Nimrod Display Team

[5 Forward 6 Back]

Seeing as this is a rumour network, thought I'd try and drag out the truth behind one I picked up recently.

Apparently, the Nimrod display crew couldn't come to the Leuchars Airshow this year; a mate tells me it's because they had their display cat (assuming there is such a thing?) stripped at Jersey?

I remember hearing that display crews could be "yellow carded" and "red carded" for persistent problems, but what happened to have them banned straight off?

Or is it all tripe? :)

[f4aviation]

I was covering the Jersey airshow (http://www.airsceneuk.co.uk/airshow04/jersey/jersey.htm) and certainly saw nothing unusual or untoward in the Nimrod's display. The organisers certainly made no mention of any transgression. If there was one it could only have been minor and wouldn't have warranted a 'red card'.:confused:

[AllTrimDoubt]

I shall be reporting said crew to RSPCA and asking to have the poor thing re-homed.

[reynoldsno1]

Why are Nimrods flying displays? What is the point exactly? And in case you wonder, I'm ex-kipper fleet.....

[surely not]

I saw the Nimrod display a couple of times, the one where it climbs away and fires a flare of some sort. I thought it was very impressive to see an aircraft of this type thrown around the sky, much more interesting than the bulk standard fighter display

[rivetjoint]

Are there still as many things inside the mighty hunter labelled 'handle like eggs' or similar as there were 12 years ago?

[BEagle]

Our UAS students did a good spoof 'Nimrod display crew' sketch at the Summer Camp (remember them? Cash-strapped HMFC can't afford them these days...:rolleyes: ) Revue. They dressed up in flying suits stuffed with pillows and just came on filling their faces with pizza slices, crisps etc! Then one of them stopped eating, looked around in panic and told the 'captain' that there was a serious problem. The 'captain' told the 'wireless operator' to put out an urgency message and he came up with "Pan, Pan, Deep Pan. Nimrod a/c, 12 poB, deep pan pizza failure........" :D

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

Some very important people from the Defence C***** S***** (can't remember) were visiting HMP Kinloss and were chatting at cross purposes for several minutes before the crew realised that they were'nt in fact asking them if they were happy with the quality of the Dairy Cream Sponge

[hairyclameater]

Why display a Nimrod?? Then why display anything!?

Ive watched the Nimrod display since I was knee high blah blah and it has consistently been one of the most impressive shows - a big bird thrown around and those 4 un-pc speys smoking and roaring like good 'uns- long may they continue. Must admit that it has been notable by its absence this year - several shows called off for "operational reasons" but this sounds a bit naughty.

The flare throwing during the final climb and always impressive wing over have been stopped, for 4 years or so IIRC.

[buoy15]

rivetjoint

Yes. It's the pilots and navs

hairyclam

Yes, it stopped after the Canada crash - CRM thingy?!! Pity, it rounded off an excellent display from the only large aircraft on the circuit these days.

Military jet noise, the sound of Freedom!!:D

[scroggs]

the only large aircraft on the circuit these days.

Really? Is there no Herc display any more?

[STANDTO]

And as if by magic, there was a Nimrod over Ramsey, Isle of Man this morning.

fine sight.

:ok:

[DICKY the PIG]

We did have our display season curtailed for us, it wasn't a particularly pleasant experience and it has left a lot of ill feeling. But we don't wash our dirty laundry in public guys! :mad:

[goates]

That's unfortunate to hear that the Nimrod displays were cancelled.

A few years ago I had the pleasure of seeing a Nimrod at the Red Deer, Alberta, air show and it was easily the best display of the day. Don't remember them dropping any flares which would have been impressive, although we were having a few problems with forest and grass fires at the time.

I hope you guys can get over this way again. It's somewhat rare to get any RAF, or Army for that matter, aircraft in shows this far west. Watching the US and Canadian aircraft (besides the Snowbirds) do the same thing each year can get a little boring.

goates

[Charlie Luncher]

Dicky

Hope you didn't have a little accident requiring laundry again, how many times don’t eat Mediterranean seafood:ugh:

Hope you are well
Charlie sends
Missus Charlie says hi

[AdLib]

D the P,

you must be confusing this site with that terrible web site 'Professional Pilots Facts Network'. THIS is the RUMOUR network old boy, so any gossip posted here will, of course, be treated strictly as such, and certainly not as dirty washing ...

[JimNich]

Dicky, I think you might just have answered the original question question there.

[stuk]

"But we don't wash our dirty laundry in public guys! " was the comment. We were pretty quick to slag off the Spams who did the display at the wrong airfield. When the chap from the other side of the pond took umbrage and complained we responded that this was a forum where if you did not like the "Good Humoured Aircrew Banter" then you were not proper aircrew and we should all take and give as we see fell fit. So why the shyness now??

[hairyclameater]

I take it then there is only one Nimrod display crew these days? I know in the good old days when the mighty hunter was also based darn sarf, there were 2, maybe more display crews. But then we had more airfields and airshows for Nimrods to delight the crowds.

scroggs - the Herc tac demo returned this year with the J after an absence of several seasons - But I believe this too was pulled due to display pilot being called away for duties elsewhere??
Which again asks me - why only one display crew, given the far reaching activities of the hercs and Nimrods??

[MOA]

Hairy,

After the Toronto tragedy, one of the recommendations from the BOI was that the fleet should have one dedicated display crew so that work-up, supervision etc could be easily standardised. Hence the one crew since I can remember.

Unfortunately it looks like the season was curtailed prematurely, but why I have no idea. It is amazing that aircraft were available at all considering the operational tempo this year.

With the drawdown next year, I seriously doubt there will be any form of display let alone a social life for those left at KSS. Time to leave I do believe.....

[buoy15]

Hairyclam
Yes, in the good old days most 1st pilots flew the Nimrod display sequence once they were ratified by the Staish and the AOC.
However, following the accident, stricter authorisation and supervision rules were introduced by nominating sponsors and mentors plus mandatory practise and ratification when there is a break in display flying of more than 7 days.
It was decided that the safest option was to have only one nominated flight deck for the season - ideally the most experienced.
Like it or not, this was designated to the OCU because syndicates were less prone to disruption and therefore could remain constituted for the whole of the season - Sqn crews don't have this flexibility
Pilot being a QFI - Master Green - B Cat etc
Co-pilot usually a B Cat with a Green rating
Eng also a B cat instructor with plenty of hours and experience

Unfortunately, a lot of Sqn crews dipped out on some very nice display jollies. However, I'm sure you'll agree, the last thing anyone wants - particularly a Staish or AOC - is to lose an aircraft and crew for any reason

Love many, Trust afew, Always paddle your own canoe

[wub]

Here are a couple of pics of this year's Nimrod and C-130 displays, taken at East Fortune:

http://www.pbase.com/glenns/image/35808176.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/glenns/image/35808222.jpg

[hairyclameater]

Thanks for the info guys re display crews. Be a mighty shame to loose the 'rod from the circuit.

[212man]

Looks a lot more exciting than the Red Arrows synchro pair.....!

[TD&H]

As an aside re: the flare firing, I remember seeing the Nimrod fire off a flare at a show in E Anglia which landed between a parked Spitfire and P40. The operators of said aeroplanes weren't too impressed by that part of the Nimrod's display!!

Seem to remember it was a very pistol type flare, not the ones you can chuck out the bomb(?) bay.

[kippermate]

wub,

You appear to have forgotten to rotate your nimrod picture prior to adding it to the thread!

Ooops.

:ok:

[wub]

Kippermate, sorry, you are quite right....


http://www.pbase.com/glenns/image/35929827.jpg

:)

[buoy15]

TD&H
Oh no no no!
VERY flares have a burn time of approx 5 secs. The flare was fired prior to wing over at 90 degrees when the aircraft was at 1500ft: This completed the display sequence.
Aditionally, the bomb bay is clean for displays and the launchers are empty.
Might have been the Sappho guy scaring the birds!!

Love Many, Trust a few, Always paddle your own canoe!:ok:

[Gainesy]

Wub,
So did he keep rolling or pull through?:)

[ProcATCO]

Speaking as ex kipper fleet AND ex Nimrod display crew in the early eighties, I am disappointed to hear of the Mighty Hunter dispalys being pulled.

The last one I saw was at Fairford year before last, and memories came flooding back - hanging in the straps in one of the beam seats etc. Some of the disply trips were really good fun, and I saw somw bits of the world that i have not had chance to see again.

The Canadian crash claimed the lives of a couple of my ex squadron colleagues, so I can see the sense of the new rules, authorisation etc., but the display itself was always good to see from the ground, and great fun in the air!

Hopefully the displays will be reintroduced in the near future, but I for one will miss the "non PC" Speys when the new aircraft eventually arrives!!

Long Live the Mighty Hunter!!

:ok: :ok:

[bluetail]

What a sad day it will be if they pull the Nimrod Display from the cuicuit, I was the nominated Nimrod Display Crew Chief for 1998, we had a great year finishing off with Ellington & Jax, sure it was tough going to all those parties and posing at shows, but I suffered.

Oh and by the way, that last Nimrod picture is apparently do-able.......

nuff said

PS...how do you P155 OFF the Blue Angels.....easy really, just march the whole detachment into the O Club at Jax
in kilts and with a piper at the front, guess who then had all the attention.

[TD&H]

Buoy15, I only made the comment about it being a very flare, for I imagined anything chucked out of the bomb bay would be big and long lasting.

However I was there, airside, standing only a few feet from the parked Spit and P 40, and saw a flare from said Nimrod land between them. This was mid 1980's. Seem to recall it being fired as Nimrod flew along runway, and certainly not as high as 1500ft. Maybe things changed in later years.

[West Coast]

i"n kilts and with a piper at the front, guess who then had all the attention"

The men wearing dresses?

[Foxache Radar]

Let me guess... you voted Bush didn't you.

[West Coast]

Its the Democratic party that generally accepts men who wear dresses, not us Republicans...

[STANDTO]

Back again over Ramsey yesterday.

Are you weighing up Jurby as a new base?

[bluetail]

Men in dresses eh.........................don,t the Black Watch wear kilts.

And yes, we did carry ourselves correctly

[bad livin']

West Coast - I attended an event called Foofaraw in Puget Sound last September at the invitation of a friend posted to Bremerton. On arrival at the small and beautiful island loaned for the event by the Olympia yacht club, we were greeted on the jetty by the local "scottish pipe band". This amusing yet highly pitiful attempt to claim a heritage so far back in the lineage of the people concerned as to be undiscernable was perfectly illustrated by their failure to understand my accent or where (or what) my home city of Glasgow was.

Men in skirts indeed...Scottish men....REAL men. The Foofaraw was good though, spent ages talking away quite openly etc to an older gent who later stood up to speak when a General from Ft Louis was called to the mic.......*DOH*
Shame I couldn't go this year. Photos of said pipers are available on request.

[buoy15]

TD&H
Fair call mate
That would suggest to me pretty poor airmanship which leads me to think it was most likely a crew from 3rd Division South
What you saw was never part of the display sequence and trying to embellish the standard format is a no no! - hence that dangerous situation at the time and the policy we have now.

Love many, Trust a few, Always paddle your own canoe!

[Seak1ng]

It is nice to see that no matter how short of airframe hours, or how much the fatigue affects the aircraft, or how short of training all the crews get - it is nice to see 42(R) getting out of their beds on a weekend to waste a whole stack of taxpayers money!

:ok:

[winston's cigar]

LET ME SEE, WHY DISPLAY THE NIMROD? TIP TOP TOTTI AT AIR SHOWS THATS WHY. NEED I SAY MORE LOBO

[Vage Rot]

TD&H

During my 2 seasons with the Nimrod Display, '89 and '90, the flare was popped off at the top of the final wing-over. Even then, it managed to hit the ground alight once, just by 9 brightly painted red Hawks I seem to remember!!!

[The Gorilla]

Vage

I am afraid that for some of us "just by" wasn't good enough!!

:ok:

[buoy15]

SeaK1ng
That will be a bite then?:D

[TD&H]

Thanks Vage

Now which Nimrod team can actually claim a hit, rather than a near miss?

[Pontius Navigator]

The one display crew ethos has been around a lot longer than the Canada crash. On the might V Strike Command had one display crew and NEAF had another. Unfortunately the NEAF display circuit was rather limited, certainly early in the season.

Only venue we could find was Ohakea! Not only that but it took about 2 an half weeks with ferry crews taking the jet to and from Tengah. We dropped it off on the way home and missed the weekly UK bound 10 by oh, about 10 minutes. Had to stay downtown Singapore for a week. Tough life.

[Surditas]

Until the demise of the HS748 from Her Majesty's Australian Air Corps order of battle there was the Howlettes. For those not in the know, the name is a dig at the Roulettes, the official RAAF display team. The Howlettes diplay comprised of three (sometimes, my God, four) 748's in close(ish) form at zot feet (er, 500 AGL) and close to Vne (a mighty 260KIAS). Let me tell you, three (or four) 40,000lb dog whistles in close form was quite a sight. They were billed as the world's only "straight and level aerobatic team"

[Avtur]

To answer the original question, as no one else has, they were disbanded because the Ist Pilot and Co Pilot (allegedly) fell out big time. Rather than sorting out their flying issues professionally, one went behind the other's back to the Boss, with the end result being that one wouldn't fly with the other. Very sad, very unnecessary and very unprofessional. Nuff said.

[jacob's ladder]

Seems pretty professional to me. Last thing you need on a display crew is guys who can't get on with each other - we've crashed enough display aircraft over the years because of poor supervision - the boss/supervisor has every right to know if the guys have a personality clash.

[keithl]

I'm glad jacob said that, because I've been sitting here thinking "What else could he have done?" I have been in a comparable situation, and if it is not possible to resolve the issue between the individuals, someone has to say "I'm not willing to fly with him". That is a matter for the Boss.

"Very sad" - yes, but unnecessary and unprofessional - No.

[Skeleton]

Avtur,

Not a flame, a question if i may.

What would you have done if you were the boss?

I don't think there was much of a decision to make, theres enough scattered bits of display aircraft lying around to make close supervision and ultra cautious decision making a must.

[invertron]

That souds perfectly acceptable behaviour to me. If there is any sort of personality problem with ANY of the crew (including ratings and NCO's) then the crew should not be allowed to fly together and if that meant pulling the display team then so be it. The fact that the boss pulled the team from the display season may well have saved their lives.

:ok:

[Avtur]

..."one went behind the other's back to the Boss" was the bit I found unprofessional. Thought they should have been big enough to discuss these things face to face. Obviously if the problems couldnt be resolved then you dont fly.