HMS Sanderling

• HMS Sanderling - RNAS Abbotsinch •

Photos by Neil Aird © and Gordon Macadie ©

Not too long a bicycle trip from my Cardonald home - always an exciting adventure to visit. I went to a couple of Air Shows there, in fact I still have a 1/- (one shilling) entry ticket and a program from one such Show. I went on an "offical tour" once with a bunch of like minded friends, and this included a visit to the tower, with a request to see "the log" - I made hasty scribblings to tie up serials of sightings as I matched up a long list of requests from chums. Boy, what a coup!

Rows of stored aircraft greeted the visitors, part of the huge inventory of the Aircraft Maintenance Unit of the Fleet Air Arm. Here a gaggle of Fairey Gannet aircraft sit heavily chocked, not going anywhere. I always found the location of Abbotsinch strange, as it most certainly did not have low humidity desert conditions! Main aircraft types , stored were Supermarine Attacker, Grumman Avenger, Hawker Sea Hawk, de Havilland Sea Venom as well as the Fairey Gannet. Photo: Neil Aird © 1959

XE411 Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk FGA. 6 (AW6355) FAA. d/d 21/07/1955, sold to Armstrong-Whitworth, Baginton for spares for the Indian Navy contract. WF287 Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk FB.5 FAA. d/d 04/05/1954, sold as scrap 13/12/1960 at Abbotsinch to J N Connell Ltd, Coatbridge. WM906 Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk FB.5 (AW5958) FAA. d/d 10/05/1954, sold as scrap 20/06/1963 at Abbotsinch to Star Metal Co., Ltd., Ascot. XXXXXXXXXXXXPhoto: Gordon Macadie © 1961

WF217 Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk F.1 FAA. d/d 19/11/1953, sold as scrap 28/07/1960 at Abbotsinch. WF184 Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk F.1 FAA. d/d 25/06/1953, sold as scrap 28/07/1960 (?) at Abbotsinch to Kitson Vickers & Sons, Sheffield, both not long for this world. XXXXX Photo: Gordon Macadie © 1961

WT949 Douglas Skyraider AEW.1 (7962) FAA /414. Ex BuAer127947, f/f 10/1952, d/d 19/02/1953, s.o.c 23/01/1962 at Scottish Aviation Ltd, Prestwick, to G-31-5, to SE-EBB 23/10/1962, preserved Stockholm-Arlanda, Sweden. XXXXX Photo: Gordon Macadie © 1961

WA473 Supermarine Attacker F.1 FAA. The long standing gate guard at the western entrance. d/d 25/07/1951, to Abbotsinch for display, now preserved at the FAA Museum, Yeovilton, Somerset. XXXXXXXXPhoto: Gordon Macadie © 1960

WJ231 Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 FAA. Visits Abbotsinch again ten years later!

22/11/1951 - Taken on Charge at Anthorn (2.20 hours)
10/12/1951 - Abbotsinch (4.25 hours)
19/02/1952 - RNAS Sembawang (4.25 hours)
03/05/1952 - HMS Unicorn (6.20 hours)
19/05/1952 - Iwakuni (6.20 hours)
12/06/1952 - 802 NAS on HMS Ocean (7.15 hours)
05/08/1952 - Returned to Iwakuni (87.05 hours)
13/09/1952 - HMS Unicorn (87.05 hours)
12/12/1952 - RNAS Gosport via HMS Ocean (87.05 hours)
17/06/1953 - RNAY Donibristle (88.45 hours)
28/01/1954 - RNAY Anthorn (95.50 hours)
01/03/1954 - 810 NAS via RNAS Ford (99.00 hours)
20/08/1954 - RNAS Hal Far (258.25 hours)
26/01/1955 - RNAY Donibristle (258.25 hours)
14/02/1956 - RNAY Anthorn (260.00 hours)
15/10/1957 - Aircraft Holding Unit at RNAS Lossiemouth (261.05 hours)
24/03/1960 - Fleet Requirements Unit Airwork Ltd at Hurn (265.05 hours)
10/05/1962 - Station Flight at RNAS Yeovilton (853.20 hours)
04/08/1965 - Struck Off Charge
To FAAM
To FAAM store at Wroughton
Back to FAAM
25/04/1990 - RNAY Fleetlands for Open Day (16th June)
RNAS Lee on Solent Open Day
20/07/1991 - Returned to FAAM

WP325 Boulton Paul Sea Balliol T.21 FAA AC/971 Abbotsinch Station Flight. f/f 06/08/1954, d/d 27/08/1954, s.o.c. 17/03/1964 at Lossiemouth and sold as scrap to J G Williamson of Elgin.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXPhoto: Gordon Macadie © 1961

At the time of the 1959 Open House, this de Havilland Sea Vixen, XJ514 was new to the Royal Navy inventory. It was strange to see the off-set cockpit arrangement.

The old next to the new. Fairey Swordfish LS326/5A was a regular to Air displays in the United Kingdom.

Moving along the static disply, the very sleek Hawker Sea Hawk, displaying selection of stores.

A rather a poor shot of Grumman Avenger XB311, light got into my camera...not for the first or last time! It is a record shot of a magnificent aircraft.

23510/BR Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1300) RCAF made the short trip from Scottish Aviation facilities at Renfrew or Prestwick. xxxxxxxxxPhoto: Neil Aird © 20 June 1959

XL148/Y Blackburn Beverley was the largest participant in the airshow of 1959.

Hawker Sea Hawks land in formation after their display. Long lenses were a far off dream at the time! One just had to make do.

Hawker Hunter steams her chute passing the parked Sea Hawk display team.