FI Chinook to Afghanistan

[Regie Mental]

See RAF News is reporting that the Chinook with 78 Sqn is being sent to Afghanistan. Is the withdrawal likely to be permament and, if so, are the SKs capable of supplying the kit/supplies around the islands? Just interested as I know previous attempts to withdraw the type were defeated on the basis it was an essential asset!

[SASless]

No sense losing a valuable Chinook to the Argies, maybe?

[London Mil]

I knew the venerable lady had some legs, but that'll be one long ferry flight!!!

[Compressorstall]

You should worry more when you see the 78 Sqn SK being sent to Afghanistan...

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

It will certainly remove a valuable training element available to the RIC on Onion Range.

[ORAC]

So, will that be an AN-124 dropping in, or a C-17?

[HercErk]

I wonder if they are going remove albert from FI aswell??????

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!]

I knew the venerable lady had some legs, but that'll be one long ferry flight!!!they've already thought of that. It's going as an underslung load

[MrBernoulli]

Underslung on a VC10 tanker probably.

I well remember the FI powers-that-be asking me, while on a stint of QRA, if a VC10 could deploy ASRA (Air-Sea Rescue Apparatus). They wanted to withdraw the Herc as they were busy in ....... Afghanistan, the first time round! Those clowns really didn't understand that a VC10 was not designed to twaddle around at low level at low speed ....... and that the doors opened OUTward. How much chance do you really think we have in a combat situation with £uckwits like that at the helm? Good grief!

[London Mil]

Didn't they also want us to park the last F4s on a hill to the North of MPA so they could use them as target practice?

"Biggles, be a good chap and just go land that 30 tonne heap of aluminium over there on the sports pitch":ugh:

[ORAC]

Didn't they also want us to park the last F4s on a hill to the North of MPA so they could use them as target practice?

No, they had to be scrapped as part of the CFE treaty, or that was the reason I was given. After their last trip they put sand under them and pierced all the tanks to drain them, then smashed them up with a JCB and shipped the wreckage back in ISO containers.

I went over the morning after the last trip to try and salvage the FI crests and aircraft names. The ground crew had taken great delight at setting to them with sledgehammers and had smashed the canopies, windscreens etc - but had also deliberately defaced all the panels. Sheer vandalism.

I did get one of the nav radar control boxes as a souvenor though. Had to get a chit off the sengo to get it on the Timmy coming home.

[Comp Charlie]

Those clowns really didn't understand that a VC10 was not designed to twaddle around at low level at low speed!

Reminds me of a VC10 trip back from Gander (or was it Goose) in the mid to late nineties. Not long over the ocean when the crew picked up a mayday call from a ship. We proceeded to drop to very low level in crappy weather and stayed on station with the stricken vessel until the Coast Guard got to it.

Not the worlds biggest fan of VC10's at the best of the times, even less so when it looks like the wings are going to hit the water during every tight turn :yuk:

One of my least favorite flights ever.

CC

[tucumseh]

Mr B

"How much chance do you really think we have in a combat situation with £uckwits like that at the helm?"


Precisely! Reminded me of the Group Captain (supplier) who insisted on buying Active Dipping Sonar equipment for Hercules. GEC refused to waste their time on a quote. We realised he was serious when we got a formal complaint about the contractor. We recommended he spend the money on something his Hercs really needed. DAS or ESF would have been nice. To be fair, he was barking mad.