Hi guys,
I am new to this forum but having been trying to research this aircraft I ended up here.
I have bought a 1/6th scale radio control turbine driven model which is painted in the colours of this aircraft. The colours are those which the aircraft had at the time of its rescue by the De Havilland Heritage Centre, ie brown over green with a sky blue underside. The markings are (mostly) those of the last flight by 28 Sqn, which coincidently is the Sqn I left in Dec 10 when I left the RAF!
I am after info on the aircraft’s history, especially pictures and extra especially colour pics.
Why was it in these colours as it seems an unusual choice?
Did the tip tanks have the lightning bolts motifs? Was the finish weathered and matt or glossy? I ask this because the one colour pic I have is a very fuzzy one which appears to show the aircraft as a static display and it is very glossy. I have also seen some colour pics of the stored parts and they are very weathered and definately matt, but was this due to the lack of care up until its rescue?
Thanks for your help,
WW
By: Don Chan - 28th September 2013 at 17:12
(Did it crash on 1962/07/04?)
‘On display outside the OPS office of RAF Kai Tak was this Venom FB4 (Reg. WR539).
This Venom crashed on 04 Jul 62, suffered a CAT 5 damage and was written off.
It was later shipped back to UK, and is now on display at the Mosquito Museum.’
By: vampiredave - 16th October 2012 at 15:26
Venom WR539
Venom FB 4 WR539
Built by Fairey Avn, Ringway
C/n 12240 F/f 10 Jan 1956
AwCn 27 Jan 1956
To No.22 MU Silloth 1 Feb 1956
Allocated FEAF 17 June 1957
Iss MB (FE) 9 July 1957
Del No.60 Sqn Tengah 20 Nov 1957
Trans No.28 Sqn Hong Kong 16 Nov 1959
Made last operational type sortie 12 June 1962. Pilot: Flt Lt L’Anson.
Took part in ceremonial flypast around Colony, 27 June 1962, in company with Hunter FGA 9, Hunter T 7 and Vampire T 11. Pilot: Wg Cdr A S Mann DFC
SOC 4 July 1962 and issued with GI 8399M
Relegated to crash rescue training at Kai Tak
Fell into disrepair and ‘rescued’ by Flt Lt Bob Turner and members of the squadron for display.
In 1976 the airframe was transferred to Cosford for proposed rebuild for RAF Museum, but this was abandoned because of its poor condition and sold to Visionair of Miami in April 1980 and placed into storage.
Sold to Jeff Hawke, it was passed to the Wales Air Museum at Cardiff Airport in 1982 and was acquired by the Mosquito Air Museum In October 1992. A major two-year restoration of the wooden fuselage pod was undertaken by the Gloucestershire Aviation Collection and it was returned to the renamed De Havilland Heritage Centre in December 2000 with the intention of restoring the airframe to its former markings with 28 Squadron.
The rest you know?
IHTH
By: Winchweight - 14th June 2011 at 11:09
WR539
Thanks mate. Sorry for the late reply, I had a bereavment and have been away.
If you can get pictures I’d appreciate it. I am still undecided on what to do about this “made up” scheme.
By: waghorn41 - 22nd May 2011 at 19:47
This aircraft stood outside the squadron flight line building at Kai Tak. Instructions were received to dismantle it ready for shipping to the UK. Unfortunately some of my colleagues were not so keen on old aircraft and it was not treated as gently as it should have been :mad:. Somewhere I’ve got a photo or two but they’re 126 film and I can’t get a neg holder for this size to scan them 🙁
I was there 1975-7 and I think the aircraft was dismantled (or should that be broken up?) in ’76.
Some years ago I came across a plastic kit of this very aircraft, naturally I bought it but its’ still unmade 🙂
By: Winchweight - 10th May 2011 at 21:57
Great, thanks Bruce.
I am unsure whether to repaint it or not as it is certainly an unusual (faked) scheme. :confused:
As I said in the thread, this Sqn is of interest to me since I have just keft the RAF after 24 yrs and 28 Sqn was my last Sqn, so a 28 Sqn theme is highly desireable to me.
By: Bruce - 10th May 2011 at 13:51
Couple of pics – as good a quality as I have.
By: Bruce - 10th May 2011 at 13:43
After making the last flight of the type, it was put on the dump at Kai Tak. A few years down the line, it was recovered, and placed on the gate – at which point, those odd colours were applied.
It should be Dark Green, Dark Sea Grey over Silver, with Blue rudders, Blue nose door and yellow tip tanks with the lightning flash.
No significant work has been done to it since it arrived at the museum in about 1993, owing to its very poor condition.
Bruce
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May 10, 2011 at 10:15 am