Ark Royal traps

[airborne_artist]

Dailymotion - Ark Royal traps, a video from heydrich. phantom, buccaneer (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5lpja_ark-royal-traps_tech) - probably from the Sailor series. Turn the volume up and sniff some paraffin for the full experience :ok:

[barnstormer1968]

Stunning clip. (Sorry to admit, I am the kind of chap that gets all excited standing on the mock up carrier deck at the fleet air arm museum, and watching a video of a Buccaneer coming in to land)
Also I was reminded of just how often threads talk of the UK buying marinised Typhoon or Rafale, rather than JSF

Do we still have anyone with a knowledge of actually doing this within the Royal Navy or RAF

[brickhistory]

Good stuff! :ok:

"Right, have the LSO have a little chat with him."



------------------------------------------------------------------------

For those that have done that, besides my respect, what and how did you arrange and practice for 'cross deck' ops?

E.g., were shore-based DDLs required before landing on a USN carrier or a USN bird aboard a RN deck or what was the procedure? Did the relative sizes of the ships involved matter at all?

[mlc]

Love the accents!

Most of my Dartmouth intake had 'council house' twangs.....just like me. :)

[6Z3]

Ohhh gawd....boring stovie stuff. and I thought the thread was going to be about the Heads song and others - Q Colton! #♫♫..they'll be a trap all alone, with a big white telephone, when we build us a heads that never close♫♫

[airborne_artist]

Do we still have anyone with a knowledge of actually doing this within the Royal Navy or RAF

The youngest pilot who was RN catapult/carrier-deck qual'd would now be about 55 years old, is my guess.

[lastmanstanding]

Did a course with a chap 3 years back, just off an F14 exchange with our American Cuzzs. Did something like 25 landings on US flat-top. Now a Typhoon driver I believe. Must be some guys still on F-18 exchange somewhere????

[hunterboy]

Fantastic clip...nice to see some of the human element and not just low level flying clips with awful background rock music that seem to be all over the internet now.

[LowObservable]

I didn't know that "power" and "wire" actually rhymed.

[airborne_artist]

I didn't know that "power" and "wire" actually rhymed.

In the same way that the heir to the throne pronounces mice and house alike :ok:

[Navy_Adversary]

Excellent viewing, I bet Three Zero was ready for his tot of Pussers after that.:)

[6Z3]

Please disregard my last; just watched the clip and it all came flooding back. Wonderful stuff; pity all we could do is sink submarines and bring the mail.

The youngest pilot who was RN catapult/carrier-deck qual'd would now be about 55 years old, is my guess

I'd concur that. RAF also; Pete John (14GE, remember him BEagle) did his first tour as an exchange on 809NAS and he'd be mid to late 50's now.

[FlightTester]

Ahh wonderful accents. I can remember a couple of hats on, no coffee, "stand-up straight man" interviews listening to that accent while intently examining the picture of HM hung on the wall behind the desk.:ok:

[matkat]

I'd concur that. RAF also; Pete John (14GE, remember him BEagle) did his first tour as an exchange on 809NAS and he'd be mid to late 50's now.

Pete John, now a B777 Capt. with BA.

[engoal]

The youngest pilot who was RN catapult/carrier-deck qual'd would now be about 55 years old, is my guess

I think the last pilot to get launched from the Ark in a Bucc is still about, albeit a reservist in a ground job.

[Lurking123]

Also lots of genuine praise when the chap gets it right. Not sure that would happen today. :ok:

[stabout]

Bloody good show!!!

FAA at its best.

[Beatriz Fontana]

Awww... although still not as beautiful as HMS Eagle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOKKah5mTTE)...

[Lyneham Lad]

Brilliant! But just imagine landing-on at night, in the wet etc... :eek:

The recovery sequences were also impressive - down, hook-up, wings fold and onto the lift all in a few seconds. :ok:

Having lost all that experience (both air and ground (or should that be deck) crew), CVF and Dave-B will present quite a learning curve. Assuming of course that they actually 'happen'.

[4Greens]

It is indeed from the Sailor series. If you enjoyed that, the series is still available on DVD. Did a few deck landings in my youth and have now reached the biblical age.

[airborne_artist]

Most of my Dartmouth intake had 'council house' twangs.....just like me

I was probably through BRNC about ten years before you, and I was one of about 5% who had been to public school (courtesy of the BSA), whereas even then the Sandhurst intake was about 60% public school, and now is about 40%. God knows what they thought of my dad's Bolton accent when he joined BRNC aged 13 in 1947 - he went on to be Commander of the Royal Yacht, by which time his accent was fairly neutral.

[peterperfect]

Awesome.........bloody awesome. Everyone in FLYCO a character from a Tugg Cartoon !!!

Last time I was near those wires was attending Colours in Malta (courtesy of the best SP there ever was) with half the Squadron for defaulting shareholders after the CTP !
Ark was a war canoe where you learned never to assume anything.

[taxydual]

PeterP

TUGG, what memories. Would you know if any of his cartoons ever hit the t'internet?

The one with the CPO showing his scars, from prop swinging, to the Chief Wren. Priceless (and so true).

[peterperfect]

taxydual

googling Tugg Cartoons reveals a few hits, otherwise the FAA Museum ?

[GeeRam]

I think the last pilot to get launched from the Ark in a Bucc is still about, albeit a reservist in a ground job.

What about the last to trap on the Ark......F-4K flown on by Dave Braithwaite.
Somewhere :rolleyes: I have a ltd edition print of a painting of the event and signed by DB.

[John Eacott]

Wonderful bit of footage, you can almost smell the Avcat :ok:


The youngest pilot who was RN catapult/carrier-deck qual'd would now be about 55 years old, is my guess.

ISTR that 142 was the last FW course, through Linton on Ouse in 1968. Des Worsley (Buccaneers) would have been the youngest, and he's about 60 years young now :{

Although They did allow light blue drivers to play with our toys later into the 70's, so one or three may be in their mid 50's now :hmm:

The recovery sequences were also impressive - down, hook-up, wings fold and onto the lift all in a few seconds.

Into Fly 1: the lifts sort of got in the way of the next recovery ;)

[ARINC]

Yes the recovery impressed me...watching one turn onto short final with one still on the deck not much room for error.

[Get me some traffic]

I was an RAF ATCO at RAF Leuchars and had the privilage in taking part in the SPN35 radar trials in the workup to the "Sailor" comission. I was amazed to watch the Bucc Martel trials flown by test pilots from Boscombe Down. Assymetric stores load, out of trim, and all sorts of other anomalies, cat launches to push the envelope to the limit. Actually losing sight of aircraft while standing in flyco. Those guys were something else!!! The whole operation was so professional.

[NickB]

By all accounts the real debrief received by the Bucc pilot (AG) (from Keith Somerville-Jones (OC 809)) who had trouble getting on deck, was nothing like the one shown in the programme, which went along the lines of "no probs chap, glad you managed to get aboard!"

Great footage!

[LXGB]

Great Vid, thanks for posting!

[airborne_artist]

1976 | 2198 | Flight Archive (http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1976/1976%20-%202198.html)

A good article from about the same time in Flight magazine.

[3D CAM]

Great video, the hairs on the back of my neck are still stood up!:D Those were the days.:ok:
The Sea Kings sounded a bit rough though??:confused:
3D

[airborne_artist]

3D - I think the sound track of the SKs was dubbed on - sounded more like a Sioux to me!

[Lower Hangar]

Thanks for the clip - 1976 I think.

[NickB]

BTW - who is the Lt Cdr in the footage who tells the Bucc pilot that he might have to divert to St Mawgan?

[PPRuNeUser0139]

If you're referring to the Cdr (FLYCO), it's Bob N******d.
I worked for him a few years later out in SHAPE.

[Fg Off Max Stout]

you can almost smell the Avtur

Avcat?

Even speaking from the crab side, it was a sad day when we lost the capability to launch proper jets off proper carriers.

[NickB]

Sorry - yes, I didn't watch the full clip today and was working from memory which didn't serve me well!

I guess Capt Graham (Rear Admiral?) if he is still alive must be well into his 80's now. Is he still with us?

[ARXW]

Incredible stuff gents! To the uninitiated... it is amazing how fast a turnaround cycle this is till the next trap. At one point you see a Phantom just stopped and and raising hook, folding wings and then given a 'turn right' hand signal from the man on the deck and you can see another Phantom approaching at 90degrees from right to left in the background in the circuit apparently a mile or so from the ship and only seconds from trapping and he still hasn't turned onto finals! :eek:

Last launch for the F-4K was by a chap called Murdo Macleod Flt Lt RAF, who flew Lightnings before that and Harriers after that and got a gong in the Falklands for landing an AAA-damaged GR3 on board Hermes. Now am I getting it wrong is the young Fg Off on the right in the pic below Murdo Macleod? (from his Lightning days):
29sqn17 (http://www.lightningpilots.com/29sqn17.html)

Speaking of Dave Braithwaite I recalled the AWI school. Since someone mentioned Bob N******d is this the gent that is saying "if he bolters again we'll have to divert him"? Wasn't he a 764Sqn AWI (schol instructor) on the Bucc or something?

Big fan your FAA (a that includes SHARs now sadly!) even though I am Greek. Doug Macdonald used to pull my leg when I was a kid on my random visits to the FAAOA old offices at Piccadilly when they'd be flying a lone Greek flag for some reason and when I'd ask he'd say "well we've been execting you". Here's yet another interesting short article from Doug Macdonald on Topgun (scroll down to middle of page):
Mail buoy | Wings of Gold | Find Articles at BNET (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3834/is_/ai_n8979753)

[Union Jack]

I guess Capt Graham (Rear Admiral?) if he is still alive must be well into his 80's now. Is he still with us?

Sadly, Captain, later Rear Admiral, W J (aka Wilf, aka Wid) is no longer with us.

Who is the Lt Cdr in the footage who tells the Bucc pilot that he might have to divert to St Mawgan?

It's the Lieutenant Commander (Flying), also known as "Little F", but I don't recall his name.

If you're referring to the Cdr (FLYCO), it's Bob N******d.

Who, when earlier appointed in command of a Tribal Class frigate as his first sea job for a long time and taking her to sea for the first time in rather unusual circumstances, uttered the magic words "Slow ahead Port, slow astern starboard". Dead silence for a few seconds, before the Navigating Officer diffidently said "Excuse me, Sir, but Tribals only have one propellor"!:\

Jack

[PPRuNeUser0139]

Just googled "Bob Northard" to see if I could find anything on him and I was saddened to see that he'd passed away last December.
RIP Bob,
sv

[NickB]

Sadly, Captain, later Rear Admiral, W J (aka Wilf, aka Wid) is no longer with us.

Hmmm... I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have any further details?

I believe the Padre who feature in Sailor has also passed on.

Given that Sailor went down (no pun intended m'lord!) so well with British public, I did wonder if the BBC were planning to do a "30 years on special" programme back in 2006, but I guess it would have had a limited audience and the fact that many of the people featured would either be really quite old now or not with us at all...

[NickB]

Just seen 'Sidevalve's' post - not another one passed on...:sad:

[tyne]

Brilliant footage from a fantastic programme. I remember it from when I was 6. But videoed the series when it came back on 8 years later.

Anyone know what happened to Tom Wilks - the wonderful fleet chief.

Sailor 8 years on featured him at Ark's scrapping berth in the old military port at Cairnryan. I think - it's on the DVD.

Incidentally a bit of her flight deck remains. It's the top of a septic tank in the carpark of a holtel near Sandhead.

So I actually got to set foot on her....sort of.

A fine ship that never fired a shot in anger. Demonstration of the use of organic air power perhaps?

[NickB]

Incidentally a bit of her flight deck remains. It's the top of a septic tank in the carpark of a holtel near Sandhead.

So I actually got to set foot on her....sort of.

Hmmm...interesting!

At the risk of sounding like a complete :8 (!):

1. Do you have any phots?

2. Does the bit that remains, give anything away re. its previous use?

[DON T]

In the series Sailor, I can remember the Captain on one of his ship inspections placing a penny on an overhead pipe. When he returned on his next inspection somebody had replaced the penny with two halfpennies

Great video, those were the days.:D

[airborne_artist]

My Dad was the first Sub of the Gunroom of the Ark. He took with him his 1923 Rolls Royce 20, which was hoisted aboard and stowed in a hangar. It was slung ashore as they went round the Med. I'll see if I can find and scan a picture of the evolution.

[GeeRam]

Sadly dropping into geek mode....:rolleyes: the last launch from Ark was F-4K XT870, which stayed in subsequent RAF service right through to the end of the Phantoms RAF service days at Leuchars before being unceremoniously scrapped on site......
Strange the Fleet Air Arm Museum didn't tag it for restoration and display in the 'Carrier' exhibit rather than that test airframe, given the former's historic significance......:ugh:

[PPRuNeUser0139]

"My Dad was the first Sub of the Gunroom of the Ark. He took with him his 1923 Rolls Royce 20, which was hoisted aboard and stowed in a hangar. It was slung ashore as they went round the Med."

Now that, I would suggest, is s-t-y-l-e.

No jobsworth to tell him no on 'Elf 'n Safety grounds..

[tyne]

No there is nothing to mark the spot whcih is a bit of a shame..

I spend a lot of my free time in the area and had heard that there was a hotel in the somewhere that had the damage control status boards from HQ1 on display.

So I pitched up at this little hotel in the area after being directed there by some guys in a local pub who recalled something to do with Ark.

The woman who owned the hotel told me the Septic Tank story - I think my car was parked on it. No damage control boards though. The only other ship stuff she had was a couple of brass fittings. One of them was the pointer that measures ship roll. She wasn't sure what ship they came from though.

Eagle, Ark Bulwark - one of her sister ships Albion on Centaur - Blake and host of other ships of that generation ended their days at Shipbreaking Queensbrough at nearby Cairnryan.

I've some quite sad (As in anorak get a life) phots of the scrapyard as it is now. If anyone is interested PM Me with an email address I will pass them on - in confidence of course!

[xrba]

As there appears to be some interest in the tight landing intervals we had on recovery, they were achieved thus. When the leader slotted and turned downwind, [500ft circuit] the no. 2 timed 17 seconds before turning after him and so on. This was the best chance of having an ideal 35 second interval into the traps. This delay was the optimum to allow the wire to be released,[in some cases disentangled as it twisted around the hook], and tractored back into position, then re-tensioned. 40 seconds was way to long to hang around, and 30 seconds the absolute minimum to allow this to occur. This interval was timed, and the wire caught noted, by the duty boy on goofers for the recovery, to go with the rest of the LSO’s de-brief.

By the way, if anyone smelt AVTUR on board we should have suspected the RFA oiler of cheating us! We used AVCAT, more expensive, but a much higher flash point.

[greywings]

Thanks so much for finding this wonderful video which reminded me of many happy hours flying the Bucc from the deck in Ark / 809. I can vouch for the fact that Keith S-J could be more 'positive' when debriefing spotty-faced youths who failed to meet his expectations. However, he was a good stick and consistently good at deck landing. The Buccaneer, though absolutely unbeatable at high speed / low level, could be slightly more challenging in the circuit (rather like sitting on an egg on a pair of roller skates - one was never quite sure which way it wanted to go next). Operating it from the deck was never boring but extremely satisfying. Readers may be interested to know that there is a very active Buccaneer Aircrew Association made up of those of us (Dark Blue and Light Blue) who had the great good fortune to fly that magnificent aircraft.

I was lucky enough to do some of the flying for the 'Sailor' series and the requests for "lower and faster, please", from the film crew were a pleasure to deliver on!

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

there is a very active Buccaneer Aircrew Association made up of those of us (Dark Blue and Light Blue) who had the great good fortune to fly that magnificent aircraft.



Plus South Africans and some Colonial cousins and at least one "Continental".
:ok:

[Navaleye]

I think the last cat launch from Ark was an F4 flown by Murdo McCleoud (Sp?). Not the end of his carrier career though as he went on to fly Harriers in the Falklands off Hermes.

Anorak off.

[6Z3]

lower and faster, please

Ah, those immortal words......delivered (allegedly) some years later in the next ARK by Wings (a certain Tim-AND I HAVE THE CAPABILITY-Y****r) as his final summing up to the absolutely final SHAR shopwindow briefing for the combined Western European Union VVIP visit day. And a truly spectacular display it was too:uhoh: Of Paul S-S, never was a truer word spoken in jest than when Flyco asked SATCO "do you have him on your radar"

[desk wizard]

According to the Ark commissoning book on line here,

http://www.axfordsabode.org.uk/pdf-docs/arkroy27.pdf

last hook on was Gannet 044 "piloted by Lt Slade with Lt Cdr Rotherham and Lt Cass in the rear." on the 18th November 1978, last launch was 27th November, "at 1511 when Phantom 012 crewed by Flt Lt M Macleod and Lt D McCallum was sent down the waist catapult and that was it."

[Edmund Spencer]

SJ was my DO at Dartmouth!
Wasn't Northard CO at RNAS Yeovilton for a while?
If so I remember him being a b...y nuisance drinking in the bar with the boys after night flying.
Brilliant movie.
Some more vintage stuff of HMS HERMES. Rippingly good!
YouTube - Flight Deck HMS Hermes 1960 (http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=RzFw-qsJoC0)
ES

[Pontius]

And a truly spectacular display it was too Of Paul S-S, never was a truer word spoken in jest than when Flyco asked SATCO "do you have him on your radar"

There's a name to conjour with. Whatever happened to him? I haven't seen nor heard of him since he disappeared off to Yankee Land for a bit of flying with the USMC. Did they give him back?

[4Greens]

Was flying off Happy Hermes at that time. Just for the record we didn't use the word 'traps' at the time. It was an Americanism. We said 'landing, DL, or controlled crash'.
All the best to the survivors.

[bast0n]

Airborne Artist - I did not manage your fathers style with his Rolls-Royce but I did manage a car on board!!

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll301/tallbronzedgod/MokeAmerica01.jpg

And here it is in Gib with Bob Woodard, Ronnie Laughton, Hugh Malim etc!

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll301/tallbronzedgod/MokeGib01.jpg

I needed it on board so that I had something to tow my boat...............:)

Oh alright -so I was a Jungly.....................what am I doing on this thread? Although I did help repaint Eagles Flight deck with 848 markings a long time ago in Singapore..................

[Bulldogbeast]

Just watching that is getting me hard.

[tarantonight]

To answer your query Barnstormer, there are more around than you will think who can give a yarn about landing on a pitching deck in total blackness - going back as far as Sea Venoms in the early 60's, right up to the huge F4.

Most of them are the old guys now, but the memories are still sharp. The stories get better each time I hear them. I was not there, but the old man was and they did indeed sound like great days.

So good to see the FAA being spoken about in the year 100, 'bout time too.

Cracking footage and one of the guys shown early on is Hugh Drake, an Observer. Retired as a Captain and can tell some good tales about sitting in the Coal Hole of a Sea Vixen approaching said deck in that blackness. That is when you needed faith in the driver!

More of this on Youtube by the way.:D

[Finnpog]

http://www.britishskytours.com/images/HMS_Ark_Royal_IV.jpg

http://www.fleetairarmoa.org/pages/images_pages/air-race31.jpg

[FJJP]

From 'sailor' series. The last Bucc driver was A* G*b***, ex Cranberries.

Sharp cookie, well respected on 3** RAF/RN Sqn

[NickB]

The ex-Bucc driver you mention was the guy who had trouble getting on deck when making his first ever approach to the Ark.

By all accounts he didn't have the best of relationships with OC 809 (K S-J) from there on :}

[david parry]

:rolleyes: S J wasnt loved by many of the ground crew as well !!!!

[blaireau]

The LCdr with Bob Northard in the Sailor series was Punchy Doust.

Only just found this thread. I retain happy memories of 892 during '73-'78

[GPMG]

I wonder if the Falkland Islands would be quite so well known if we had had that little lot sailing around in '82.

I wonder if the Argentinians will be quite so robust in their future complaints (that they are owed a few hectars of land) if QE and PW are soon available for oversea visits.

[Lower Hangar]

I supported an 809/892/849 cross deck with the 'Windy Indy' in the mid 70's in the Caribbean ( aaaaahhh ) and watched a certain Flt Lt J.B. do about 6 bolters to the Indy deck before diverting back to Ark. He always was a grumpy b****r but after that he was even more so.

AM was our CO ( great bloke) as the original CO - (MB ) had returned to UK with 2 x broken ankles after ejecting from a double hyds emergency diversion to Roosy Roads - The OBS in the back stayed with it and was OK - trying to remember the OBS concerned.

[Lower Hangar]

Just posted and realised the link with MB and AM - MB was the CO and was an OBS - it was him that ejected and the driver was AM who stayed with it !

[NickB]

Is K S-J (ex OC 809) still with us?

It is so easy to forget that 'Sailor' was filmed over 33 years ago :eek:

[Schiller]

Sadly, K S-J died some years ago.

[barnstormer1968]

Hi.
After reading your reply, I had to go back and re visit what I had typed.
I'm not sure if you saw my comment as negative in any way, and if so I apologise, as it was not meant it that way at all and was only a question.

From memory, I think I was thinking more along the lines of aircrew who had done recent exchanges etc.

............................................................ .............................................

As for the pics of the mini moke.........What a top car:ok:
You lucky devil. I would love one, but it seems that the only good ones in my budget range are rerpo's. The closest I get to driving one is watching the DVD film "catch us if you can" by the Dave Clark five.

[tarantonight]

BS,

No worries,

Did not take your query in any other way other than a general question. Am not sure of your history / knowledge hence the reply.

No offence taken I can assure you.

I believe there is at least 1 FAA guy currently on an F18 exchange.

Regards,

TN.