Mikoyan-Gurevich I-360

In late 1950 the Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB managed to successfully adapt the fuselage of a MiG-17 to a pair of Mikulin AM-5 turbojet engines, as the Izdeliye SM-1 or I-340. Being a pure engine test bed, the SM-1 proved the efficacy of the side-by-side small-diameter turbojet arrangement as it could achieve, during test flights, speeds of up to 1.193 km/h (741,30 mph) at 1.000 m high (3.280,84 ft) and 1.154 km/h (717 mph) at 5.000 m (16.404 ft), altitude which could reach in just 0.94 minutes.
 As both the engine and the arrangement proved to be a success, the choice of engine for the SM-2 single-seat supersonic fighter proposal was clear. It had a similar wing to that of the previous I-350 with a 55 degree sweepback at quarter chord and 60 degree at leading edge.  It was powered by two Mikulin AM-5F turbojet engines with 4.490 lb of thrust power and an afterburner ratio of 2.700 kg (5952,481 lb). It was armed with two 37 mm N-37D cannons placed at the root of the wings and, according to some sources, it could carry rocket launchers and/or bombs under the wings.
The first SM-2, which by now had received the official designation of I-360, flew for the first time on 24th May 1952 and was unique in having a T-shaped tail, as it was clearly influenced by the previous MiG-17. Later, on 25th June, it achieved the speed of mach = 1.04 (1.240,4 km/h - 7707,49 mph) in level flight. Further testing showed that the wing tended to blanket the tailplane at high levels of attack and, in order to fix this, it was lowered to a mid-point on the fin. Flight tests of this modified prototype, which was called SM-2/2 revealed little improvement so the surface was lowered even more, to the base of the fin, this being accompanied with some increase in the vertical tail surface area. All these changes resulted in more satisfactory handling characteristics. The prototype was lost during its 132nd test flight in 1953 due to a tail flutter. It was estimated that the maximum attainable mach number for the machine was 1,19 (1.419,29 km/h - 881,90 mph), however, no exact details on performance are available.

Sources:
1. http://www.aviastar.org/air/russia/mig_i-360.php
2. https://www.armedconflicts.com/Mikoyan-Gurevich-I-360-t813
3. http://ram-home.com/ram-old/i-360.html
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-19
5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Airspeed AS.65 Consul, part two, various African Users

The Airspeed AS.65 was a British twin-engined light airliner that was designed by converting surplus AS.10 Oxford trainers into civilian use. Although it was, theoretically, for civilian use, many military, and paramilitary air forces throughout the world employed it. They type saw use in the African continent, specially in the following countries, territories and dependencies:

• Belgian Congo: As the Oxford turned to be a very positive aircraft for the Congolese environment, the Force Publique (the armed forces of the Belgian colony) decided to reinforce their Oxford fleet with some Consuls. As the Consul could be equipped easily with a freight door, it could fit stretchers into it, so they were mainly used as air ambulances. A total of six machines served with the Force Publique. They were acquired in 1948-1949 (some of them from the South African Natal Airlines) and by 1954-1955 or even 1956 they were all written off. Most of them were sold for scrap.
• France: According to our sources, four Consuls served with the French airline SA Aerotechnique, and one of them served with the Societe Algerienne de Transports Aeriens (Algerian Society of Air Transports). Charter airlines both of them. They served until the late 1950s when they were either sold or sold for scrap. As we couldn't find graphical evidence of the Consul serving with any of those airlines, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Colony and Protectorate of Kenya: The Kenyan-based airline East African Airways Corporation bought a single Consul from the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in May 1954. It operated from Nairobi until 12th November 1955 when it suffered a wood and glue failure and was therefore retired to be scrapped in that same city two years later, in 1957.
• Union of South Africa: Many Consuls served with various South African airlines like Commercial Air Services, Natal Airlines or Silver Flights. Some of them were acquired from the Belgian Congo and some others straight from converted Oxfords. Either way, by mid 1950s or even later, they all were scrapped or sold.
• Tanganyka territory: The Tanganykan airline United Air Services operated three Consuls which were delivered between 1947-1948. They were based on Dar-es-Salaam and in 1952 due to the bad ageing of the machines, two of them were scrapped. The remaining one was sold to W.A. Rollason Ltd., in Croydon, London in 1950.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Consul

2. http://britishaviation-ptp.com/airspeed_as65.html

3. http://www.belgian-wings.be/Webpages/Navigator/Photos/MilltaryPics/post_ww2/Airspeed%20Consul/aispeed_consul.htm

4. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/airspeed_oxford_&_consul.pdf

Airspeed AS.65 Consul, part one, various users

The Airspeed AS.65 Consul was a British light twin-engined airliner of the post World War 2 period. It was a civilian conversion of the Airspeed AS.10 Oxford surplus trainers.
The Consul was used by many nations and, in this case, international organization:

• Argentina: After the war, the Argentine Air Force bought ten Consuls (some source claims it was just five of them) which were delivered between June and December 1947. They were used as light transports. They served in that role through the 1950s and two of them suffered accidents. They were written off and scrapped some time during the 1950s.
• New Zealand: After the war, the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) bought six Oxfords which were converted in 1948 to Consuls. They served with the No.42 Squadron RNZAF until the mid-1950s when they were either sold or scrapped.
• United Nations: The United Nations' commission in Israel operated six Consuls in the Middle-East. They were leased by Mortons, Chartair International Airways and Air Enterprises in 1947 to 1949. They were painted totally in white and bore the letters UN plus a number bearing from 90 to 100. While serving as a transport for the UN personnel, one was lost in a crash in a remote area of Lebanon on 11th February 1949.

Sources:

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Consul

2. http://www.britishaviation-ptp.com/airspeed_as65.html#prodlistAll

3. https://www.gacetaeronautica.com/gaceta/wp-101/?p=5991 (translated)

4. https://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/GibbinsBryan/10665.htm

5. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/airspeed_oxford_&_consul.pdf

6. https://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com/search/label/Airspeed%20Consul%20%2F%20Oxford (translated)

7. https://blackbusheairport.proboards.com/thread/663/airspeed-oxford-consul-blackbushe

8. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzconsul.htm

Arado Ar.195

The Arado Ar.195 was a German carrier-borne torpedo-bomber which was built by Arado Flugzeugwerke for service with the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin.
It was designed and developed during 1937 and intended to serve on the Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier, which in that year was still under construction. It was directly based on the Arado Ar.95L.
It was a single-strut braced biplane with foldable wings, arrestor hook and catapult equipment.
In order to get good cockpit visibility during carrier landings, the cockpit was pushed forward as much as possible. It was powered by a single BMW 132 K radial engine which yielded 830 hp of power for take off.
It was armed with one fixed forward-firing 7.9 mm (0.311 in) MG 17 machine gun, located at starboard side of the engine, plus another 7.9 mm (0.311 in) MG 15 machine gun mounted at the back of the cockpit in a defensive position. It had a crew of two, a pilot and a radio-operator/rear-gunner.
Its main armament, however, was the 700 kg (1.543 lb) torpedo placed under the fuselage plus the bomb load which, could be partially placed underwings.
Although three prototypes were completed in 1937 at Arado's factory in Warnemünde, close to the city of Rostock, the Fieseler Fi.167 proved to be superior and the Ar.195 was considered outdated so the project was discarded.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_Ar_195
2. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arado_Ar_195 (translated)
3. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=534
4. https://www.valka.cz/Arado-Ar-195-t57834

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part ten, British users part three

The Oxford, which was nicknamed 'the Ox-Box', was used to prepare complete aircrews for the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command. It could in fact, train pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, gunners and radio operators in the same flight. Additionally, the Oxfords were also used in the Middle East, East Africa and other theatres of the war as communications, anti-submarine and air ambulances thanks to its versatility.
The Oxford was the favourite trainer of both Empire Air Training Scheme and British Commonwealth Air Training Plan which is why it was distributed all along the British Empire.
Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, was flying an Oxford when she when missing over the Thames Estuary, where she presumably and unfortunately crashed in 1941.
The Oxford continued in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) well after the war, until 1956 to be more precise. They were used as trainers and light transports.
Most Oxfords in the United Kingdom were equipped with a knotted rope which went from the pilot's seat to the rear door to assist in the evacuation should the plane entered into an uncontrollable spin, which was almost impossible to recover from. When the pilots released their seat belts centripetal force would hurl them to the rear of the plane, beyond the exit door, from where it was impossible to crawl forward to the door. The rope was installed as an answer to a test made by four engineers who tried to recover from a spin at 18.000 ft (5.484 m) high. When the aircraft didn't recover no matter how hard they tried, the four released their harness and were immediately hurled to the rear of the plane where they remained helpless as the spiral descent continued. However, the plane was in such flat spin when it reached the ground that it skidded sideways over the surface of a field until the tail section hit a haystack and broke off. The four engineers walked away with minor injuries and the valuable lesson that the knotted rope was the only positive remedy for the Oxford in case it entered a spin.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford
2. https://www.baesystems.com/en/heritage/airspeed-horsa-glider
3. https://www.airvectors.net/avanson.html

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part nine, British users part two

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a low-wing twin-engine cantilever monoplane with a semi-monocoque fuselage, a conventional landing gear configuration and a wooden tail. It was thanks to its configuration that it could replicate the flying characteristics of any frontline aircraft of the moment. It was specifically designed for a wide range of training missions such as navigation, flying instruction, night flying, instrument flying, wireless radio training, direction finding, gunnery and vertical photography. The Oxford was specifically designed to include various modern innovations and equipment fittings like a full array of instruments and controls within the cockpit which were very useful in the trainer role. Additionally it could also be used in additional roles such as air ambulance or maritime reconnaissance.
Regarding the flying experience, the Oxford was representative enough to give the pilots the experience needed to migrate onto larger aircraft with ease while possessing smooth flying characteristics.
It was operated by a crew of three, with the seating arrangement being interchangeable to better suit various purposes, such as to better enable a specific training role. The cockpit featured dual controls and a pair of seats in order to accommodate a pilot and either a navigator or a second pilot alongside. When used for bomb aimer training, the second set of controls was removed and the freed space was used for a bomb-aimer in prone position. When used as a navigator trainer, the second seat was pushed back so it would be in-line up with the chart table. Aft of the cockpit was a wireless operator station facing aft of the starboard side of the fuselage. The turret present in the Mk.I version of the Oxford, could also be used for gunnery, navigation, wireless, bomb-aimers or camera operators. The centre section could host up to 16 11 lb (4.98 kg) which could be released via bomb-release switches installed at the pilot and bomb-aimers' stations.
The Oxford was normally powered by a pair of Armstrong-Siddeley Cheetah X air-cooled radial engines which yielded 340 hp each. Those were initially outfitted with wooden fixed-position De-Havilland-built propellers but it was initially designed to have variable-pitch propellers. The starboard engine drove a hydraulic pump and air compressor with this one being used to actuate the undercarriage and flaps and the pump being used on the brake system. The port engine drove a 500 -watts electrical generator. The engine cowling featured an inlet that drew cooling air into a tank. A pair of tinned steel oil tanks were also contained within the cowling. Welded steel construction was used for the nacelles.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford
2.  https://www.valka.cz/Airspeed-Oxford-Mk-I-t6612
3. https://www.valka.cz/Airspeed-Oxford-Mk-II-t47500

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part eight, British users part one

During the 1930s a major expansion programme for the Royal Air Force (RAF) was directed by the British Government. This led to the issue of various operational requirements issued by the Air Ministry, being one of those the Operational Requirement 42 (OR 42) which sought for an advanced training aircraft to be used by the aircrews destined to serve on bombers. Given the RAF's situation, which was migrating from biplane aircraft to monoplanes, as they were more technically more capable and demanded different flying characteristics, a suitable trainer was needed to match this change. The Avro Anson was considered for this role, however, on second thoughts, a more difficult aircraft to fly was seen as a better option. Therefore, on 10th July 1936 the Specification T.23/26 was issued to Airspeed for the development of a twin-engined training aircraft which would meet the specification of the OR 42.
The Oxford was developed to meet the requirements of the T.23/26 and, as such, it was based on Airspeed's existing commercial 8-seater airliner, the AS.6 Envoy which was designed by Hessell Tiltman. Seven Envoys were already converted by the South African Air Force which could be completed in short time by adding bomb racks and a dorsal machine gun placed within a turret designed by Armstrong-Whitworth. The work on this "convertible Envoy" reported many benefits on their subsequent work on the Oxford. The Air Ministry approved the project placing an initial order of the type in 1937.
It was decided for a large initial batch of 136 aircraft, as it allowed for a more economical flow-line production at Airspeed factory in Portsmouth. On 19th June 1937 the first prototype flew and, initially, two variants were projected, Mk.I which was conceived as a general-purpose training aircraft equipped with a dorsal turret and the Mk.II which lacked the turret but was fitted with dual controls. As further large contracts were placed (100 Mk.Is and 100 Mk.IIs) it was decided that De Havilland would also build them at Hatfield. Other companies like Percival or The Standard Motor Company also manufactured the aircraft. In fact, regarding the Mk.I 3.492 machine were completed at Airspeed's Portsmouth factory between 1937 and April 1945, 300 of them were completed at Airspeed secondary factory in Christchurch, Hampshire between April 1941 and February 1943, 961 were completed by De Havilland at Hatfield, Hertfordshire between February 1939 and January 1941, 774 were completed by Percival at their factory in Luton, Bedfordshire between 1942 and April 1944 and 750 were completed by The Standard Motor Company in Coventry at Warwickshire between February 1941 and July 1943.
Regarding the Mk.II variant, the numbers are as follows:
Of a total of 2028 aircraft 726 of them were manufactured at Airspeed in Portsmouth between 1939 and 1942, 250 at Airspeed in Christchurch between 1941 and 1942, 552 by De Havilland at Hatfield between 1939 and 1941 and 575 were completed by Percival between November 1939 and 1942 in Luton.
By the end of production in April 1945, a total of 8.751 Oxfords were completed.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford
2. https://www.valka.cz/Airspeed-Oxford-Mk-I-t6612
3. https://www.valka.cz/Airspeed-Oxford-Mk-II-t47500

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part seven, American Users

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft that was designed and manufactured by Airspeed Ltd. With more than 8.500 machines manufactured it was exported to many countries, among them, the following ones:

• Argentina: The Argentine 'Fuerza Aérea Argentina' (Argentine Air Force) bought three ex-Royal Air Force Oxfords in 1947, together with some more Airspeed Consuls. They were modified to be used as air ambulances, delivered in 1948 and assigned to the 'Agrupación Transporte' (Transport Group). They served through the 1950s and were phased out shortly later. 
• Canada: Twenty-five Oxfords were ordered by the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1938. They were taken from British stocks and sailed unassembled to Canada one year later, in 1939 to be assembled at Canadian Vickers in Montreal. They were initially assigned to the Canadian Central Flying School, but later, as part of the Commonwealth Air Training Scheme, they were assigned to Nos. 32, 34, 35, 36, 37 and 39 Service Flying Schools as trainers. 
• United States of America: The United States Army Air Force (USAAF) employed a total of 137 Oxfords loaned from the Royal Air Force. Most of them were used as communications and general-purpose aircraft by USAAF units stationed in the United Kingdom. From June 1942 onwards they were also used for beam approaching training. By the end of 1944 as the American types were available and delivered, the Oxfords were returned to the Royal Air Force.
  An unknown small amount of Oxfords were also loaned to the USAAF by the Royal Australian Air Force for use by those USAAF units stationed in Australian soil. The United States Navy also used two Oxfords in some unit stationed in the United Kingdom.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford#Operational_history

2. https://aviationsmilitaires.net/v3/kb/aircraft/show/1112/airspeed-as10-oxford (translated)

3. http://www.asociacionatta.com.ar/aviones/avion16.htm (translated)

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_Commonwealth_Air_Training_Plan_facilities_in_Canada

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part six, African users

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a British twin-engined multi-role aircraft that served in great numbers through the World War 2 and after. With more than 8.500 machines manufactured, it saw service with many air forces throughout the world. Among them the following ones:

• Belgian Congo: In April 1944 six Oxfords were acquired by the Force Publique (Public Force - the local Gendarmerie and Military force of the Belgian Congo). They served in the photo reconnaissance and light transport role until July 1955 when the Belgian Air Force declared the Oxfords as obsolete given the poor condition of their wooden fuselage. They were all moved to Brussels to be scrapped.
• Egypt: During World War 2 the Royal Air Force loaned some Oxfords T.1 (the trainer variant) to the Royal Egyptian Air Force. They were assigned to the No.4 Squadron. The loaning continued after the war and until 1948 when the last one was transferred. They were used most probably during the first Arab-Israeli War in 1948 as makeshift bombers but any further detail about their fate is unknown.
• Southern Rhodesia: As part of the Empire Air Training Scheme many flying schools present in Rhodesia during the World War 2, operated with the Oxford. These were the Nos.20, 23 & 21 SFTS (Service Flying Training Squadron), at Salisbury and Bulawayo respectively, No.24 Bombing Gunnery and Navigation (previously known as No.24 Combined Air Observation School), No.29 Elementary Navigation School all of them at Moffat, in Gwelo and the Rhodesian Central Flying School (AKA Rhodesian Air Training Group), No.33 Flying Instructors School and the Central Flying School (Southern Rhodesia), all of them based at Norton.
• South Africa: As part of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the South African Air Force was allocated around 700 Oxfords which arrived to South Africa in November 1940. They were assigned to many training units all around South Africa such as the 21, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 62, 65 and 66 Air Schools. Due to the intense training many of them, 256 machines, were lost in accidents. Most of them were withdrawn in 1945 when the war ended and were sold two years later in 1947.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford#Other_users

2. http://www.belgian-wings.be/Webpages/Navigator/Photos/MilltaryPics/post_ww2/Airspeed%20Oxford/airspeed_oxford%20frontpage.htm

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Publique#Aviation

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_of_the_Egyptian_Air_Force

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_Commonwealth_Air_Training_Plan_facilities_in_Southern_Rhodesia

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_Commonwealth_Air_Training_Plan_facilities_in_South_Africa

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part five, various European Users

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a British twin-engined multi-purpose aircraft which was designed and developed by Airspeed Ltd. With more than 8.500 exemplars manufactured, it saw service with many countries all around the globe. Among them, the following ones:

• Norway: From 1947 until 1953, when they written off, the Royal Norwegian Air Force had a total of 22 Oxfords serving in three squadrons (Nos. 333, 334 and 335). Four aircraft were sold between 1951 to 1953 to the Norwegian airline Wideroe which employed the aircraft for photo-surveying Norwegian territories in a commission for the Norwegian Geographical Society. Eventually only three of them were sold with the fourth one not being registered as sold and was hold by the Royal Norwegian Air Force for spare parts. The aircraft were taken out of service in 1960 and were used at Fornebu, Oslo, as target practice.
• Poland: At least one unit of the Polish Air Force in exile had some Oxfords in their rows. Among them there was the No.16 (Polish) Flying Training School which from July 1941 until December 1946 employed them as trainers at RAF Newton, in Nottinghamshire.
• Portugal: Both Portuguese Army and Navy received six Oxfords in 1943 as part of the Operation Oatmeal (thanks to which the Allied set up bases in the Azores islands). When the Portuguese Air Force was formed in 1952, there were still four of them in active service. 
• Sweden: The Swedish charter airline Transair Sweden AB had three Airspeed Oxford in 1950 as part of their fleet. They were used with the aim of flying newspapers from Stockholm to other parts of Sweden. They served until September 1955 and December 1959.
• Yugoslavia: Five Oxford were obtained from Norway, via H.A. Berg, under the mutual Defence Aid Programme in 1951. They were used by an unknown unit based at Pancevo as twin-engined trainers for the De Havilland Mosquito crews. They were withdrawn from service in 1958.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford#Operators

2. https://www.wikiwand.com/no/Airspeed_Oxford (translated)

3. https://codenames.info/operation/oatmeal/

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transair_Sweden

5. http://transairsweden.com/aircraft/airspeed/

6. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7160847?descriptiontype=Full&ref=AIR+29/570

7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Newton

8. http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/yugo/af2/types/trainers.htm

To know more about the Oxford in Norway:

1. https://flyblader.com/onewebmedia/Nr%2012%20Oxford.pdf (in Norwegian)

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part four, Various Users

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a British twin-engined multi-purpose aircraft designed and developed by Airspeed Ltd. With 8.504 aircraft made, many of them were exported to various countries. Among them, the following ones:

• Denmark: At the end of 1946 the Royal Danish Air Force received 44 Oxfords that had belonged to the Royal Air Force (RAF). They were used for advanced flying training at the city of Karup, in Jutland. They were also used occasionally for communications and aerial photography and were withdrawn in 1956.
• Free France: The Free French Air Force received five new Oxfords in 1944. They were assigned to the 'Group Artois' (Artois Group) which was based at Pointe Noire (French Equatorial Africa - nowadays Republic of the Congo). They were used in auxiliary tasks, like aerial ambulances, until 1st July 1947 when the unit was deactivated.
• Finland: One Oxford T.1 was sold to a private Finnish owner in Denmark. It served through the 1950s until it was sold to another private owner. The one machine depicted below was equipped with skis. One of the few Oxford to feature such equipment.
• Greece: Due to the British help that Greece received after the World War 2, 19 Oxfords Mk.I/Mk.II were delivered in August 1945. They were followed in 1947 by 13 more and a number of them were equipped with bomb racks. Two Oxfords were equipped with photo-reconnaissance equipment, making them, together with the North American AT-6 Texan, the only dedicated recon aircraft available for the Royal Hellenic Air Force back then.
  They served through the Greek Civil War mainly in the reconnaissance role and were written off in 1948. It's unknown if they were used in the multi-engine advanced training role.
• Netherlands: The Airspeed Oxford was used by both the Royal Dutch Air Force and the Royal Dutch Naval Aviation Service. Initially, back in the No.1316 (Dutch) Communications Flight of the Royal Air Force, there were many Oxfords serving during the latest stages of the War. Additionally, three Oxfords were in service with the No.320 (Dutch) Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
  All those Oxfords, 28 according to some sources, passed on to serve with the Royal Dutch Air Force and were assigned to the AVOT (Additional Twin-Engine Pilot Training unit) at Twente, in Eastern Netherlands. They were also used for training the pilots of the Gloster Meteor, but by 1950 they were replaced by the Beechcraft AT-7.
  The Royal Dutch Naval Aviation Service received in early 1946 three Oxford on loan. They were used for training the so-called 'Detachment Aircraft Carriers, VKS' which was based at RAF Heston, in Middlesex as part of the 701 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm. From there, they performed regular flights to Schipol, Valkenburg and Eindhoven. In July those three aircraft were bought and were based in May 1947 at Valkenburg Naval Air Base, in the Netherlands, for liaison and photo-reconnaissance duties. Shortly later they were assigned to the No.320 Squadron for 'General Purpose Duties'. In 1951 a new squadron, the No.5 was formed and some Oxford were assigned there.
  Anyway, in 1952 and 1953 every remaining Oxford was written off from service as they were in poor conditions. They were replaced in their roles by the Beechcraft SNB-5/TC-45J  Navigator.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford

2. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/airspeed_oxford_&_consul.pdf

3. https://www.haf.gr/en/history/historical-aircraft/airspeed-oxford-mk-i-ii/

4. https://kw.jonkerweb.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=746:airspeed-as-10-oxford-mkii-uk&catid=82&lang=en&showall=1&limitstart=&Itemid=544

Nakajima A6M2-N

The Nakajima A6M2-N was a single-seat floatplane fighter based on the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. The Allied reporting name was "Rufe".
The A6M2-N was developed from the Mitsubishi A6M Type 0, looking for a fighter to support amphibious operations and defend remote bases. The subsequent design, developed by Nakajima, took the fuselage of the Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 11 with a modified tail and floats added. A total of 327 machines were built (of which some of them were adapted from A6M2 Model 11) including four prototypes (the first of which flew for the first time on 7th December 1941) by Nakajima at Koizumi, Japan. The production period ranged from December 1941 until September 1943.
The aircraft was deployed during 1942 and was referred by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) as the "Suisen 2" (Hydro Fighter Type 2). It was only used in defensive actions in the Aleutians and Solomon Islands operations. They proved to be quite effective at harassing American PT-Boats at night as they often dropped flares to illuminate those boats which, as vulnerable as they were to Destroyers, they used the cover of the night.
They were used as interceptors for protecting the fuelling depots in Balikpapan and Avon Bases, both located in the Dutch East Indies. They also reinforced the Shumshu Base, located in the North Kuriles Islands. Some of them also served aboard seaplane carriers such like the Kamikawa Maru, which operated in the Kuriles and Solomons area and aboard Japanese raiders Hokoku Maru and Aikoku Maru which took part in some raids in the Indian Ocean. It seems that during the Aleutian campaign, this type of fighter clashed with Canadian P-40 Kittihawks and American P-38 Lightning and Boeing B-17s. Overall, the aircraft was used as an interceptor, fighter-bomber, and short reconnaissance support for amphibious landing, among other uses.
Later in the war, the Otsu Air Group employed the A6M2-N as an interceptor, alongside the Kawanishi N1K1. The A6M2-N were based in the Biwa Lake, in the Japanese Honshu region.
After the war, France captured a single A6M2-N. This particular machine belonged to the 934th Naval Air Group and ended the war in Surabaya, Dutch East Indies. From there it was flown by the British to Singapore and then to RAF Tebrau (Malaya) to be evaluated by the ATAIU-SEA. In September 1945, just after the end of the war, it was donated to the French who flown it to Cat-Lai, in Saigon and assigned to Escadrille 8S of the Aéronavale. Considering that it wasn't well maintained by the Japanese during the final months of the war, and had been run hard by the ATAIU-SEA, it was in urgent need of service, which wasn't easy as the A6M2-N mixed the complexity of a fast fighter with the added challenges of a saltwater seaplane. Therefore it comes not surprise when, on 19th February 1946, just when the aircraft flew its first operational mission with the French, it crashed near Rach Ba Sang, in Vietnam.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakajima_A6M2-N
2. https://www.valka.cz/Nakadzima-A6M2-N-Suisen-2-Rufe-t1278
3. https://captured-wings.wikia.org/wiki/A6M2-N_(8S_Escadrille)

Airspeed AS.10 Oxford, part three, Belgian & Czechoslovak users

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a British twin-engined multi-purpose aircraft that was designed and developed by Airspeed Ltd.. It was conceived as a trainer variant of Airspeed's previous design, the Airspeed Envoy, but it quickly grew as an aircraft of its own. It was exported to many countries, among them, Belgium and Czechoslovakia:

• Belgium: In July 1939 a single Oxford owned by Airspeed Ltd. was flown to Evere Airport, in Brussels. It was piloted by Georges B.S. Errington and the aircraft was to be displayed at the IIe Salon Aéronautique de Bruxelles (Brussels' Aeronautical Show). Shortly later, in August, the Belgian Aéronautique Militaire (Belgian Army's Aeronautical branch) announced the purchase of that particular machine. It was intended to be used for advanced training and communications role. In fact, back in March 1939 the Oxford had been selected as the winner competing against the French Potez 561, the Germans Focke-Wulf Fw.58 Weihe and Siebel Si.204 Halle and the Italian Caproni Ca.310.
  After successful further trials, apparently the Belgian Oxford was registered as D-1. However, some sources claim it wasn't registered at all. Anyway, an order for further 5 machine was placed. Those additional Oxfords were to be assembled by both Renard and SABCA. However, that process was halted when Germany invaded Belgium in May 1940 and the Germans captured the aircraft (its fate is unknown). This single Oxford was used by the Ecole d'Aeronautique (Aeronautical School) based at Evere Airport, in Brussels and then it was transferred to No.3 Squadron of the Ecole de Pilotage (Pilots School) in Deurne, in Antwerp.
  After the war, for the newly founded Belgian Air Force, 30 Oxfords were ordered on 16th January 1947. Most of the Oxfords served with the Ecole Pilotage Avancé (Advanced Piloting School) and the 15th Transport Wing. Many of them were also used as base hacks in different wings through the Royal Belgian Air Force. In July 1955, the Belgian Air Force decided that every Oxford should be flown to their next main overhaul after which they were scrapped at Evere because their wooden structure didn't allow them to extend their useful live. Nowadays a single Oxford is preserved at the Royal Army Museum in Brussels.
• Czechoslovakia: A single Oxford T.1 (the trainer variant) which belonged to No.311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) flew, in September 1945 from RAF Manston, in Kent, to Prague with a crew of three. The machine was pushed into service with the back then, newly founded Czechoslovak Air Force. The Oxford then received various different codes and served with various units until 1950 when, due to a lack of spare parts the machine was abandoned and scrapped.

Sources:

1. http://www.belgian-wings.be/Webpages/Navigator/Photos/MilltaryPics/post_ww2/Airspeed%20Oxford/airspeed_oxford%20frontpage.htm

2. http://www.belgian-wings.be/Webpages/Navigator/Photos/MilltaryPics/interbellum/Airspeed%20Oxford%20I/Airspeed%20Oxford%20I%20Frontpage.html

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airspeed_Oxford#Other_users

4. https://www.super-hobby.com/products/Airspeed-Oxford-Mk.I-II-Foreign-Service.html