Does anyone have any evidence of one of these being impressed into RAF service?
As a member of the Britmodeller forum, I came across a Czech member who runs a modelling company and who is researching on producing a 1/72 model of the type.
Neither my Putnams on RAF aircraft, nor my Air Britain volume on RAF squadrons mentions anything.
Can anyone help please or is this an ‘urban myth’?
Thanks
Trevor
By: Trevor G - 30th July 2017 at 21:55
Thanks for the info – much appreciated
Trevor
By: DaveF68 - 30th July 2017 at 20:12
The history of all the Hillson built Pragas, and the Hellvelyn is given on the Air Britain type history
By: avion ancien - 30th July 2017 at 12:46
Neither Peter Moss’ ‘Impressments Log’ nor Aubrey Jackson’s ‘British Civil Aircraft’ has any record of a Hillson Praga being impressed. And if you consider the nature of the aeroplane, that’s hardly surprising. It would have been completely unsuitable even in a communications rôle.
As to the Helvelleyn, Jackson says that rather than being used by the RAF, G-AFKT was ‘flown early in the 1939-45 war on the firm’s [i.e. F.Hills & Sons Ltd.] communication duties, mainly between Barton and Ipswich’ before being dismantled in November 1942.
By: Chitts - 30th July 2017 at 08:57
The Praga and Helvellyn are different types. The fountain of knowledge (Wikipedia) states that the sole Helvellyn was used as a communications aircraft by the RAF until 1942. I can’t imagine that the two cylinder Praga was deemed to be much use by the RAF, other than a source of fuel for the mess stove.
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July 29, 2017 at 10:47 pm