PUZZLE PICTURE (2)

The Rest of the Answers:

The Devon is XA879/2 of the ETPS and just to the left of its tail is the fuselage of WK194, the first protoype Swift F1.

Jim

The fuselage was on a trestle which is why it’s horizontal.There’s no likely candidate for it’s being a Varsity. The first prototype Varsity,VX828/12, was a couple of hundred yards away from it incidentally as well as WF381/14 by the water testing tank plus Comet 1 ,G-ALYS. Photos herewith.
I’m pretty sure you’re right about the wings being from a Dakota.
What about the smaller aircraft to the right of them?

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Jim

Both the centre section, and the wing on trestles look like DC3 to me.

Bruce

I think the aircraft immediately to the right of the Valetta nose is more likely a Varsity. The line of the top of the fuselage appears to be pretty much horizontal, rather than sloping downwards as on a Valetta.

Was there a Varsity listed in that area at that time?

Yes, the T3’s had extra astrodomes but still retained the “standard” one. The one visible on the photo is in the right position for astrodome 2 on a Valetta T3 but it is lacking one in the standard position.

WJ463 was a T3 and I think you’re probably right. It must have lost it’s astrodome 1 for some reason (probably still being used as a garden cloche in Farnborough town!).
It was taken off ETPS charge in March 1956 after,I think, a landing accident, and finally scrapped at the beginning of 1959.

Incidentally, I’ve flown in a couple of Valettas, a C1 and a T4 and,coincidentally I’ve actually looked through the astrodome of the T4 (which only had the “standard” fit of 1), just as the pilot put the aircraft into a screaming turn in pursuit of our target C1. This was on an airborne interception flight from Leeming where the T4s were used to train Navigators to use AI 13, the Javelin’s radar. C1’s were used as target aircraft.
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I’ve just looked at the photo again and I think that astrodome 1 is there but it’s obscured by that vertical pole!!!!
Jim

I’ve called it Dove aswel! – Devon.
It is definatly a Valletta (or one of Vickers tail dragger twins), some of the Navigation Training versions had rows of Astrodomes down the fusalage top, I don’t think they were all placed in exactly the same place on the different marks.
How bad was the crash you mention, could it be what was left of it?
Where is it by the way?

Anybody thought of any captions yet?
How about:
“I’ve told you – it’s more than my job’s worth to let you park in here!”
Jim

Slip of the keyboard there. The end aircraft isn’t a Dove!
Jim

This is where I’ve never been sure. The astrodome appears to be in the wrong place for a Valetta. (If it is a Valetta then it will be WJ463/21 of the ETPS which had crashed some months before this photo was taken). The other possibility is a Dakota as someone else has recorded KN510 and KP272 that day but I don’t know exactly where they were on the airfield.
What about the smaller airframe to the left of the Dove?
Jim

The aircraft to the right of the Valleta looks like another Valleta with an astrodome (not radar) fitted. The Dove and two Meteors are obvious enough. Would be interesting to know what the complete set of wings and nacelles, and the wing centre section are from that left in front of the 2nd Valleta? Look Beaufighter like, but possible more Valleta bits

I’ve just thought – how about suggestions for a caption to the second photograph?

Jim