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208 Squadron detachment to Rhodesia...

Posted: 02 Jun 2009, 11:01
by petermcleland
...in June or July 1959. This picture that I have just scanned (did not make it into my booklet) was taken at either R.R.A.F. Thornhill or Salisbury (now Harare)...I'm not absolutely sure which of the two, but I'm sure I will be told :flying:

Image

Re: 208 Squadron detachment to Rhodesia...

Posted: 02 Jun 2009, 16:41
by DispatchDragon
Boy Peter -- the scale of the Vampite doesnt hit you till you see the Chevie CarryAll in the left side of the photo

Leif

Re: 208 Squadron detachment to Rhodesia...

Posted: 02 Jun 2009, 16:49
by petermcleland
DispatchDragon wrote:Boy Peter -- the scale of the Vampite doesnt hit you till you see the Chevie CarryAll in the left side of the photo
Yes Leif,

The Venoms were dinky little things...much smaller than the Hunters. However, those old centifrugal Ghost engines, which used to Grind and Moan away, could swallow great lumps of FOD and spit it out the back end with no problems :lol:

Re: 208 Squadron detachment to Rhodesia...

Posted: 02 Jun 2009, 16:52
by Garry Russell
With the DH twin booms I am often surprised how small the venom is and how big.....in comparison..... the Sea Vixen was :o


Garry

Re: 208 Squadron detachment to Rhodesia...

Posted: 02 Jun 2009, 17:00
by DispatchDragon
OOps sorry Venom --- funny how the Ghosts big brother the Avon made the same sort of sound -- we would hear them late at night coming down UA1 to London from the North -- it seems to me they were very slow turning turbines

Leif

Re: 208 Squadron detachment to Rhodesia...

Posted: 03 Jun 2009, 02:20
by Nigel H-J
Wonderful photograph Peter, when at Scampton and we had quite an amount of snow they used to use an old Vampire engine in front of a vehicle to clear it away, can still remember the whine it gave out.

Don't suppose they use them anymore now?

Regards
Nigel.

Re: 208 Squadron detachment to Rhodesia...

Posted: 03 Jun 2009, 04:15
by Tako_Kichi
So do we have to play 'Where's Peter?'.

I am assuming that if you are in that picture you are in the front row somewhere but I have not spotted you yet.

Re: 208 Squadron detachment to Rhodesia...

Posted: 03 Jun 2009, 04:49
by FlyTexas
Tako_Kichi wrote:So do we have to play 'Where's Peter?'.

I am assuming that if you are in that picture you are in the front row somewhere but I have not spotted you yet.
I'm guessing that this is our good friend. :)

Brian
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Image

Re: 208 Squadron detachment to Rhodesia...

Posted: 03 Jun 2009, 10:20
by andrew
It's a long time since I flew in to Harare, but the sheds suggest this is indeed Harare International airport.

Andrew.

Re: 208 Squadron detachment to Rhodesia...

Posted: 03 Jun 2009, 10:43
by petermcleland
FlyTexas wrote:
Tako_Kichi wrote:So do we have to play 'Where's Peter?'.

I am assuming that if you are in that picture you are in the front row somewhere but I have not spotted you yet.
I'm guessing that this is our good friend. :)

.
Image

No, that is Dinga Bell who went on to fly many seasons as a Red Arrow pilot...I am seated front row, count six from the right end on the photograph :)

From the RIGHT the seated row starts with our Engineering Officer Paddy Thompson the rest are pilots...Stu Grieve, Mike Telford, Des Melaniphy, Pete Biddiscombe, Myself, Sam Key, Boss Ramirez, George Ord, Dicky Brown, Roy Morris, Tim Cohu, Dinga Bell, Terry Hill and Alastair Macnab.