Gannet T5 question.

[RWG686 35,545]

In 1960 the Fairey Aviation Company bought Gannet T2 WN365 from the Royal Navy and converted it to T5 standard. It was then civil registered as G-APYO and used to train Indonesian Navy crews for a year.

Two questions:

Can anyone point me towards a photograph of it as 'PYO ?

Would it have been silver with yellow training bands or Fairey's house colours?

 

As an aside it was bought back by the Royal Navy and given the new serial , XT752 and survives today in America.

[Che Guava 4,685]

It was me who informally asked @RWG686about this. Having acquired a Trumpeter Gannet from @RWG686, I wanted to finish it as a companion to my civvie Vampire 2-seater. I remember seeing a picture (back in the black-and-white days) of 'PYO and I remember the 'grey' trainer bands with the civvie registration showing on the fuselage side - probably on the  (probably) yellow stripe, though I can't remember exactly. I suspect the picture was in Air Pictorial, in the 'new registrations' page, to that would probably be a 1960 year issue. I'm annoyed with myself for not keeping at least the picture if not the magazine, so....Does anyone have a loft full of old Air Pictorials of that era and could have a look?

[sub 920]

Thunder & Lightnings - Fairey Gannet - Survivor XT752 (N752XT, ex G-APYO, WN365) (thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk)

 

warbirdregistry.org - A Warbirds Resource Group Site - Fairey Gannet

 

Aircraft Photo of WN365 | Fairey Gannet T.2 | UK - Navy | AirHistory.net #15594

Edited May 18 by sub

[sub 920]

Fairey Gannet (aviadejavu.ru)

 

11th image down on this link

 

[RWG686 35,545]

Despite posting on several forums, I have still not found a photo of the Gannet wearing the registration  G-APYO.

An aviation historian I know remembers seeing it once in the flesh but sadly didn't get a good look or photo.

Alan's memory and mine differ slightly here as I remember the registration being where the serial and Royal Navy titles would be.

I agree that it must have been ' Air Pictorial' as it was the only magazine that I had access to back then (thanks to my arithmetic teacher)

As an aside, I wonder why she was given a new serial number on her return from Indonesia?  It wasn't as if her previous identity of WN365 wasn't known.

[Miggers 7,959]

AS-14 is also quoted in Warpaint 23 as the temporary serial allocated whilst with Indonesia on loan from Fairey.

It was first "AL-14" then re-numbered "AS-14".

On it's return to Fairey,it reverted back to 'AYPO/WN365 but was earmarked for T.5 conversion

and re-serialled XT752 as a "new"(converted)airframe.

There is one picture of it in Warpaint 23 as WN365 in all over silver with yellow training bands,but carrying standard 4" titling and serials.

I too would imagine the civil G-AYPO would be beneath or just ahead of the tailplanes but

possibly in 8" or 12" script.

Edited May 23 by Miggers

[RWG686 35,545]

20 minutes ago, Miggers said:

Warpaint 23

Notorious for errors as in this case.

She was converted to a T5 before being allocated the Indonesian serial,  AS-14. She was never painted in Indonesian markings so the serial was obviously for paperwork.

She never left the UK and was stored after being withdrawn from use around 1964.

Bought back from Westlands (who swallowed up Fairey) by the MoD  in 1965 and issued the new serial.

She must have been silver with yellow trainer bands in the time she flew as G-APYO but so far no photo.

[Miggers 7,959]

42 minutes ago, RWG686 said:

She must have been silver with yellow trainer bands in the time she flew as G-APYO but so far no photo.

I think so too,but with no mugshot,Al is going to be 50% right,50%wrong and someone's got to prove it

either way with photographic edivence,of which,we're struggling to find ourselves.

[Long 1,713]

On 18/05/2023 at 19:41, Che Guava said:

I suspect the picture was in Air Pictorial, in the 'new registrations' page, to that would probably be a 1960 year issue.

Unfortunately there's text but no photo:

This is the April 1960 issue.

[Long 1,713]

I've now looked through all the 1960 issues just in case it was in a later one. It wasn't.

[Che Guava 4,685]

Thanks chaps - it may have been later than that by the time it got photographed and published. Or it might have been somewhere else entirely! I've had the vague memory sort-of confirmed by another source, so might go with how it might have been. It certainly had yellow trainer bands and was overall silver, its just where the reg would have been is unconfirmed. My Vampire model had in within the yellow band, so i;ll probably just go with that. It'll be posted on here anyway when finished, that's when somebody will flush out a photo of where its all gone wrong.