Still giving pleasure at 50 – The JP !

Spiteful21,
I look forward to seeing your photo of the former G-AOHD.
She’s the only T.2 JP left out of the four built.

JP / Strikemaster in Foreign Service

Has anyone got any pics of JP and Strikemasters in other countries markings?

I have one of the 1 and only JP (a T.2 IIRC) the RAAF operated which I’ll post tommorrow. It was procured to compete against the Aermacchi MB.326 (which won the contract) the aircraft is still around currently held in reserve at the RAAF Museum in Point Cook, Melbourne, Victoria (still the worlds longest continuously serving military airfield).

It is a bit tired looking but still appears mostly intact.

Wow ! Nice air to air shots Lauriebe ! so pleased we managed to hit a thread that got those brilliant pics out of you !
AR , i can’t currently post the pic i,ve got of XS186 due to copyright from the photo supplier , but i,ll enquire about getting permission.The scheme is definitely grey with orange bands , and most people react initially with the ‘i never saw a grey / orange JP, only silver /orange, hence the desire to get it back into it’s original colours.

I must say one of the best pleasure flights I’ve ever had was in a JP Mk4, great fun doing Aeros and then a number of run and breaks. Take off involved retracting the undercarriage and not really climbing ( I think we were no more than twenty feet all the way along) until we hit the piano keys at the other end, then yanking back the stick until we passed through the cloud base.

First experience of G, plus and minus. Not too fond of that, but interesting.

Great shots and comments about one of my favourite aircraft. I am saving all my money for a ride in one in December. It is an ex-RNZAF (?) Strikemaster based in Ballarat, Australia.

I can’t wait!

One more JP shot.

This time a Mk 5 from Cranwell, XW373, in the static park at Coningsby, circa 1986.

BR

Laurie.

Nice one Lauriebe !
You were at Manby whilst Xs186 was there , she departed there for the last time in 1972.
You may be able to help confirm something for me?
When you started at Manby do you recall the JP’s having the overall silver (or)grey with orange bands, which changed to the red and white scheme during your time there ?
Consensus is that the JP’s changed to red and white colour schemes in 1972?
That must have been a great experience flying in such a large formation!, do you recall much about the trip?

I remember the flight well. It was my first JP ride as well as the first time that I had flown in a formation. Originally, the flight was scheduled for around 10am. However, the weather intervened and that morning there was a heavy, low overcast. The formation was then rescheduled for around midday. Luckily, the weather cleared just enough for the flight to go ahead. It was far from perfect but acceptable.

The Varsitys and Dominies got airborne from Strubby and waited north of Manby for the JPs to join. These got airborne from Manby in pairs and joined up in 4 boxes of 4 aircraft before joining up with the aircraft from Strubby.

The flight lasted just over an hour and, as I mentioned in the other post, covered all the “Lincolnshire Air Force” airfields. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and my lasting memeory is of the running break into the Manby circuit at the end of the trip. Again, a first for me.

To answer your question on the colour schemes applied to the JPs at that time, as far as I can remember all wore the standard training colour sceme of red, white and grey.

I have attached three more photos of the formation. The first shows the JPs breaking away from the Varsitys and Dominies and the end of the formation . The next shows the lead box of 4 JPs. The last shows “Green 2”.

There was another Varsity shadowing the formation, a couple of thousand feet above. This carried the press party covering the event. It was broadcast on one of the local TV channels that evening.

Sorry about the poor quality of the photos. The prints have faded over time and I have long since lost the negatives.

BR

Laurie.

I think Halton did paint its flock of JPs red/white at some stage.

Albert – That kind of confirms that when XS186 left operational RAF service in 1968 she probably left in the overall grey scheme with dayglo bands , and that the red and white scheme must have been applied at the MU or School of Technical Training, for the underwing serials not to have been re-applied ?

Oooops read the wrong line on my movement card ! , XS186 joined the RAF at Manby in 1964 , and left for good in 1968 , before Lauriebe got there !

AR – I,m not sure how standard the serial was under the wings of JP’s ,on the original paintwork on the underside of XS186’s wings ,there is’nt any serial ?

Think you’ll find ALL JPs had underwing serials when in RAF service. Possibly the one Robbo shot at OW had been repainted and the owner couldn’t be bothered with it.

Oooops read the wrong line on my movement card ! , XS186 joined the RAF at Manby in 1964 , and left for good in 1968 , before Lauriebe got there !

AR – I,m not sure how standard the serial was under the wings of JP’s ,on the original paintwork on the underside of XS186’s wings ,there is’nt any serial ?

Don’t worry AR ! , XS186’s colour scheme will be it’s original and unusual light aircraft grey with orange dayglo bands and CAW insignia, which will match the one and only picture I have managed to locate of the aircraft, whilst in service with the College of Air Warfare at Manby in 1968 (as you noted).

Nice pic Robbo ! Keep em coming guys!

I,ve often wondered what the range and scope of CAW operations was , as it seemed to cover everything from basic refresher, to highly complex navigation / radar/ armaments training, as far as i can tell , on a very ad hoc, old school RAF kind of way !
Anyone got any experience/ knowledge in the CAW area ?

Oh well done that man! However, I must say I never saw a CAW JP in GREY and dayglo, only SILVER/dayglo in 1967 then in the “Macaws” grey and red scheme in 1968 and finally in red/white/grey in 1969. Any chance of you posting that photo of XS186 for us all to enjoy, as I don’t have one of it?

The first ever red/white JP emerged in 1968, I think it became standard in 1969/70.

Nice one Lauriebe !
You were at Manby whilst Xs186 was there , she departed there for the last time in 1972.
You may be able to help confirm something for me?
When you started at Manby do you recall the JP’s having the overall silver (or)grey with orange bands, which changed to the red and white scheme during your time there ?
Consensus is that the JP’s changed to red and white colour schemes in 1972?
That must have been a great experience flying in such a large formation!, do you recall much about the trip?

Funny you should mention that, Stringbag. I thought I had heard his name in another connection as well!! 😉 😉

Brian Hoskins? Isn’t he a leader of the greatest ever Hawk team?
The FRADU Seahawks?

🙂

I was stationed at Manby from Sep 70 to Sep 72. There were 2 units there at that time, The RAF College of Air Warfare and the School of Refresher Flying.

The College of Air Warfare ran specialised courses ranging from those designed for senior officers about to take up cammand appointments to specialised navigation courses.

There were 2 flying sites when I joined the unit. One was at RAF Strubby which had No. 1 Sqn (Varsitys) and No. 2 Sqn (Dominies). No’s. 3 and 4 Sqn’s (JP’s) were at Manby itself. These Sqns formed the School of Refresher Flying which brought pilots back up to speed again after they had served on ground tours.

The Dominies were also used for the specialist nav courses as well.

Strubby closed down in July ’72 and all flying activity then centred on Manby until the unit closed, I believe, in 1974.

Attached is a photo that I took on 20 July 1972 which shows a lineup of 12 JPs (including the aeroplane that I was in) on the pan at Manby waiting startup for a formation flight over the “Lincolnshire Air Force” stations, ie: Binbrook, Coningsby, Cranwell, Waddo and Scampton. There were 24 aircraft in the formation altogether, 4 Varsitys, 4 Dominies and 16 JPs. I was lucky enough to get a ride in the right hand seat of “Green 1”, XP688, flown by Sqn Ldr Derreck Gillanders. This was the only formation ride that I managed to scrounge. The last 7 aircraft in the lineup are marked in the colours of ‘The Macaws’, the stations aerobatic team, at that time led by a certain Flt Lt Brian Hoskins.

BR

Laurie.

Given that it was taken at Warden, it’s possible it’s the North Weald based XN629 G-BVEG? It definitely isn’t the T3 XN637 as it has red/white/blue drop tanks.

Don’t worry AR ! , XS186’s colour scheme will be it’s original and unusual light aircraft grey with orange dayglo bands and CAW insignia, which will match the one and only picture I have managed to locate of the aircraft, whilst in service with the College of Air Warfare at Manby in 1968 (as you noted).

Nice pic Robbo ! Keep em coming guys!

I,ve often wondered what the range and scope of CAW operations was , as it seemed to cover everything from basic refresher, to highly complex navigation / radar/ armaments training, as far as i can tell , on a very ad hoc, old school RAF kind of way !
Anyone got any experience/ knowledge in the CAW area ?