A Colin Harrington Page

I don`t know how I got on the flight.I think we were being used as ballast, useful because we were self-loading, also cheaper and more expendable than ground or flight crew if anything went wrong. The plane was a navigational trainer, I believe, with astrodomes in the top.We took off from Kasfareet Airfield, flew across the Sweetwater Canal and Kasfareet village and over the Great Bitter Lake and on down to Suez and beyond, across desert and through mountains. It was a most enjoyable "jolley" until someone said "the engines stopped" ! Not the most encouraging of things to happen when flying through mountains - thoughts of `ballast` and `expendable` started to come to mind. Then it restarted and we all breathed a sigh of relief. That is until the other one stopped, after what seemed like an age, restarted. Fortunately the pilot did not try shutting them both down at the same time or we`d still be up there ! It`s difficult to remember the  location of the desert, mountain and sea/shoreline shots that I believe were taken over the Gulf of Suez. Turning round we flew back up the Suez Canal and Lakes, so low at one point we seemed to be looking up at the masts of the ships on the Canal. We flew up to Port Said giving views of Port Said and Port Fouard docks, and started back down the Canal again which was great for some air to air shots of a Gloster Meteor jet.

Cockpit controls taken from behind the pilot

Take-off and crossing the airfield perimeter track. Kasfareet village top centre

Crossing the Sweetwater Canal and Kasfareet village. Note the camp storm ditch outflow.

Coming up to Canal Road past cultivated fields. Ships out on the Gt Bitter Lake

Climbing now, more than likely over Fanara Dock.

Passing the mountain range down towards Suez

Further down the mountain range

A low pass over the desert. There is a lonely tent out there but even so, there are telephone poles there.

Passing over what appears to be a military location by the Gulf of Suez. Quite a few figures moving about.

Another low pass over an orchard in the desert.

Climbing up and away from the orchard

At the edge of the Gulf of Suez

Four photographs of ships in the Gulf of Suez awaiting transit north through the canal.

Could this be the Suez entrance to the Canal ?

Not sure of the above town. Could be Ismailia perhaps. Note the railway line and sidings.

The above picture would appear to be Deversoir point with Gt Bitter Lake top of picture  ?

Colin believes that these are salt pans which he says were visible travelling up the Canal Road.

Good shot of the docks and canal straddled by Port Said and Port Fouard

Three nice shots of a Meteor coming up alongside for a chat.