Britannia comes home

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om15
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Britannia comes home

#1 Post by om15 » Wed Nov 13, 2019 6:55 pm

This Britannia survived it's post RAF life in Africa and came back to Kemble in 1997, I didn't work on the type but flew in it a couple of times as pax, known as the "whispering giant" in the RAF.



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Re: Britannia comes home

#2 Post by Alisoncc » Wed Nov 13, 2019 9:46 pm

Flewed in one of them things from Bahrain to Gan and then on to Changi, an awfully long time ago.
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Re: Britannia comes home

#3 Post by Boac » Wed Nov 13, 2019 9:50 pm

Me too, 1967. Rostered sup crew from Lyneham to Changi and back for 'route experience' as a young QFI. Great trip until we went tech on the way back on Gan for 5 days........

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Re: Britannia comes home

#4 Post by ian16th » Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:00 pm

Every time I got on one of them, it took me to, or through Karachi!

Transport Command a/c that is.
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Re: Britannia comes home

#5 Post by Sisemen » Thu Nov 14, 2019 3:50 am

Did a few trips in Brits when I was at Brize. The back end had a nasty habit of corkscrewing and that, combined with the chemical smell of the dunnies down the back, was quite nauseating.

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Re: Britannia comes home

#6 Post by Alisoncc » Thu Nov 14, 2019 3:58 am

Boac wrote:
Wed Nov 13, 2019 9:50 pm
Me too, 1967. Rostered sup crew from Lyneham to Changi and back for 'route experience' as a young QFI. Great trip until we went tech on the way back on Gan for 5 days........
Thought we had met before. Would have been Dec '66 - Jan '67 or thereabouts for me.
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Re: Britannia comes home

#7 Post by ExSp33db1rd » Thu Nov 14, 2019 7:54 am

..........known as the "whispering giant" in the RAF.
?? maybe 'cos it had F... All to shout about ?

Thanks, fond memories of the Brit.

Info ? ... were the RAF Brits. original purchases, or hand-me-downs from BOAC ? Can't remember. If so any clue what the civil rego. of this one might have been, time to scrutinise the logbooks maybe ?

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Re: Britannia comes home

#8 Post by Boac » Thu Nov 14, 2019 7:59 am

Atcherley, Alison - I appear to have time-warped there! It was 1968.

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Re: Britannia comes home

#9 Post by ian16th » Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:45 am

ExSp33db1rd wrote:
Thu Nov 14, 2019 7:54 am
..........known as the "whispering giant" in the RAF.
?? maybe 'cos it had F... All to shout about ?

Thanks, fond memories of the Brit.

Info ? ... were the RAF Brits. original purchases, or hand-me-downs from BOAC ? Can't remember. If so any clue what the civil rego. of this one might have been, time to scrutinise the logbooks maybe ?
Weren't they the last a/c off the production line?

The RAF had to wait until all the civilian orders were filled.
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Re: Britannia comes home

#10 Post by om15 » Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:51 am

The aircraft in RAF service were built to Ministry of Supply Specification C176P and delivered new to the RAF, although one ex BOAC/British Eagle aircraft, a series 312, was operated and registered as XX367.
The aircraft at Kemble was XM496.

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Re: Britannia comes home

#11 Post by k3k3 » Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:07 am

The ex-airline Britannia XX367 was bought for A&AEE at Boscombe Down.

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Re: Britannia comes home

#12 Post by ian16th » Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:19 am

k3k3 wrote:
Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:07 am
The ex-airline Britannia XX367 was bought for A&AEE at Boscombe Down.
They also had the only Bristol Freighter in the RAF!
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Re: Britannia comes home

#13 Post by CharlieOneSix » Thu Nov 14, 2019 12:44 pm

Flew on British Eagle Britannia trooping flights from LHR to Singapore's Paya Lebar and back twice, out 1965, back in 66 then the same in 67 and 68. Only once made it all the way without going u/s enroute.
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Re: Britannia comes home

#14 Post by ian16th » Thu Nov 14, 2019 1:10 pm

CharlieOneSix wrote:
Thu Nov 14, 2019 12:44 pm
Flew on British Eagle Britannia trooping flights from LHR to Singapore's Paya Lebar and back twice, out 1965, back in 66 then the same in 67 and 68. Only once made it all the way without going u/s enroute.
I think that was the lot we went to Cyprus with.

It was SM's first ever flight.
Very quickly killed off all of the Hollywood generated images of the glamour of flying!
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Re: Britannia comes home

#15 Post by Alisoncc » Thu Nov 14, 2019 7:38 pm

CharlieOneSix wrote:
Thu Nov 14, 2019 12:44 pm
Flew on British Eagle Britannia trooping flights from LHR to Singapore's Paya Lebar and back twice, out 1965, back in 66 then the same in 67 and 68. Only once made it all the way without going u/s enroute.
Thought it was Changi back then. Still shared RAF station and international airport. The other two strips were at Tengah and Seletah, both RAF stations.
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Re: Britannia comes home

#16 Post by CharlieOneSix » Thu Nov 14, 2019 8:55 pm

Alisoncc wrote:
Thu Nov 14, 2019 7:38 pm
......Thought it was Changi back then. Still shared RAF station and international airport. The other two strips were at Tengah and Seletah, both RAF stations.
No, definitely Paya Lebar. At just 20 it was my first trip abroad so it made a lasting impression even with an 0500 arrival!

As well as the RAF strips we (RN) had one at RNAS Sembawang (HMS Simbang) just outside Nee Soon village. Used by FAA helicopter squadrons when disembarked from aircraft carriers. It still had shell and bullet holes in the hangars from the time of the Japanese invasion.
Beagle  Paya Lebar.JPG
Beagle Paya Lebar.JPG (56.67 KiB) Viewed 368 times
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Re: Britannia comes home

#17 Post by ExSp33db1rd » Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:49 pm

..........although one ex BOAC/British Eagle aircraft, a series 312, was operated and registered as XX367..........and BOAC as G-AOVM. ( says Wiki. )
From my logbook .... Sept 7 1959 Brit. 312 G -AOVM Nav.1 Rome-Khartoum - 6 hrs. / Khartoum -Entebbe - 3.28 / Entebbe-Nairobi 1.17
Total duty period 15.42.

Happy Days.

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Re: Britannia comes home

#18 Post by ian16th » Fri Nov 15, 2019 8:49 am

ExSp33db1rd wrote:
Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:49 pm
..........although one ex BOAC/British Eagle aircraft, a series 312, was operated and registered as XX367..........and BOAC as G-AOVM. ( says Wiki. )
From my logbook .... Sept 7 1959 Brit. 312 G -AOVM Nav.1 Rome-Khartoum - 6 hrs. / Khartoum -Entebbe - 3.28 / Entebbe-Nairobi 1.17
Total duty period 15.42.

Happy Days.
I was at Luqa on Exercise Sunspot with 214 Sqdn.

A fun detachment that came to a dreadful catastrophic end.
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