As this album leads the way with over 33000 hits I thought I would plaace this here that the entire collection of all photos on The Hastingsgan site has now reached 400000, thanks to everyone for your help and comments. John Cooper

said hastingsgan 2006.07.22 at 08:18:22 PDT

If you are ex RAF and want to join in a discusion on how life was 40-60 years ago why not pay us a visit here http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?forumID=46291

said hastingsgan 2006.04.08 at 13:09:50 PDT

For those interested in statistics todays total number of views has now passed the 200,000 mark.

said hastingsgan 2005.01.20 at 21:48:35 PST

I am trying to trace Philip Charles (Percy) Hoyle, who was at Gan waiting to board TG579 when it landed. I just wondered if you had heard of his whereabouts since then Glyn Ramsden

said hastingsgan 2004.09.09 at 08:47:18 PDT

Subject: Web page downtime. Hi all Some of you may well be experiencing problems accessing my main 'Splashdown' website. It appears access can be gained via links from other sites but not by some/all search engines. I don't know yet whether this is a computer glitch, a virus problem, a hacker or other mysterious/malicious goings on, I do have back up data discs and others have my website downloaded, so whatever the reason I hope to be back in full swing soon. Please bear with me ....

said hastingsgan 2004.07.05 at 07:46:41 PDT

Trawlers: You will have to either send me an email address to john@cooper286.fsnet.co.u k so that I can respond to your inquiry, the RTTL is 2748 by the way

said hastingsgan 2004.03.24 at 07:45:58 PST

The wreck of Hastings TG579 is lying 1.5 nautical miles to the east of the runway line off RAF Gan. The Joint Services Diving Unit (JSDU) which includes members of the RAF Sub Aqua Association are attempting a dive on this wreck between 26th January and 11th February 04 from the support vessel BLUE SHARK. It sure will be interesting to see what if anything they bring to the surface and it is to be noted that no one within the MoD had previously replied to me as 'not knowing the whereabouts of the wreck' and its depth. Strange how water polo goal posts are moved!

said hastingsgan 2004.01.07 at 01:09:43 PST

Now 91000 hits On my 'Service Personnel Names' page linked to this site there is an article about Wing Commander Geoffrey Charles Atherton, OBE, DFC & Bar who was Officer Commanding RAF Katunayake in 1959-1960 and was very much the hero on the night of March 1st 1960 in a Hastings crashing into the sea of which I was a passenger. Today I have received this information re Geoff from a relative in Australia on a citation awarded to him:- Queen's Award To Airman LONDON, July 8, A.A.P. Reuter. - The Queens Commendation for Brave Conduct has been awarded to Wing Commander Geoffrey Charles Atherton, and Australian stationed at the R.A.F. staging post at Katayumake (Ceylon). It was awarded for courage after an aircraft crashed into the sea near the Island of Gan. Wing Commander Atherton swam to the recue of a member of the crew. Wing Commander Atherton already holds the Distinguished Flying Cross

said hastingsgan 2003.09.22 at 12:25:08 PDT

Over 75000 hits on these pages in 16 months, this particular album is now fast approaching 10000 hits alone 'Crash of Hastings TG579' John Cooper

said hastingsgan 2003.08.02 at 13:01:59 PDT

John, just read your email on the hastings crash on gan in 1960. I was out on the reef that very night looking for anyone swimming in. We were called out by the tannoy system what a dreadful night it was. I came down from Katunayake in 1959 also by Hastings. In those days I was an AC2 MT mech.

said hastingsgan 2003.02.03 at 11:17:46 PST

The power of a thunderstorm is truly awesome and it is totally indifferent to your presence, the potential for placing your aircraft and crew into a hazardous situation is very real........almost any thunderstorm can spell disaster for the wrong combination of aircraft and pilot. a) Turbulence........potenti ally hazardous turbulence is present in all thunderstorms and a severe thunderstorm can destroy an aircraft........it is almost impossible to hold a constant altitude in a thunderstorm and manoeuvring in an attempt to do so produces greatly increased stress on the aircraft.......generally, visibility is near zero within a thunderstorm cloud...........and lightning will make precision instrument flying virtually impossible. b) Effect on altimeters.........pressu re usually falls rapidly with the approach of a thunderstorm.....if the pilot does not receive a corrected altimeter setting, the altimeter may be more than 100' in error (recall co-pilot of TG579 calling approaching 50') c) Lightning.........can puncture an aircraft skin, damage communication and navigational equipment and igniting fuel vapour.........nearby lightning can blind the pilot rendering him momentarily unable to navigate either by instruments or by visual reference. Dos and donts of thunderstorm flying; 1> Dont take off or land in the face of an approaching thunderstorm 2> Dont attempt to fly under a thunderstorm 3> Do circumnavigate the entire area 4> Turn up cockpit lights to highest intensity to lessen temporary blindness from lightning 5> Do keep your eyes on your instruments, looking outside the cockpit can increase danger of temporary blindness from lightning.

said hastingsgan 2003.01.24 at 10:43:31 PST

Re' the Hastings dinghy problems; I remember that we stopped using the outside bays in 1950 and put the big packs in the cabin. We had to put them in those awful "quick removable" luggage racks.The first problem was they had to be jammed in to fit them there; secondly we were told to tie the release cable to the rack; thirdly if you moved them they could and did inflate inside the cabin; fourthly if you did get them complete to the side emergency exits they wouldn't go through the hole and, if the main door was opened water would come in (as you well know).! B.A.

said hastingsgan 2003.01.23 at 12:50:09 PST