Venom WR539 (POD)

I had a stab at tidying up the image posted previously, though I don’t think the original uploader is a regular here any more.

Hello,

What is left of ‘539 remains in storage with the museum. When I saved it back in about 1993, it was in appalling condition. Not much has changed since then sadly. I am no longer involved with the museum, but at least the remains of the aircraft are still there, and can be resurrected at some point in the future.

When the FB4’s arrived at 60 Squadron we handed the MK1’s over to 14 Squadron RNZAF also on Tengah.
The cowling loss was found to be a Catch failing (two each side) all aircraft were Moded on site.
As the Engine Mech: on aircraft sweated for some time after incident
Meet Hugh Rigg later at Shuttleworth he was with the Army Display Time in Chipmunks from Middle Wallop,
while on 60 his sister Diana paid him a visit on the strip.

Hi Bruce,
I had the privilege of being the engine mech : on WR539 on 60 Squadron RAF Tengah in 1956 she carried the Letter “A” and was the mount of Squadron leader W SMART. She had Blue fins tip tanks and nose plate, being part of A Flight.
To see her these days is saddening.

vampiredave, thanks for the detailed records – I can amend our history accordingly – in fairness, the author of our records collated an enormous amount of data from 1916 to the late 80s so there are bound to be discrepancies – so thanks for the corrections and additional information, and if he were still here, he would agree with my sentiments.

Waghorn41, cheers for your interesting post as well. I’m sure some Photoshop guru could de-colour your image…

I’d like to see WR539 again as it was the squadron ‘gate guard’ – actually outside the line offices at Kai Tak while I was there. We were asked to dismantle it for shipment to Hendon, which started off very carefully but then we were told to get it ready quick and ‘careful’ went out the window. The pod then sat on sandbags outside the hangar for ages in all weathers. I was not happy that my colleagues had to do a hatchet job when in reality there was no hurry and it could have suffered a lot less. Somewhere I’m sure I have a photo of it complete but it’s on a tiny neg, 110/126 film, which I cannot scan in and still see with my equipment. However here’s a picture of WR539 waiting to go home, sorry but the neg has suffered from the same neglect as the aircraft…

Hugh Rigg – Diana Rigg’s brother.

Far be it for me to disagree with the author of your squadron records but a copy of Fg Off Roger Joel’s log book shows its first flight with 60 Squadron was on 28 November 1957: “Aeros, QGH and Mach Run – .86 “Wow!”

It suffered a Cat 3 accident with 60 Squadron on 16 May 1958 when Fg Off Hugh Rigg suffered a lost engine cowling.

On 13 November 1959, it was one of six Venoms, led by the CO Sqn Ldr MCN Smart AFC, ferried from 60 Squadron to 28 Squadron.

The image of its bellylanding in one Bruce’s earlier posts was at Kai Tak on 17 November 1961 when the newly-appointed CO, Sqn Ldr M I Stanway, suffered an hydraulic failure.

Its last official sortie was a weather recce on 12 June 1962 by Flt Lt BB A L’Anson

There was an article in RAF News (?) titled “Comeback for Scrapheap Venom” which highlighted the work of Flt Lt Turner and the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co to restore the airframe.

There’s a poor quality photo of it on Airliners.net, prior to delivery, at Ringway.

Bruce

That’s really interesting Dave, our squadron records indicate that she flew with Sixty until 1962, they could be wrong of course, but the author (who was known for his research) comments quite specifically about this last flight. Is the history straight from the RAF Record of Service? It looks like it. The flash on the tip tanks looks similar to a Sixty flash, it just made me wonder.

Venom WR539

Go to the R/C Forum for a history of the aircraft

Flew With Us

Another Zombie that refuses to die, as I have just discovered that WR539 (‘A’) was used by Sixty Sqn!

My sqn records record the following: Delivered to the sqn round March 1958, the flight time was about 28 hours covering 8500 miles. The FB4s replaced FB1s which were near their life of 750 hours(!). Mind you, this was the Far East!

Sorties manly comprised of air-to-ground gunnery, rocketry, flypasts for digintaries (this activity seemed to happen as frequently as core skills!) and formation aerobatics. WR539 flew the last service flight of the type on 27 June 1962, was kept on display at Kai Tak for some years before being shipped back to the UK, intended for the Cosford museum. By 1990 it was being refurbished by the Wales Air Museum for display at Cardiff/Rhoose airport, in the blue and yellow markings of 28 Sqn. The rest, Bruce, you know!

Hi Chris,
WR539 is a complete airframe. It’s just been dismantled for so long, I doubt if anyone can recall seeing it together! :rolleyes:

DC,

This is an old thread (zombie ?) from 2008 that the new guy bumped up.

.

Hi Bruce,
just checked on some older photos on the forum , and yes she was the venom offered to me, I was jumping at the chance, but like i said, i lost my job, and that pretty much changed everything at the time, Glad to see she is inside, and being looked after, She is “the one and only” so i think being at the DH museum, is a must, I am glad you are all going to make her look like her old self again one day, i reckon she will be a centre piece for the museum, and where else could you see a british FB.4 ??,
would love o come and see the museum when i am in your neck of the woods,
Best of luck
Chris Collins;)

Hi Chris,
WR539 is a complete airframe. It’s just been dismantled for so long, I doubt if anyone can recall seeing it together! :rolleyes:

p.s. did you get me e-mail yesterday with the photo’s?

Hi guys,

I have posted a thread in the RC Model section as I now own an RC Turbine scale model of this specific aircraft and I am looking for more info and particularly pictures.

If you can help please follow the link below and please feel free to post anything you have.

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=108842

wr539

Hi Bruce,
just checked on some older photos on the forum , and yes she was the venom offered to me, I was jumping at the chance, but like i said, i lost my job, and that pretty much changed everything at the time, Glad to see she is inside, and being looked after, She is “the one and only” so i think being at the DH museum, is a must, I am glad you are all going to make her look like her old self again one day, i reckon she will be a centre piece for the museum, and where else could you see a british FB.4 ??,
would love o come and see the museum when i am in your neck of the woods,
Best of luck
Chris Collins;)

It may have been WR539 – at the time, I thought it was too far gone for the museum.

However, I was instructed to keep it, and although nothing has yet happened to it, I have big plans which will eventually see it fully restored as an RAF Venom.

Actually, I have some parts here at home, and they are slowly being restored as I have time…

Bruce

Ask Bruce as would appear to be at the DH museum these days!

Jon