18th December 1968

MAC 37846 61n 30w 1845 F230 DELTA (63.05n 25w) 1940 destination Keflavik

USAF C-130E with 438 Military Air Wing, 63-7846

G-AMCA 60n 10w 1739 F100 61n 12.30w 1842 GOLF 2004

[Photo taken at Manchester, Ringway - August 1975 ©  R.A. Scholefield]

Fairey Surveys Douglas C-47B Dakota 4, G-AMCA copied on 8913
Fairey Surveys operated this aircraft from October 1950 'till May 1976, having previous served with the Royal Air Force as KN487. It subsequently served with Air Atlantique for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Pollution Control. In April 2005 it arrived at Lelystad Aviodrome, Netherlands for preservation, pained as 'PH-ALR', where it presently resides. 

4th December 1968

Convair 98G 56n 15w 1931 F220 climbing F240 56n 20w 2010

Gulf Oil Company, Convair CV-440, N98G. Had previously come eastbound from Bangor to Glasgow on 29th November 1968.
This machine was re-registered N98GL in 1971 and later N57RD in 1975 with RDC Marine Inc. It became N565EA in 1997 with ERA Aviation and is current with Air Chatams, NZ since 2005, as ZK-CIE, a Convair CV-580.

29th September 1968

N6655Y 53n 25w 2050 F110 53n 20w 2140 53n 15w 2230

Piper delivery, N6655Y, message relayed via Ocean Station 'J' on 5624

Around the same time, Ocean Station 'J' advised that from 2045 their radar and VHF Direction Finding equipment was unserviceable until further notice. They requested Shannon Oceanic issue a relevant NOTAM. Expect operations normal tomorrow morning, approx'.

Ocean Station 'I' completed a radio check (strength 2-3) with Ballygirreen on 5624 at the same time.

23rd November 1968

N6735Y 53n 30w 0703 F110 53n 25w 0800 53n 20w 0857 53n 15w 0950 destination Shannon

Piper PA-23-250 Aztec 'D', N6735Y on delivery. Noted at London, Heathrow later the same day (23rd).

F-RAPL departed Evreux, France 50.37n 10w 0857 F080 51.17n 15w 1001 51.50n 25w 1158, destination Gander.

French Air Force DC-6B, 45473/PL. In December 1977 it was registered N72534 with Texas Turbo Jet Inc'. In 1981 it was withdrawn from use and stored at Paris, Le Bourget and subsequently broken up but the nose section was preserved.

HOMEY 76 62.17n 34.13w 0850 F110 63n 30w 0925 BRAVO next, destination Keflavik NAS
[later that day on the return leg, with the same call-sign...]
departed Keflavik 1200 F100 BRAVO 1250 ETA Otis AFB 2330

A USAF EC-121 Warning Star from 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing, Otis AFB, MA. The call-sign for the 551 AEW&CW was "HOMEY"; frequently monitored on HF for such missions in and out of Iceland during this period.

RFR MBZQK departed EGXW/RAF Waddington 1122 57n 10w 1221 F430 58n 20w 1308 ETA CYYR/Goose Bay 1618

Royal Air Force Vulcan on deployment to Canada.

KITTY 1 departed BGSF/Sondre Stromfjord 1058 F150 66n 40w 1220 ETA Reykjavik 1445, copy to BOAC London

Royal Air Force Queens Flight [type? H.S. Andover?]

16th November 1968

GAF 1001 EGL/Eagle Island 0851 F370 56n 20w 0938 SelCal CKAD

[Photo © Bob Logan]

West German Air Force B.707-307C, 10+01 "Otto Lilienthal", delivered to the WGAF on 30th September 1968.

10th November 1968

GAF 1002 56n 10w 1114 F350 58n 20w 1157 58n 30w 1236

West German Air Force B.707-307C, 10+02  "Hans Grade", only delivered to the WGAF on 15th October 1968 having made its first flight on 27th September 1968

22nd October 1968

Air Force 33278 58n 30w 1638 F160 59n 40w 1757

USAF C-118A Liftmaster, 53-3278

18th October 1968

GAF 13+02 51n 50w 2226 F180 51w 2246 destination Gander

West German Air Force DC-6A/B, 13+02 (re-serialed from CA+024 in January 1968)
Started life with Sabena as OO-CTM in 1954 and ended its days being broken up at Kinshassa-N'Djili, Zaire in November 1997 when it was registered 9Q-CRH

RRR 3364 51n 15w 2240 F070 over Cork 2333 and call Shannon on 127.5 VHF

RAF Transport Command (type?, possibly a Hastings as they used RAFAIR numbers in the 3000 range)

5th October 1968

N993F 61n 14w 1239 F370 59n 10w 1305 BEN/Benbecula next

Falcon 20, N993F

PH-DSG 55.10n 10w 2222 F100 55.37n 15w 2305 outside temp' -1C wind 230/25

[Photo: Shannon 1968 © Malcolm Nason]

KLM DC-7C(F), PH-DSG "Adriatic Sea"

1st October 1968

VVV 52183 departed Edinburgh/Turnhouse 1600 61n 10w 1720 F200 GOLF 1817 destination Keflavik

U S Navy P-3A, VP-44 Squadron, 152183. 
At the end of its US Navy service, it arrived for storage at AMARC, Davis Monthan, AZ in December 1989, with park code 2P030 applied and in March 1996 it was sent to Elefsis AB, Greece for spare parts & bird/ground trainer.

HB-LDN 61n 12.40w 1949 F080 GOLF 2122 destination Reykjavik

Cessna 320, departed Prestwick, HB-LDN

30th September 1968

VVV 149806 62n 30w 1815 F160 61.38n 32w 1827 56n 55w 2052 ETA Goose Bay 2141

U S Navy KC-130F, 149806

VVV 52743 53n 20w 1913 F220 51n 30w 2014 49n 40w 2128

U S Navy P-3B, with VP-10 Squadron, 152743/LD-21, departed Prestwick 

VVV SG22 69.30n 01.00e 2030 F220 69n 00 2120 68n 01.60w direct 66n 14w - RG/Raufarhofn - AR/Akureyri - Green One - RH/Reykholt - Keflavik 67n 10w 2204 ETA Keflavik 2354

U S Navy P-3, tactical callsign

28th September 1968

VC 20735 departed EGQB/RAF Ballykelly 55n 10w 1050 F060 55.24n 15w 1143 55.14n 20w 1236 endurance 15+00, crew of five, ETA CYZX/Greenwood CFB, NS 2315

Royal Canadian Air Force CL-28 Argus, 20735

VC 20725 departed EGQB/RAF Ballykelly 55n 10w 1121 F080 55n 15w 1220 endurance 16+00 ETA CYZX/Greenwood CFB, NS 0013

Royal Canadian Air Force CL-28 Argus, 20725. (incidentally, VC 20719 was heard on HF the following day, no report copied)

23rd July 1968

Air Force 13820 departed Frankfurt 0803 SKP/Skipness 1111 56.01n 06.28w 1122 56.31n 08.15w 1139 F160 est' 30w 1506 ETA Goose Bay 2015

USAF C-118A, 51-3820

1st January 1968

N3939V 58n 10w 1143 F350 61n 16w 1226 ETA BIKF/Keflavik 1310

BAC 1-11, Victor Comptometers, N3939V

22nd April 1968

The "Shackleton Fest'" continues from the previous day:-

RFR MTBJK Departed St. Mawgan 50n 08w 0833 1,000' 49n 10w 0909 45n 16w next destination Lajes, heading 225 degrees.

RFR MCZHA 50n 08w 0908 1,000' VMC 49n 10w 0944 45n 16w 1205 43n 20w 1335 destination Lajes. We estimate to depart Lajes to-morrow at 0930 for CYZX/CFB Greenwood, NS at F060.

RFR MBSHY departed Lajes 0915 OSCAR 0948 2,000'

RFR MSLCY departed St. Mawgan 0900 50n 08w 0944 1,000' 47.40n 12w 1101 46.20n 14w 1145 45n 16w 1231 44n 18w 1309 43n 20w 1350 40n 22w 1432 ETA Lajes 1625. Please note that our briefing time to-morrow is 0845 with an ETD from Lajes of 1000, destination CYZX/CFB Greenwood, NS at 1,000'

RFR MAVJW 42.40n - 1103 42.40n 45w 1205 ETA CYZX/CFB Greenwood, NS 1725

RFR MTBJX our briefing time at Lajes was 0702, with a departure of 0900 45n 16w 1134 1,000' 43n 20w 1256 40n 25w next destination CYZX/CFB Greenwood, NS

RFR MTTGW was also called by Santa Maria but no position report or response was noted.

These RAF Shackleton's were enroute to Canada for a possible further routing to Patuxtent River NAS. Some extra machines joined yesterdays flight.

RRR 5551 38.43n 15w 105- 080 38.40n 20w 1203 ETA Lajes 1405

Possibly a RAF Transport Command support flight for this mission

RFR MTTGH departed LXGB/Gibraltar 0802 42n 10w 1119 1,000' 45n 09.22w 1216 48n 08.20w 1317 49n 08w 1340 ETA EGDG/St. Mawgan 1440

RFR CIG36 47.15n 10w 1130 1,000' 45n 12w 1243 ETA St.Mawgan 1705

RFR MPJBN departed LXGB/Gibraltar 0855 42.20n 11w 1253 1,000' 45n 11w 1400 47n 15w 1539 ETA EGDG/St. Mawgan 1900

These three RAF Shackleton's were returning to base from a deployment in the Mediterranean.

21st April 1968

There follows a 'Shackleton Fest'" over the next two days, on frequency 8947:-

RFR MTTGY departed EGQK/Kinloss 0935 58.40n 07.18w 1050 1,000' (FIR) 56.50n 10w 1140 54.25n 12.37w 1245 52.15n 14.56w 1345 50.05n 16.55w 1445 47.55n 18.43w 1545 ETA LPLA/Lajes 2015

RFR MAVJW 50.26n 16.40w 1130 1,000' 47.25n 18.56w 1230 45.10n 20.50w 1330 45n 21w 1340 ETA LPLA/Lajes 2030

RFR MBSHY 50n 17w 1213 1,000' 47.40n 18.50w 1315 45n 21w 1430 ETA LPLA/Lajes 1739

These three RAF Shackleton's were enroute to CFB Greenwood, NS for possible onwards routing to Patuxtent River NAS, to participate in an exercise. They are picked up again to-morrow (see next days report) along with others on the same routing.

RFR MTTGM departed EGQB/Ballykelly, Oceanic FIR inbound at 1100, 1,000' FIR outbound 1205 ETA LXGB/Gibraltar 1600

RFR MATBN departed EGQB/Ballykelly 0625 45n 12w 1130 1,000' FIR 42.40n 11.57w 1228 42.30n 12w 1234 39.34n 11.58w 1325 37.37n 11.13w 1425 Lisbon FIR 36.09n 07.23w 1525 ETA LXGB/Gibraltar 1612 (flight was working Madrid on 8947)

These were two of three 204/210 Squadron RAF Shackleton's (WL800/J, WL755/L and WL745/O) that were enroute to the Mediterranean for exercise "Dawn Patrol".

[Shackleton, WL745]