Percival Pembroke

Percival P.66 Pembroke

Privately owned Hunting Percival P.66 Pembroke C.1 takes off in 2008
Role	Light transport
Manufacturer	Percival Aircraft Company
First flight	21 November 1952
Introduction	1953
Retired	1988
Primary user	Royal Air Force
Produced	1953-1958
Number built	128

The Percival Pembroke was a British high-wing twin-engined light transport aircraft built by the Percival Aircraft Company, later Hunting Percival.

Development

The Pembroke was a development of the Percival Prince civil transport. It had a longer wing to permit a higher fully laden weight. The prototype flew on 21 November 1952. Production was complete in early 1958.

Operational history

Percival Pembroke C.1 of Bomber Command Communications Squadron at Blackbushe Airport Hampshire in September 1956.

It entered service with the Royal Air Force as the Percival Pembroke C.1 in 1953 to replace the Avro Anson for light transport duties. As with other RAF transports, the passenger seats are rearward-facing for improved safety.

Six were produced as the Pembroke C(PR).1 photographic reconnaissance aircraft. These saw use by No. 81 Squadron RAF during the Malayan Emergency. The RAF's Pembrokes were modified to extend their lifespan in 1970. The last unit to use them was No. 60 Squadron RAF based at RAF Wildenrath in Germany, these were withdrawn from use in 1988 and were replaced by the Hawker Siddeley Andover.

The Finnish Air Force operated two aircraft for aerial photography between 1956 and 1968, on behalf of the National Land Survey of Finland. One of the aircraft was destroyed when it hit a snow wall during landing in 1965. The other aircraft is currently stored at the Aviation Museum of Central Finland.^[1]

Variants

P.66 Pembroke C.1: Communications and transport variant for the RAF, 44 built.
P.66 Pembroke C(PR).1: Photographic reconnaissance variant for the RAF, six built and two conversions from C.1.
P.66 Pembroke C.51: Export variant for Belgium.
P.66 Pembroke C.52: Export variant for Sweden. Swedish military designation Tp 83.
P.66 Pembroke C.53: Export variant for Finland.
P.66 Pembroke C.54: Export variant for West Germany.
P.66 Pembroke C.55: Export variant for Sudan.
P.66 President: Civil transport version, five built.

Operators

Luftwaffe Pembroke C.54 preserved at the Junior Museum, Hermeskeil, Germany, in June 2007

Belgium

Belgian Air Force operated 12 C.51s from 1954 to 1976.

Denmark

Royal Danish Air Force

Finland

Finnish Air Force

Germany

Malawi

Military of Malawi

Rhodesia

South Rhodesian Air Force operated two C.1 aircraft diverted from Royal Air Force contract.

Sweden

Swedish Air Force

Sudan

Sudanese Air Force

United Kingdom

Royal Air Force operated 56 aircraft delivered from 1953.
Empire Test Pilots' School

Zambia

Zambian Air Force

Survivors

Preserved Pembroke C.1 WV740 giving a flying display

Pembroke C.1 WV740 (G-BNPH) is privately maintained in RAF markings in the UK (as of 2009) and gives flying displays.
Pembroke C.1 WV746 is currently housed in Hangar 1 at RAF museum Cosford. Ex CinC's Air Support Command VIP personal aircraft of 1960's and 1970's. Modified to carry wheelchair ramp. Later with 60 Squadron in Germany.
Pembroke C.51 s/n K66-B4001 is located at the Essex County Airport in Fairfield, New Jersey. The aircraft was built in 1953 and last served with the Belgium Air Force. The left engine is inoperable and the aircraft is damaged and in a deteriorated condition. It was offered as a warbird contest prize in spring 2009.
Pembroke C.51 s/n K66-4002 is on display at Taylor's Stateline Liquor Store in Neelyville, MO.
Belgian Air Force keeps its RM7 at their Melsbroek premises just across the military air terminal; its sister RM4 is in the Brussels Aviation Museum.
Classic Air Force at Coventry Airport, England operate Pembroke C.1 G-BXES painted as XL954 in RAF Transport Command Livery.
Pembroke SE-BKH (ex RAF XK884) is at Västerås Flygmuseum, Sweden, in airworthy condition with Swedish markings.
Pembroke C.52/Tp 83, Swedish Flygvapnet 83007 is displayed at Svedinos Bil- och Flygmuseum, Ugglarp, Halland, Sweden.^[2]^[3]
Pembroke C.54s 54+21 and 54+24 are at Flugausstellung Hermeskeil, Rheinland Pfalz, Germany.^[4]
Pembroke C.54 54+08 is on display at Aeronauticum, adjacent to Nordholz Naval Airbase, Germany.^[5]
Pembroke C.54 54+02 is displayed at Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum, Germany, marked as "D-CAKE".^[6]
Pembroke C.54 AS+558 / 54+07 is displayed at Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow, Germany.^[7]

Specifications (Pembroke C.1)

Data from Gatwick museum Pembroke page

General characteristics

Crew: two pilots
Capacity: eight passengers
Length: 46 ft (14.02 m)
Wingspan: 64 ft 6 in (19.66 m)
Height: 16 ft (4.9 m)
Empty weight: 9,961 lb (4,400 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 13,489 lb (6,124 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Alvis Leonides 127 9-cylinder supercharged radial piston engines, 540 hp (410 kw) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 186 mph (300 km/h)
Range: 1,012 nm (1,850 km)
Service ceiling: 7,680 m (22,000 ft)

References

Notes

↑ Keskinen et al.: Suomen museolentokoneet p. 48, (1981), Forssa, Tietoteos, ISBN 951-9035-60-5
↑ http://www.svedinos.se/flygmuseum/
↑ http://www.smb.nu/index.php/svenska-flygplan/transportflygplan/672
↑ http://www.flugausstellung.de/flugzeuge.html
↑ http://www.flugzeugforum.de/bw-kennungen-seit-1968-a-62214-7.html
↑ http://www.flugzeug-bild.de/name/einzelbild/number/50922/kategorie/Kleinflugzeuge~Historische~Sonstige.html
↑ http://www.museum-digital.de/berlin/index.php?t=objekt&oges=933

Bibliography

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985) London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.
Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 (Volume 3). London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10014-X.
Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE, BA, RAF (Retd). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2.
Sturtivant, Ray, ISO and John Hamlin. RAF Flying Training And Support Units since 1912. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. ISBN 0-85130-365-X.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Percival Pembroke.

RAF museum
Contemporary advert for Pembroke
"Flight" 1954 cutaway drawing military mission roles

Percival, Hunting Percival and Hunting aircraft types

Percival Aircraft (1933-1954)	Gull IV Gull VI Vega Gull Mew Gull Percival Q.6 Petrel P.28 Proctor P.40 Prentice P.48 Merganser P.50 Prince P.54 Survey Prince P.56 Provost P.66 Pembroke P.66 President P.74

Hunting Percival aircraft (1954-1957)	P.84 Jet Provost

Hunting aircraft (1957-1959)	H.126 BAC 1-11

Designers	Henry Millicer Edgar Percival

Swedish Air Force military aircraft designations 1940–present

1-25	B/S/T/Tp 16 Sk 16 B/S 17 B/S/T 18 J 19 J 20 A/J 21 A/J 21R J/S 22 J 23 B/J 24 Tp 24 Sk 25

26-50	Sk 26 B/S 26 J/S 26 J 27 A/J/Sk 28 A/J/S 29 J 30 S 31 A/J/S 32 J 33 J 34 J/S/Sk 35 A 36 AJ/JA 37 A/Sk 38 JAS 39 Tp 45 Tp 46 Tp 47 Sk 50

51-100	Fpl 51 Tp 52 Tp 53 Fpl 54 Tp 54 Tp 55 Sk 60 Sk/Fpl 61 Tp 78 Tp 79 Tp 80 Tp 81 Tp 82 Tp 83 Tp 84 Tp 85 Tp 86 Tp 87 Tp 88 Tp 89 Tp 91

100-	Tp 100 Tp 101 Tp 102 Tp 103

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