SHOOTING A PEAHEN FROM A RCyAF DRAGONFLY S51 ON AN AERIAL PATROL – By Mahendra Situnayake, RCyAF / RAF On 16th October 1957, it was decided (I cannot remember whether the decision was made by RCyAF, HQ or the Station Commander of Katunayake (Wg Cdr Alastair Steedman) to detach a Dragonfly S51 and Crew (Milroy De Soyza, LAC Edgar Cooray, LAC “Bunnis” Gunasekera and me) to the Army Camp at Mannar – to carry-out Anti-Illegal Immigrant Patrols around the coastal waters of the Mannar Peninsula and the Mainland. RCyAF Dragonfly Pic: http://www.airforce.lk/slaf66/history.html According to my log book, we returned to Katunayake on 25th October 1957 – having flown 17 hours (including the transit from Katunayake to Mannar and the return from Mannar to Katunayake) in the course of the detachment. I cannot remember how far out to sea the rules permitted us to fly, but I have a vague ...
