Red Flag Buccaneers - 1978

[BeefyBoy]

Found this on 'You Tube' As an ex 208 - 16 Sqn 'sooty' had a pang of pride on seeing it. :ok:

YouTube - RAF Buccaneer S2 Exercise RED FLAG (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuYwOEF5xag&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh+div-1r-3-HM)


Beef Boy

[Ogre]

Nice one Beefy, as an ex-208 fairy I appreciated that clip.

However, the one everyone wants to see again is the gun camera view from the AD operator with a banana jet coming towards him over the desert, ducking behind the sand dunes! I remember seeing ot on John Cravens Newsround, but never saw it again.

As the U.S. too embarrassed to release it?

[Rigga]

Nice one Beefy, as an ex-208 RIGGER I appreciated that clip too.

However, the one I want to see again is the gun camera view from the AD operator with a banana jet coming towards him over the desert, ducking behind the sand dunes! I never saw it on John Cravens Newsround, at all.

To lazy to re-write it.

[JG54]

Has been discussed here before - somewhere (too tired to search!).

I believe the poster of the above clip, Foldingwings, thought he may have a copy in the attic or similar and would attempt to locate.

Any luck with that Foldie?

Regards,
Frank

[old-timer]

Now that IS FLYING, EXCELLENT !!!!!:D:D:D:D:ok:

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

Good show! :ok:

The terrain hasn't changed much - a few familiar landmarks there. I'll bet the threats have though! :uhoh:

[Vitesse]

Nice! Thanks for posting.

About that other video...I saw it back then and recall it being absolutely brilliant. Would be good if it resurfaced.

[matkat]

Thanks Beef, any news of our train announcing friend???
Dave

[foldingwings]

Regret that I haven't made it into the loft yet but I will soon!

Great aircraft, great exercise and great fun in Las Vegas!

Those were the days!

Glad you all enjoyed my vid!

Foldie:ok:

[On_The_Top_Bunk]

I have seen lots of "Low Flying" vids but watching this in places I thought

"OMG why would you do that it's just too scary and you must be mad!"

[Landroger]

Great video - the Americans must've hated the Buccaneers. :D

But I still think the best line relating to just how low you Bucc' guys could go came from Neptunus Rex who, it would seem, was a Shackleton driver in the days when Pontius was a pilot. I can't find his post now to quote it exactly and I hope he won't mind me guesstimating it, but it went something like this:

During exercise Bombex 196X, we were approaching Exercise Range (insert name) at 200Kts IAS, 100ft amsl on the rad alt, bomb doors open, when one of you b@stards flew underneath us! :eek:

Well I was impressed. :ok:

[Hogger60]

Flying my Hog up along the Northern Plains of the old West Germany in '83, crossing the Kiel Canal at 100' when a Buccaneer came screaming along underneath us. Only thing said on the FM radio was my wingman's "Holy ****". It was true that they pulled up to go over fence posts.

[Mike7777777]

Someone needs to visit Foldie's house and foot the loft ladder for him this weekend. Which is better for you Foldie, Saturday or Sunday?

[foldingwings]

Difficult that one! I will be engrossed in the 6 Nations on Friday evening and all day Saturday - we have a particularly difficult starter in Paris, so I need to see how others perform! On Sunday I will be at Nottingham's H4H Match against Worcester Warriors - John Nichol is the pre-match guest speaker!

Could we make it one evening next week!

Foldie:ok:

[BlackIsle]

.....and I seem to remember a T shirt emblazoned with "real men fly through B****t, not over it" - says it all :ok:

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

.....and then there was "208 Penetrate" and "We wired LA". The former was good downtown!:E

[BBadanov]

Foldie: "I will be engrossed in the 6 Nations on Friday evening and all day Saturday..."

I didn't realise you were such an avid England supporter foldie... ;)

[foldingwings]

BBad!

Read it again, it is the performance of others in the 6 Nations that I will be watching and who says it will be England that I will be supporting in Cardiff anyway. You see, I need all the gen before I get to Twickers on March 13th for the Calcutta Cup match (which we currently hold)!

Foldie!

PS. I hear from CS that the parties were good in Oz in December!

[BBadanov]

Yes maaate - good time.

So will support Wales !! Just like Mundy. :ok:

[The AvgasDinosaur]

Magnificent clip, thanks for sharing.
A remarkable tribute to the "titanium testicle team".
Could somebody confirm the legend that the defenders could only find the Buccs in daylight via their shadows on the desert below ? I've often heard it said but not by someone who has the T shirt, so to speak.
Thanks again
Be lucky
David

[Jabba_TG12]

Found this as well after watching Foldie's piece.

Not all Buccs, I grant you that, but they do feature, reasonably prominently... :E

YouTube - Low Flying in the RAF.wmv (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpGhiC8i_PM&feature=related)

[sisemen]

I don't suppose that anyone purloined a copy of the gun camera footage taken during the work-up for Maple Flag April 1981? One of the 208 birds came back scratched as a result of a close encounter with the Rockies.

Terrific detachment.

[foldingwings]

Could somebody confirm the legend that the defenders could only find the Buccs in daylight via their shadows on the desert below

Not always the case but more often than not! Once found, of course, they had to get below us to get a Fox 3 with their upward pointing guns (mid/late 1970s) and Fox 2s were almost impossible because of the glare off the desert floor!

Didn't stop them trying mind and a confirmed Bucc kill at a mass debrief was worn with great honour (weren't many though and always a good p**s up in the O Club after for the lucky winner and his new best mates; the Bucc guys!)

Foldie:O

[green granite]

Presumably you wern't allowed to drop a retarded 1000 pounder in an aggressors face on such exercises. :E

[foldingwings]

Oh, I don't know! If the F-4s from Hill AFB (RF79-1) were allowed to strafe the mailman crossing the desert (they thought it was the convoy target in the Kawich Valley) then I don't see why we couldn't have knickered the aggressors for real!

No, unfortunately not!

Foldie:{

PS. The mailman survived; a bit shook up; burst eardrums but no blood loss!
PPS. The USAF Brigadier General running the mass debrief glossed over the point in public but called the F-4 leader to account privately after the debrief was over!

[Landroger]

Not Buccs, but Jags. I used to work with a Physicist who's flat mate was an Aviation Medicine Psychologist, who had been involved in an inquiry into a 'low flying incident' during a Red Flag.

It was a long time ago, but the details are too stark to forget and I wonder if anyone can confirm the facts? A four ship Jaguar flight were jumped by ANG F16s over Nevada and they did what Jags do - went down into the weeds. The F16 duly uttered the usual; "WTF!?" and lost them.

On their return to base, they found an incandescent Sheriff and telegraph wire .......... on the tails of a couple of the cabs. All four are grounded and Inquiry started, but the crews were absolutely adamant; they had done nothing wrong, nothing out of the ordinary and they couldn't possibly fly that low without serious consequences. Enter the Psychologist.

After many interviews and much worry and concern, the psychologist hit on the key phrase all four pilots used (without collaboration). "We just flew as we always do, 100ft above the trees." I'm not a pilot, far less a fast jet pilot, but it seems to me 'the picture' looking out of the cockpit is paramount, while trying to watch the altimeter is not. Our lads were used to flying 100ft above big, European Oaks and Beech - some 150ft high - and forming 'a picture'.

The Psychologist told the inquiry that there are no trees in Nevada, only Mesquite and its that high! (24"-36")

Is that story anywhere in the lexicon?

Roger.

[bobward]

Apologies for extending the thread creep here.....

The story of the Jaguar's and F16's reminded me of an old tale from the 1980's
The story is roughly the same, except that for F16 read F 15 eagle. In this case, the SEJ went for a guns solution and couldn't make it, due to the guns boresight having a slight look up. The rumour says the jock was fully 'fangs out' by now, climbed a bit then riolled inverted to claim the kill.

Can anyone confirm, refute, or add to this please?
:eek:

[Feathers McGraw]

Is there any truth to the story of a Bucc at Red Flag that hit a power line climbing up from underneath it, then appeared after repairs (radome replacement?) on the line wearing a power line kill marking? I think it must have been late 70s or very early 80s if memory serves.

[neilf92]

Sheriff must have been quite upset to find himself scooped up and carried off on the tail of a Jag :rolleyes:

[The Oberon]

I heard a Red Flag story about a low level Vulcan being bounced by a defender only to see a Buccaneer peel off from underneath the Vulcan and shoot off in another direction. I think this could be a myth, but I hope it isn't.

[Landroger]

I heard a Red Flag story about a low level Vulcan being bounced by a defender only to see a Buccaneer peel off from underneath the Vulcan and shoot off in another direction. I think this could be a myth, but I hope it isn't.
:D:D

And I thought my anecdote was extraordinary! :eek:

ROger.

[BeefyBoy]

During Red Flag in 83 we were supporting the RAFG Jags training to drop Paveway bombs with our 2 Buccs from XV/16 Sqn at Laarbruch doing the Pavespiking. On one of the days the Jags went on a 'normal' bombing mission and not to be undone our 2 Bucc's went along for the ride as 'fighter escort' for Bruggen's finest. :ok:

During the sortie a flight of F15's bounced the Jags and claimed many 'kills'
On return to Nellis the yank aircrew came down to the Jag line and hung lemons on the Jag's pitot tubes. At the debrief, amidst much bluster from the yanks over their 'kills' our Bucc aircrew produced some footage from the Pavespike cameras on both aircraft. The yanks were much taken aback when the footage showed that unseen by them, and with the timing of each recording, that each Bucc 'fighter escort' had scored 4 'kills' with our sidewinders (1 fitted on each aircraft) :E

It was certainly a day to be proud of your association with a wonderful funny shaped aircraft!

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

Feathers, I refer to my previous

"We wired LA".

Don't know about the aircraft paint job though.

[Brian Abraham]

PS. The mailman survived; a bit shook up; burst eardrums but no blood loss!
PPS. The USAF Brigadier General running the mass debrief glossed over the point in public but called the F-4 leader to account privately after the debrief was over!For missing???

[foldingwings]

For missing???

Ha Ha!

But maybe, it was a private affair!

Foldie:ok:

[The AvgasDinosaur]

Jaguars vs F-16 / F-15
Buccaneers vs F-16 / F-15
A Triumph of skill over technology.
A true credit to all who took part, thank you gentlemen for keeping us safe !!!
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:
Be lucky
David
P.S. It's high time someone wrote the book, please

[foldingwings]

P.S. It's high time someone wrote the book, please

If you have a good singing voice you could always try this:

The Buccaneer Songbook (The Buccaneer Songbook: An Anthology of Drinking Songs) [Paperback] - available through Amazon

The Buccaneer Songbook contains over 100 songs that were sung throughout the Buccaneer's career in the Fleet Air Arm, the South African Air Force and the Royal Air Force. Such songs as: Auntie Mary; The A25; Give Me Buccaneers; When XV Came to Laarbruch; We're 16 Squadron; The Flag; plus those from the final years at Lossie and many many more from the FAA and RAF plus a number of songs that were sung on 24 Squadron SAAF at Waterkloof Air Base. The book is illustrated with excellent photographs of the Buccaneer and also includes a number of photographs of the characters who flew it and sang about it. Additionally, each section contains explanations and amusing anecdotes about when, where and why the songs came about and who was responsible for their writing. The book also includes all the raucous numbers that would be anticipated in a volume that reflects the social life of the people who flew the Buccaneer with such skill and vigour either 'Off The Deck', 'Over The Veldt' or 'Over Land and Sea', in both peacetime and in war. It even includes the complete words of Eskimo Nell! The Buccaneer Songbook is a compilation and personal collection of a period in military aviation history that will never be repeated. The Buccaneer was 'British Through and Through' and the people who flew it 'Were the First of the Few!' Quite naturally, given that it covers a period when virtually anything was fair game, the book contains adult material and is refreshingly non-PC.

Foldie:D

[foldingwings]

I have just found some video of Buccs on Maple Flag (taken from the target's perspective)! Give me a day or 2 and I will attempt to get it into Face-book format!

Foldie:8

PS. Why, when you type 'Facebook', does this site convert it to FacePPRuNe?

[foldingwings]

Hacked it! It's on YouTube now. I'll open a new thread for those of you who are too idle to go there and need all the assistance that they can get (aka pilots!)

Foldie:E

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

The Buccaneer Songbook (The Buccaneer Songbook: An Anthology of Drinking Songs) [Paperback] - available through Amazon



Shameless Foldie:=......but good luck, it's worth it!

[HaveQuick2]

Found this pic on the net of a, presumably, Red Flag painted Buccaneer.

http://www.ukserials.com/images/ukimages/xv352.jpg

http://www.ukserials.com/images/ukimages/xv352.jpg