Meaning of EDOM

[brickhistory]

Was "EDOM" an acronym for anything during its use with the V-Force?

(Now, let's see, how can I avoid any cheese references, or insults for not knowing the obvious? Hmmm, guess I'll just have to take my lumps......)

[Red Line Entry]

Check the "Did you fly the Vulcan..." thread, it's explained there (a biblical reference).

[brickhistory]

Thanks! Guess I need remedial training on using pprune's search function as well. Came up dry there before I posted.

Much obliged,
Brick

[Yellow Sun]

Exercise Edom was the practice call out for the QRA Force.

YS

[brickhistory]

YS, thank you. I should have been more specific; I knew it was used for a practice drill, I just wondered if was an acronym or had some other meaning.

Went to the "Did you fly Vulcans" thread and found the reference.

Thanks again!

[Pontius Navigator]

Brick, British codenames and nickames differ from the NATO or US systems. The British ones are supposed to be random and there is no difference between an operational name such as Chastise or Overlord and Mick, Micky Finn or Edom. We differentiate with the prefix Operation or Exercise.

When I said random, it is supposed to be from a master list with notable names, such as Overlord permanently excluded from reuse. Whatever the box of tricks produced for D-Day did not meet Churchill's approval for such a spectacular operation.

There have been others where the name has, if not actually been 'en clair', been a pretty good giveaway. Tarboosh and Stetson being opposite operations. Moonflower and Sunflower were their exercise counterparts.

Given that Sunspot was sufficiently well known that the Bomber dispersal at Luqa was called Sunspot rather suggested that Sunflower was something simliar.

No prizes for guessing what SLAM might have been.

[Art Field]

Many moons ago the great white Vulcan Force practiced procedures which involved the relay of a word by a Victor, sitting out over the North Sea. On one trip the ground station was manned or to be precise womanned by a young lady with a very broad Northern Ireland accent. The word was "current". Imagine hearing that said quickly by her over a weak signal. Would you relay it ?.

[Pontius Navigator]

Art, I think I remember that one. Another exercise the codeword for the scramble was issued only to the first crew. The rest were to follow in turn and log the received codeword.

At the time we expected to go the scramble order was broadcast in the correct format and properly authenticated.

Black smoke poured forth from the first aircraft, the only one with the authentication code, and it eased forward. Throttles advanced the rest of the aircraft also spooled up and eased the brakes when the first aircraft dipped its nose as the brakes came on. U/S? Then it powered up after a moment and then surged off down the runway.

We followed having logged the scramble message.

When we landed we were all bussed to ops for individual crew debriefs.
Why did you scramble? We followed the leader. What was the codeword?
Applecart.

No it wasn't it was APOCATHARY.

Later we switched to an alphanumeric triagraph.