OLD PLANES IN SERVICE

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28013, 6 July 1956, Page 8

OLD PLANES IN SERVICE

Pre-War Ansons Used In Four Countries SPITFIRES, WALRUSES AND OXFORDS STILL FLYING (From the London Correspondent ol ’The Press") LONDON, June 27 During the last 10 years. 53 types of British aircraft have been delivered to 70 countries and territories overseas. A number of these are, by today’s standards, obsolescent, yet most of them are still giving good service and are contributing to the aircraft industry’s export effort in the form of spare parts and replacements for engines, airframes and propellers. The Anson, which first saw service in Britain some years before the war. is still used as a transport and for training in Afghanistan. Iraq. Israel and Eire. Other pre-war British aircraft include the Oxford, used for liaison in the Royal Belgian and Israeli Air Forces, and in Burma. Ceylon and Denmark. Perhaps the oldest of all is the Walrus amphibian, still giving good service in Holland. War-time aircraft are still used abroad extensively. Various marks of Spitfire and Seafire have been supplied to eight countries while the Mosquito has been adopted by 11 overseas countries. Hurricanes. Lancasters. Lincolns, Halifaxes, and Beaufighters are in service in places such as Argentina. Australia. Egypt. France, Portugal. St. Dominica and Turkey, while in Finland. Blenheims are used f or aerial photography. The Syrian Air Force ordered 40 Spitfires 18 months ago; the Royal Iraqi Air Force possesses three squadrons of Furies while the Israeli Air Force is still operating Spitfires and Mosquitos. Fireflies, in various guises, are in service in eight countries. An airliner used in IQ countries

abroad is the Viking. These include the Argentine, Denmark. India, Pakistan. Rhodesia and South Africa.

In recent months, Rolls-Royce have supplied a number of Griffon pistonengines for Spitfires. Seafires and Fireflies in Egypt and Burma and nearly 50 Merlins to Spain for installation in German aircraft of last war vintage.

Even after it ceases to be economic to manufacture and stock spare parts for old planes, provision is made for those still in service. For example de Havilland, whose Tiger Mnth and Rapide have been out of production for more than 10 years, say that so long as the demand continues, certain parts will be made and supplied. In other cases, manufacturing drawings will be provided from which the part part concerned can easily be xnada.