Old 1950s Jet Pilot Anecdote

[Fonsini]

I'm a sucker for old jet stories, especially the type of thing you just don't hear about in today's somewhat regimented flying - from the A-4 pilot who liked to fly up the slopes of Mount Fuji and then roll inverted going over the top (until the day arrived that he started his run without enough airspeed to make it) to the tale of the Canberra pilot who ejected on short finals and landed still strapped into his seat upright and with no injuries and without a deployed chute.

So I'll relay one that was told to me first hand, the story itself isn't all that amazing, it's the first hand part that made it special for me.

Way back in the day I was dating this rather attractive young woman from Southend, she came from a well-to-do family and mentioned that her uncle, a retired Wing Commander, lived in an equally mansion like house just around the corner from her parents pad. Being an eternal prop head I asked if we could go around for tea one day to say hello and she was only too wiling to oblige (as with most things as I recall :} ).

The day came and the door was answered by a lady with not one, but an entire tree full of plums in her mouth, she had the look of the most beautiful debutante at the ball - but 40 years ago. She ushered us into what I at first thought was a covered football pitch with carpet but which transpired to be their living room, and sat at one end was this elderly gentleman with the most impressive handlebar moustache I have yet to see in person. He was a wonderful old chap and talked about flying the Canberra in some type of formation for the Queen, commenting about some type of difficulty formation flying at a certain airspeed caused by "flutter vanes" I believe - forgive my memory, this was a long time ago.

With my encouragement he went on to describe his experiences as a display pilot in a Meteor. Apparently the controls were somewhat heavy, no hydraulics I'm assuming, and he was required to perform a hesitation roll down the length of the runway, in his own words (forgive the French) "well as I did the first 2 parts of the roll I felt my arms giving out, and bugger me if I didn't get the bloody thing inverted and couldn't roll it back again, so to my intense embarrassment I just flew down the runway inverted." His wife was most unimpressed with the language and he mumbled "sorry dear, slipped back into me mess language for a moment there". When he landed and exited the cockpit the crowd went wild with applause, of course they had no idea he had messed up.

Today I would have been asking about inverted flight tanks and oil considerations if you stay inverted for longer than 10 seconds, but I always worked on the basis that he didn't stay the wrong way up for longer than that. Suffice to say I loved the hour I got to spend with him.

He is without doubt long gone from us, but that old story has never left my mind.

[Danny42C]

Fonsini,

Had only a few hours on the Meteor in '50 and '54, and remember the controls as being a bit "wooly" in feel, but even though it had no power assistance I don't remember them as being particularly heavy (except as in comparison with, say, a Spitfire or Harvard).

As for his arms being tired, I would say that it would be far more likely to be his legs - for you have to use your legs a lot in a slow or hesitation roll: the idea of doing one of these in a Meteor near the ground - or anywhere below oxygen level for that matter - makes my blood run cold. I suppose, if he were going very fast (which would be a Good Idea anyway for what he was doing), rudder and stick might stiffen up a bit. We really need a proper Meteor driver - should be plenty around on * this Thread - to come in on this.

Max time inverted was said to be 15 seconds: most folk counted 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 15 ! (after all, you have your wife and pension to consider).

In late '51, I took over (as a Unit Adj) from a chap who (said he) had been the Aerobatic Champion of Fighter Command. Wish I could remember the name. But my young Nephew admired his physique ("Charles Atlas!", he said). Could it be ?

Your "French" is no problem in this * "Crewroom in Cyberspace" - read a few of * our stories ! Now your "elderly gentleman with the handlebars" is by no means necessarily "long gone", as you say. (How old am I ?)

"Don't Assume - Check !" If he's still around, is he by any chance "on line" ? Point him in * our direction, and cajole him into coming aboard.

Cheers, Danny42C.

Note * = "Gaining an RAF Pilots Brevet in WWII" Thread.

[Fonsini]

Thanks Danny - I believe his last name would have been Ayshford so Wing Commander Ayshford ?

Yes it would be great to hear comments from an experienced Meteor jockey.

Good grief I found him, he has the DFC !

http://www.xvsqnassociation.co.uk/locations.htm

Amazing what you can find with a simple search, someone sold his old uniform on Ebay, sounds like I met an incredible individual:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Amazing-lot-Named-RAF-Group-Captain-uniform-tunic-cap-trousers-coat-more-/300875388935

[Boudreaux Bob]

We might ask Beags but the Meteor had not been dreamed of when he applied for Retirement probably.;)

[ImageGear]

AYSHFORD - Group Captain JOHN Michael, DFC, passed peacefully away, aged 90, on 21st January 2012, from the Telegraph. :(

[Fareastdriver]

I have never flown a S/S Meteor but the T7's ailerons had servo tabs. They were light enough to start the roll going but stopping it was the problem because of the momentum of two engines. However you had a spade grip so you could use both hands to heave it around. I wouldn't dare to try a slow, or any sort of, roll close to the ground because of it's yaw instability, plus the fact you couldn't bang out.

It didn't matter too much in the fifties. Queenie had stacks of spare aircraft and nobody seemed to worry too much about the pilots.

After the Meteor they never built a fighter with the engines in the wings because of the effect on the roll performance. They were allways close coupled to the fuselage.

[26er]

Meteor ailerons had either spring tabs or servo tabs. The spring tabs a/c were much more responsive in roll at higher speeds. From what I remember all the T7s I flew had spring tabs, as had most F8s. The F3s and F4s had servos. But I am an old fart (though not as old as Danny) and stand to be corrected on all of these points.

[John Farley]

Fareastdriver

I suspect that the adverse effects of asymmetric thrust following an engine failure had more to do with moving the donks in than roll inertia handing issues.

[denachtenmai]

Check out Jan Zurakowski's cartwheel in a Meteor F8. Highlights Of Farnborough 1951 - British Pathé (http://www.britishpathe.com/video/highlights-of-farnborough-1951/query/bombers)
ISTR that he had to keep 24 rockets underwing to help keep the manouever going, and shut down both engines.
Regards, Den.

[BEagle]

You cheeky old bugger, Boudreaux Bob ;) !!

Actually I did have 3 trips in the Meteor T Mk 7 at RAF Brawdy - sitting in the back whilst students on the air-to-air phase shot at the flag we were towing.

At least in my case they weren't aiming at the aircraft, unlike those people who whacked your aircraft, BB....:eek:

[Busta]

During my basic training at Leeming in 1970, the UTP was Flt Lt Nicky Niezrecki (sp ?).
I made the mistake one day of asking him about the "Zurakowski roll"; he almost blew a fuse and then explained that HE had done it first, so it should be referred to as the "Niezrecki roll".

Zurakowski's parentage was also questioned!

Nothing matters very much, most things don't matter at all.

[Warmtoast]

My only trip in a Meteor was in 41 squadron's T7 on a target towing detail to the south coast danger area c.1954.

Photo taken from the back seat - pre bone-dome days.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Biggin%20Hill%20Early%201950s/41SqnMeteorTargetTug_zpsf05f7e0b.jpg

[Fareastdriver]

26er. I stand corrected. They were spring tabs. Getting mixed up with the droopy Brittania ailerons.

[Rosevidney1]

The first hesitation roll I ever saw was performed by an NCO pilot flying a Meteor 8 in the mid 1950s at either St Mawgan or St Eval during an air day.

[Fonsini]

Thanks for finding that link ImageGear - very sad to think of the old fella being gone, and so recently too. But he was a Group Captain - wow, very impressive.

What stories he could have told.......