Um, 1100 ‘thoughts’ regarding the Kittyhawk and only 7 ‘thoughts’ in relation to the pilot on the anniversary of the day he went missing.

Mark

That thought had also crossed my mind.

DD

Let’s not forget that the Sabre engine also continued in use into the fifties powering the Tempest TT.5 in the target tug role, so it was considered reliable enough by the RAF.

DD

Yeah? Saw some stuff i couldnt recognise and waiting for the broadband here to update is slower than the pony express, so what was there?

Apologies for butting in, but I think you misunderstood. I’m sure he means:

No, just Meteors, I looked.

My Holy Grail would be a Martin Maryland or Baltimore, preferably both.

DD

I saw that too.

I’ve gone off that presenter…

DD

Great stuff.

The S-55 was possibly off a visiting RCN warship? They were certainly in service for a long time; I saw a couple on the carrier Bonaventure and her accompanying destroyer when they were visiting Portsmouth in 1968.

DD

IF that is the case then the Twin Pin would be XL968 (c/no.520) which was dumped at Andover on 30/10/1967

However, this link http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1147061/ shows XL968 on the dump at Andover on 22/5/1968 (about 7 months after it was SOC/dumped) still looking reasonably intact.

Not saying that the aircraft in the photo is – or is not – XL968, but, if it is, then, judging from the state of it, the photo would have to have been taken well after June 1968…

But you are correct in one way: it definitely looks like the mortal remains of a Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer. The only question is, which one?

Nice picture.

I’m not saying for sure that it was the Twin Pin at Andover dump (easily visible from the A303 road); but by the nature of the use they are put to, fire practice airframes stay intact- until somebody sets fire to them.

DD

The Twin Pioneer could be the example that ended its days at RAF Andover for fire practice.

The location of the Hunter wreckage could be fire dump at the south-eastern end of Chivenor, with the married quarters in the distance. If so, there would be a lot of candidates for an identity..

The ‘tent’ hangar was in use for ATC gliders in the 60’s at least, there was one at Exeter, and subsequently Chivenor when the VGS moved there.

The background to the Comet nose pic resembles the area near the old water tanks at Farnborough, where they fatigue-tested the Comets after their structural failures. There were lots of bits and pieces lying around there.

HTH

DD