Dave Welch Photographs
In 1964 or 1965 aviation enthusiast Dave Welch took this delightful set of photographs at Ouston. They show four Chipmunk T.10 trainers of the Northumbrian Universities Air Squadron, parked together outside the eastern end of the J-type hangar, and close to the main aircraft parking apron.
At the time Dave was on the staff of 395 Air Cadet Squadron in Stafford, and Ouston was one of many RAF airfields used by Air Training Corps Cadets for their annual 'summer camp'. Dave reports that all of his notes and logs were lost in 1996, but fortunately all of his negatives survived. This is why he is now uncertain of the year date for his photos at Ouston.
Dave Welch has kindly given his permission for these photographs to be displayed on this website, and they are originally to be found on the "Air Britain" website (see link below).
DH Chipmunk T.10, WD310, Northumbrian Universities Air Squadron
DH Chipmunk T.10, WG470, Northumbrian Universities Air Squadron
DH Chipmunk T.10, WP975, Northumbrian Universities Air Squadron
DH Chipmunk T.10, WZ849, Northumbrian Universities Air Squadron
All four Chipmunks are painted in the same scheme of airframe silver overall, with day-glo red stick-on fablon strips on each side of the nose, on the rear fuselage, the wing tips and the tailplanes. The propellor spinners all appear to be the same colour black. Small NUAS badges are carried on the nose, just to the rear of the propellor spinners, and these badges are the same as previously used and worn by the Durham University Air Squadron up until 1963.
The first photo of WD310 is taken looking over the fuselage of a Spitfire, the nose of which appears in the third photo, behind WP975. This is Spitfire LF.16e, TE462 (7243M) which was displayed on the gate at Ouston from 1955 to 1970. It is reported that TE462 was repainted several times during its 15 years at Ouston, and Dave Welch confirms that it had just been repainted when he took these photos, but that the serial number and markings were still absent.
All four of these Chipmunks were eventually sold to civilian owners as follows;
WD310 became G-BWUN and remains airworthy at Deanland in East Sussex
WG470 became G-BBSS and remains airworthy at Husbands Bosworth, Leics
WP975 became G-BAVH and remains airworthy at Lee-on-Solent, Hamps
WZ849 became G-BBMU, later N31351 and airworthy in Washington DC, USA
Spitfire TE462 is now in the Scottish Museum of Flight, East Fortune
Here is the link to "Air Britain" and Dave Welch's photo page on that website