216 Squadron Disbandment Parade

[CoffmanStarter]

Timmy bows out ...

https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/1460066_10152296134119885_1842161703_n.jpg


The disbandment parade of 216 Squadron took place yesterday at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. The parade, attended by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford, also saw the retirement after 30 years of distinguished service of the Tristar aircraft.

The disbandment brings to an end a notable 96 year history of 216 Squadron, which for the last ten years has been a vital part of the air transport “Airbridge” to Afghanistan, and transport & air-to-air refueling aircraft to the Falkland Islands.

The Tristar is replaced by the RAF’s new Voyager fleet operated currently by Squadrons 10 & 101. Voyager will guarantee the RAF’s Strategic Air Mobility capability well beyond 2020.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1.0-9/1601112_10152296135219885_38351855_n.jpg

Image Credits : MOD RAF

Sad to see another RAF Squadron consigned to the history book ...

[54Phan]

Yes, very sad to see such a distinguished squadron fold its tent. I would certainly hope, by the way, that Voyager would provide air mobility capability well beyond 2020 :eek:.

[Onceapilot]

Well done to all who were ever involved!
Scrapped too soon IMO.

OAP

[Wander00]

Thanks 216 for getting me to and from FI safely in 1986, and for letting me be part of your quiz team there - "If We Don't Win, We Won't Fly You Home"

[Arfer Minnit]

Farewell, Two Sixteen. You bore gifts bravely and well. The nation may yet need your services again. Rest now and gather strength for that occasion in the proud knowledge that you have lived up to the very essence of your motto.

[skydiver69]

The Tristar is replaced by the RAF’s new Voyager fleet operated currently by Squadrons 10 & 101. Voyager will guarantee the RAF’s Strategic Air Mobility capability well beyond 2020.

I'm pleased to see that the RAF are planning so far into the future.

[overstress]

So long, and thanks for all the gas. :{

[Valiantone]

Dare I ask if there is a farewell flypast planned?

Even if its on the way to Bruntingthorpe.


V1

[Axel-Flo]

Taken the P!$$ many times over the years but never with Malice, claimed my £5 but never collected it. So glad you picked up the baton when the Voyager "paused" will be sad to see you go and not watch the TRI motor getting airborne from Brize and overflying my house...I still look up and will never class myself a spotter..

L1011 Wisper Liner.......Wonderful Air Plane, sterling service and great crews.....

Till the next time you stand up 216 Sqn, farewell.....:ok:

[Avtur]

And so the E-3D Fleet is now the last bastion of the RAF Air Engineer. Good luck to the Air Engs' (and the rest) departing 216.

[Valiantone]

And after the end of next week, the oldest operational (frontline) jet with four engines in the RAF.....

Or I suppose the 146s at Northolt beat them slightly

V1

[NutLoose]

Don't worry, they may be gone, but they will live on, well at least on the RAF website along with the Vc10 in the current fleets :p

I remember them forming at Brize, it seems like yesterday... Sigh, a lot of air miles under their wings since then.




.

[higthepig]

216 thank you, you have taken me to some crappy places, but more importantly brought me back home from them, all the best to all.

HTP

[Lowkey]

Fly past and press day are planned for Monday. Route to follow;

Unfortunately the Sqn has been laid to rest therefore can never rise again. :-(

[Onceapilot]

Who has done the stats for the fleet? Very roughly, I estimate a quarter of a million flying hours in RAF service. The operational AAR statistics are also considerable. Maybe these figures will appear in an RAF promo or, are they the subject of a D notice? Hey, some other nations recognise their ability: Quote of a US Navy Admiral at a tanker symposium circa 2005 "you want to know the best tanker in NATO.....RAF TriStar"!

OAP

[Dengue_Dude]

Thanks for all the Cannonballs

. . . my liver is still suffering from the cheap ASI hooch and KWV Port

. . . Ian Parry agreed to carry me rather than the fuel (I knew I'd cracked it then)

. . . and the 'easy' FE licence with which to ply my trade in civvy street.

. . . and all the fun when D Visiting Aircraft was boss

The best 'office' in any aircraft I flew (once the AAR probe lights were removed).

Rust in Peace

[boguing]

My favourite squadron, but I can't tell you why!

All the best to all of you at 216.

[Onceapilot]

DD: "pound for pound, I would rather have the fuel....":=

OAP

[Motleycallsign]

Probably my best flying tour was with 216. Such a magnificent airframe to operate on.

Unbeknown to the crew of the day, 216 had the auspicious honour of dropping the forerunners of the SAS, when David Sterling cadged a lift in the western desert and got out in-flight, breaking his leg in the process.

[Willard Whyte]

Have they left one on static display at Calgary, just for old time's sake?

[TheChitterneFlyer]

Despite the many 'Cannonballs', that Dengue Dude alludes to, I can also concur that it's the best flying office that was ever built. A great bunch of people to fly with, and, it's my hope that many 'old hands' will be in attendance at the Hangar Bash on Thursday. I can't say that I'll be looking forward to the Friday morning hangover!

Farewell 'ten-eleven'

TCF

[NutLoose]

Have a good party!

[Davita]

Not trying to argue...especially on this nostalgic occasion...but cannot agree with this quote by TheChitterneFlyer...'I can also concur that it's the best flying office that was ever built.'

I was an RAF F/E on Hastings then VC10s; and in civvy life 4 years B707, 2 years L1011 and 10 years B747 (200/300)

The Tristar was my worst experience....it only had 3 engines and the civil version never performed to Lockheed's specs. Also, red alert lights would flash for no apparent reason...new to type pilots would ask "What to :mad: is that Dave?"
My standard response was "Just cancel and wait a couple of seconds" ....they always went out and not return but...scared the crap outta me.

Have a great going-away party.

[TheChitterneFlyer]

but cannot agree with this quote by TheChitterneFlyer

Each to their own. I also flew the B747-200/300 for several years and, IMHO, the 747 'office' didn't even come close to the 'ten-eleven'.

[Hueymeister]

What's planned to happen to the number plate?

[Coochycool]

Uh did somebody say flyby?

What where who when?

Know why

Please come say cheerio to Leuchars then

Thanks for all Timmy

[Not a Crew Chief]

So that's it then. I'm now officially old as every type I worked on has left the service.


Looking at the signed Squadron print just above this PC and I'm taken back to Port and Cheese parties at 08:00 just after arriving in ASI on aforementioned Canonballs. C***s A****'s shark hanging up in the showers. Covered in fuel on the first stop of a 21 day epic ferrying 'stores' between Germany and the Middle East for GW1. Dustbin lid pizzas before night shift in Malpensa. Albert's (the bar not the aeroplane). And many many more happy days.

[The Curator]

I personally will always have a very soft spot for this fine aircraft. Years ahead of its time in design and general clevverness.
Hampered by always having to suckle the hind mammary of the VC10 and by those who were completely unaware of its true capabilities.
Hated by Navigators. What a great shame that some much needed money was not forthcoming in the important areas and at the important times.
Bye Bye 216. You gave me the best 20 years of my RAF career.
You are sorely missed.

[Warmtoast]

I always admired 216's smart and shiny Comets - they made excellent photographic subjects such as this one I photographed at Negombo / Katunayake in 1957.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/RAF%20Negombo%20Katunayake/216Sqn-CometatKat_zpsb3934df4.jpg

[CoffmanStarter]

That's a great picture Warmtoast :ok:

[RAFEngO74to09]

The Comets certainly did still look great in the 1960s and 1970s:

http://sg-etuo.de/media/xpb/grondstein/Comet_XR395_Grondstein.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/RAF_Comet_Manteufel.jpg

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/94699300.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/DH.106_Comet_C.2_XK697_216_Sq_LHR_21.06.65_edited-3.jpg

[Wander00]

Photo makes the Comet (and beautiful it is) look as big as the 707 - but always thought 707 was bigger

[Tay Cough]

My only flight overseas as a UAS cadet was to Akrotiri and back on the jumpseat of a 216 Sqn Tristar when they were "new" ish. :E

Thank you. Turned out to be quite prophetic I suppose. Big jets for a living now.:ok:

[BEagle]

Twenty One and Six had no less than 3 different aircraft types during my RAF time:

Comet 4 (until 1975)
Buccaneer (1979-80)
TriStar (1984 - present)

Some very nice video on tonight's local meeja following today's PR flight....

I well recall the day I arrived at Brize in 1983 with all my worldly possessions stuffed in or on my brand new Opel Manta. The station was on Bikini Amber, but fortunately Gate Plod accepted that I was posted in and didn't ask me to unload the car. As I drove around PTS bend and turned left for the OM, this huge blue and white monster appeared in the windscreen - one of the first 2 ex-ba TriStars for 216!!

Was it really over 30 years ago??

[RAFEngO74to09]

I had forgotten about the short-lived Buccaneer era:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g247/MDE_2006/XV865216Sq6-82.jpg


Here is a Hunter from those days:

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g247/MDE_2006/13-XL568-15-80.jpg

[CoffmanStarter]

For those interested ... RAF News has just released the following ...

RAF News Reporter: The last 4 RAF Tristars should fly to Bruntingthorpe tomorrow although weather forecast doesn't look promising ...

No timings mentioned ...

[MichaelBuckle]

09:30, 10:00, 13:00, 14:30

[Avtur]

I can also concur that it's the best flying office that was ever built.

Cuz it was sans navigator????

[fergineer]

I concur as well best office to fly in and an excellent aircraft to be crew on.

[Davita]

I confess to know nothing about the RAF Tristar but in its civil role it was not a commercial success.
Lockheed even bribed Comany executives, including my own Co's Director of Flight Operation, to procure the A/C.

We were told it would fly non-stop Hong Kong to Sydney....never happened...we would need to send the pax luggage on another A/C to achieve that range.

It bankrupted Rolls Royce and the UK taxpayer has been bankrolling that purchase ever since. Probably why the RAF ended up with them....and probably why we were given landing rights to Heathrow. politics...politics!

I'm not sure but I think it also caused the demise of Eastern Airlines, and let's not forget the crash in the Everglades. Rumour has it they scavenged the galley equipment from that A/C to one of our leases. Our Flight Attendants (Asian) were scared of ghosts and avoided that A/C like the plague...sickies were prolific.
I flew on the leased Eastern A/C on a USA licence as they were still 'N' registered...it was a stop-gap cheap lease and now most of those L1011s can be found in an A/C parking lot in the desert near Tucson, AZ.
Also, I cannot recall how many times I had to help Flight Attendants in the lower galley when their equipment didn't work, or the elevator would stick!

The DLC was an advanced idea but most of our pilots were hesitant about it...didn't give much confidence as we constantly looked at some Vstall device...long time ago but I remember calling 'Alpha mode'...or something similar, on a few occasions...as this was a preliminary warning.

I'll admit it had advanced electronics which impressed me...but I'd be easily impressed having just spent 4 years on B707-320C which operated like a wheelbarrow...except the nose gear could easily stick-up!

Anyway, as someone said...each to his own. Enjoy the nostalgia.

[CoffmanStarter]

An Air-to-Air pic from yesterdays Last Mission released by RAF News on Twitter ...

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/af162/CoffmanStarter/BjhJt0RCEAAXE4V_zpsbeb9cd48.jpg

Image Credit : RAF News

[More lookout]

I just stood and watched a Tristar flyover on approach to Birmingham. Whilst I normally have a quick glance, today I watched it until it disappeaerd from sight. I reflected on my first trip as an Air cadet based at Brize, to the numerous flights back and forth to Akrotiri on my first tour. To the ball breaker Falklands run; sleeping on the floor and running for the first beer on turnround at Asi, to the tannoy at MPA "Tristar 200 miles inbound", we knew the post was coming and fresh milk. You were a great workhorse.....Thank you:ok:

[cobalt42]

Thanks for the fly-by at Hurn yesterday. :)

[Top Bunk Tester]

Good luck to all on 216, especially all of the Air Engineers who now don't have a flying role to go, a sad day. Strange how every aircraft we've scrapped recently had an Air Eng seat and that has now led to the largest 'Capability Gaps' we've seen in living memory :ugh:

[The Curator]

:{:{:{............

[Farfrompuken]

Anyone going tomorrow? Believe its #5s or Dinner Suit.

[vascodegama]

TBT

E3?

[MPN11]

May I add a small proxy whimper on behalf of the OH, who was Adj of No 216 in Comet 4 days.

She doesn't take any criticism of the Comet's oversized nose wheel ... She was there when delivering VIPs to chocks to the second was 216's business, and size didn't matter! She also wonders whether even Air Force One is as punctual as 216 was?

May Donna deliver gifts again ... A great squadron with a great and varied history. And it's always, and forever, Two-Sixteen, as befits its parentage :cool:

(Read and approved by Mrs MPN11)

[Top Bunk Tester]

Vasco

AWACS is now fully manned in the 3rd seat so practically all of the Air Engs from Nimrod, VC10, C130K & Tri* are having to fill non flying posts or retire with the exception of the lucky few who still manage to get some hours on the BBMF Lanc.