Ken Fostekew sent these photographs over, from the person who was involved with the equipment installation for Fairey Surveys. Unfortunately his contact details have been lost, but the photographs tell the story. The first two photographs are of G-AZFS, and the others are all of G-AZOH.
Doing a quick search on G-AZOH brought up the attached accident report published on the Government Air Accident Investigation Branch website. Looking at the date, and the pilot details, the pilot was probably Geoff Milsom, who kept the plane under control when a wheel came off after landing at White Waltham. Does anyone have any more details?
Mike Penrose has sent an email with photographs and cine film stills from his father, John Owen Penrose, otherwise known as Jack or Pen.
If anyone can provide information on any of them, please let us know by email (admin@faireysurveys.co.uk) or by using the comment form below.
Click on the photographs for a larger image.
Jack Penrose (Pen) with Rapide
Jack Penrose (Pen) with a Dragon Rapide.
Pilot Jack Penrose with DC3 Charlie Alpha
Does anyone know who the other people in the photograph are?
Update January 2021: Ken Fostekew has identified some of these. L to R: 1?, 2?, 3 Peter Sharman, 4?, 5?, 6 Engineer Jim Roe?, 8 Pilot John Penrose. The others probably clients.
Unidentified plane, possibly Sierra Leone. From Jack Penrose cine film
Can anyone identify this aeroplane? Is it a Fairey Surveys aeroplane? Possibly photographed in Sierra Leone. Update from Ken Fostekew January 2021: This is a Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer, not an FSL aircraft, we used “Twin Pins” much later from Flight One at Staverton.
Unidentified plane (same as previous photo?). From Jack Penrose cine film.
Is this the same aeroplane as the previous photograph?
Anyone know who these people are? From Jack Penrose cine film.
Mike Penrose asks who is the man next to the aeroplane. Possibly this is the same plane as in the previous photographs – note the blue stripe. Update from Ken Fostekew January 2021: The man on the left is Tom Kirkwood.
The Historic Flight Foundation near Seattle, WA, have just acquired G-AHXW, a De Havilland DH.98A Dragon Rapide, that was owned for some years in the 1950s and 1960s by Fairey Aviation and then Fairey Surveys. They would like to hear about what sort of work it was doing, or any really interesting projects it may have been part of.
The museum has sent a couple of photographs of when the aeroplane arrived there on 31st March 2017, which are shown below. A trawl through the internet also found a photograph of G-AHXW in Fairey Surveys livery at White Waltham in 1965 on the website Air Photographic International (https://www.airphotographicinternational.com), which has hundreds of great photographs of old aircraft for sale, all identified with type, registration, location and date. Chris Knott, the owner of the website, has very generously allowed us to publish the photograph here.
If you have any information you would like to share, please reply, below, or send an email to admin@faireysurveys.co.uk, and we’ll pass on your details to the museum, or contact them direct at: imperfectsense@gmail.com
The website has been contacted by Bruce Hales-Dutton, who has been asked by the monthly magazine ‘Aeroplane’ to write an article about Fairey Surveys. The idea is to write about the aircraft, particularly the DC-3s, and to use the memories and stories of the Fairey Surveys staff who were involved with them, in whatever capacity.
Mr Hales-Dutton is a freelance aviation writer and journalist, whose name appears on at least one published aircraft book, about the Comet.
If you would like to send in a story to be used, or would like to talk to Mr Hales-Dutton, please leave a reply below, or send an email to admin@faireysurveys.co.uk and we’ll pass on your details to him.
There are a few stories already on the website, but there must be many more. Rob Wallace remembers a search through the huge Enugu market in Nigeria for a special 5 foot long Pratt and Whitney spanner to change the engine on a DC-3. Astonishingly, the search was successful, and the engine was changed, but the process, with much arm-waving and sign language, was pure entertainment.
Please let us know if you have any stories you would like to share.
These photographs were sent by Steve Hulland, Mervyn’s son. Mervyn worked for Fairey Air Surveys/Fairey Surveys from about 1955 to 1966, when the family emigrated to South Africa. They came back a few years later, and Mervyn worked on development for deHavilland on the TSR2 in Bristol, and also for Atlas Aircraft Corporation on the Impala.
Most of the photographs are unlabelled, but quite a few appear to have been taken in Kenya. Any help identifying places or people would be appreciated.
This postcard was interesting – no change in aerial photography problems!
These photographs came from Ian Smith, but we have no information on date or place. We would love to know where the Hotel Du Parc is (or was)!
These two look like a pair, from the paper, size and age. And the third and fourth from the left on the top row of the left hand picture are surely the same two facing forward in the foreground of the right hand picture. Was it a conference?
This is half the story of an unfortunate incident with an Avro Anson. No date or location given
This is the second half of the story of the Avro Anson that landed badly in the desert, with a single camel to take the strain. No date or loction again, but it doesn’t look as if it’s very warm. Perhaps the clothes of the locals might give someone a clue to where it is?
These seem to be a pair, with the same mountains in the background. Morocco? Libya?
These look like a set, all stamped February 1960 on the back (Kodak processing date). Perhaps the barman is a clue to the location? Or the flowers?
Message received from Elain Amos dated 3rd March 2013:
Greetings from Lelystad – here for 2 months to do low level photo of parts of NW Netherlands. In the aviation museum at the airport found a photo of their (orange) DC3 which was originally G-AMCA. It’s not here, currently starring in a musical of the \’Solider of Orange\’ at the ex Valkenburg Air Force Base
Roger Laffoley sent in these photographs of Dakota G-ALWC in Clyde livery, with a note of its history from service with the RAF up to 1982 with Clyde Surveys. The photographs show what looks like a miniature extra propellor on the fuselage – does anyone know what it is?
Click on the individual images to see the full size pictures.
This is a bit of advertising from Ken Fostekew, about the Museum of Berkshire Aviation in Woodley, which has a whole display case (pictured) dedicated to Fairey Surveys. The museum is amazing, and has a couple of reconstructed Fairey Aircraft amongst many others. It is run by volunteers, and has lectures regularly from guest speakers.
Museum of Berkshire Aviation – FSL display case
The address is: Mohawk Way (off the Bader Way), Woodley, Nr. Reading, Berkshire, RG5 4UE, and the website is: www.museumofberkshireaviation.co.uk
There’s also a YouTube video showing the museum and many of its displays.
