Nimrod R1-XW666 'Damien'

[lmgaylard]

Hello all.


Hope you are all well.


I'm in the middle of writing some words about Nimrod R1, XW666, and its forced landing on the Moray Firth back in 1995.


The pilot, Art Stacey, is kindly helping with words, facts and some photos.


I was wondering if any of you good folk served on the R1 with 51 Sqn and speciffically XW666. If any of you did serve I was hoping you might be able to pass on any points of interest. Any funny incidents or any unusual missions would be great. If any of you had any photos I could use would be excellent.


As most of you will be aware, there was, and still is, a lot of secrecy revolving around what the R1 guys got up too; so please be careful what you post on this open thread.


Please feel free to PM me or email at; [email protected]
Thank you all in advance, very much appreciated as always.

[salad-dodger]

I spent 10 years on 51 and never once heard '66 referred to as Damien. It was always known as "The Beast". It was even written on the engine covers.

S-D

[big v]

The cockpit section is at the South Yorkshire Air Museum at Lakeside Doncaster, together with a display describing the events.

Rgds,
Vernon

[The Helpful Stacker]

I spent 10 years on 51 and never once heard '66 referred to as Damien.

Indeed. The only a/c I've ever heard routinely called "Damien" was a certain Tristar.

[Dengue_Dude]

If you need an updated photo of that cockpit section in Doncaster, just shout as I only live a couple of miles away from it. However, it's pretty mashed up and most of the flight deck has been pillaged mightily.

PM me if you want to discuss it. As an aside, the last time I saw it was coming through the gates at Woodford on a low loader, having been recovered from the oggin.

[manxexile]

In my time on 51 666 was known as the Beast, 655 Grey Lady and 664 Norman :)

[salad-dodger]

Spot on Manx, although I seem to remember Grey Lady being spelt as "Gray Lady" on the engine covers. Probably written by one of the engine bashers!


665 btw


S-D

[manxexile]

665 btw

Thanks SD Number dyslexic in old age!

[Surplus]

Should've changed triple 6 to 616 for the number of the Beast.

Had to phone my missus the day it went in, RTB to Kinloss from SAR callout when the news broke, sorry Stumpy.

[lmgaylard]

Hello Gents.


Thank you all for your replies, much appreciated.
'Damien'; so was it not known as this? I know 666 was also known as the 'Beast' but I was told by Art that it was also jokingly referred to as Damien.
I met Art earlier in the year when he gave a talk about 666 and the ditching. He did make a lot of references to 'Damien' and made a comment about a future aircraft that will have the 666 serial. I'm wondering if it was either a nickname that came into existance later on or just used by the air / ground crew of 666?


Thank you for the offer of some up-to-date photos of 666, I will pm you shortly.


Thank you all for your help.

[Avtur]

I was on the last crew to "land" in XW666 when we delivered it to ISK from Wyton on 9 December 1994. Flight time of 1:10 ; "Lamb chop" was the Captain (loosely speaking!)

[Avtur]

Forgot to say that some of us did call XW666 Damien, certainly from 1994 onwards, but some also called it the Beast.

[ValMORNA]

I am probably totally incorrect, but ISTR that, in the Trotter's household, son Damien was perceived by Rodney (or 'Wodney', if occifers prefer) to be somewhat Satanic.

[salad-dodger]

Hard to remember much about specific airframes as an engineer, bit I seem to recall that 66 was the last aircraft to make it out to Akrotiri for GW1. It had been in at NMSU for a major and then rushed through EWAD to join the party.

NMSU and EWAD had surpassed themselves with this one, it was a complete bag of sh!te, including leaking like a sieve when it arrived.

It was a long time ago now and I could have the wrong aircraft, but I'm sure one of the crew can confirm from their logbooks.

S-D

[dragartist]

Certainly recall the fuel leaks post major. NMSU sent a CWP down to 4 hangar to fix it. stopped us getting on with more important stuff as the floor was up and down so many times to change one or two of the forward fuselage tanks (Rack 3/4 area).


14 years on EWAU/D never heard 66 referred to as Damien. Most probably a throw back to the Oliver Reed films of the era.


Does anyone recall which a/c had the extra frame in the tail cone (I think it may have been FR70A) caused problems when we tried to move waveguide between airframes - gave up in the end each was individually made.


66 was the last a/c I worked on - new floor for Starwindow which was fitted during the major at NMSU. before I was posted to Brize. Good job the sub racks and all the LRUs were not fitted when it went in. One of my old lads called me up at Brize within the hour. I must admit I just shut my office door and shed a tear or three.

[tucumseh]

Hard to remember much about specific airframes as an engineer, bit I seem to recall that 66 was the last aircraft to make it out to Akrotiri for GW1. It had been in at NMSU for a major and then rushed through EWAD to join the party.

I wouldn't know the tail number, but in the August (90) we were given orders from God+1 that she MUST fly by a certain date, which was way ahead of schedule. On one morning I let 39 contracts for the secret and devious kit by A5 memos (no e-mail then), shattering the myth that only commercial can let contracts. Not one contractor sought payment until mid-91. Each delivered on time, although there was a hiccup as one went in to receivership; but we pitched up in Coventry, barged past the lawyers and accountants and retrieved our kit. A major problem was excessive vibration caused by a D4 being out of balance. It was scrap, because the beancounters hadn't let us have the necessary dynamic balancing kit (think wheel balancing on a very large scale with many kgs of weights), but Lothian Education Council came to the rescue and loaned us theirs. I bought our own after that and hid the costs from the BCs. LOTS of people contributed to that little exercise, and were successful despite the best efforts of High Wycombe. ("I haven't had a memo we're going to war, you're not getting money.") EWAD were superb.

[Sky Sports]

There was only one 'Damien' in my eyes.

XZ666 Lynx "Damien" | Army Rumour Service (http://www.arrse.co.uk/community/threads/xz666-lynx-damien.154074/)

[salad-dodger]

You may already have it, but I have a copy of the accident report if you are interested.

Let me know and I can scan and send it to you.

S-D

[Davef68]

made a comment about a future aircraft that will have the 666 serial.


One of the RC-135s will have the ZZ666 serial

[dragartist]

Thanx for the PM S-D


Tuc, Was the D4 you refer to what I may know as Dolly Parton?


Drag

[tucumseh]

dragartist

If you mean did she have odd lumps all over her body, that's the one. We instinctively ducked when it was spun up in the test house at the Gyle.

[dragartist]

Well Tuc, I am pleased you went to such lengths to get it in balance. When delivered it came with a pair of lifting bard but you would have had to have been precious McKenzie to lift it. we developed an adaptor to a low level hydraulic lift bomb trolley. elf and safety was just kicking off with directions on two man lifts etc. how the guys managed with the previous D2 I know not. the D2 was a pair of Dolly Partons (or a pair of pairs - nudge wink!)


I designed the RAM screens. the supports were filament wound GRP tubes but we could not get any. A company in Runcorn supplied enough for 3 a/c sets and spare. they had a minimum order of a ton. we needed a few yds. they did not invoice us at the paperwork cost more than the goods. 20+ years later I am buying bones for crash test dummies from the same outfit on the back of the goodwill they extended.


The team at BAe were quite supportive of what we were doing.


There was a cap com picture of a young dragartist with hair showing some airship what we had been upto

[oldmansquipper]

Was this the aircraft that suffered an engine (or two) fire and ditched?

I recall sending a signal (remember them?) to the SE section at Kinloss congratulating them on their part in the very successful epic "Six aircrew and a dinghy" from my EA position at HQSTC...Only to be chastised by "them upstairs" for being flippant. :=

Tuc, I`m sure you will be pleased to know that our office managed many commercial bypass operations during GW1 and Kosovo..I guess someone paid the bills eventually :ok:

[salad-dodger]

ah, the dolly and the double dolly. I think those two were limited to 150rpm iirc. I think it was a valve or switch that was set on the hydraulic pedestal. The other hydraulically spun antennae could go at 300rpm. Spinning the big aerials on the ground used to shake the whole aircraft. We used to avoid spinning those when the aircraft was on jacks.

S-D

[Surplus]

I recall sending a signal (remember them?) to the SE section at Kinloss congratulating them on their part in the very successful epic "Six aircrew and a dinghy"

Except it was 7 POB.

[salad-dodger]

Was this the aircraft that suffered an engine (or two) fire and ditched?
Er, yes!

S-D

[tucumseh]

We used to avoid spinning those when the aircraft was on jacks.

Yes. I went to Wyton to see the extent of the problem with the hydraulic engineers from Ferranti. (They were taking over the electrical pedestals as well). I'd worked on many aircraft types but never been pulled back to safe distance like that while some poor Corporal was sent in to switch it on while on jacks. Frightening to watch it shaking. I just thought £50k on a computer station was good value to get her flying. After all, AMSO were pi##ing millions down the drain every day at the time.


they did not invoice us at the paperwork cost more than the goods.

These are the stories about British industry we should hear more of. On my last job in MoD I discovered a company in Yorkshire who were supplying our recce troops with free kit, because BOWMAN refused to buy it. (Well, who ever thought a radio would need an aerial? Daft idea)

[dragartist]

Tuc,
Certainly the RAM screen support tube material was gifted to the MoD. At the time there appeared to be public support for the MoD.


I did not have visibility to know for sure what commercial arrangements were made between MoD and BAe. One could only trust the RPO up at Woodford. Feared that the MoD paid twice for the design and some manufacturing effort when we put BOZ and MAWs on the R. As it was a DA MoD we worked on BAe Drawing blanks and had a book of BAe Drawing numbers. Odd numbers for Port. Even Numbers for Starboard (or the other way round). A drawing could have two drawing numbers- Our system we drew both LH and Rt hand parts. I was being paid as a Civil Servant but did fear that BAe were also charging by the drawing we were producing. We just got on with it, got the drawings approved up at Woodford whilst the guys were tin bashing and machining parts at risk.


Another daft thing being unofficially sub contracted to BAe, BAe had booked flights to visit NMSU for a trial fit of the Pylons or something so we could travel together. When I submitted my approval to travel form it bounced back because MoD could not accept BAe providing air travel, they thought it was hospitality! the fact that we had been working hand in glove many long hours counted for nothing.


Same era - I had a consignment of 38999 connectors delivered for my attn. These were for MAWs. I could not figure the quantity to learn later that I had the worlds supply including those assigned for Chinook. OK the LRUs probably cost squillions but there was no F640 for the connectors just a packing crate with my name scrawled on it

[Terry McCassey]

Hi S-D, not sure if you still read this thread but I thought I might drop you a note anyway. Would you be able to send me a copy of the report on XW666 ? I might have had a ride on this one during my time at Bruggen 74 to 77. scrounged a jollie departing early one Friday evening for what I thought would be a quick trip to Leeming then a 48 hour homer. Not to be, spent hours over the North Sea arriving at Leeming well after midnight. But that's another story ! Cheers anyway . . .

[Davef68]

Interesting this thread should resurrect the week the new Beast (ZZ666) arrived at Waddington!

[1771 DELETE]

Ditching is the correct term, forced landing would be onto a runway.