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Post by groundhugger on Oct 13, 2010 0:38:45 GMT 1
Hastings in the Late sixties Only ever saw two of these and they both arrived together ...just like buses WJ331
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Post by groundhugger on Feb 15, 2012 23:55:21 GMT 1
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Post by groundhugger on Feb 15, 2012 23:58:21 GMT 1
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Post by groundhugger on Feb 16, 2012 0:07:41 GMT 1
Door open ...Must have been a bumpy flight
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Post by Biggles on Feb 22, 2012 17:22:37 GMT 1
May have been para dropping somewhere. Walton in Liverpool had and may still have today a TA Parachute Regiment I think it was in Renwick Road ? which I had the misfortune of doing a para course with many years ago, the drop was from a fixed line balloon at RAF Sealand from 800` ish.
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Post by viscount on Feb 22, 2012 22:21:51 GMT 1
While I agree that Hastings were often used to drop TA and regular Army parachute trained troop, which is supported by the open door, the top photo seems to show RAF guys in uniform disembarking, so to me it looks like a transport flight, possibly for a parade - maybe a Band, although not all are in peaked caps.
Did wonder if there was a connection to the September 1966 Battle of Britain event in Platt Fields - unfortunately MSAE Flypast did not cover Manchester movements that month. Could be a total research red-herring though! The RAF Exhibition at Heaton Park, August 1971 is too late for transport Hastings (left service 1967). As predicted, found indeed to be a 'Red Herring'!
Hopefully 'mw5', with his knowledge of all movements past for Manchester, can come to the rescue with the when and why.
I have discovered the date: 21st May 1966, but no record in MSAE Flypast of where the aircraft arrived from/departed to, or the reason behind the visit.
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mw5
Full Member
Posts: 170
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Post by mw5 on Feb 23, 2012 9:32:43 GMT 1
WD495 & WJ331 were both present on the same date, 21st May 1966. I am still researching 1968 so this is the only info at present. These were the penultimate visits by an RAF Hastings.
The last one to land I believe was TG536 on 24th October 1968.
The last one to appear was TG500 performing an ILS on 4th August 1971.
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Post by Speke-EZY on Feb 23, 2012 22:08:05 GMT 1
How's this for retrospective rage? I was on the bus waiting to leave Manchester Airport on 21st May 1966 when Hastings WJ331 taxied in and parked between the Alpha pier and the cargo shed...a brilliant end to the day's spotting. I hadn't seen many "Hatstacks". The bus duly departed. I saw WJ331 again a few years later wfu.with 27MU at Shawbury. Now you tell me ANOTHER Hastings was in MAN at the same time...must have arrived seconds after the bus drove off. I never did see WD495. Grrrrr!!!
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mw5
Full Member
Posts: 170
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Post by mw5 on Feb 23, 2012 22:38:25 GMT 1
Thats bad luck...!!! I don't have the times of either unfortunately, but yes it could have followed very soon afterwards
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Post by groundhugger on Apr 2, 2012 18:52:11 GMT 1
I remember taking the Photo's but not unfortunately the date or year , they came in as a pair within a couple of minutes , the personel were Army in No2 uniforms not combats [which were all green in those days ] and it was definately a weekday . they were the only Hastings that Ive ever seen then or since .
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