Gloster Meteor

[No.1]

 

[mfg495]

Argentine Air Meteor's

To pay off the rather large debt to the Argentine government accumulated by the UK during WW II a deal was struck late 1947 to supply a serious number of airplanes to Argentina. Britain would supply 50 ex RAF Meteors and 50 specifically produced for the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina, FAA), 10 Avro Lancaster and 20 Avro Lincoln bombers and a whole bunch of smaller planes.

The transaction caused an uproar with the US Government but somehow Attlee's socialist UK government bulldozed the deal through and the first Meteors were delivered to the FAA in March 1948.

The FAA gave the Meteors the type designation 'I' (for Interceptor). As no dual control Meteors had been included in the deal, pilot training proved to be something of a problem. The Argentine pilots selected to fly the jets had experience only on Curtiss 75 Hawk propeller fighters. A scheme was devised whereby they first learned to fly on Airspeed Oxfords (to learn dual engine flight), then on to the DH-104 Dove (for tri-cycle landing gear familiarization) and finally on to jets. Throughout the operational history of the type you'll see a large number of accidents involving collapse or other problems with the landing gear (...)

Only three times during their operational history have Argentine Meteors fired shots in anger. The first time was during the (unsuccessful) April 1955 uprising against Juan Peron. One of the Meteors shot down a rebel AT-6 (whose pilot bailed out successfully). During the September 1955 revolt, that swept away Juan Peron, they came into action again, this time on both loyalist and rebel sides. And the final time was during the 1962 political troubles.

In 1963 it was decided to buy F-86F's as interceptors and to re-classify the Meteors as fighter-bombers. They were reserialed ‘C’ (for Caza) and re-sprayed in a camouflage pattern.

The Meteor's service life ended in 1970 when they were struck off-charge after a final fly-past of 5 machines that were still airworthy. They were replaced by F-86F Sabres, A-4D Skyhawks and ultimately Dassault Mirages. Some 20 seem to remain around the country as gate-guards and in museums.

Source - Internet - 1000aircraftphotos.com

[No.1]

Many of the leading magazines would be happy to have article like this

[mfg495]

Many of the leading magazines would be happy to have article like this

I think thats whats great about the 'net' the information is out there, you just have to look for it.

[Metar]

I think I have come to the right place
Great photos

Dan

[No.1]

This month over 60 person try to join the forum. You are one of two which get approval. Enjoy

[mfg495]

Could be a nice subject for a profile. Gloster Meteor at the IAF Museum.

[santynus]

I agree with you mfg495 

[mfg495]

From my own collection, a line up of PR10 Meteors of 541 Squadron, based at RAF Benson, I think it's around early 1950's

[No.1]

 

[mfg495]

Bit of information on 541 Squadron

Formed from B & F Flights of the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit at Benson on 19 October 1942.

Equipped with Spitfires, it operated over Europe throughout the rest of the war, although some Mustangs were received and operated alongside the Spitfires from June 1944. 

After the war it was intended to send the a detachment of the squadron to Africa for survey work, for which it received some Lancasters.  However, this plan was cancelled and the squadron disbanded at Benson on 1 October 1946, the Lancaster element forming the nucleus of a reformed No 82 Squadron.

The squadron reformed at Benson on 1 November 1947, again in the PR role, equipped with Spitfire XIXs, which were replaced by Meteor PR 10s in December 1950.  The squadron moved to Germany in June 1951 joining 2 TAF, initially at Buckeburg and later Gutersloh and Laarbruch until from May 1957, when it moved to Wunstorf, where it disbanded on 6 September 1957.

Motto:  Alone above all

Source - http://www.rafweb.org/

[mfg495]

  This could as easily go in the Sabre thread, but here's a formation photo from 19 April 1956 as No. 66 Squadron Sabres are being replaced by a mixture of Hunter Mk. 4s and Meteor Mk. 8s.

Some info on 66 Sqn:

The squadron reformed at Duxford on 1 September 1946 in the fighter role, equipped with Spitfires.  These were replaced by Meteors in 1947 and in October 1949, the unit moved to Linton-on-Ouse re-equipping with Sabres in December 1953. 
From 11 February 1949 until 1 November 1953, the squadron was linked with No 111 Squadron. Hunters, initially F Mk 4s,  arrived in March 1956 being replaced by F Mk 6s in October and these remained the squadron's main equipment until disbanding at Acklington, to where it had moved in February 1957, on 30 September 1960.

[mfg495]

Meteor F.4s were also used to evaluate in-flight refueling schemes, which were never implemented in production Meteors.

[No.1]

Interesting to note that first in flight refueling was tested even much before at Farnborough. I think that was in 1932 but not completely sure 

[mfg495]

In 1917, a pilot in the Imperial Russian Navy, Alexander P. de Seversky, proposed increasing the range of combat aircraft by refueling them in flight. De Seversky soon emigrated to the United States and became an engineer in the War Department. He applied for and received the first patent for air-to-air refueling in 1921.

The first actual transfer of fuel from one aircraft to another was little more than a stunt. On November 12, 1921, wingwalker Wesley May climbed from a Lincoln Standard to a Curtiss JN-4 airplane with a can of fuel strapped to his back. When he reached the JN-4, he poured the fuel into its gas tank. Needless to say, this was not the most practical way of refueling an airplane in flight.

In 1923, the U.S. Army undertook tests at Rockwell Field, San Diego, California, to test a more practical way to lower a hose from one airplane to refuel another in flight. In its tests, a DH-4B biplane outfitted as a tanker and equipped with a 50-foot (15-meter) length of hose and a quick-acting shutoff valve would fly above the receiver and lower the hose. The person in the rear seat of the receiver aircraft would grab the hose and connect it to the aircraft. If the hose became detached, the valve would immediately cut off the flow, preventing it from spraying fuel over the receiving aircraft and its pilot.

Source - http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Evolution_of_Technology/refueling/Tech22.htm