Ferranti Dakota

Adrian,

Are you saying I’m too nosey 😀

Seriously though, you’re right. The nose cone removed at Duxford which end up at Booker was the thimble style. I simply assumed that it had been one and the same extended nose but with the black pointed element deleted and faired over once the airpass equipment had been removed. The residual profile was very similar, but I stand corrected if it was a completely fresh unit.

Tim

Yes I have a slide of her when with Ferranti – but finding it is another matter – I’ll see what I can do when I get time. The extended nose was retained for some time and eventually removed when it was civilianised at Duxford (I have a b&w of the mod of the nose to more conventional status when in progress). The extended nose cone after removal ended up with the collection that at one time was at Booker (Wycombe Air Park) – don’t know if the component survives. Sorry I can’t easily share those pics presently.

Tim

Tim, you are getting your ‘extended nose cones’ mixed up. The Ferranti Airpass radar nose cone was replaced by a large ‘thimble’ radar nose cone in the mid-60s and it is that one that ended up at Booker. TS423 was retired from the RAE in 1979 with that nose shown here. The aircraft was then registered as G-DAKS with Aces High and flew as ‘G-AGHY’ with Ruskin Air Services colours in 1981 for the Yorkshire TV series ‘Airline’.

Thanks Robert, I’ll order it from the inter-library loan service. I’m pretty sure it was painted blue when I saw it (April 57) – they must have given it a respray into standard RAF Transport colours after that. The only other blue Dak I ever saw was a USAF or USN one over Kenley (probably taken off from Croydon) in Nov. 58.
Thanks all,
Jim

I only saw the Dakota with a blue cheat line. If you havn’t got it already “Edinburgh Airport- a History” would be of interest to you. DaveF68 should be able to assist you with locating one!

Jim,

The slide I have shows it in similar scheme to the b&w picture already offered up in this thread and that was white upper fuselage, natural metal or silver rest of airframe and blue cheatline. I think the slide I have was about 1959. I don’t know if it this airframe ever carried a red cheatline in military or research service but I don’t recall any reports of it as such.

Tim

Many thanks Guys! I have it recorded (April 1957) as being blue with a red cheat line – does that match up with your slide?
Jim

Does anyone have a photo of TS423 when she was with Ferranti at Turnhouse in 1957? She carried Airpass radar in the nose when I saw her there that year. There was a photo of her in Air Pictorial at the time if anyone has a copy?
Cheers,
Jim

Yes I have a slide of her when with Ferranti – but finding it is another matter – I’ll see what I can do when I get time. The extended nose was retained for some time and eventually removed when it was civilianised at Duxford (I have a b&w of the mod of the nose to more conventional status when in progress). The extended nose cone after removal ended up with the collection that at one time was at Booker (Wycombe Air Park) – don’t know if the component survives. Sorry I can’t easily share those pics presently.

Tim

This would probably be what you are looking for?

Thanks folks,
Jim

“50 Glorious Years” by Arthur Pearcey on page 128 has 2 good photo’s of that nose on TS423.

Got a couple in the Edinburgh Airport – A History book