View Full Version : Lightning Controller Trivia
Didn't want to clutter the Ltg v Harrier thread.
Just a few of the tools of the trade back in the Lightning close control days of V3bs, U26As etc. I have similar for the F4 plus CAP management etc if anyone is interested.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c326/jvoc/LtgLOPCalculator_zps5c9bd8f5.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c326/jvoc/Overlays_zps7a103dc4.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c326/jvoc/LtgTargets_zps5d3d1f1b.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c326/jvoc/LtgRoll-outRange_zps012ac96c.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c326/jvoc/LtgAccelandIASDecay_zps55f38df6.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c326/jvoc/DiveArcs_zpsd78c6749.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c326/jvoc/CowdenampDonnaNook_zpsc43b1af2.jpg
Pontius Navigator
19th Dec 2012, 15:21
Ah, the luxury of a desk, an assistance, and light to read by. In the Shack a yellow chinagraph was all we had.
Lightning Mate
19th Dec 2012, 15:38
So that's how you did it!
Never seen that sort of thing before - great archive stuff.
The 150s going behind were the barstewards.
Cheers mate - LM
60024
19th Dec 2012, 15:56
Midland Radar, Cowden....AAAAhhh! Those were the days!
Orac - do you have the graphs for when you roll me out in front of the tanker......?:)
No, but I remember the expletives when a certain Ltg pilot was astern the hose before he realised he didn't have a probe fitted. :E
Quel dommage! Were you on freq when our resident Irishman tried to refuel his Firestreak?
I was the controller when a certain Irishman did his first AAR.
After many unsuccessful prods the chase instructor said to call it a day and RTB.
"I'll have another go", replied an Irish voice.
"Why?", asked chase.
"Because I haven't got enough to get home", replied small Irish voice.
"Stupid barsteward", said chase.
Got straight in. Amazing thing adrenalin.
I was also the controller at Staxton when Porky flat spun out of a vertical scissors at 9000ft..... and got away with it.
BlackIsle
19th Dec 2012, 16:31
resident irishman - a long time ago but was it Ray K****** - he with the wild eyed look, even when sober? !
ex-fast-jets
19th Dec 2012, 16:37
Very impressive!!
I had not realised that there was any way to control Lightning pilots.
A few lines on a chart!!!
Brilliant!!
Simples!!
Orac - only 'Porky' I knew was on the tri-partite Kestrel squadron? Re 'Amazing thing adrenalin' - too much does not help. I was left with about 5mins in the middle of the North Sea at 0200 winter having been ordered to chase a Backfire to fuel exhaustion (thanks 11Gp PS I didn't quite:)) and could NOT get the damn thing in to the tanker which had been 'galloping' after me. A sort of 'Yoga' moment seemed to do the trick, thank ****. :eek:
BlackIsle - no, pre-dates, I think.
Ah! War stories!!:ok:
a long time ago but was it Ray K****** Twas he or Charlie M, can't remember which.
Orac - only 'Porky' I knew was on the tri-partite Kestrel squadron? Binbrook 84ish. Porky Page, the only Jewish Lightning pilot.....
Ah! 84!!! Junior trash......................:)
airpolice
19th Dec 2012, 17:31
For all these years I believed that the fighter control branch only used 4 digit georef rather then the full blown air traffic 6 digit version.
Yet here we have documents to prove they at least knew it existed, and it was better.
P6 Driver
19th Dec 2012, 17:35
Midland Radar
What could go wrong...
Version 1
"Midland have continged - call Eastern Radar"
Version 2
"You're in the Midland Radar overhead - call Eastern Radar"
(one for the Air Traffickers)
You could find "Midland Radar overhead starts here" as far afield as Australia and the Falklands...
Downwind.Maddl-Land
19th Dec 2012, 17:59
And Belize!
airpolice
19th Dec 2012, 17:59
At Northern we had a feed from Staxton, albeit on another screen mounted on top, none of this poofy "composite picture" stuff they have nowadays.
This allowed half of the consoles to still see traffic in the Northern Overhead, as well as Midland and Eastern's.
At Border we had the luxury of three heads spinning away upstairs and a feed from Staxton as well as from somewhere else. The Border Overhead was less of an issue as we got so much less traffic than Northern, and mostly it was handled by a procedural crossing of the overhead, on a strict "non deviating" agreement.
Many evenings were spent watching the fighters playing out to the East while scrolling through the ARC52 trying to find the right Fighter Stud to follow the fight. It was difficult to keep coming up with excuses to go into see the Fighter Marshall, carrying a bit of paper to write down freqs that we shouldn't have been looking at, never mind taking out of the room on paper.
1.3VStall
19th Dec 2012, 18:25
Slight thread drift, I know - but amusing nonetheless. Many moons ago I went into the gents' urinal ay King's Cross station. After pointing Percy the porcelain I looked up to be confronted by a sticker which read "You have just entered the Midland Radar overhead".
brickhistory
19th Dec 2012, 18:51
ORAC, amazing stuff from a more elegant, if less digital time.
There's an article (or two) awaiting you with your recollections and your material.
There were similar graphs and plastic aids for the F-102/F-106.
thing
19th Dec 2012, 22:05
Donna Nook is still active of course but I noticed the Cowden danger zone wasn't there anymore on this years half mil. No more dodging around that then on my meanderings up the Yorkshire coast.
Canadian Break
20th Dec 2012, 00:21
Oh yes, sat on QRA at AKZ with a certain Charlie C for a number of days during El Dorado Canyon I seem to recall.:E
round&round
20th Dec 2012, 18:36
I spent my first tour at Boulmer controlling Lightnings and F4s. I remember one day doing 1v1v1 G8Ds (90s), bat and ball, 25nm splits. You sure earned your pay with tasks like that. I was only just 19!!
airpolice
20th Dec 2012, 19:42
Ah..... but sometimes they didn't need scopies, fighter pilots could do it on their own.
Evidence of this to follow shortly.
Ah..... but sometimes they didn't need scopies, fighter pilots could do it on their own.
Fighter pilots always need an audience. Before data links it was the FC, now the picture is available to everyone you'd think they'd be happy. But it's like the opera, only those who know what's really going on can appreciate the difference between the average and the good.
What's it like to be unappreciated? :E
Fox3WheresMyBanana
20th Dec 2012, 23:12
When I started on the F3, I thought all FC's were called Judy, since that's all the navs ever said to them...
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N2erk
21st Dec 2012, 01:00
Wuz that in response to "flash your weapon"???:O
but sometimes they didn't need scopies, fighter pilots could do it on their own- as the AD saying goes - "One peep is worth a thousand sweeps"
Fox3 "F3"?? Nav???? Blimey, there will be WIWOLs having apoplexies across the board.
Classic call during ACT: "Boss, is that you in my 6?"