Air Taxis Ltd, Stag Lane - what colour?

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17 years 4 months

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In the mid-20s Air Taxis Ltd at Stag Lane operated a number of DH60 Moths. I think they all had silver wings but was there a standard colour they used for the fuselages?

TIA Steve

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17 years 7 months

Posts: 1,861

Sorry, only bw - but the caption reads red/silver...
...and this https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1309495

Martin
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16 years 2 months

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That’s one well travelled Moth.

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17 years 4 months

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Thanks for the info Wieesso, that's very useful.

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20 years

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I'm pretty sure that the DH School of Flying had red/silver Moths too and also that there were only a limited number of colours available from Stag Lane. I reckons red is a good shout...the shade of red.... :)

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19 years 5 months

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Based on my study of autos of the period, the shade would likely be a dark red.
Several manufacturers called it "Mercedes red" or vermillion. I'm other words, not the red we think of today.

The photo seems to suggest that, but when dealing with old photos one has to be aware that the type of film used, especially monochromatic, which can change the way red is shown.

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16 years 2 months

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When did AH get painted green then?

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14 years 9 months

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Based on my study of autos of the period, the shade would likely be a dark red.
Several manufacturers called it "Mercedes red" or vermillion. I'm other words, not the red we think of today.

The photo seems to suggest that, but when dealing with old photos one has to be aware that the type of film used, especially monochromatic, which can change the way red is shown.

Interesting! Vermilion is normally thought of as an orange red ie very bright, not dark. Darker reds were usually maroon a colour produced, in part, by grinding up cochineal shells. At this time colours were produced from a very narrow range of organic ingredients and so there were only a very limited range and I would imagine that DH would have bought them in from a local supplier.

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15 years 4 months

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I agree with Orion that vermilion is not a dark red. Although it is wise to consider ageing of colour films, the red centres of RAF roundels of the period do not show significant darkening., so I'd treat that comment about DH's red with some caution. I had a maroon school blazer and that was rather more purplish, so I suggest that the colour I've seen in photos was somewhere between scarlet and maroon. Perhaps almost burgundy if that isn't also too purplish. But I'm too young to have seen the real thing.

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11 years 3 months

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You can see the red on the underside of the Moth as she is....Same colour at ATBL was in the 70s and 80s....

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16 years 3 months

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Does anyone have any idea what images were brought back by Wally Hope from Kenya.? Must have been pretty important to fly them back, journey would have taken around five days.

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14 years 9 months

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I agree with Orion that vermilion is not a dark red. Although it is wise to consider ageing of colour films, the red centres of RAF roundels of the period do not show significant darkening., so I'd treat that comment about DH's red with some caution. I had a maroon school blazer and that was rather more purplish, so I suggest that the colour I've seen in photos was somewhere between scarlet and maroon. Perhaps almost burgundy if that isn't also too purplish. But I'm too young to have seen the real thing.

I was looking at one of my videos last night and G-AEDU was at the LAA Rally at Duxford in 2017. I was wondering if the bright red livery it is currently wearing is the same one it had in the 30s. It seems to be Post Office red rather than Signal Red and it is definitely not one of the purple reds such as Burgundy or Maroon.

Has any of the AB profiles mentioned the colour range that DH used?

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15 years 4 months

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Photos I've seen don't show a bright red. Perhaps Crimson might be a better term? There was comment after the release of the fairly recent Airfix Tiger Moth kit that the bright red it suggested was appropriate for the current aircraft but not for the prewar scheme. Whether the commentator was any better informed than we are I know not. Perhaps John Adams might care to comment?

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11 years 3 months

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Does anyone have any idea what images were brought back by Wally Hope from Kenya.? Must have been pretty important to fly them back, journey would have taken around five days.

de Havilland Aircraft since 1909 states that the "rapid flight to Kisumu and back" took place in September 1928. Haven't yet been able to find what would prompt such a quick dash though.

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17 years 8 months

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I believe it to have been a brighter Roundel type red. It's undoubtedly Ortho film and Roundel Red always looks as dark as this on photos. DH Flying School Red was a richer dark Red G-ACDC comes to mind, although it's colour Red has changed occasionally.

John

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11 years 3 months

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Does anyone have any idea what images were brought back by Wally Hope from Kenya.? Must have been pretty important to fly them back, journey would have taken around five days.

Hi again, Planemike. Possibly this may have been connected to the African tour of the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII to be). According to reports his father George V took seriously ill on 23rd September 1928 whilst Edward was in Kenya. The King did recover but I guess the newspapers of the day would want to be ready in case he did not?

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16 years 3 months

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Hi again, Planemike. Possibly this may have been connected to the African tour of the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII to be). According to reports his father George V took seriously ill on 23rd September 1928 whilst Edward was in Kenya. The King did recover but I guess the newspapers of the day would want to be ready in case he did not?

Mothminor...... Thank you for your response. Yes, I can see that as a possibility. Members of our royalty and nobility were fairly regular visitors to Kenya in the 1920/30s, often to help reduce the wildlife population !! Geoffrey de Havilland also made a number of trips to Kenya around that time, observing wildlife but also I suspect popping in to see Wilson Airways who were deH customers.....