Visit report copy and pasted from my report on the Merseyside based NWAN forum. Think members here would appreciate the whole article rather than having to find it from a link.

MONTROSE AIR STATION HERITAGE CENTER, Friday 25th May 2018
471 – RAF Be.2a – (replica) – 2 Sqdn
unmarked as yet – Sopwith Camel – (new replica under construction) NB NOT B5577/W, BAPC.59
DG590 – Miles M2H Hawk Major – genuine aircraft – WW II period trainer scheme
EP121/LO: D – Supermarine Spitfire V – (FSM) – 602 Sqdn ‘Red Lichtie’, outside.
TX226 – Avro C.19 – dismantled, in need of restoration!
WF825/X – Gloster Meteor T.7 – silver overall
XA109 – DH.115 Sea Vampire T.22 – silver/day-glo, Royal Navy markings, no codes
(G-MMLM) – MBA Tiger Cub 440 – ‘Red Baron’ WW1 style marks, ‘sit-in’ exhibit

A small, but delightful heritage museum in a collection of small buildings in the centre of an industrial estate including WWI and WWII hangars. The history of the station set out well, with a fine Be.2a replica illustrating the earliest flying unit. The ‘new’ Camel replica is coming on well with fuselage in a workshop and wings in the initial stages of being linen covered in the Avro C.19 shed. The Museum’s previously exhibited Camel was nowhere to be seen and is apparently considered a substandard replica.

AVRO C.19 TX226

My main interest was the Avro C.19 TX226 which they acquired from deep store in the Coventry area earlier this year. It is predictably not in good shape, but they are confident they can rescue her as they have good woodworking skills (all the wood fittings require attention), while most of the metal frame is there with only light corrosion in places. The wings are metal, however the all-important centre section (one piece across the fuselage but only with one engine mount and undercarriage) was stored outside under wraps, so I could not assess the condition. Having looked over TAC’s Avro 19 G-AGPG before the acquisition and decision by Mike Davey to scrap the fuselage but save the nose, I would say that TX226 is in much better condition and way more complete. A very big job they have taken on to restore her to display, but not working, condition. Having seen the finish quality of the Be.2a, there is hope for the Avro C.19 – they would really have liked an Anson I to be representative of those operated at Montrose early in WWII, but they are somewhat rarer to find as a project than a still far from common available Mk.19!

My second interest in this aircraft is that at one stage in it’s career it was a very frequent visitor to Liverpool Speke in the period I’ve been researching and typing out the logs for. TX226 was operated by the RAF Jurby Station Flight on communications duty for the resident non-flying unit, the OCTU – Officer Cadet Training Unit. TX226 is first noted in the Speke Logs in January 1957, and recorded visiting 107 times over the following four and a half years, last appearing on 12th April 1961 before replacement by TX213 which served at Jurby until the OCTU and Station were closed 30th September 1963. However TX226 did reappear at Speke on two further occasions in 1962 flying from White Waltham and Topcliffe.

Ordered in 1945 and built 1946 as an Avro C.19 series 1 (with wooden wings) by A.V. Roe at their Yeadon (Leeds) factory and delivered to the RAF early Summer 1946. TX226 served with the CBE (Central Bombing Establishment) at RAF Marham and maybe RAF Lindholm, RAF Coningsby Communications Flight, RAF Hemswell Station Flight, 187 Squadron (aircraft ferry unit based Aston Down), OCTU RAF Jurby, FTCCF (Flying Training Command Communications Flight), then to Shawbury 27MU, allocated 7865M January 1965, to RAF Colerne Station Museum 1965. Restored and repainted early ’70s back into standard Transport Command colours. Sold at auction March 1976 on closure of RAF Colerne as surplus to RAF Museum requirements. Purchased by Mr B.Walker, a collector of tractors and aircraft at Watering Farm, East Dereham, Norfolk; moved into storage at Little Staughton airfield, Cambridgeshire in May 1977. Placed as Lot 17 in the August 1984 Christies Aviation Auction at Duxford, however prior to the event was acquired by the I.W.M. for around £1,700 and delivered by road to Duxford 28th August 1984. Initially displayed dismantled on a Queen Mary, but then placed in long-term storage. Purchased by Air Atlantique Historic Flight as a spares source for their flier WD413/G-VROE and moved to Coventry Airport 17th February 1998, later to long-term storage off airfield at Coventry. Acquired by the Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre and moved to Scotland end of April 2018. At least that is what I’ve been able to put together mostly from W&R – anyone have the Air Britain Anson history book and can look up their history for TX226 for me?.

To my amazement in all the b&w photos I have access to, there is not a single photo of TX226 at Speke, lots of other C.19s, but not TX226. She was so common 1957-1961, no one bothered to consider taking a photo of her! Can others who have photos from that period have a good look and see if they can find shots of TX226 as Montrose are interested in finding shots of her as a working aircraft.

Full scale model Spitfire V marked as EP121/LO: D of 602 Sqdn, with presentation aircraft name ‘Red Lichtie’

Gloster Meteor T.7 WF825/X outside near the entrance. The style of the code appears somewhat non-standard and has been changed to that quoted in W&R 24.

A delightful replica Be.2a ‘471’ an aircraft with early WWI local connections

A newly constructed Sopwith Camel replica fuselage, the wings were elsewhere being fabric covered.

Miles M2H Hawk Major DG590 presented in Miles Magister style WWII training colours. Could someone wake-up that mannequin, or at least provide a pillow!

DH.115 Vampire T.11 XA109 in silver and day-glo markings, with Royal Navy on the booms but no unit codes/markings

A Tiger Cub 440 microlight, once registered G-MMLM, now a hands-on experience exhibit for children in spurious ‘Red Baron’ WWI colours.

Aircraft engines in museums often seem lifeless and covered in dust, these engines though looked cared for and in good condition – but what they are though is not my field of expertise!

Fuselage of Avro C.19 TX226 safely installed a dry workshop. Work has yet to commence on her restoration, which is reckoned to be a 6 year project.

The outer wings and horizontal tail surfaces are of metal construction and stacked as it will be some years before the aircraft can be put back together again. The vital one-piece centre-section is currently stored outside under blue sheeting. I walked past it thinking it was a pile of building materials due to a very odd ‘humped back’ shape – caused I find out subsequently by the removal of an engine nacelle and undercarriage. A fact not mentioned by anyone I talked to regarding the complexities of the aircraft’s restoration!

The cockpit area will undoubtedly come to life with restoration and instruments fitted, many of the fittings are still there.

With two WWI replicas finished or on the way to completion, the Museum team are not too concerned over the need to restore or replace much of the wood construction between the metal frame and the fabric outer of the fuselage.

Thinking that my bookshelf was bound to have an answer, I firstly turned to an obvious title:

‘Squadron Codes 1937-1956’ Michael Bowyer & John Rawlings (Pub 1979), who for 63 Sqdn list:
NE- pre-War at Upwood on Battle I, changed when moved to war footing to:
ON- still at Upwood on Battle IIs eg ON-R L4958 (the code ON- noted later as allocated to 124 Sqdn at Castletown 1941 on Spitfires)
Nothing listed for the main years of WWII that I could locate.
UB- Used by 164 Sqdn from May 1945 on return to UK and retained when re-numbered 63 Sqdn Sept 1946, used on Spitfires and Meteors until 1950.
So the NE- code suggested earlier appears to have been a short-lived allocation in 1938/39 and likely used on Fairy Battle aircraft only.

Well it seems Bowyer & Rawlings don’t help at all. So, turn to ‘The Squadrons of the R.A.F.’ JJ Halley (Pub 1980) which for 63 Sqdn shows a progression in the period 1937 to 1948 and conversion to jets: through Hind, Audax, Battle, Anson 1, Mustang 1, 1A, Hurricane IIC, IV, Spitfire VC and Spitfire LF16E equipment.
The period with Hurricanes was brief, lasting from March 1944 to May 1944 only, however a representative serial is provided as Z4967 coded ‘O’. The list of bases shows 63 Sqdn with short detachments at Tealing, Peterhead, Dundonald, Woodvale and Ballyhalbert for specific ‘spotting’ duties – Unit HQ may have been Turnhouse but the table presentation is unclear; then to Lee-on-Solent and conversion to Spitfires.

So a slight lead there, and I turn to ‘A History of RAF Woodvale’, Aldon Ferguson (MAS 2nd Ed, 1980), and yes, in the appendices mostly confirmation. He quotes a detachment from 63 Sqdn as arriving from Turnhouse 27/4/44 and leaving for Lee-on-Solent 28/5/44 with Hurricane and Spitfire Vb and again 3/7/44 to 30/8/44 from and to Lee-on-Solent with Spitfire Vb. Aldon could not quote a representative aircraft serial for 63 Sqdn while at Woodvale.

No positive help, but it would certainly appear that at the time 63 Sqdn rather briefly flew Hurricanes there was no two-digit Squadron code prefix in use. With only 3 months on Hurricanes (if the quoted information is correct) between Mustangs and Spitfires, and no identifiable unit code group, I think turning up a photograph is going to be far from easy! As JJ Halley quotes serial Z4967 coded ‘O’, was there ever an A-B RAF Z…. serials monograph to cross reference this snippet of info with?

Added on edit: Sorry, it seems I was typing as ‘Ossington’ was using and quoting the same source, so we crossed. Have left my comment as I had selected different information to quote.

Just as a matter of interest what has been amended/changed/added/deleted from previous editions of the rules – or is this just a reminder?

Don’t want to start a debate on the rules (which would be futile), just curious.

For the second time in almost as many weeks, a thread has sent me reaching for my copy of the Air Britain book ‘The British Civil Aircraft Registers G-AAAA to G-AAZZ’ published sometime mid 70s (I think).

The entry adds little to the summary in the OP and does not answer the questions asked. There is some additional information and confirmation of the general story.

G-AAIS HINKLER IBIS (C/n. 1) Regd 11.6.29 to S/Ldr Herbert J Hinkler, resident Southampton.
No C of A issued. Flown at Hamble without markings late in 8.30, it was subsequently stored in Hinkler’s garden at Sholing.
With his death in Puss Moth CF-APK on 7.1.33, the aircraft’s marks were cancelled in the 12.33 census.
The dismantled Ibis lay forgotten for 20 years and was re-discovered semi-derelict in September 1952.
Acquired by H.C.G. Stisted who renovated the airframe and exhibited it at the Hatfield Garden Party on 14.6.53, but without the push-pull engine nacelle that was originally mounted above the fuselage.
Unfortunately, this relic was scrapped at Lee-on-Solent in 1959.

Some rather ‘odd’ types went to Spain during the Civil War period. I recall a while ago working on the history of a ’30s Lockheed or Northrop long distance record breaker that called at Speke, then a while later ended up in Spain during the civil war there and indeed survived until the 50s. Wish I could find my notes – it was bigger than the aircraft in the photo though!

Found it! I’m referring to ‘Lady Peace’ a Vultee V-1A Monoplane (OK a Vultee, so my little grey cells are growing older) NR-13770 which called at Speke in September 1936. I researched a caption for the ‘Chesterwalls’ historic photo website which has a photo of it at Liverpool/Speke. In 1938 it was sold in Spain and involved in the Spanish Civil War. This is most certainly not the aeroplane in the photo shared on the OP of the thread – just mentioned as a comment to balance ‘Meddles’ query as to why an American racer (or in my case a long distance record breaker) could be in Spain in the early ’40s. I’ll politely point out to ‘Stratosaurus’ that Spain has palm trees too! While I’m at it, ‘Beermat’, I recall the Air Britain Merseyside Branch monthly meetings (although only a teenager at the time) in the Stork Hotel, Liverpool during the ’60s – or at least I assume that is the intended connection between avatar and aviation forum!

Interesting. I just love these ‘what/why/where/when is it’ threads, even though I rarely have knowledge enough to butt in!

Delta have a big base at Amsterdam and maintenance ties with KLM. If the Squark showing an emergency was for technical rather than medical emergency, then Amsterdam would have super long runways, technical assistance and (possibly) a fresh crew. While maybe closer to Edinburgh/Glasgow on a map, when the time of descent is taken into account, Amsterdam was probably not that much longer away.

Much the same for Flybe, Manchester is a major centre for Flybe flights, although less of a base than it used to be. Again, if technical rather than medical, then Manchester could well have had an available spare aircraft, spare crew, available engineers/spares, or a flight onto which the diverted passengers could be put. The difference Windermere – Leeds and Windermere – Manchester is likely marginal.

If a captain has the luxury of time when declaring an emergency, then to me it makes sense to select an airport that is known to flight crew, that can offer maintenance assistance immediately, has plenty of ground staff back-up contracted to the Airline should passengers services be required, has stand-by crew available should the current flight-crew run out of hours etc. A ‘medical’ emergency is likely to lead to at least one and half hours delay on the ground, so available, airline dedicated ground staff will be called on to effect the turn-around and crew hours can become an issue. Most ground handling companies only employ enough staff to comfortably handle the anticipated traffic, diversions cause considerable problems and can knock-on to delays in processing the normal traffic. A ‘technical’ issue could well mean passengers disembarking, so ground staff essential for food vouchers/accommodation, transit lounge facilities, re-routing etc., while having type certified engineers and spares holding available ‘on the spot’ will cut the diversion time on the ground considerably.

While there are times when the crew have to get the aircraft onto the ground asap, more usually there is time to select which airport is likely to get them, or at least their passengers, back into the air and on the way to their intended destination with the least delay. I would think that thinking is shown in both of the examples quoted. Getting nearer to their destination is likely slower than turning back to get the assistance they need at an Airport that can provide it, rather than being stranded at an Airport that can’t (and that assistance is in many forms, often not related to the reason for diverting).

I am not in the industry, but like the postee a keen watcher from outside.