View Full Version : Sqn Ldr Mark 'Disco' Discombe awarded the AFC
mmitch
8th Nov 2016, 15:14
Sqn Ldr Mark 'Disco' Discombe has been awarded the AFC for getting a BBMF Hurricane back on the ground safely after an oil pipe burst. :)
http://www.memorialflightclub.com/blog/air-force-cross-‘disco’-discombe
mmitch.
pembroke
8th Nov 2016, 15:55
Something similar happened to me. Climbing out of Lydd on an IMC exercise, passing 2500', the crankshaft seal decided to move forward and thus dump a lot of oil over the TB 10. I immediately turned back towards the airfield, (3.5nm) ,trimmed for best glide and throttled back to idle. Words to ATC, "by the way it's a PAN call"! The oil loss decreased and I managed to find one quick burst of power and made the threshold , using the side window as a landing visual reference. A quick tow to the back of the hanger. No damage to the engine , in fact we had 3qts remaining .Prop. off and seal changed. The aircraft then left with the owner back to its base at Biggin. Only paperwork, an MOR. Back home to a stiff whiskey and no medals!
Stitchbitch
8th Nov 2016, 16:32
Well done Disco. On a less serious note it appears there's only slightly more oil underneath LF than usual ;)
Mystic Greg
8th Nov 2016, 18:24
Great skills from Disco, and good to see the recognition.
Alber Ratman
8th Nov 2016, 23:36
Great to see such an award go to Disco, Top Bloke!
just another jocky
9th Nov 2016, 05:09
3FTS, surely.
Well done m8.
Tankertrashnav
9th Nov 2016, 09:29
Having seen one or two AFCs awarded on the thinnest of pretexts which caused a few eyebrows to be raised at the time, I am delighted to see this very well deserved one. Congratulations!
IIRC, Flt Lt Grant Taylor had a similar experience in a BBMF fighter some years back and managed to land safely at RAF Woodhall Spa.
noflynomore
9th Nov 2016, 16:05
AFCs awarded on the thinnest of pretexts
Presumably there was vastly more to this than gentling the engine for a mere 20 miles and landing with oil on the windscreen.
There must have been? Surely? For an AFC?
Peter G-W
9th Nov 2016, 16:44
They used to award Green Endorsements for exemplary airmanship, didn't they?
I believe Grant was awarded a Green Endorsement for the recovery to RAF Woodhall Spa.
QTRZulu
10th Nov 2016, 17:57
Well done Duck. Certainly come along way since we were in school all those years ago :D
kintyred
10th Nov 2016, 21:55
My captain got one of those nasty banana death 'copters safely down after a hydraulic failure caused by an electrical cable rubbing through a pipe. Sparks, smoke, hyd oil everywhere. Didn't even get a Green Endorsement.
By the way, us whirlybird drivers dream of the kind of gliding ability the plankies have!
Old-Duffer
12th Nov 2016, 15:32
LF363 is a bit of a 'case'. Ain't she the Hurricane that was reduced to a back of bits several years ago and then completely rebuilt from scratch?
Any congrats to Sqn Ldr Discombe.
Old Duffer
Alber Ratman
12th Nov 2016, 17:03
I do believe it was the Hurri that cartwheeled into Wittering after a con rod failure. I was on RSS at the time and heard the emergency state 2 call "Hurricane" so went out to see it try and recover. When it crashed , I said a few expletives.. Was standing next to OC 1(F) at the time. On day 11 years later at Cottesmore, I was talking to a contracted pilot doing FRA stuff. Talking careers, he mentioned that he was OC 1 at that time. I apologised for my language of that day.