I had the great pleasure of flying with your father on my first tour and his second on 101 sqn from April 1968 to April 1970. The Bomb Comp you mention occurred just after we had arrived on the squadron and were still non-op. Taff flew with another crew, Mick Hibberd's I think, and they won the Comms trophy. He was an AEO of the highest calibre, but could be irritating on the subject of Welsh rugby, then in its heyday. I'm sure I must have some pictures of him somewhere; I'll look them out and get back to you. I haven't seen him since 1974 - I hear that like me he has thickened somewhat at the girth.
Barksdale Boy, thanks for that (I should really get him on here shouldn't I? haha). He mentioned that particular competition and as you can imagine he is still a little sore about the final outcome. He went AEO for that crew when theirs went sick, the crew came last in the Nav competition but were redeemed when Dad won the Comms trophy. The crew won a trip to Perth , Western Australia, and took THEIR OWN AEO, not him. I think the phrase he used about he and his crew was 'spitting blood'. Nice to know that gratitude and honour were seen there. Without him they'd have sunk. But hey-ho. Maybe a measure of guilt has been felt ever since, we can but hope. Don't worry, by the way, he's still as nuts on Rugby as he ever was but obviously the achievements of the Welsh teams have not lived up to those heady days. It's more fun in his household now as my stepmother is Scottish and also very into Rugby. Makes for some very intense moments during certain matches, lol.
Another name he has mentioned is Hugh Prior, Martin Wither's AEO, who will have endured six weeks of Dad banging on about the various instruments, lol.
I will attempt to get him to register and join in the conversations so there can be a number of re-acquaintances made. He's having a few computer nightmares at the moment as someone 'fixed' his computer and, despite wanting to remain with XP, the person put a dodgy copy of Windows 7 on and it's knackered his home tower. The laptop he's using is not great. I'm taking him shopping for a new one in September.
By that way, I think I may have mentioned earlier, September 4th is an open day at East Midlands Aeropark and and has said he'd like to go as the Nimrod R1 will be sitting pretty there by then. XM575 is the pride of the park there. How long we'll be there I don't know (5 year olds are notoriously difficult to pin down and mine is no exception but ALWAYS has to be there) but if anyone else fancies going then it might be a nice meet. If anyone has any 575 stories. memories, pictures then I know the Aeropark will be over the moon to know anything. I bought the Haynes book about the Vulcan and one of the first pictures has 575 in anti-flash white and they were ecstatic.
An extra about the crew in Thunderball...... I mentioned Mr Mills, being the pilot that is in shot the longest, climbing aboard. His name is Antony 'Tony' Mills. Not to be confused with the one who joined up in the early 80s only to be flying a desk fairly soon after. Our Tony left the RAF in 1979 to fly with Monarch Airlines until retiring in 2000. More than that I can't add, the internet is now such a minefield of possible information that you need to try loads of permeations of search words and tonight I am stopping after a couple of hours. Tired.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lincolnshire
Age: 70
Posts: 9,422
Ricky Crowder in the centre I see, he was at the Newark reunion last year.
Note the sartorial attire of our intrepid aviators. Blue flying suits, green ones, open necked shirts etc etc. The Polos didn't come in till late '72-'73. Now had they been a static crew for a VIP that would have been different.
Looking closer the plotter also seems to be modelling the dark grey temperate climate flying suit. Not bad, 5 crew and at least 4 different outfits.
They're the smartest looking Vulcan crew I've ever seen. I especially like the lovely best blue SD Caps. So much smarter than the proper ones that get stuffed in the Nav Bag while airborne.
I think that at the time the QB flypast photo was taken Ricky Crowder was CFI (note the Sqn Ldr rank braid). However, I'm fairly certain he was CI later. I can't remember who the CI was in 1971.
Thanks to Mum, who is with us today, the unknown chappy is John LeBrun. He was a French-Canadian (we believe) and used to live round the corner from us in North Hykeham.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lincolnshire
Age: 70
Posts: 9,422
VB, thank you. Now I should recognised him. Mind you I would have sworn I had flown with him but found I haven't. I see though that Ricky was the captain on one OCU sortie. Equally surprising I thought I had flown with Don Briggs but found I hadn't but that I had flown with Joe L'Estrange when he was posted to 35 - another fact I had forgotten.
On stealling sorties I see I flew with IX to UK and back for some reason when I was on 35.
In 1968, while on the UBAS Summer Camp at Lindholme, a group of us went to Finningley to have a look around a Vulcan.
I have a very clear memory of looking down the length of the bomb bay (with the doors closed) but I cannot remember how we got there. Can someone refresh my memory concerning the access to the bomb bay?
Can someone refresh my memory concerning the access to the bomb bay?
Yes, There was a split hatch at the front of the bomb bay doors. Now for the associated trivia, the internal lights in the bomb bay were controlled by a master switch in the nose wheel bay. To remember that isn't just sad, it's tragic!
Remember the split hatch well. Used to have to climb through it in order to sort out the STR18 aerial coupler at the rear of the bomb bay. Thought it was a neat idea, the notch in the base of the rudder, thus using the whole of the airframe as an antenna. Pity the mechanics of the coupler weren't up to the task, jamming with some regularity.
I have a new Vulcan painting ready to go to press. Instead of the usual suspects as signatories I was thinking of inviting a Vulcan crew + crewchief and groundcrew to sign it. Do you by any chance know of a group to fit that bill living in the Norfolk area? I am at Dereham and would be pleased to host a lengthy lunch and short signing session (30 mins) at my local. The place I have in mind serves great food, *in the style of an aircrew feeder, has good beer and is open as long as you care to sit and talk bollocks with your mates. Late October/early November 2011. First team of 7or8 to call me is in. Google is your finder. Mike Rondot
Last edited by mike rondot; 27th Sep 2011 at 10:58.
Reason: In praise of feeders, *deleted word "not"
