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British Chipmunk Trainers Conducted Spy Flights Over Berlin From 1956 to 1990
De Havilland Canada Chipmunk aircraft flew intelligence missions in the Berlin Control Zone under Operation Schooner, later renamed Operation Nylon. The flights continued until 1990 and used visual flight rules below 1,500 feet.
TH
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The aircraft operated from RAF Gatow under the cover of continuation training flights. The missions were part of Operation Schooner, later renamed Operation Nylon. Two or three sorties were scheduled each week when weather permitted, each lasting about three hours.
Post by @TheWarZoneWire on X
Berlin, located inside the Soviet zone, remained accessible to Western Allies through designated air corridors. The quadripartite agreement allowed liaison missions to travel in the Soviet zone. The British mission, known as BRIXMIS, was based in Potsdam and used the Chipmunks for photography of military sites.
Early flights used handheld cameras operated by BRIXMIS personnel in the front cockpit. Later, one aircraft received a permanent camera installation described by a pilot as capable of recording the maker’s name inside an open tank turret. Crews wore oxygen masks to avoid identification and boarded inside hangars.
Soviet observers monitored the airfield, and at least one Chipmunk sustained ground-fire damage. The Berlin Air Safety Center was notified in advance of each flight.
