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Royal Navy and FAA Squadron Identification

Started by PolluxDeltaSeven, May 10, 2006, 07:41:59 AM

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PolluxDeltaSeven

#15
Hello everybody!

I just received your email Thor, thank you a lot...

Well, I'm still in the profile drawings and a lot of idea cames to me... French, British, but also African and maybe Asian planes!! :wub:
The project of a modernised F/A-18C (in my project it will be a Boeing-Thales-Safran codevelopped refit with M88-4 engines, RBE-2 radar, SPECTRA ECM etc etc...) looks more and more interesting for me, and I probably will draw at least a dozen or two profiles à la Gekko or à la Sentinel Chiken ;)

And of course, as I'm not Bill Gates, I can't build them all and, after this moment, I will be able to send the marking drawings for who want to print them on decal sheet, of course...

A little wait  ;)
I just finished my exams in two weeks  :P  
"laissez mes armées être les rochers et les arbres et les oiseaux dans le ciel"
-Charlemagne-

Coming Soon in Alternate History:
-Battlefleet Galactica
-Republic of Libertalia: a modern Pirate Story

Leigh

Quote
Actually Leigh it was more a case to give PDS a chance to get the data and start the project before somebody claims first dibs on the idea. Sharing knowledge is fine but using a open forum can mean ideas and concepts can be poached before the originator has had a fair crack at them.

Fair dinkum, I thought it might be something juicy cos when I translated "cave punctum" I got this....
"Hollow place To penetrate"


oooer sounds a bit rude

I invite all and any criticism, except about Eric The Dog, it's not his fault he's stupid


Leigh's Models

Nick

803's squadron motto is Cave Punctum, meaning 'Beware the Sting'. Pretty appropriate for a Hornet squadron IMHO!

Nick B)  

GTX

#18
Geoff,

You may try here or  here - whether they have the info you're after I'm not sure.

Regards,

Greg

All hail the God of Frustration!!!

XV107

#19
Geoff,

In Ray Sturtivant's 'Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm', there is a section on aircraft code markings. This says:

"...at a meeting towards the end of 1923 aboard the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth, it was decided that aircraft...would adopt standardised markings ...markings would consist of single or double digit numbers painted in a coloured band along the fuselage sides. The colour of each band would indicate the parent carrier of the flight concerned. Thus, of the carriers then in service or shortly to commission, HMS Argus' aircraft would carry green fuselage bands, those in HMS Furious red,  HMS Hermes white and HMS Eagle black. When HMS Courageous came into service it adopted blue and this was followed by yellow for HMS Glorious. Finally, just before the outbreak of war, HMS Ark Royal adopted a three coloured band consisting of two blue strips, separated by a read one, all of equal size..."


Moving up to point where the FAA became part of the RN, we get...

" the new FAA code markings [we're talking numbers rather than bands here] were first painted on the aircraft in May 1939...the new codes were initialy painted as before on the coloured fuselage carrier bands..."

Which suggests that the band colours didn't change; this is supported by a photo (in black & white) in WA Harrison's book on the Swordfish and Albacore (Crowood series) on page 50, which  is captioned: "Testing the engine before flying.... 825 Squadron when embarked upon HMS Glorious during 1939. The squadron band and fin were in yellow with the squadron badge on the fin".

In the absence of a confimatory colour photo of the time, this seems to be reasonable evidence to support yellow.

Hope that helps.

GTX

Supported by this picture of a restored Hawker Nimrod  of 802 squadron HMS Glorious:



Regards,

Greg
All hail the God of Frustration!!!