Air Clues is back!

[Hugh Spencer]

Received my copy today.
RAF relaunching Air Clues magazine, discontinued in 2002. RAF hangar being restored at Scampton, home of 617 Sqdn containing a museum, a delivery store and laser firing range. Four Typhoons arrive in the Falklands, involving 2 Tri-Star, four VC s, three Hercules, one Nimrod and ninety five personnel.

[Roland Pulfrew]

Not sure what point Hugh is trying to make (some good news for a change?) but got my copy of the new "Air Clues" today. Cracking good start from the recently rebranded RAF Flight Safety team :ok: (apparently they weren't allowed to call themselves IFS :hmm:). Now all they need is a regular supply of good articles, particularly of the "I learnt about flying from that" type....... oh and a good cartoonist a la Cockpit.:E

[Easy Street]

A pleasant surprise today when I had a quick look through the newly relaunched Air Clues. It's got some good articles and is very well produced. The editorials at the front definitely had a hint of the "why the hell did we get rid of this in the first place" and reading it took me back to happier pre-TELIC days (apparently the previous incarnation of Air Clues disappeared back in 2002!).

Wg Cdr Spry is now just "Spry" and appears to be wearing civvy epaulettes in his new byline. He claims that he will be more moderate in his judgements when compared with his former self, but I reckon the close-to-the-bone banter will be back and I'm looking forward to see him lay into the next idiot who attracts his attention!

There's an excellent article in there about a young Puma pilot who commendably stood up to his Boss when flt safety was at stake, and I think exposure to stories like that will help strengthen our younger crews' airmanship immeasurably. As well as reminding old farts what the RAF used to be like.

Shock horror - a worthwhile glossy mag. To the RAF Flight Safety team - good job :ok:

[betty swallox]

Agree with all...apart from Mr Spencer!!??

Easy Street...think you'll find he's an Air Commode....

[rolandpull]

Cool, lets tag the RAF news to it and get a nice monthly mag.

[A2QFI]

As person of a certain age I remember being very amused by the ramblings of "Flying Officer X" - something apposite and humorous might be nice if someone will write it and space can be found. Merging with the RAF News might not be such a good idea IMO. Pen friends column and Lorraine Kelly, added to Air Clues might not work!

[Madbob]

Is Air Clues available on line? If so is there a link that anyone knows of? The equivalents in the US Navy, RAN and Canadian Forces are all down-loadable as was Aviate.

Cheers. MB

[deeceethree]

Whatever happens folks, just make sure they keep those boring, meaningless articles about logistics and similar crap out of the magazine. Senior officers and their staff college scribblings shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the printers!

[Gainesy]

Anyone have the e-mail address for the editor please?

[PPRuNe Pop]

I suppose all we need now F/O Prune! That'll upset the starlings..........:ooh:

[forget]

RAF relaunching Air Clues magazine. Received my copy today.

Me too. The postal strike is beginning to bite. :uhoh:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/cumpas/airclues.jpg

[Wader2]

Gainesy, sorry I should have posted before:

[email protected]

Deeceethree, I fear you may be disappointed:

"Now for all you non-aircrew types, for whom I have the deepest respect, this magazine also belongs to you as much as your breveted colleagues."

"This magazine will provide the conduit through which all specialisations can bring their flight safety issues to the fore, but to be effective it also needs input from the broad gamut of RAF personnel."

I wait with baited (sic) breath for the first article from JPA.

[Captain Airclues]

Pop

I believe that Percy Prune was a P/O?

Dave

[Blacksheep]

What's that chap in the Sidcot suit doing in the Engine Overhaul Bay? Scrouging a rather large mug of tea by the look of it.

[Wader2]

Wg Cdr Spry is now just "Spry" and appears to be wearing civvy epaulettes in his new byline.

If you look at Spry's comments later in the magazine it is still Wg Cdr Spry says;

[PPRuNe Pop]

I know, Dave, But even he is entitled to promotion. :ok:

I mean, look at you now! ;)

[Gainesy]

Yes Wader, shouldn't you be in your shed? You have got a shed? Have you?

You'll get a List Of Things That Need Fixing/Painting if you haven't got a shed to hide in. Or worse, dragged out shopping.:uhoh:

[AES]

Blacksheep,

It can't be a Sidcot can it? (Sidney Cotton, early WWII I'm pretty sure). That chap in the "Engine Bay" clearly comes from the pre-WWII era.

Sorry!

Krgds
AES

[Gnd]

Must be great VfM

[Gainesy]

Link killed itself Wader, could you PM it please?

[Squirrel 41]

GnD -

If this contributes to the saving of one aircraft, it will pay for itself many times over quite apart from the saving of lives.

Next helpful point?

S41

[Vage Rot]

Apparently it was binned because we had too many expensive glossy magazines!!

I agree with that but they axed the wrong publication!!

welcome back! Not seen it yet but I'm looking forward to it!!

[Dengue_Dude]

Innuendo? - Well, I know we're a part of the EU, but what do Italian suppositories have to do with this thread?

Manuel, I am impressed - (a bit like the suppositories I suppose). I used to fly with some Italian FOs and a colleague and I spoke 'perfect' Italian to them by just adding a vowel to the end of every wordio.

Perfecto mia amico - see (THIS is the result of a grammar school education - the ability to communicate effortlessly with Messrs All and Sundry).

Take careio

[Blacksheep]

It can't be a Sidcot can it? Sid Cotton invented his suit in 1917, so yes, it could be. In fact that could be good old Sid himself; the size of his tea mug certainly suggests he's aircrew.

The erks appear to have burned a "surplus" flying machine in their brazier, leaving the engine to be stripped for parts. Nothing much has changed for the RAF in the intervening 91 years then? :rolleyes:

[Wader2]

Apologies for the acerbic comment but my computer now shows invalid hash too.

The address is air - wg cdr spry@ mod.uk

Tyoe without the dashes and it should work.

[BEagle]

By simply adding yeh onto the end of a sentence, the locals could understand us.

Ah yes, the 'Druidic Grunt' attached to the end of each vowel-denied sentence. Not quite 'yeh', not quite the Canadian 'eh', it was something of a rather bovine noise.

As has been said before, Welsh lacks many modern words such as 'fire' or 'wheel', so a typical sentence at 'Jones-the-motor' would consist of a mix of impenetrable Welsh interspersed with 'throttle cable' or whatever - but the inevitable Druidic Grunt as a suffix.

Perhaps it's the Welsh equivalent of 'innit' or 'yeah' and actually pre-dated yoof-speak by several decades?

Good to hear that 'Air Clues' has returned. I hope there won't be too many of those turgid 'Air Power' articles, 'Letters From the Front' or exciting photos captioned: 'The Air Member for Supply and Organisation takes a look at the corridors of storage racks' (I kid you not - I still have that one!).

[Gainesy]

Wader link now shows a valid email address, yesterday all it said was "Invalid Hashmark"
Got it by your PM, for which, thanks.

[Hugh Spencer]

I don't know why at least two of the contributors think I am trying to 'make a point' of some sort. I had just received my RAF News and thought others might like to know that there are some interesting stories to be read. Still, you can't please them all !

[forget]

Still, you can't please them all !

Quite right Hugh. I'm pleased you posted the news. It was the time wasters who tried to 'make a point' - failed. :hmm:

[VictorPilot]

I wondered what had happened to Air Clues - no wonder if it died in 2002!!! During my early serving days, I remember the rush to get our hands on the latest copy when it arrived in the Crew Room. It was not glossy, but it was very readable, relevant, newsey, and most of all it was flight safety centred. Accident reports, "I learnt about flying from that", lifts from US, RN, and other flight safety magazines, topped up by info articles and stories of operations and ground safety matters made it a must!!

Later, sadly I think, the magazine was hijacked, albeit with good intent, by a senior officer who decided that Air Power education was a higher priority than flight safety. The result was that the "Star" officers read the boring stuff, the crew room cowboys did not, except the little bits about the real flying World.

Many years later, I worked in MOD alongside the Air Clues team: they were a couple of doors down from me. They were a great bunch, and oh my! - how hard they had to work to maintain the real RAF World content of the magazine, against the staff college inputs. However, the problem was that while the HQ staff officers had time to write learned submissions, scoring promotion points where possible, the real World workers did not. The Editor was always walking the corridors asking for inputs from us ex-flyers who were working in the real World. I wrote numerous articles over those years, had many photographs printed, but they were always behind the staff college stuff.

I really hope the magazine gets going again - however, it must be properly funded, and staffed. Mainly, I hope it gets back to being a Tri-Service crew room "must read", being flight safety, aircraft, and people orientated. I learnt a lot from those early editions I read as a Plt Off, Fg Off and Flt Lt. Amongst other things, it made me think a lot more about what I was doing in the air, and the pitfalls that could catch out the unwary. If the magazine must have staff college stuff included - I hope it goes to the back of the content.

As another thought, Air Clues was published in parallel with the Tri-Service "Joint Aircraft Recognition Journal". That publication lost its relevance as imagery in the public domain became more available, and BVR took over from eyeball, but in the changed World of current air operations, some of the original content and style might be included in the new Air Clues.

I wonder if the new Wg Cdr Spry (Editor) reads this thread? DARS being a Tri-Service organisation, there must be plenty of material available. I remember that the original Air Clues editorial staff were all civilian, only Wg Cdr Spry - a Sqn Ldr on the IFS staff - was a serving officer. Now I guess DARS has much more "clout", they could easily task unit and squadron Flight Safety Officers to write submissions on a bi or tri monthly basis to ensure a flow of news from the real World!!

Anyway, good luck Air Clues... Pythia

[Gainesy]

by a senior officer who decided that Air Power education was a higher priority than flight safety.


He also tried to hijack a script I was writing for the BBC air power series, insisting I used the terminology of JSP 34567 or something. The producer and I told him to f off at the high port as 99% of viewers would then need sub-titles, at which point he mounted his high dudgeon and left. Tosser.

[BEagle]

Ah, the good old 'Recce Journal'!

In the first ever copy of 'Aircraft Recognition, the Inter-Service Journal', September 1942 (which I have in my possession):

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/nw969/Recce.jpg

there were prefaces written by the Minister of Aircraft Production, the First Sea Lord, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the Chief of the Air Staff, the Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps and the Inspector General of Civil Defence at the Ministry of Home Security.


By the way, I think it's a Spitfire Vb. Anyone confirm that?

[VictorPilot]

LOL I can just imagine him doing just that!!! I did read the AP once .... I had to as it was required reading for promotion exams!!! Later on "Air Power" was a bit like a paint ball in MOD .... throw it and see where it sticks!!! :) The object of the exercise was to ensure the RAF got more "Long Term Costing" monies than the other services!!!

[Gnd]

S41 nice rhetoric- maybe but call me a sceptic. Use the £ to increase the AFT and save lives? 1 hour might be all it took???? Broke MoD - return of another FS mag - can't see the benefit myself but hey, each to their own.

[Gainesy]

Often wondered if the fatal blue/blue on our Warriors by the A-10 in GW1 would have happened if the USAF had a similar magazine?

Certainly I'm sure the UK-based A-10 drivers could recognise most European kit, The Ol' Boys from the Guard units that I met always seemed to go by the tenet: "Ain't GI, so mus be Bad Guys".

Editor of Recce, Barry ???? was previously Ed of Airfix Magazine.

[BEagle]

In 1994, Spam F-15s managed to shoot down their own Blackhawks over Iraq, thinking them to be Hinds (both helicopters were fitted with external, 230-gallon fuel tanks on sponsons mounted beside each side door with each tank emblazoned with large American flags. In addition to the flags on the fuel tanks, each helicopter was marked with American flags on each side door, on the nose, and on the belly). They killed 26 people in the process.

I was on detachment at Incirlik not long after. Some Spam decided that we should occasionally have 'full mission briefs' starting at o-very dark-hundred....:uhoh:

It started off badly when the Spam MetO started giving us the weather actuals for the ROZ some 6 hours or so before we were due to get there. "Any questions?" "Yes - how about a forecast"....:hmm:

Then more 'hoorah' crap from the Cousins. We half expected "Padre, a few words please for our gallant aviators" - but fortunately that didn't happen.

Then followed a recce brief. By now the Brits were getting thoroughly pi$$ed off with this Spam overkill. CLUNK, first slide, F-15C.......:uhoh:

Cue Brit voice from the back "Hind, Hind! Waste the motherf****r! Hoorah!!"

Needless to say, Words were Had by the RAF Det Cdr soon afterwards.

[Captain Airclues]

Some early issues (1949-52)

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc193/Airclues/DSC03598.jpg

Dave

[Pontius Navigator]

Air Clues was published in parallel with the Tri-Service "Joint Aircraft Recognition Journal". That publication lost its relevance as imagery in the public domain became more available,

No it didn't but it did change its name to Defence Recognition Journal and often features specific themes such as landmines and IRDs. It also has theatre specific themes which are especially valuable where you have troops (or airmen) transfered from a familar theatre to an unfamiliar one.

[engoal]

Abiding memory of an Op WARDEN mass briefing callsign check - a succession of American voices uttering callsigns like 'Mugger', 'Switchblade' and 'Viper', followed by a taciturn Brit piping up with 'Badger'. Made me proud to be British.;)

[Gainesy]

That's why we'll never have Wild Weasels, a Rather Annoyed Ferret, maybe.:)

[VictorPilot]

OK!! Memory jogged!! Are we saying the Recce Journal is still going strong?

[RETDPI]

Editor of Recce, Barry ???? was previously Ed of Airfix Magazine.



I think you mean "Wheels", Gainesy ( Barry Wheeler) .
He left his den in Adastral some 20 years ago to go back to the civilian aviation publishing world .

[LeggyMountbatten]

In 1994, Spam F-15s managed to shoot down their own Blackhawks over Iraq, thinking them to be Hinds

This "incident", in which 2 British personnel died with 24 others, deserved a thorough review. This former US Army officer http://tinyurl.com/yfnhksg (http://tinyurl.com/yfnhksg) wrote a PhD on the systemic failure. Usefully (mainly for him I suspect) he published it as a book Friendly Fire: The Accidental Shootdown of U.S. Black Hawks over Northern Iraq: Amazon.co.uk: Scott A. Snook: Books (http://tinyurl.com/yka2yca)

both helicopters were fitted with external, 230-gallon fuel tanks on sponsons mounted beside each side door with each tank emblazoned with large American flags. In addition to the flags on the fuel tanks, each helicopter was marked with American flags on each side door, on the nose, and on the belly

Snook's PhD is a thorough review of systemic failure but IIRC he makes no comment on the choice of weapon. This should probably be a fresh thread but did the choice of weapon contribute to the failure? It's been a while since I read Snook's book, but one F15C used an AIM120 and the other an AIM9 and I think the visbility was good. I have no expertise in this area (I was admin(sec)) but is there a reason as to why the F15s did not use their guns? Snook says that the F15s mis-identfied the UH60s at 5 and 8 nautical miles. Were they capable of using the internal gun? Snook quotes a comment that a HIND would only be a threat to a F15 if it landed on top of it. How appropriate would the gun have been in this situation? My assumption is that closing for a guns kill would have revealed the stars and bars; is my assumption wrong?

[Pontius Navigator]

I have no expertise in this area (I was admin(sec)) but is there a reason as to why the F15s did not use their guns?

There used to be an exercise in the 50s, hare and hounds, with Meteors trying to engage helicopters. The helicopter was an extremely difficult target for a high speed guns engagement.

The easiest way to engage a helicopter is to wax him before he can evade. The weapons chosen were therefore probably the best choice for the mission; just target recce was poor.

One solution would have been eyeball-shooter.

[Wholigan]

Going just over the top supersonic is not very pleasant for him either.

[The Nr Fairy]

Would Air Clues follow the lead of the US Army, Air Force and Navy/Marines in eletronic publishing of their flight safety magazines for the rest of the world to read ?

Naval Safety Center (http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/media/approach/index.asp)

https://safety.army.mil/aviationsafety/ (used to have access to their full magazine)

Air Force Safety Center - Wingman (http://www.afsc.af.mil/information/magazinearchive/wingman.asp) with archives ?

[lkdown]

Air Clues is on the public internet. The link is: RAF - RAF Periodicals (http://www.raf.mod.uk/downloads/periodicals.cfm)

For earlier posts, RAF appears to be produced entierly by RAF Flt Safety, not DARS. :ok:

LD

[BEagle]

The direct link is http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/807515EC_5056_A318_A81019921CF3F852.pdf .

An excellent relaunch....:ok:

[VictorPilot]

Agreed ..... Much more like the good read of the past....

[Gainesy]

I think you mean "Wheels", Gainesy ( Barry Wheeler) .

That's the chap Ret, never knew him as "Wheels" though.

[Easy Street]

For earlier posts, RAF appears to be produced entirely by RAF Flt Safety, not DARS. http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/thumbs.gif

It was the creation of DARS' precursor DASC that did for the original Air Clues. At the time, I could almost understand the logic behind the RAF's virtually complete disbandment of its own Flight Safety empire; if the other two services had followed suit, and properly supported the tri-service organisation, it might actually have worked. However, given that it was only the RAF that gave anything up (including Air Clues), and the Army and Navy carried on with their own single-service FS structures (and their own in-house magazines), it didn't work - and Aviate didn't have enough "RAF" in it to suffice as the RAF's only Flight Safety periodical.

Typical jointery really, the RAF made compromises while the others pressed on regardless! At least the damage is now being undone. The fightback starts here in anticipation of the Defence Review?!

[Ali Barber]

From a location that is probably off the distribution list at the moment, thanks very much for the link. Great to see it back.