Wing span : 64.5 ft / 19.66m
Length : 46 ft / 14.02m
Max weight : 13,489 lbs / 6,124 kg
Service ceiling : 22,000 ft / 6,700 m
Max speed : 186 mph / 300 km/h
Engine : 2 x Alvis Leonides 127, radial piston engines
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PERCIVAL P66 PEMBROKE C Mk1 WV740
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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 first prototype flew on 21 November 1952 but production was complete by early 1958.
Service
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 tranports passenger seats are rearward facing for improved safety. Six were produced as the Pembroke C(PR) photographic reconnaissance aircraft and 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 from 1987 to 1988.
Detailed history of WV740.
WV740 was rolled off the production line at Luton on 2nd March 1955 with the constructors number K66/027, she is also quoted as P66/41 which would tie in with the issue of the RAF serial numbers (WV699 to WV740).
Delivered to #9 Maintenance Unit at RAF Cosford on 4th March the same year and allotted to the Middle East Air Force on 15th April. She arrived at RAF Khormaksar, Aden on 20th April and joined the Aden Protectorate Support Flight. On 20th December 1956 she was damaged in a category 3R accident, repaired and joined #84 Squadron at Khormaksar on 22nd January 1957. It was not long before trouble occurred again and she was badly damaged in a further Cat 3R accident on 30th May 1957. She moved into the repair shops of the Aden Repair Squadron on 1st June and re-joined the Station Flight at RAF Khormaksar on 3rd September before being transferred to #78 Squadron in Aden on 13th June 1958 and flying off to RAF Eastleigh in Nairobi where she joined the Station Flight on 15th December.Just under a year later, on 27th November 1959, she made the long ferry flight home to the UK where she entered a period of storage at #5 Maintenance Unit at RAF Kemble where she remained until 28th September 1961 when she joined the Metropolitan Communications Squadron at RAF Northolt. Through the next five years she spent her life with various communications flights in the UK, being with Bomber Command Communications Squadron at Booker on 1st May 1962, 5MU at Kemble on 6th June, the Maintenance Command Communications and Ferry Squadron on 9th August 1962. With the latter organisation, she met with a further cat 3R accident on 20th February 1963 and was repaired on site by personnel of #60 Maintenance Unit for a week before being returned to the Maintenance Command Squadron at RAF Andover on 1st April 1964. Loaned to the Ministry of Aviation on 15th February 1965 before being returned through #5MU at RAF Kemble to Andover on 28th May 1965.
On 13th February 1967 she flew Eastwards again and back to her old haunts in Aden when she joined #21 Squadron at RAF Khormaksar on 13th February 1967. Her record is not clear but she must have left Aden later that year with the wiothdrawel of the British presence and probably moved with #21 Squadron to RAF Muharraq at Bahrain. Whatever the case, she was one of the forteen aircraft chosen to be re-sparred and was returned to the British Aircraft Corporation at Luton on 8th March 1971. She was then returned through #5MU at Kemble to #21 Squadron at RAF Andover on 24th June 1971 with whom she served for five years. Returning to #5MU for heavy maintenance on 25th March 1976 before being sent to join the Station Flight at RAF St.Athan on 30th July. On 29th March 1978 she made the short flight to Germany where she joined #60 Squadron at RAF Wildenrath (the airfield where she would spend the rest of her service life) and aquire the German instructions written on her fuselage !
At Wildenrath she joined five other Pembrokes and flew extensively throughout Northern Europe carrying many VIP's. As well as completing more mundane tasks, this aircraft was, for a time, the personal aircraft of Air Chief Marshall Sir Dennis Spottiswood.
Her record shows that from 10th to 30th March 1981 she was attached to RAF Brize Norton but she remained at Wildenrath until 23rd March 1987 when she was flown to RAF Shawbury for disposal. On 24th June 1987, together with her sister ship XK884, she was purchased by Air Commodore J.S.Allison and moved to RAF Benson for storage. Air Commodore Allison is well known in vintage aircraft circles and he retained both aircraft for several years until he sold WV740 to Richard Parker of Leavesden. Mr Parker, a wealthy property developer and aviation enthusiast, returned WV740 to her former splendor and flew her for many years at air displays and for pleasure. The closure of both Leavesden and Hatfield in 1994 forced Mr Parker to consider the future of his fleet of vintage aircraft and with geat regret he offered WV740 up for sale. On 15th March 1994 she was sold to Captain Martin Willing, a Cathay Pacific pilot who lives in Jersey and flown to that location.
Now owned by Andrew Dixon, she continues to fly and is lovingly maintained by a team of enthusiasts.
Andrew Dixon also owns the Sea Prince and is the Training Captain of the "Sally B", B-17 Flying Fortress based at Duxford.