View Full Version : LXX Squadron RAF Disbandment
Blighter Pilot
8th Sep 2010, 05:48
Today marks the stand down of LXX Sqn RAF after 94 years of service.
The Sqn will be stood-up at RAF Brize Norton sometime in 2014 as the first A400M Sqn.
All the best to the boys and girls, past and present, who are serving or have served on this fantastic unit.
Have a great parade and party:ok:
'Usquam'
Sweet dreams my L X X!
Hod! Hod!
Gainesy
8th Sep 2010, 08:34
Stood down or euthanased?:mad:
threeputt
8th Sep 2010, 08:38
Chatted to OC LXX, in Sainsbury's car park in Chippenham, yesterday where he told me all about it..sad really.
3P:{
Arty Fufkin
8th Sep 2010, 09:35
I know what you mean. Isn't there a Waitrose in Chippenham?
I fix planes I duz
8th Sep 2010, 10:31
Left the Mob last year, sad to hear LXX sqd is gone.
Ex 47/LXX Eng Liney. :(
Isn't there a Waitrose in Chippenham?
No there isn't. - The OC was therefore well within his remit to use Sainsburys, given that the other alternatives are the common northern supermarket 'Morrisons' and god forbid 'Tesco Express'
However, I'm surprised he didn't use his initiative and drive to Melksham, there's a Waitrose on the Bath road.
November4
8th Sep 2010, 12:53
Isn't there a Waitrose in Chippenham?
We wish!
LXX - thanks for taking me to many far off places over the years. Hope you will continue to do the same to the next generation in a couple of years.
Brian 48nav
8th Sep 2010, 13:06
How things have changed! When I was in WG Cdrs didn't do their own shopping!
Union Jack
8th Sep 2010, 13:13
How things have changed! When I was in WG Cdrs didn't do their own shopping!
Now waiting, with bated breath, to discover whether he was wearing uniform and, if so, whether he was wearing his cap/hat or not!:uhoh:
Jack
PS BZ LXX!:ok:
threeputt
8th Sep 2010, 14:46
H****y was dressed immaculatley, as usual, including, what looked, like a Bates SD hat, neatly pressed shirt and trousers, RAF stable belt and highly polished shoes. He was, indeed, a credit to the RAF.
3P:ok:
A quick update:
Big cheers to LXX's sister Sqn, 99 Sqn and the BBMF for their flypasts. To the second, all of them.
Thank-you for the LXX Sqn guys for all their efforts in making sure the day went so well.
Roll on the Hangar Party!
StopStart
8th Sep 2010, 19:25
Toodle-pip LXX Sqn! Sorry I can't be there for the hangar party but I look forward to the stories of excess, scandal and fighting tomorrow on DII(F)acebook....
Genuine question if I may - what makes 99 a sister Sqn to LXX? Not heard that one before.
May the lion roar again soon following a small nap!
StopStart;
Apologies for not being clearer. I meant (non-wah) 47 Sqn, 99 Sqn and the BBMF.
Anyhoo, enough of this, I'm too busy watching Captain America and Mr Incredible fighting a Pimp.
(The Hangar Party is definitely going to be messy)
Q-RTF-X
8th Sep 2010, 20:51
Memories of my days on Transit Servicing at Akrotiri in the early 60's. Regular visits from LXX in support of Akrotiri squadron detachments, weekly drops for the Medical Rescue Team and not forgetting the odd visit of the 'Shiny Bomber' (WD 500) on VIP missions. Back to the present, they have a long tradition and it will certainly be nice to see their return
ihoharv
9th Sep 2010, 05:17
"Held" with these guys as a pre-METS guy in the early 80's. Learned a lot more about life, RAF and general, than could be otherwise taught.
Nicest and most professional folks I ever met. God Bless all of you.
c130jbloke
9th Sep 2010, 08:04
When is the hangar party and is it open to ex LXX gatecrashers ?
vfr into cloud
9th Sep 2010, 11:16
last night:ugh:
flipster
9th Sep 2010, 12:34
There will be some sore heads at Lyneham today then?!
Even though LXX will eventually re-form in Brize (one presumes), sometime in the future, there will always be the annual daffodils reminder to those at Lyneham on the bund every spring !
Proud to have served,
Flip
'Love and Kisses' to all
Blighter Pilot
9th Sep 2010, 17:47
Most were AD I am led to believe.
The free beer ran out at 9pm - 2 hours of hard drinking.
The other bars ran dry at around 0100 this morning.
A hardcore of LXX stalwarts finished the sqn beer stocks at 0530!
A great night:ok:
bythebackdoor
9th Sep 2010, 18:52
"Most were AD I am led to believe."
Really? or just pointing the finger of blame at the ARMY because the RAF just wouldn't cause trouble on their own patch!
I was "led to believe" that none of them where AD (for once) .
:=
The Gorilla
9th Sep 2010, 19:20
Every time I had to close the NAAFI as Ord Sgt it was always the AD who were doing the fighting usually but not always with themselves :rolleyes:
I was involved in the LXX daffodils on the Bund road, well in so far as:
a) I was there when Martin H**l took a bunch of new ish young aircrew Sgts out to install them.
b) I didn't feel the need to have to go the extra length to gain promotion and didn't really qualify under a) anyways!
c) So I manned the LXX Air Eng desk whilst the good deed was done!
Ahh history in the making! Hope everyone had a real good time!!
TG :)
flipster
9th Sep 2010, 20:21
Remember it well - I think, as an officer-type (albeit a co) and in grand style remember saying (from my car window as I passed)
"Jolly good show, chaps, carry on" or words to that effect.
Well, it certainly worked on the daffs and IIRC the Staish at the time was not impressed - and he, a shiny type, who had an 'honorary E Cat' (for landing at wrong airfield in Istanbul!).
The Gorilla
9th Sep 2010, 21:26
Flip,
Yes now you mention it the daffs op was a covert one! And yes he certainly was a very unimpressed shiny type wasn't he!!
:D
mad eng
10th Sep 2010, 05:59
Brings back memories of many happy days on Lxx, wouldn't change any of them.............
well, maybe that one little incident in New Orleans.........
Follow Me Through
10th Sep 2010, 06:16
tinged with sadness as I remember the loss of XV 193 and a great bunch of guys.
flipster
10th Sep 2010, 07:14
FMT
Dark days indeed; the loss of XV193 was a total tragedy for all on the Sqn, the families and everyone who was priviledged to know the crew.
Every time I fly over that part of the world I think of the boys (and count my lucky stars).
RIP Startrek 3
Jambo Jet
10th Sep 2010, 19:38
Who are the current holders of the 47/LXX rugby trophy? Guess there will be a while before hostilities resume!
.. perhaps its 'just' sad coincidence that it was today in 1973 that XV198, another Lyneham K (?), crashed at RAF Colerne with some Rocks in the back.
I hope the bash went well.
Happy memories of Lancaster Square..
StopStart
10th Sep 2010, 21:15
XV198 was lost during Trg at Colerne, 5 crew on board - no rocks. RIP
beamer
10th Sep 2010, 21:27
What happened to the 'nodding donkey' oil jobby which was brought back from Dyess many years ago ?
StopStart,
No, 5 was bad enough.
RIP indeed.
carlos755
11th Sep 2010, 07:33
Hi, please tell me that the pig roast machine I put together in 2000 and left behind when I returned to NZ has found a good home!
Cheers
Carl
Blighter Pilot
12th Sep 2010, 06:44
I believe it has been purchased by the Gliding Club at Keevil.
Some great hog roasts left in it for the future!
BEagle
12th Sep 2010, 07:44
flipster, surely it was the wrong aerodrome at Adana?
The movers at Brize kept referring to Incirlik as 'Adana' - which I always said would one day lead to someone actually delivering their boxes to Adana 'civil' (Sakirpasa) instead of Adana 'military' (Incirlik)....:rolleyes:
Mind you, the plethora of aerodromes at Istanbul would make the possibility of such a c.ock-up quite likely....:\
OldNavigator
12th Sep 2010, 08:54
At the time there was an exercise going on in Turkey.
The Stn Cdr at the time landed at the wrong airfield around Ankara. There was the main International airport and 2 or 3 military bases around the city being used for the exercise.
Best wishes to all I served with on LXX as well as the other Lyn Sqn members back in the classic model days
In 1977 I went down route with a LXX crew - I was a diplomatic courier (Tech) at the time. We had a small job to do in New Orleans. We had a trapper crew on board but we ran into a tropical storm and the trappers helped with approach and the next approach and the next approach, but in the end we got down. We stayed in a great hotel at the top of Bourbon Street (organised by the Master Eng). Next day, bit of an oil leak from no. 3 - needed a new engine. It took about 7 days for Ascot to organise a new engine and an engine change team. Meanwhile we stayed in New Orleans. What fun! BTW the captain suffered from vertigo. Ring a bell anyone?
Vertico
12th Sep 2010, 16:10
Back in the early 60s, flew as pax in a LXX Hastings from Nicosia to Khartoum, where one of our pointy jets had gone u/s on return from a detachment to Eastleigh. An hour or so into the trip, chuntering across the Med towards El Adam, I went up to the flight deck. To my astonishment, only one pilot visible - in the right-hand seat. "Where's D***?" I enquired, innocently. "Down there" replied the Flt Eng - pointing to the "bomb-aimer's" position below the flight deck. "He had a hard night last night".
Then there was the time another LXX Hastings had brake failure while taxying at Nicosia. The nose-shaped dent in our (corrugated iron) hangar wall was still there when I left the station some months later.
Happy days! I'm sure the spirit will be undimmed when LXX re-forms with the A400M.
flipster
13th Sep 2010, 07:40
Istanbul/Ankara/Somewhere in Turkey?
Profuse apologies - I stand corrected!
I'm not saying it couldn't happen to anyone - but it was peculiar that the nav and co got it in the neck from Staneval and yet the captain, who just happened to be the Stn Cdr, didn't - funny that!
mr ripley
13th Sep 2010, 19:09
It was Ankara but it was also 24 Sqn.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f191/mjg66/IMG_0441.jpg
Top parade and flypasts, excellent dinner and can't remember much about the party.
Top squadron and top send off.
Blighter Pilot
14th Sep 2010, 05:40
Sqn Standard now lodged in CHOM at Cranwell awaiting LXX standing back up as the first A400M Sqn:ok:
flipster
14th Sep 2010, 07:25
Mr R
Of course it was XXIV, it would never have been LXX!!!
F
ps Where on earth did they get two K model frames that look 'serviceable'??
Blighter Pilot
14th Sep 2010, 11:50
ps Where on earth did they get two K model frames that look 'serviceable'??
XV305 - SCRAPPED
XV290 - RETIRED
:ok:
On_The_Top_Bunk
14th Sep 2010, 14:45
XV305 - SCRAPPED
XV290 - RETIRED
:ok:
Quite apt for this sort of occasion :E
MadsDad
14th Sep 2010, 17:06
ps Where on earth did they get two K model frames that look 'serviceable'??
Went to an open day for the RAFVR Medevac Squadron at Lyneham last Saturday which included being shown round a 'K' set up for the job. Looked serviceable (though well-worn admittedly) and still had 'LXX' painted on the side. Don't know about the other one though.
Blighter Pilot
15th Sep 2010, 06:30
Ex LXX members are encouraged to join the LXX Sqn Assoc.
A quick Google search will get you the details - there is also a Yahoo Group for information and messages.
XFTroop
19th Sep 2010, 09:59
It's probably been asked before but what has happened to the lads and lasses who were currently on the squadron? Gardening leave, obscure ground tours, whatever? Has 47 "expanded" into the newly vacated office space (all be it for a shortish time!!)?
Are the redundant K frames ( the ones 47 don't want anyway!) en route the knackers yard or being flogged off?
Sadly I couldn't make the disbandment "do" on the 8th; best wishes and good luck to those that now find themselves "squadron-less".
XFT (late of 30/36/47/242OCU/LXX/57(R)/47 in that order)