Single Pioneer? Which? Where?

Here is the photo that Sycamore mentions in his post above:

Lauriebe,photo via e-mail to you,for `hosting`..B

I used the PM system on the other board to ask my contact to view the photos here and, if possible, confirm that this is Long Pasia. This was his reply:

Gday

Thats def. long pasia and that is the wreckage. It was def. not a spitfire or anything bigger than a light aircraft because its a short air strip and the largest aircraft I have heard landing and taking off from that air strip was the de havild caribou which is a STOL cargo aircraft…

The air strip isn’t in use anymore as there is a logging road that during the wet season is quite a challenging drive even with a 4 x 4 vehicle..

The folks who own the home stay shld be able to verify if the wreckage is still there as I haven’t been up there since 93 or 94..and that was when they used to still fly out there with the twin otters…

cheers

I have already emailed the people he mentions to see if the wreckage is indeed still there.

Another possibility is XL558 of 209 Squadron. This was damaged in a storm at Vientiane,Laos 10.4.68 and not repaired. May have been abandoned there ?

Well, how’s that for a quick reply! Checked back in 15 minutes after making the post on the other forum to find an answer already given.

A poster by the handle of airbus320 replied and the relevant part of his message reads:

The last time I was in LP was back in 93 and it was there.

A320 has given me a contact in the Long Pasia area as well. Will email them and try to see if the wreck is still in situ.

Aeronut 2008, many thanks for the reply. Pity there is no indication of date. The photos seem fairly recent.

Although the accounts of the accident refer to Long Pasia as being in Sarawak, it is, in fact, in the SW corner of the state of Sabah. Although, it is not far from the border with Sarawak.

I have posted on a local forum to see if any other info will come to light.

[ATTACH][ATTACH]168342[/ATTACH][/ATTACH]I’ve no idea of date or location. As I said the museum’s reference just said ‘Auster’ which I knew to be wrong. My guess at ‘Borneo’ was based solely on the building and countryside visible in the photos, more here.

Sycamore, thanks for confirming the location. The accident actually occured on approach when the aircraft stalled, hit some trees and came down on a hillside. Confirmed those details in Jim Halley’s book ‘Broken Wings’ and Colin Cummings’ book ‘Lost To Service’.

I would be happy to host your pics. See my PM.

Laurie.

Yes it is at Long Pa Sia,as I`ve just spoken to a friend who operated there on 230 Sdn.It was possibly on take-off,as the pilot hadn`t selected `fine-pitch` and sank into the trees.The hat story is true,and he has photos he is sending me..not sure I can be competent enough to put on here,but I can probably `relay` if someone can `host` via PM.Syc..

David, thanks for the reply. Still not absolutely sure on the trailer but it certainly looks very like the AA4 Mk7. There is a good article on the 3 Dakotas of Voice Flight here:

http://www.centercomp.com/cgi-bin/dc3/story?1434

Mark, nice bit of inter-service co-operation there in your photo.:)

Aeronut 2008, do you have any indication as to when the photos that you posted were taken?

Mark
That’s more like it. In the first photo the plane made a Beaver look small.

Judging by the man in photo #7, I had no idea they were that big.
Having never seen one in the flesh, I thought they were smaller.

The locals are a small race.

Here, perhaps more representative.

Mark

K-L 1955/6

Judging by the man in photo #7, I had no idea they were that big.
Having never seen one in the flesh, I thought they were smaller.

Lauriebe,

You asked where and when the pic of the 209 Pioneer was taken.
Nowhere exotic alas- it was on the prep day for the Royal Singapore Flying Clubs annual airshow at Paya Lebar, Singapore mid 1962, probably March.
209 sent a ‘Twin’ and a ‘Singl’e for the static display.

Another pic:

Sukarno hadn’t really got going by then and there were only odd skirmishes going as I remember.
I remember that 209’s Twin Pioneers were able to carry on the ‘voice broadcast’ role first used with 3 Dakotas in the Malayan Emergency.
I enjoyed this reminisence about it on the web:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alex812/75th/labuan.htm

I’m sure I remember this one flying over ‘testing’ the system before landing at Changi in mid 1961.
That must be the speaker unit in the pod underneath the centre fuselage.

Another web entry from the RMAF Museum has the following on the ‘voice aircraft’
www.malaysian-museums.org/rmaf/archive/Newsletter%2022.pdf

Anybody remember any more stories?

David Taylor.

209 Sqn aircraft wore no identifiable markings but were all silver when I was in Singapore early 60’s.

I can’t find any reference to a crashed ‘single’ Pioneer in the Borneo Confrontation, just the Twin XN318. Perhaps therefore a machine lost on the Malay Peninsula.

David Taylor.

David, can I ask where your photo of the Single Pin was taken?

I am very interested in what appears to be a mobile radar trailer behind the aircraft’s nose. It reminds me very much of the old AA4 Mk7 radars that we used during Confrontation to plug radar blind spots.

Re the photos in the original post, I am aware of one Single Pin loss in Borneo. This was XL517 of 209 Sqn and it came down in trees on approach at Long Pasia (Long Pa Sia), Sarawak, on 15 July 1966. There is an interesting anecdote attached to this accident. After the occupants had scrambled clear of the wreckage, the pilot was asked by his senior Army passenger to return to the aircraft and retrieve the Army officer’s hat. When asked why, the Army officer is reported as saying; “In case someone wants to salute me when we’re rescued”!!!

Have also had a look at the Long Pasia area on Google Earth. It is some 11 – 12 miles north of the border with Indonesia and seems to have a small strip still in existence. However, as it is outside the photographic coverage, no great detail can be seen. The airstrip is at some 3600 ft and the terrain to the east is very similar to that in the photo. Assuming a lot here, but could it be what remained/remains of XL517?

Slats an flaps

while at St than I frequently saw a Single Pioneer flying as our classroom was adjacent the runway,occasionally in very strong winds the Single pin could be seen going backwards !

Ooooo, you are awful ! 😀

You sound just like Dick Emery 😀 ISTR that he flew a Tigger
😀

cheers baz

Whaddyamean container ??
If it was a spit… you could pop a certain little plate into your pocket and bring that home to restore (allegedly) :D:D:D

cheers baz

Ooooo, you are awful ! 😀

209 Sqn aircraft wore no identifiable markings but were all silver when I was in Singapore early 60’s.

I can’t find any reference to a crashed ‘single’ Pioneer in the Borneo Confrontation, just the Twin XN318. Perhaps therefore a machine lost on the Malay Peninsula.

David Taylor.

Now that is what you call Slats and Flaps !!:D
I know the lens is partly to blame…but quite impressive..what a beast,I would have loved a ride in one of them

cheers baz

If that were a Spit it would be bundled into a container, and be flying again in 2 years.
One at Cosford, one in Malaya – any others?

Whaddyamean container ??
If it was a spit… you could pop a certain little plate into your pocket and bring that home to restore (allegedly) :D:D:D

cheers baz