Vulcan & Buccaneer

[Tim McLelland]

As promised, some more shots (appropriate ones considering XH558's completion and the Buccaneer's anniversary!) - some scanned slides:-

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/Shefftim/Vulcanone.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/Shefftim/Buccaneerone.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/Shefftim/Buccaneertwo.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/Shefftim/Buccaneerthree.jpg

Hope you like :)

[Stratofreighter]

Hope you like :)


I certainly do! :ok:

[MDJETFAN]

Thank you kind sir!!

[alwayslookingup]

Tim,

any memory as to what the background scenerey was for the 4 Bucccs in picture 2? North West Scotland, methinks, but I can't quite place it. Other than that, lovely shots. Thanks for the post.

[Tim McLelland]

Fraid I couldn't tell you - the nose-on shot was on approach to Lossiemouth's overhead but the four-aircraft shot was a little earlier so I guess it was somewhere around the Moray Firth but I wouldn't like to guess where! The two aircraft refuelling was a separate sortie - seem to recall it was down near Montrose somewhere en-route to our descent over Scapa Flow. The Vulcan is somewhere near Peterborough!:)

[OwnNav]

Could be Helmsdale, I remember a Bucc going in on the range there when I was a wee lad at Lossie (then known as HMS Fulmar) in 1965.

[gareth herts]

Tim

Was that taken from the back of a Herc on a media jaunt?

There is an identical photo by Duncan Cubitt in a book I have here somewhere called Display Pilot by Flt Lt Rob Lea - with a section on other RAF display crews from that year, 1993 from memory.

Cheers

Gareth

[Tim McLelland]

Yup, the buddy-buddy shot was on a Buccaneer sortie but the nose-on shot (and the four-ship) was from a Hercules. We flew up to Lossie and at the briefing, they said they would fly four Buccaneers and four Hunters and use the side doors for the photography. When it got to the "any questions" bit, I stood up and asked if they could get one Buccaneer to come-up to the ramp for a nose-on shot. They looked a bit surprised but they figured they could just about work it, with the Buccaneer's stalling speed and the Hercules open-ramp max speed, etc. I said thank-you and off we went. Next thing, books and magazines all published nose-on shots from various photographers. I was a bit miffed that seen as it was me that had bothered to suggest it (everyone else just sat there looking sheepish), all the others had been all-too keen to take advantage of the opportunity! Oh well, guess there's no love lost between photographers eh?! Actually I didn't mind really - I got the shots I wanted and I guess everybody else did too.

[alwayslookingup]

OwnNav. Yep. Helmsdale's a good call. That would make Morven the double pointed mountain on the right in the background. Morven's visible across the Firth from Lossie/Kinloss on a clear day. The range would have been Tain, though, as I don't know of any range at Helmsdale. Cheers for clearing that up. ALU.

[Timelord]

Tim

I think that I was in the back of the recieving Bucc in the tanking shot. If someone will tell me how to post pictures I've got a Vulcan AND Buccaneer shot.

TL

[Tim McLelland]

Blimey, that's a long time ago! If it's any help, Simon Smith was flying one of 'em with Mike Loosely in the back. OC 208 was flying mine. I forget the date but it was the same day as the infamous "hurricane" in SE England - yeah, that long ago!

[TEEEJ]

Superb images, Tim. Thanks for sharing. I always regret missing out on the opportunity to record F.3s from a C-130 down in the Falklands.

Cheers

TJ

[Green Flash]

The 4 ship location looks between Brora and Dunrobin Castle, southbound en route Tain.