F LYPOST
FlyPast, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK
email: [email protected]
88 FLYPAST February 2018
Contributions from readers are always welcome
for this column. Views expressed in FlyPost are not
necessarily those of the Editor, or publisher. Letters
may be edited for style or length.Note that letters sent by e-mail will not be published
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address for possible contact. Letters intended for
FlyPost should be clearly marked as such.Desert Shark
I thought readers would enjoy
this image of a ‘shark mouth’
Blenheim. The first specialised
night-fighter unit to be based in
the Middle East was 89 Squadron,
which arrived in Egypt in late 1941,
equipped with radar-equipped
Beaufighter Is.
In late September 1942, Wg CdrJames Leathart took command
of 89 at Abu Sueir. Leathart
established a case for 89 Squadron
to have its own ‘comms’ aircraft. This
resulted in the transfer of Blenheim
IV Z7709 from the Western Desert
Communications Flight.
Finished in sand and brown
desert colours, it was given blackundersides and rather than an
individual aircraft code letter was
identified by a question mark. What
singled out Z7709 from other
Blenheims was the addition of
fearsome shark teeth markings on
the nose.
Leathart flew the newly adorned
Blenheim for the first time foran air test on December 14.
Blenheim Z7709 remained with
89 until it was struck off charge on
November 1, 1943.
Do any FlyPast readers know
of other exotically marked
Blenheims?
ANDY THOMAS
SLEAFORDWinch wanted –
apply within
The custodians of Handley Page
Victor K.2 XM715 are urgently
seeking Cyral 2,000, 4,000 or6,000 bomb winches to assist
with essential maintenance of the
aircraft.
They have offered a reward- namely a seat in the cockpit
of XM715 during a fast taxi run
at Bruntingthorpe – following
information that helps them make
a successful purchase of a winch.
Contact with the Victor teamcan be made via the FlyPast
e-mail address at flypast@
keypublishing.com or email
[email protected]Remembering
‘Red’
Your article on Squadron Leader
Noel J Dunningham (FlyPast,
November) was very interesting.
In 1955 I was posted from an
Operational Conversion Unit to
13 Squadron at Abu Sueir in the
Canal Zone where I was checked
out by the flight commander, the
then Flt Lt Dunningham, known
to us as ‘Red’ because of the
colour of his hair and moustache.
He and the CO, Sqn Ldr
John ‘Pancho’ Villa were very
competent, and reassuring to a20-year-old who had never seen
more sand than on the beach at
Aberdeen.
If my memory serves me
correctly, as his wing man I
followed him in when the nine
Meteors, one T.7 and eight PR 10s,
of 13 Squadron moved to Akrotiri
on Cyprus in February 1956.
It was a great pleasure to have
served with him and to read your
article about this accomplished
officer’s earlier and subsequent
career.
GORDON H WHYTE
ABERDEEN‘Bounced’ by
Buccaneers
I am writing to say how much I
enjoyed the Wings over the Waves
edition (FlyPast, January).
As a former Royal Navy
Missileman [upper-deck gun crew
member] we used to take part
in air defence exercises with the
Buccaneers.
I can remember scanning the
horizon for the tell-tale dark jet
smoke haze as the RAF’s best
tried to ‘bounce’ us from under
the radar.
Secondly, the article on the Sea
Harriers shooting down the Pumas[in the Falklands Conflict] was
extremely interesting to me, as I
visited the same crash site in the
early 1990s on a break run by the
army while my ship was alongside
in Mare Harbour, East Falkland for
maintenance.
The crash site was particularly
well preserved. I remember how
surprised I was at the amount of
exploded 7.62mm shell cases littered
around the ground. The Pumas must
have been carrying a lot of general
purpose machine-gun rounds.
Keep up the fantastic work.
STEVE SIMS
P LY M O U T HDistinctively painted Bristol Blenheim IV Z7709 at Abu Suier in December 1942, with Beaufi ghters to the right. VIA ANDY THOMAS