Tanker facts and figures.....?

[ian16th]

AF

The airborne deterrent was trialled for two weeks in July 62 as Trial 448 and in spite of picking mid-summer the weather caused quite a few problems but I think the main reason it was dropped was the expense. As well as the fuel used there was a considerable amount dumped in order to get the Valiant tanker back on the ground to be ready for the next refuel with limited tanker availability.

I was a Cpl/Tech Radar Fitter on 214 Sqdn that carried out the tanker side of the trial. What you referred to as ‘limited tanker availability’ is an understatement of immense proportions.

We were fast running out of serviceable tanker a/c. We were working 3 shifts for about 14 days and I think, flying 3 tankers a shift. The 1st week wasn't too bad, but the cumulative snag rate made the 2nd week a very difficult time, with the last 2 or 3 days being a real struggle to get a/c ready to meet the take-off deadlines. We ended the 2-week period with 10 very tired a/c, many of them having been ‘Xmas Tree’d’ to maintain other a/c and the Sqdn personnel weren’t in a much better state.

There was no way that such a routine could have been maintained for any extended period by a single Sqdn of Valiant’s, with the normal establishment of ground crew.

We of course dropped our normal routine for this period, no training of receiver crews, no ferrying of fighters anywhere. This was dedicated exercise just to keep one Vulcan in the air.