202 Squadron Hastings

JohnC · Administrator

202 Squadron Hastings

JohnC · Administrator

When I was a lad at Lyneham we had several Met aircraft pass through, I seem to recall these painted all dark grey and later sky blue, I saw these aircraft again at RAF Aldergrove in the early Sixties, one word eludes me and that is the name BISMUTH in relation to these Meteorological Flights, anyone know what BISMUTH refers to

JohnC · Administrator

Olive Kennedy wrote a few years ago:

While stationed at RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland I had quite a few flights in 202 Squadron Hastings aircraft. They were Meterological Reconnaissance "Bismuth" at that time, the met. squadron was disbanded in 1964 a couple of years after I left Aldergrove.

On December 27th 1961 during Christmas break, I was duty Signals in the Air Traffic Control Tower when the Bismuth (TG624) crashed on the runway on take-off. There were no casualties thank goodness but I spent most of that day sending out Signals re the crash. I actually got to the crash site at the same time as the fire crew, I had flagged down an RAF police landrover which was passing the WRAF block just as I was leaving for duty. The fire crew were about to foam everything down and flagged us off and the snowdrop drove me up to the tower. Considering it was early morning and during the Christmas break the tower became unusually busy within a short space of time - brass rushing around like blue-bottomed bluebottles and signals being handed to me from all quarters - not at all the quiet Christmas break we all expected.

A couple of days later I was due to fly in another Hastings from RAF Aldergrove to RAF Leuchars in Fife on the annual New Years airlift for those Scots who had held the fort over Christmas but that was cancelled due to the Bismuth crash! There was also a regular maintenance flight to Gib. which lasted a few days and of which those of us who got the time off (mostly watch-workers) could take advantage.

JohnC · Administrator

The last six CI Hastings built were used in a meteorological role with a further seven C1's converted [I have read that 16 were 'converted'], the squadron changed aircraft type to Hastings from converted Halifax bombers until replaced by weather satellites in 1964, what did the conversion consist of as I once read that a Met Office man used to sit in the Co-Pilots seat on some trips

Sandown · Member

My first post on this forum. For some while I have been trying to establish how many Hastings were converted to MET1's and what subsequently happened to them. Its possible some never saw service, remaining in storage, before reconversion to other roles.
1. TG504 MET1 until scrapped 1966
2. TG505 Converted to T5
3. TG507 Reconverted to C1 partial VIP.
4. TG510 Returned to C1
5. TG511 Converted to T5
6. TG514 Returned to C1
7. TG516 Returned to C1
8. TG517 Converted to T5
9. TG565 MET1 until scrapped 1966
10.TG566 Written off while in service as a MET1
11.TG567 MET1 until scrapped
12.TG572 MET1 until scrapped
13.TG616 Returned to C1
14.TG620 Returned to C1
15.TG621 Returned to C1
16.TG622 MET1 until scrapped
17.TG623 MET1 until scrapped
18.TG624 Written off while in service as a MET1
If anyone knows differently I would be delighted to know.