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Geoff Allan is an aviation enthusiast who has kindly given permission to display his early photographs taken at RAF Ouston. As a teenager Geoff lived in North Kenton, and in October 1967 he cycled 25 miles to and from home, to take this set of photographs.
The first two photographs show Slingsby Prefect TX.1, WE985, of 641 Gliding School. The Prefect was a relatively rare glider type, of which only some 16 examples were built for the RAF Air Cadets. It was a single seat glider with an enclosed cockpit, and would have been used by more experienced and qualified pilots. WE985 is the only example known to have been used at Ouston, and only in the later years. It is painted in the standard Air Cadet scheme of silver overall with day-glo red nose, tailband, and wing tips. All lettering is black.
The two photos capture very typical October weather, and they are also interesting for the presence of two dogs, and in the second picture the nose and tail of one can be seen investigating the photographer. One of these dogs was named "Shep" and belonged to 641 GS Commanding Officer Mark Scott, and it became famous for 'racing' every glider launch until the glider became airbourne. It is probably the black dog, half hidden near the nose of the glider in the first photo.
On the right in the first photo, one of RAF Ouston's Land Rovers can be seen, and it is painted RAF Blue-grey, with the Ouston 'station code' T/23 on top of the right hand mudguard, with the vehicle's military registration '44 AA 88' underneath.
WE985 is one of only a handful of ex-RAF Prefect gliders known to have survived, and after being 'de-mobbed' it became BGA2333 on the British Gliding Association register, with the tail code 'DSA'. It remains airworthy at the Kent Gliding Club's grass airfield at Challock, and is now in a yellow colour scheme.
This photograph shows Slingsby Cadet TX.3, WT873, also of 641 Gliding School. It is being made ready for launch, with the tow cable being pulled from the left. An air cadet steadies the right wing, and pupil (front) and instructor are on board. To the right of the picture, more air cadets are pulling one of the Slingsby Sedburgh TX.1 gliders in to position. The wing that fills the left of the picture belongs to Sedburgh XN187 (see photo below).
This photo of Cadet WT873 is particularly poignant for this author, as it is one of the three gliders that he flew in 1963, four times during his own gliding course at Ouston. It is painted in the standard silver/day-glo red colour scheme, but is unusual in having a stencilled serial number on the rear fuselage.
WT873 was sold by the RAF in 1983, becoming G-BZLK in 2000 on the civil register, but subsequently transferred to the British Gliding Association register as BGA2976 where it was airworthy at Lasham airfield in Hampshire. It has recently been converted to become a powered single-seat aircraft with a wheeled undercarriage.
This is Slingsby Sedburgh TX.1, XN187, also of 641 Gliding School. The Sedburgh was a side-by-side two seat glider, with the advantage that the Instructor was better able to observe and talk to the pupil alongside him. Stood under the wing is probably one of the Instructors, completing the flying log book for the day. On the other side of the glider, one of the air cadets is actually performing an essential function, with his foot on the wing tip, to stop the wind lifting the wing. The wing would always be held down on the windward side, to stop the air getting under it.
The paint scheme is again the standard silver and red day-glo colours of the Air Cadets gliders.
The farm amongst the trees in the background, appears to be Stob Hill Farm, towards the north-eastern corner of the airfield. So the gliders are operating from the south-east corner, quite close to the Ouston station buildings, and very close to the airfield's boundary fence (much to Geoff Allan's advantage to get these photos). Presumably to give the maximum take-off length available, given the wind direction. A typical autumnal north-westerly wind is blowing quite strongly.
XN187 also survives, now on the British Gliding Association register as BGA3903, tail code 'HFE' with the RAF Halton civilian gliding club in Buckinghamshire. It remains (with permission) in its last RAF paint scheme of red, white, and light grey.
WD310 and WZ858
WD310
WD347
WG465
WP899
WP899
WZ849
WZ858
Taken on the same visit, these photographs show that many of the Ouston Chipmunks T.10s were airborne that day. All are painted in the standard silver and red strip day-glo scheme, but the propellor spinner colours can be seen to vary. WD347 and WP899 appear to have silver spinners, whereas WD310 was known to be black. WZ849 possibly has a blue spinner, and WZ858 is possibly red, or one or other may be green. WG465 has a light coloured spinner, possibly yellow? Only three of the Chipmunks are wearing the small Northumbrian UAS badge on the nose, namely WD310, WZ849, and WZ858. Chipmunk WG465 is the only aircraft equipped for glider towing, with a rear view mirror on the top of the windscreen, and a towing lug under the tail.
It is probably academic, but there were three units flying Chipmunks at Ouston, namely the Universities Air Squadron, 11 Air Experience Flight, and the Ouston Station Flight. No doubt the Chipmunks were shared between all three, as required, but the slight differences between some of the Chipmunks might indicate their official 'owner'. WG465 in particular has been quoted as belonging to the Station Flight, and equipped for glider towing it would have often flown with 641 Gliding School at Ouston.
Four of these six Chipmunks survive in airworthy condition, civil registered, namely WD310, WD347, WG465, and WZ849. Of the other two, WP899 was never civilianised, but is privately owned and believed to be in store as a source of spares. Sadly WZ858 was destroyed in a hangar fire/arson attack. See the "Survivors" page on this website, for full details.
Geoff Allan made another long cycle ride to Ouston in February 1968, to photograph the Gloster Meteor NF(T).14 on the fireground. This was WS842, wearing the code letter 'B' of its last unit, 1 Air Navigation School. Originally built as a night fighter, it was later converted to become a fast-jet navigation trainer. It was painted in the standard training colours of silver with red day-glo strips. The radar nose cone was a gloss olive-green colour.
In was flown in to Ouston, and in Geoff's photos it remains relatively intact and has not yet been subject to significant fire damage. The undercarriage has been retracted, and one of the wing mounted external fuel tanks has been placed under the wing ready for fire practice. This Meteor languished on the fireground until at least 1976, becoming increasingly consumed by successive fires. The remains were eventually removed by a scrap dealer.
Geoff Allan continues to be a keen aviation photographer, and his Flickr photo page is well worth a visit. It can be found by clicking on this link
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