RAF Beech 'Staggerwing' survivors

The photo credit for DR 628 goes to ‘The Aeroplane’ , so I must have the same pic as everyone else.

In one of those aviation modelling magazines, someone constructed a nice Royal Navy variant of the GB-2. Can’t remember how long ago it was.

This aircraft never left the U.S., serving at several bases from 1943 till the end of the war.

Wartime photo.Was originally assigned to U.S. Embassy in London and carried the USAAF serial number 39-139. Impressed into RAF service on May 1,1941.

I was kind of thinking that they would have been overall midnight blue, similar to some Expediters

The blue C-45s were serving in the late 40s/early 50s alongside silver ones.

Wartime RN C-45s were in temperate sea scheme over yellow, immediate post war in silver or natural metal

A few of the RN Communications squadrons seem to have had a few, – 701 (Heathrow), 712 (Hatston), 725 (Eglinton), 730 (Ayr), 740 (Machrihanish), 776 (Speke/Woodvale) , 778 (Arbroath), 781 (Lee on Solent), 782 (Donibristle), 787 (Wittering) and 799 (Lee on Solent)- and most of the pics seem to show the 3-tone US scheme (e.g. ‘Merlin 29’ of 782 at Donibristle)

What is slightly intruiging is that 778 and 781’s aircraft were in use at a time when Overlord stripes may have been in use……

RAF Travellers (other than the impressed DR628) seem to be camera shy as well mind you!

I think the silver one that Pagen refers to is FZ433 of the 201 Group Comms Squadron in 1945.

IMO, the most interesting ones are the pair purchased in the US and flown there as EB279 and EB280 for Air Attache/British Air Commision use – never seen a picture of those!

pagen01, could you check your PMs

N295BS is still in NL, based Eindhoven.
The plane hasn’t been flown by HRH Prince Bernhard.

As can be told from my request, I know very little about the subject, but it appears that the timescale between delivery, service entry, and being sent back to the ‘States isn’t that big.
The only pics being mentioned show US scheme, and I’ve seen a silver finished one.
That’s why I wonder if all (or indeed any) the FAA aircraft received a British colour scheme?
I was kind of thinking that they would have been overall midnight blue, similar to some Expediters

Thanks Avion,

Yep, that’s the DoBAF example, the question still stands though as to whether this is the Prince Barnard aircraft…

Meanwhile, the evidence over on WIX appears to point toward the 1941HAG’s example as having served in a three-tone US Navy camouflage scheme! News to me…

To confuse things further, my grey matter is telling me that the genuine Prince Barnard aircraft also survives, but is painted again to represent a different example! Is the Duke of Brabant Air force example this ex-Prince Barnard machine?? Something’s telling me it is, but I can’t referance it at the moment.

I don’t know if this helps or hinders, but attached is an image of N295BS taken at Angers last autumn. My memory – on which one relies at one’s peril – tells me that this was a Duke Of Brabant aeroplane.

The main Fairey factory was at Hayes, their final assembly and flight test/delivery airfield was at Great West, Harmondsworth, which was later encompassed by Heathrow.
I can’t find trace of Fairey being at Heston until 1945, which would tie in with Great West being dissused during the build up of Heathrow.
After Heston closed (also due to Heathrow development) in 1947 (?) used White Waltham, and occasionally Northolt, for final rigging and test/delivery flying.

Fairey,Hayes, Heathrow, Heston, Hanworth

I’m open to correction but I think the main Fairey production was at Hayes with a Firefly line also at Hanworth….Heathrow was the test airfield with a single hangar not used for production, from which Fairey’s were evicted to Heston as the civil Heathrow construction ramped up . I’m not sure how much actual airframe production took place at Fairey Heston initially,… post war there were Hydraulic and Nuclear Fairey Divisions there. ( Mustn’t forget Fairey at Manchester Ringway of course)

RN, Fairey, Heathrow , Heston

Quoting from an early version of a Heston History which I think was published by the Chiltern Aviation Society about 25 years ago…..In May 1945 an RN Comms Squadron, No701 (aka Admiralty Flight) was formed at Heston….this replaced 781 formerly based at Heathrow …it (701) provided Admiralty comms and flying practice for desk bound officers in the London area. Aircraft recorded with the squadron (701) were Dominie HG708,Oxford PH195,Expeditor FT984, Tiger Moth BB723,Anson NK836, Harvard EZ424, BEECH TRAVELLER FT467, SeafireXV SR485…..
In the post war views of Heston in the Flight Global online archive you can see a Dominie and Stinson Reliant(presumably RN?) mixed in with the Fireflies and Spearfish prototype. There was a big display on 2Oct 1945 which featured a lot of prototype Naval Aircraft (see Pathe News online and RAF Museum Navigator archives)

I take it the FAA had a comms flight at Heston?

I’m no expert on Heston, so I can’t say. It would make sense though considering how many Fairey designs were in FAA service, it would have been useful to have a comms squadron so close to such a major manufacturer.

Sorry about that Eagle Day, believe it or not I have researched both Fairey Aviation and Heathrow in the past, posted too quickly:o
I take it the FAA had a comms flight at Heston?

They seemed to have been based at early Heathrow (Heston?), not sure where else?

Slight correction there Pagen old chap, the old aerodrome that was expanded to become Heathrow was the old Great West Aerodrome. Easily confused as Fairey had production facilities at both sites, and the two sites were practically next-door to eachother! Heston is now largely built over, with a chunk of fly-over running across it to boot.

Thanks Firebird, this is the sort of info I’m after.

They seemed to have been based at early Heathrow (Heston?), not sure where else?

That was 701 NAS at Heston in the immediate post-war period (June 45-Sept 45)

They were used by 781 NAS at Lee-On-Solent in 1944.

They seemed to have been based at early Heathrow (Heston?), not sure where else?

Most pics of FAA Travellers I’ve seen show them in the original US GB-2 scheme of Sea Blue/Intermediate Blue/white – but these may have been on delivery, so they may have been repainted in FAA oclours in the UK.

I would have thought it very likely they would have been repainted in temperate sea scheme, especially those that were operating in/around the channel NAS airfields during the war….and especially if used as cross-channel comms a/c post invasion date…..if they were used as such..??
USN tri-tone blue/blue/white would have surely stuck out somewhat flying around the south coast…..:eek:

Can’t find any online, but I have a few in books etc – I’ll see what I can do!!