I can remember (in 1975/76) going through Leslie Hunt’s V&VA in search of surviving Grumman TBM/TBF Avengers. Among the ones listed (I think to remember) were some survivors in Japan. In the 1978 edition (which I have bought in the RAF Museum 2 decades ago), no Avengers are listed in Japan (anymore). As there are still claims that 3 Japanese Avengers are preserved, I wonder if anybody can check the locations listed in 1974. BW Roger

2nd edition of Bob Ogden’s book of Museums and Collections in Asia (published about 4/5 years ago I suppose ) doesn’t list any Avengers in Japan – just a couple of Trackers

ummm

I thought we were talking about a Spitfire TrIX 🙂

If I were a guessing man I’d say some time between 13th February 1962, and 7th June 1964. Perhaps it was photographed during the Autumn of 1963, going by the trees, although “Spitfire Survivors” only has it being repainted as AU-H “in 1964”,which doesn’t tie up with trees/scheme/date of last flight so something’s wrong there,but Mark 12 will undoubtedly have the answer!

RAF Neptune MR1s

HP57 – regards the Neptune nose -I fear she was converted into coke tins
as she certainly hasn’t surfaced since – very sad! There is however an ex RAF Neptune in the U.S . There is just the matter of the pond between us and it and the asking price!

Didn’t many of the ex RAF Neptunes move on to Brazil under MDAP???

There might be the odd one hanging around over there……

Blimey I must be slowing in my old age

Wonder if there are still any Halis in Pakistan………………;)

urm

shouldn’t those be three bladers??? 😉

still smarting from the third of a kill snatched from my grasp

my argument would be that at that stage of the war they would have fitted whatever seat they could salvage……… 😉

onwards and upwards

Snap

Mark 12 – you beat me to it – in 109s isn’t the seat attached to the rear cockpit bulkhead – so I was going to suggest Bomber, Recce or Maritime instead where the seat is floor mounted.

if it came from Cranfield then it follows that it might be salvaged from one of the LW aircraft that appeared there after the war – the Ju 388L might be the most likely candidate in such circumstances

Otherwise it might just be part of the 1000 tons (!!!) of LW equipment garnered and shipped to Cranfield as part of Operation Medico – including trial pieces – is the seat back more reclined than the norm??

This might provide you with an answer though

GERMAN AIRCRAFT COCKPITS 1911-1970. by , Peter W. Cohausz Publisher: Schiffer Military History.

Either that or perhaps Mikael could help

DTD Specs

DTD = Air Ministry’s Directorate of Technical Development

DTD308 was the specification for a cellulose based material consisting of a pigmented primer suitable for direct application to metal or timber and a pigmented cellulose finishing coating suitable for application over the primer – by brush or spray. Temperate and tropical types were available

DTD314 was the specification for a synthetic finishing material consisting of a pigmented primer suitable for direct application to metal or timber and a pigmented synthetic finishing coating suitable for application over the primer – by brush or spray.

DTD308 was underscored with a “C”
DTD314 was underscrored with an “S”, as outlined in Mark 12’s response, to ensure that when refinishing the wrong paint wasn’t used. Hands up who’s been there – spraying celly over sythetic to get a luverly crackle finish and then having to go back to square one (ie bare metal). 🙁

Specification was stencilled in 1″ high letters – in black on most colours but in red on Night painted areas.

The best source of explanation of these and other DTD finish codes is the series of booklets on RAF Colours written by Paul Lucas from which I blagged this explanation.

Wasn’t there an explanation of Spitfire IX noses in Air Enthusiast a while back which might also be of some assistance