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antiqueaviation

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October 18, 2019 at 8:55 pm in reply to: AIR FORCE ANNIVERSARY LOGOS #2085543

antiqueaviation
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Four more

October 18, 2019 at 8:51 pm in reply to: AIR FORCE ANNIVERSARY LOGOS #2085556

antiqueaviation
Participant

Two to start off.

October 7, 2019 at 8:13 am in reply to: How do you do a forum search… #803126

antiqueaviation
Participant

How do you do a forum search – the search feature does not seen to cater for the forum, only published features?

I echo other similar feelings here – wasted space and user unfriendly, maybe I am old fashioned (ok “antique”) but much preferred the old look.

Sad ……..

January 16, 2019 at 5:50 pm in reply to: Antonov An-2 Colt in African air force service #2121481

antiqueaviation
Participant

The Sao Tome images are likely to be S9-EAL or S9-EAS (or in fact both!)

January 15, 2019 at 5:37 pm in reply to: Antonov An-2 Colt in African air force service #2121671

antiqueaviation
Participant

Many thanks for your reply Gerard. I have found images of Guinea-Bissau 09 and Libya 211 but have to date never seen one of an Angolan aircraft. Do you have any details of the Angolan aircraft image – sadly it seems unidentifiable.

January 15, 2019 at 5:35 pm in reply to: Antonov An-2 Colt in African air force service #2121673

antiqueaviation
Participant

Many thanks for your reply Chris.
PM sent

November 10, 2018 at 4:47 pm in reply to: Concorde Visits To South Africa #768097

antiqueaviation
Participant

Again many thanks Sabrejet – these details clear up a lot of uncertainty I had about the later flights, particularity the March 1992 trip. :eagerness:

November 10, 2018 at 12:24 pm in reply to: Concorde Visits To South Africa #768107

antiqueaviation
Participant

Awesome Sabrejet – absolutely perfect! Just the kind of details I am looking for. Did not know about that “Round the World” flight in 1989 at all.
That kind of flight schedule for all of them would be most welcome.

Many thanks!

PS – for some reason G-BOAC also carried SAA markings on the forward fuselage for some unknown reason at some point during this epic flight.

July 14, 2018 at 8:21 pm in reply to: One Berlin Airlift reminisence #804652

antiqueaviation
Participant

A good book on the subject is “The Air Force Can Deliver Anything” – a history of the Berlin Airlift by Daniel F. Harrington (The USAFE Office of History Ramstein Air Base, Germany May 2008) which gives a nice balanced view.

For detailed “behind the scenes” logistics in Germany, Europe and the USA the best is “A Special Study of Operation Vittles” by Aviation Operations (April 1949)

I also enjoyed “Bridge Across the Sky” by Richard Collier for background information before I started my research.

July 14, 2018 at 8:11 pm in reply to: One Berlin Airlift reminisence #804653

antiqueaviation
Participant

I am doing extensive research on the Airlift – this time from the viewpoint of South Africa.

Most publications cover largely the American and secondly the British participation – all to often the contingents from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are ignored, for various Canada stayed out of it.
A good book “Operation Pelican” covers the RAAF and I intend addressing the absence of anything meaningful covering the SAAF participation – few realize that the SAAF was the fourth largest force involved; after the USAF, RAF and US Navy with over 80 crews from two contingents, members on attachment to Transport Command and the crews of the SAAF Dakota assigned to the SA Military Mission in Berlin.

Regarding dates – from what I can gather:

Operation “Knicker” – 25 June to 29 June 1948

Operation “Carter-Patterson” – 30 June to 02 July 1948

Operation “Plainfare” – 03 July 1948 to 06 October 1949 (the dates 25 June 1948 to 06 October 1949 being the inclusive dates for the award of the General Service Medal with “Berlin Airlift” clasp (6th October was the date operations from RAF Schleswigland ceased with the departure of the last Hastings)

Operation “Vittles” – 26 June 1948 to 30 September 1948 (the dates being the inclusive qualifying period for the award of American medals for the Airlift)

June 19, 2018 at 4:52 pm in reply to: Names on Berlin Airlift Memorial #780953

antiqueaviation
Participant

Many thanks for these inputs. Strange how some names appear on the memorials yet others dont.

Some sources quote some 101 casualties of the Airlift – and the list for Germans varies from source to source – on that do the names of thise who died in the April 1948 Viking / Yak 3 collision appear anywhere?

June 18, 2018 at 4:59 pm in reply to: Names on Berlin Airlift Memorial #781637

antiqueaviation
Participant

Thanks for that – have until now been unable to find anything on Marks. Two other names – G. Haan and Cpl G.S. Burns still elude me …..

one correction however for this entry:

Dakota KJ970 22 March 1949
It was returning to Lübeck at night when it flew into the ground during a Blind Approach Beam System (BABS) approach.

Signaller – 552860 M Sig Alan Penny AFC
Pilot (RAAF) – A412688 Flt Lt Mel Joseph Quinn
Nav (SAAF) – 59342 F/O Kenneth Arthur Reeves

Reeves was ex-SAAF, having been demobbed and joined the RAF, so was not SAAF post 1945. The SAAF also used Army ranks, not RAF ones. He remains the only South African to be killed in the Airlift but there were no SAAF casualties.

Much appreciated

June 18, 2018 at 1:20 pm in reply to: Names on Berlin Airlift Memorial #781650

antiqueaviation
Participant

Actually no – their names are of Americans only. The British one has the RAF, Army and civil air charter names on.

June 1, 2018 at 6:16 pm in reply to: Berlin Airlift surviving aircraft #790533

antiqueaviation
Participant

Thanks for responses – a little list so far. I am sure there must be more out there!

BERLIN AIRLIFT SURVIVORS

Avro York C.1 MW232 (511 Sqn) / G-ANTK (Dan-Air) Imperial War Museum, Duxford (on display)

Douglas C-47 KG768 / SAAF 6841 (28 Sqn) Wonderboom Airport, Pretoria South Africa (stored)

Douglas C-47 KN645 RAF Museum, Cosford (on display) *

Douglas C-54E / R5D-4 44-9144 / Bu 40414 (US Navy VR-3) / N500EJ Berlin Airlift Historic Foundation (airworthy) **

HP Hastings C.1 / T.5 TG503 Allied Museum, Berlin (on display)

HP Hastings C.1 TG511 (47 Sqn) RAF Museum, Cosford (on display)

HP Hastings C.1 TG517 (47 Sqn) Newark Air Museum (on display)

* included since it was there at the time, even if not actually involved with the Airlift itself
** included since it flew transatlantic flights between the USA and Germany in support of VR-6 and VR-8

June 1, 2018 at 5:51 pm in reply to: Berlin Airlift surviving aircraft #790535

antiqueaviation
Participant

This Dakota still survives in South Africa – a rare bird, being the ONLY SAAF aircraft to have taken part in the Airlift.

Douglas C-47A-30-DK Dakota construction number 13867/25312 was built as 43-48051 and taken on charge by the RAF as KG768 on 22 July 1944. It was taken on charge by the SAAF on 11 August 1944, becoming 6841.
Serving with 28 Squadron SAAF, it was flown to Germany and assigned to Maj Gen W.H. Evered Poole (head of South Africa’s Military Mission in Berlin at the time) as his personal aircraft.
It and its crew were placed at the disposal of the Combined Airlift Task Force when not required by Gen Poole. The logbook of the Captain of the aircraft at the time shows a number of flights between Lubeck, Gatow and other airfields – probably carrying Berliner citizens or Displaced Persons, almost certainly NOT coal!
It returned to South Africa with the second SAAF contingent in September1949
Dakota 6841 subsequently went to the Royal Rhodesian Air Force as RRAF703 in January 1964, was sold as VP-YZB and returned to the Rhodesian Air Force as R7303. It continued to serve with the Air Force of Zimbabwe until being withdrawn from service in February 1998 and placed in open air storage at Air Force Base Manyame. It was moved by road to Wonderboom Airport outside Pretoria in July/August 2017, where it remains in storage.
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