Page 71 - Aviation News (February 2020)

Based at RAF Kabrit in the Suez Canal Zone, 219 Sqn received its fi rst Meteor NF.13 in 1951. On disbandment
in 1954 its aircraft were passed on to 39 Sqn also at Kabrit and later to the Israeli Air Force. Key Collection

40,000ft and occasionally a bit above. Their he thought he had lost us and levelled during this period; very often alongside the
higher cruising speed at those altitudes up so that we were able to complete the later marks of the aircraft: the NF.12 and
also added to the problem they presented. interception. We pulled up alongside him NF.14. In all 318 NF.11s were produced for
However, if they had fl own at the height but he didn’t see our nav lights, we could the RAF; 20 of these being converted to
they were capable of reaching, around plainly see the dark shape of his head in TT.20 target tugs for the Royal Navy in 1958.
50,000ft, they would have been so far out of the cockpit, and we tucked a wing in and In addition to those squadrons which
reach we would have never got near them.” give him a close-up [nav light] fl ash. The replaced their NF.11s with NF.12s and NF.14s
The Canberras were, however, not dark shape went pale as he turned his face and Javelins; three units, 125, 141 and 151
immune to interception. For Exercise towards us, and I have never seen an aircraft replaced their Meteors with de Havilland
Dividend the Meteor NF.11s of 87 Sqn were break away so sharply, he must have had Venom NF.3s in 1955.
detached from Wahn, West Germany to RAF quite a shock when someone turned a light The NF.13 served with 219 Sqn for
West Raynham, Norfolk. Peter Desmond on about 15ft away from him.” only a brief time. When the squadron was
recalls with pride his fi rst ‘victory’ over one disbanded in 1954 its aircraft were taken
of the high-fl ying bombers. “The Meteor was over by 39 Sqn, which in January 1955
“It was the fi rst time we had managed moved to RAF Luqa. The unit relocated to
to achieve a ‘kill’ on a Canberra. The a very pleasant Cyprus in August 1956 and took part in
Canberra would do Mach .81 comfortably, what beacme known as the Suez Crisis.
whereas the Meteor 11 would do Mach .78, aircraft to fl y in and At the conclusion of hostilities 39
uncomfortably, without underwing tanks, Sqn maintained a detachment in Cyprus
and Mach .74, risking a heavy bu et, with one felt safe and and the squadron returned to Luqa. The
tanks. Consequently if the Canberra had any detachment at Akrotiri was also held on
inkling that you were in the neighbourhood, secure, in fact I have standby because the political situation in
it was ‘Goodnight Irene’. To add to the heard it referred to the Lebanon deteriorated. However, on
problem, fi ghters (us) had lights on and June 30, 1958 the squadron was disbanded.
bombers (them) lights o . On this occasion as a ‘gentleman’s The following day 69 Sqdn, fl ying Canberra
we succeeded by being way above, and in PR.9s at Luqa, was renumbered as 39 Sqn.
front of, a particularly unaware Canberra, aeroplane’” Although designed as a stopgap between
and when we saw his contrail we simply the demise of the Mosquito NF.36 and the
dropped down on top of him.” arrival of the Javelin; the Meteor NF.11 and
In the Canal Zone 39 and 219 Sqns PHASE-OUT NF.13 variants fl ew with the frontline night-
regularly engaged in exercises with local The NF.11 served with the RAF in the night- fi ghter squadrons of the RAF for a total of
fi ghter squadrons, for example the Vampire fi ghter role from 1951 through to 1960. The nine years; and thereafter in a variety of
FB.9s of 213 and 249 Sqns which fl ew from last frontline squadron to relinquish the testing and trials roles. The last of the Royal
RAF Deversoir, Egypt. Peter Verney recalled aircraft was 256 Sqn at RAF Geilenkirchen Navy TT.20 target tugs was retired in the
an encounter with a Vampire during an in West Germany, when its NF.11s were early 1970s.
exercise: “We were vectored onto a Vampire replaced by Gloster Javelins and the unit It is a testament to the quality and
on a nice moonlit night – he must have was renumbered as 11 Sqn. It had received durability of both the NF.11 and NF.13
seen us as we were turning in behind him its fi rst NF.11s in November 1952 at Ahlhorn, that they also served in the air forces of
and [he] started some mild evasive action. also in West Germany. A total of 11 frontline seven other countries in Europe and the
I held on to him for a few minutes until squadrons and the 228 OCU fl ew the NF.11 Middle East.

Three 39 Sqn NF.13s over the Mediterranean on approach to Luqa, Malta, where the unit moved to in 1955 from Kabrit. Key Collection

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