Not much room for error!!

Ah, Argus..I think my father was on the Argus with a Sea Hurricane Sqdn..he was certainly on HMS Dasher with Sea Hurris, fortunately disembarking before it exploded in the Clyde.

All grist to the mill – & new since our day.

A couple of photos to show how the other half lived for 3 months!

– Tim

As previous posters have clarified, this is not Christmas Island. There are in fact 2 airfields on Christmas Island (Kiritmati, Kiribati, Pacific Ocean); Cassidy, the main field on the northern side of the Island, and Aeon, on the southern side.

I used to fly into Cassidy, but due to the remoteness of the location, we always considered Aeon as an emergency field, and I understand that it is still in reasonably good condition.

There is also another Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, to which I have also flown. Interestingly it too has strong links with the UK, as it was previously a substantial phosphate mine.

Cotteswold : nice shots taken at Nadi. looking north toward the garden of the sleeping giant.

Cthornburg ; I am guessing you are a B727 pilot? If so, half your luck!

Malden strip, Chris? I’ll believe you, but my eyesight’s not that good!
And since it was highly contaminated by the tests, I wouldn’t have liked to land there.

As to Tongareva, that was one of the isles where we installed microbarographs to monitor the tests.

Majuro? That really is a floating strip!! But at least it has a bit of width?

Waipahu? Then you’ll well know the field that we used to call Hickalulu?

Just for fun – a couple of photos from Fiji. Get that monster??

= Tim

Tim is definitely right about the Island, see my link earlier, Malden and Christmas are a fatter shape for a start.
During Grapple they were based on Christmas Island with the Valiants.

240 Sqn Shacks did land on Penrhyn (Tongareva) as part of pre ‘Grapple’ recce, was this what you were up to Tim?

That carrier, looks like a small chunk of broken away land with some Hurricanes parked on top!

Officially I don’t know if Malden had an airport. Looking at the current aerial picture of the island. Couple of places look like old airport. Out here in the islands a NE/SW runway is normal. The spot on the NW side of the island looks like an old airport with a turnoff for parking.
You don’t need much of an island to land attached is also picture of Majuro Airport in the Marshall Island where I fly a couple of times a month.
I’ve found 3 pictures of Christmas Island back in the day of the tests. Showing Canberra’s etc on the ramp. I wanted to compare with today airport.

Sincerely

Chris

Negative, Chris – Malden didn’t have a strip (?) & is a bit of land surrounded ny water. Tongareva (rather like Aitutaki) is a lot of water surrounded by land!

And Christmas, as you know, is half way between those 2 extremes.

Interesting, though, because you’ve led me to this – http://www.islandsbusiness.com/islands_business/index_dynamic/containerNameToReplace=MiddleMiddle/focusModuleID=18807/overideSkinName=issueArticle-full.tpl – things I was better off not knowing at the time?

Carrier? This is the only one I’ve flown off – & that was a damned sight too small! (350′ usable).

= Tim

Haha – needn’t have asked, eh Tim? 🙂 Sorry, I hadn’t picked up on the details your post-war career before now.

Pix of the shack could be Malden Island. As I fly into Christmas Island doesn’t look like that airport. Aerial view from the web makes it seem like Malden Island. Both used in Grapple.

Chris

I suppose you just treat it as a very long, thin, becalmed carrier !

Joking, Beermat?

That’s me doing the usual 3-pointer!

= Tim

Have you flown from there, Tim?

Nothing would surprise me.

As for the map, looks like there could be some traffic jams during rush hour on the roads!

Have you flown from there, Tim?

Cocos – Cook ah well :o, anyway here is a map, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Penrhyn.png
And I thought Penrhyn was outside Falmouth in Cornwall!:D

On all 4!!

Tongareva. May ’57.

= Tim

ah yeah i see it now 🙂

Ah I see it now Tim, is it the Shacks supporting ‘Grapple’ Atomic tests, Cocos Island or somewhere?

Edit, and is the Shack returning on three?

Don’t tell ’em, Pike! I reckon it’s a good competition – I’m thinking it’s an airstrip, but WHERE?

Looks like a long thin runway on a slightly longer and wider island to me – but probably wrong!

Try this?