Other Random History

MAJOR PROJECTS

GATE GUARDIAN De Havilland Mosquito NF38 7142M

Cdt Flight sergeant Stephen Hampton researched into the history of this aircraft during 1983 and it is through his efforts that this information is available.

The De Havilland Mosquito was a type NF38 with the serial number VT697 although re registered to 7142M (the M signifies that the aircraft was a non flying airframe).The Aircraft left the De Havilland factory at Chester in December of 1949 and transferred to 27 maintenance unit at RAF Shawbury.

The Aircraft was never issued to an RAF operational squadron and declared Non effective in 1953 and was subsequently offered to the squadron. The Mosquito was received in May of 1954 to assist in training. The aircraft was"parked" outside the parade ground whilst the squadron located at its London Road Headquarters.

The squadron was forced to remove the aircraft in 1958. Many cadets took the opportunity for souvenirs before its removal. Filmmakers used the aircraft to take ground shots during the production of the film "633 Squadron".

RADIO TELESCOPE

The idea to build the radio telescope came from Mr Graham Medlicott, a civilian instructor and former cadet with the squadron

The site of the aerial was to the right of the main building and consisted of a 4 foot square brick built tower approximately 20 feet high. The tower had been built by cadets under the supervision of builders. The monitoring room used the materials from the London Road Headquarters. On top of the tower and mounted onto the base of the remnants of the Link Trainer the Helix aerial had the ability to track the satellites being monitored.

The project started in 1964 however, due to the squadron moving headquarters the year after work was not completed until 1966 and the first satellites were tracked in 1967. Much of the radio equipment used came from an Avro Lancaster. The squadron obtained estimates of satellites that would pass within the air space above the station. These were mathematical equations that had to be worked out. Once dates, times, longitude and latitude of the approach and direction of satellites were calculated the cadets were able to track them, and listen in to the broadcasts. An oscilloscope gave a visual display of the satellite signals. Whilst tracking weather satellites cadets took long exposure photographs of the display to produce weather pictures.

Thanks and aknowledgement for the information about the radio telescope go to Roger Griffiths and Trevor Wooton.

De HAVILLAND DH89 DRAGON RAPIDE (G-AKOE) X7484

In February 1978 work started by North West Aero engineering ltd at Chirk to restore a DH89 Dragon Rapide. Mr Colin Price and cadets from this squadron travelled to the aerodrome every weekend to assist with the restoration until its inaugural flight on the 17th October 1978.

Two cadets travelled with John Pierces team to pick up the fuselage from to Coventry Airport. Cadets assisted in stripping down all the fabric and paint, rubbing down surface rust, re-skinning and re assembling the aircraft.

During this time the aircraft became the "Sir Henry Morgan" it being renamed from "The Waters Edge". The aircraft originally restored to the BEA "silver & crimson" scheme. However the aeroplane adopted the current British Airways colour scheme when contracted to them.

G-AKOE was used to advertise the new shuttle flights between Heathrow and Manchester Airport. This inaugural flight took place on the 27th of October 1979 from Fairoaks airfield, due to bad weather preventing a landing at Heathrow. On the flight were, Flt Lt S Reglar, Mr C Price, Cdt Sgt G Price, Cdt Cpl G Barre, Cdt Cpl A Owen and Cdt M Felton along with pilot Gp. Capt. R Millward and a BA representative.

Mr Pierce and his company put the project of a second Rapide G-AIUL although marked up as G-AJCL on hold until the late 1980s due to alternative commitments.