Padhist

green granite
Just for interest sake.

Thurleigh
On the 5th December 1962 I carried out 4 landings in thick fog at London Airport ( see GOOGLE- Flt Lt. C. Grogan)
The following day Mr Prescott a senior BLEU Scientist telephoned me to say that he wished me to be ready to go with him to Cambridge that afternoon to do a broadcast for the BBC.
I must say I was pleased he was driving because it was quite foggy and my ground navigation was rather suspect. On route he said " I hope this is going to work out OK. I have been briefed to find this garage on Jesus Street and ask for the keys of the studio." Well I thought this is going to be more hazardous than landing in fog.
However in the event. We found the garage, and with my fingers crossed, I asked for the 'Keys to the studio'. Without batting an eye lid. I was handed a bunch of keys.and advised that if we turned the corner and parked the car we would see a GREEN door, All will be explained inside!
Beyond the door through a rather tatty corridor, was a modern office door, which we entered. Inside was a modern studio, a desk, on which was a large, old style micriphone and a telephone, also under see through plastic picture frame, was a notice which read,
If there is noise coming from the room next door...Bang on the wall...If the noise persists, ring this number.
After a while the telephone rang and Mr Prescott was advised to go over to radio broadcast. We were now both able to join in and we were told we were being taped. Remember Mr Prescott was an expert at this and I was quite green so during extensive questioning I was constantly challenged to simplify my answers for a non flying public.
OK. Ordeal over, we were now on route home. Mr Prescott said."That broadcast is going out just before the 6 O'clock news. Let's pop into this Pub and see if we can listen to it!" Inside he asked the landlord if we could. Well we were told the only radio was in their front room.They had never done this before, he would call us when the programme was on. We were duly called and looked at vey suspiciously by his wife and Mother. But when the broadcast began, it was miraculous, they recognised our voices and their eyes glowed. They were in the midst of celebreties
I was truly amazed to hear my side of the story It sounded quite professional, such was the expertise of the programmer. It certainly was not down to me. As we left, the old lady said to Mr Prescott..." Our television has stopped working! Is there anything you can do".

Having re read this I think I may have made a mistake with names..It could have been Mr Shayler. Anyway it was one of them...Sorry.Paddy

green granite

For those that haven't seen it here's the video of the Final Days at Bedford

darqdean

Hi, not a pilot or even a boffin, just an ex-RAE apprentice wishing to share some unique and rare photographs and memories. I worked in Flight Systems on the flight simulators and the telemetry equipment. In a previous post someone asked for photographs of the aircraft we had at Thurleigh, I have some of the T2 Harrier (XW175 - before its garish respray) piloted (I believe) by John Bolton (sp?) and a couple of Mr John Farley (see picture below) and his non-RAE T2, all taken in Feb 1977 aboard HMS Hermes somewhere in the Moray Firth. My role in this little exercise was to man the telemetry equipment recording flight-trials information (I also built a bit of it) - all of which was housed in the little orange and white cabin to the left of the picture - which incidentally was made at Thurleigh from a section of old wind tunnel.



I have 14 more pictures like this if anyone is interested in seeing them.


erm... some memories - The head of Electronics School was indeed Keith Paull, and he drove a Reliant Regal, not a Robin. His expertise was in thermionic valves so solid state electronics was an alien tech for him ... but he did fill our days with a lot of esoteric stuff like his memoirs as a dispatch rider, the Scouts, his thoughts on paranormal stuff and research into flying fortresses based at Twinwoods. As someone said, a lot of "characters" worked at the RAE in those days...

During my time there I worked on the telemetry equipment of the Flight System's T2 Harrier and the Gnat (Tonka toy... that's a new one on me) and as a radio tech the Sea Vixen, Lightning, HS125, Hunter, Sea King, Puma and Wasp. Being based in the Electronics School for two years, I also watched many launches from the steam catapult, including the Fairey Gannet, which would drop off the end of the deck and run along the grass for several yards before finally getting airborne.