS
18/2/69 6 AEF
17/6/69 5 AEF
10/2/70 London UAS, coded ‘C’
30/11/73 5MU
17/1/74 SOC sold M. D. N. Fisher
??/?? coded ‘E’
G-BBRK
16/1/74 registered Webster Aviation Ltd.
12/1/76 registration cancelled to Australia
VH-PUB
27/2/76 registration registered
??/?? L. C. Perkins
20/2/84 cancelled as wfu
??/?? stored Monegeeta, Victoria
6/4/00 registration restored
24/4/05 J. Herrmann. current on register 2/13

Any additions welcome.

…and this? http://www.na3t.org/air/photo/MIL15696

Is this of use?

http://www.na3t.org/air/photo/MIL27421

Anyone know which units operated this aircraft and at what time periods as a guide as to when to concentrate a search through my slides.

I am sure that “A4scooter” is aware that in RAF service there were only 3 main colour schemes applied to RAF Chipmunks which were fairly universal in application across the fleet. Bare metal with yellow T-bands until mid ’60s, bare metal (later grey paint) with day-glo patches and the final red/white training scheme from the early ’70s. The day-glo could be applied as stick-on patches or a paint coating to fin, rear fuselage and outer wings. Other than application of unit badge to fuselage or tail, and a unit code (or colour coded spinner) there was little addition to the standard scheme of the period. There are naturally some exceptions eg the CFS ‘Skylarks’ formation team, Prince Charles’s aircraft, BBMF; while those with the British Army and Royal Navy had their own air arm standard schemes. The RAF paint and marking specs are well documented.

The main hope for an interesting individual scheme is that WD361 was operated at some stage by a UAS/AEF/FTS with a colourful badge. In 20+ years of service it will have been used by a number of units. A poke around the net reveals it as coded E with 5 Air Experience Flight (AEF) in 1968 and was with London University Air Squadron (ULAS) in 1971. As it was demobbed in 1974 (to G-BBRK) it may never have acquired the final attractive red/white training colours. Indeed likely didn’t as the red/white scheme was often retained by private owners, the fading day-glo was usually quickly removed and an overall paint colour applied for protection.

Hopefully now over to the Chipmunk history experts for some real detail of WD361’s service history. A quick Google around the web shows it to have been quite camera shy as a military aircraft! There will be photos in private collections though, so I wish you luck with your appeal for help here.

I flew WD361 a fair few times when it was with the University of London Air Squadron c.1970-72. (Light Grey with dayglo stick on panels and the ULAS Badge on the fuselage side below the hood).