Were you on the Belfast? Any sign of scurvy?

[airsound]

This thread springs, big and beautifully marked, out of the ‘A400M will not make 2009’ thread, which was creeping slowly and steadily, not unlike the magnificent Belfast itself. So, any fond (or otherwise) memories very welcome here

In the A400 thread, Barnstormer1968 said
Belfast's used to seem to be a nicer looking cousin (sort of) of the C133.
which reminded me of a conversation on approach into Chicago O’Hare. It went something like this
“Ascot 4321, Chicago, say aircraft type.”
“Ascot 4321 is a Belfast, Sir”
“What ‘n heck’s a Belfast, Ascot?”
“Oh.... it’s a big turboprop, bit like a Charlie 133, but prettier.”
“Ascot, Chicago, roger”
.......
“G’morning Chicago, United 678”
“United 678, Chicago, continue behind the landing Belfast”
“Behind the landing whaaat?”
microscopic pause while the controller ups his voice by a disbelieving semitone or two, then
“United 678, Chicago........ don’t you know a Belfast when you see one?”

airsound

[galaxy flyer]

Or the tow crew trying to put a Belfast into a C-130 hangar, thinking it was a C-130 and couldn't figure out why it wouldn't fit.

Or that the Belfast is the ONLY aircraft in which all the examples built flew together in ONE formation. Try that in your Phantom!!

GF

There has to be some RAF or HeavyLift guys with Belfast stories........

[Blacksheep]

I have lots of stories, but the Belfast was one of those aircraft I prefer to forget. It was rumoured around Brize Line Servicing Squadron (mostly among the VC10 specialists) that the Belfast was built in two halfs that were joined up mid-production. The front half was built by Catholics and the rear half was built by Protestants and the clever trick was to get both parts working together at the same time.

An example: Two main batteries connected in parallel. A spare provided just in case. The mains are changed once every three months. The spare, not being charged in situ, is changed monthly. To change the spare you have to remove both the mains for access... :ugh:

[woodring]

The gentlemans way to fly, night stop everywhere.
and a few hours kip in one of the 6 bunks en-route.
Four days to Hong Kong, then go u/s and cancel the circuit bashing that had been planned. 5 days back including a visit to the wine festival in Limasoll.
Those certainly where the days.

[Blacksheep]

Four days to Hong Kong, then go u/s Since when did a Belfast make it all the way to Honkers without going u/s along the way? :rolleyes:

364 held the record. Eastabout via Oz arriving back in UK with none of the original engines - six engine changes en-route. (The one in Gan must have been genuine.) I was on that Gan team and it took us four days to adjust full power. The Rolls Royce graphs went down to -30° C but only went up to +25° C so we had to interpolate them and then do the engine adjustments at 2 am when the temperature dropped to about 28° C. :ugh:

Out here in Borneo we recently chartered the last airworthy (?) Belfast to transport an engine. It promptly went u/s en-route from Brisbane and diverted to Denpasar for a week to have one of its own engines replaced. In the meantime we got a good old reliable Antonov in to do the job.

[Agaricus bisporus]

Then they fell into the hand of civvies...

It is alleged (on good authority, I assure you) that a young fellow was being interviewed for a job as FO somewhere in Essex. The interview consisted of just one question..."How many cans of Boddington's fit into a standard flight bag?"

He got the job.

(It wasn't me) My interview consisted of "May I see your logbook?" followed by "Can you start Monday?".

They clearly inspired a special spirit amongst their crews!

[woodring]

They could be reliable ,we spent a month with 2 a/c in Bahrein shuttlling to Aden before the withdrawal and I don't remember any major snags .

[pontifex]

My abiding memory of the Belslow was when on detachment to Masirah watching one backing up to the very edge of the runway before take off directed by the loadmaster from the ramp.

[Beeayeate]

Only worked Belfasts as and when they passed through Gan, and then generally at night for some reason. Thing I remember most about the Belf was that it took in the order of 3,000 pumps on the hyd hand pump to close the ramp door. And the hyd hand pump was not very securely mounted nor thoughtfully positioned.

http://www.canberra.plus.com/pics/ganbelfast.jpg

Taken from my billet window in '72(ish).


:ok:

[Krakatoa]

The last one is still gainfully employed doing charters around the region. It can be seen parked in the GA area close to the road into Cairns.

[Mark M'Words]

Don't remember Boddingtons being a favourite..... 'twas always a slab of green(heiniken) a slab of red(mckewans export) and bottles of scotch.

Always remember my first night stop, all of the crew in the Captains room for drinks when the top of the whisky bottle was unscrewed very ceremoniously by the loadie and then chucked out of the window.......because we wouldn't be needing it again!!

Heavylift a strangly ran flying club but it was fun....sometimes:}

[twentygrand]

I was the co-pilot on both double crew runs to Changi and back in mid '68. We made the return journey in 3 days via Akrotiri, Muharraq, and Gan. The first time we swopped places 90 mins before landing but the simpler option of leg & leg about worked better. The crews felt OK at the end but the medics in their "sound proof" capsule down the back were knackered.:

The Belfast really need a fifth engine and it was pretty marginal in the heat - everyone came out at Changi to watch the takeoff and to see if we would clear the palm trees at the end.

It was also spirally unstable - you needed out-turn aileron in an established turn, and of course it wouldn't stall properly.

[galaxy flyer]

It seems the Belfast rivals the C-5 in reliability (?) Twice I spent more than a week in Honolulu getting fixed. One major gear problem and once replacing a elevator actuator. C-5, great airplane to really see the world.

Anyway, I did see the Belf in Cairns recently. Love to have flown on it.

GF

[Al R]

Interesting thread, thank you.

Heavy Lift is restoring a second Belfast with a view to it joining their other one. The work is being done at Sarfend Airport.

http://heavyliftcargo.com/belfastcap.htm

This might be one for the old lags. Is there any truth in the rumour that our original order of Belfast was slashed because we devalued Sterling and when we had to go to the American World Bank or IMF for help, we were politely asked if we had ever considered buying more of their smaller but more flexible Hercules'..?

[Gainesy]

Twice I spent more than a week in Honolulu getting fixed.

Good Drills.:ok::)

[tornadoken]

AI R: (Belfast:IMF): No.
1959 procurement, driven by perceived need to lift Blue Streak. No more than 10 needed. Retained after demise of IRBM as make-work for Short's and value for Bristol (wings) in merger into BAC. RAF's 1964 wish for C-130H was to dump Argosy, ordered in 1959 when RAF had wanted C-130E. Need for IMF Loan was 1965.

[galaxy flyer]

Number of posts on engine problems-was the Tyne just too far ahead of its time or was their a particular issue? Was used rather well on the Dassault Atlantique, I believe. Second, compared to the Belfast, is the A400M bigger or smaller? Last, did the Belfast have boosted controls or tabs? And what was it like to manhandle.

I know it will bring tactical capability. We had all kinds of airdrop facilities in C-5 but never used except for ICBMs and training. Yes, ICBMs!

GF

[Samuel]

Didn't the Belfast have a Britannia wing?
Was the Tyne used on anything else other than the Belfast/Vanguard?; [the Lockheed Electra was a much better aircraft by the way, and in Orion form is still around!]

[Al R]

tornadoken said; No. 1959 procurement, driven by perceived need to lift Blue Streak. No more than 10 needed. Retained after demise of IRBM as make-work for Short's and value for Bristol (wings) in merger into BAC. RAF's 1964 wish for C-130H was to dump Argosy, ordered in 1959 when RAF had wanted C-130E. Need for IMF Loan was 1965.

Cheers.

[RETDPI]

From memory ( no documents to hand) I seem to recall that the original intention to order 10 Belfasts was considered a nonsense at Shorts who would only proceed on a minimum of 30 or so. This was duly agreed . Once the production line was committed then the order was then once more cut back to 10.
Originally called the Britannic ( Brit wing ) then Belfast once the aircraft had grown with the 20ft centre-section implant.
Hispano licence built Tynes went into Transall and Atlantique amongst others.
Only flew in one once ( "Hercules") coming home from Gernany post 1969 King Rock ( Beags!) - slept through the landing. Flight deck like the bridge of the Queen Mary.

[galaxy flyer]

Thanks, Mike. I take it you flew the beast. At the time I meet the HeavyLift crew, the Belfast was the next smaller cargo cross section to the C-5. They loved it when challenged for a domestic (US) permit by Flying Tiger (they offered 747), the Heavy Lift agent would hand the load plan to the Tiger rep and say, "see if it'll fit", where on the agent dropped the challenge and DOT gave the permit to HeavyLift.

GF

[airsound]

galaxy flyer - thanks for your posts. Nice to get stuff from the big guys..... Remember being on a Belfast Westbound, nightstopping Dover AFB, with another nightstopping Eastbound, and the USAF Despatcher being somewhat gobsmacked when we told him he had 20% of the global fleet on his field.

As far as the cross-section of the freight bay was concerned - your C-5 was of course bigger. but, as I mentioned in another thread, we did have 12x12ft, which I think was taller than yours, and we could carry a Sea King without taking the rotor head off. At the time, I don’t think any other (western) aircraft could do that.

my final memory of 53 Sqn was the sqn flying everyone who wanted to go to the laying up of the sqn standard in Edinburgh cathedral. Can’t remember who drew the short straw to be the operating crew - but the rest of us got monumentally pissed, and, as far as I can remember, there was a distinct lack of roadsigns in Edinburgh the day after.

Happy days. Although the fact that the sqn was being disbanded in the first place was distinctly unhappy-making.....

I also went on the very last RAF Belfast task - 3598, Brize - Gütersloh and back, 12 Sep 1976.

airsound

[Hockham Admiral]

TwentyGrand,
I flew the "Queen of the Skies" for a while and wonder what you mean by "it wouldn't stall properly" ? Sorry to be so late replying to this thread.
HA

[Fareastdriver]

This is off the thread a bit as it concerns a USAF C5 Galaxy earlier this year in the Solomon Islands and you are not going to believe it.
On one of the islands near Guadalcanal somebody found a cache of mustard bombs and the Pentagon sent out a team to dispose of them. All fourteen of them, in a GALAXY????.
The arrival was no problem but when it parked in the international terminal the civil traffic couldn’t get past it so it was taxiied forward to the edge of the ramp. The bomb disposal people did their stuff and then the problems started.
It couldn’t turn on the ramp so it sat there, the largest man-made construction in the Solomon Islands. They could not reverse taxy because it needed special authority from Washington and they wouldn’t give it so it was stuck.
I left about five days later and the last thing I heard was that they were going to fly out a Globemaster with a towing tractor to push it to the end of the runway.
http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/DSCF0019-1.jpg

[Solid Rust Twotter]

During Clinton's African walkabout, the support crews used a couple of C5As. One was parked on the old tarred runway at Entebbe and when the time came to move it, it was found the aircraft had broken through the hard surface and was well and truly stuck with the wheels half buried. Had to bring in a crew of engineers from the US to get her out.

[Bledlow]

Samuel
"Was the Tyne used on anything else other than the Belfast/Vanguard?; [the Lockheed Electra was a much better aircraft by the way, and in Orion form is still around!]"
The Tyne is still flying in Atlantics, Transalls, & G.222s, & was used in the CL-44. There's also a marine version, used in Type 22 frigates & Type 42 destroyers.

[salad-dodger]

is this a record for dormant thread resurrection?

7 years, 3 months and 13 days between posts!

S-D

[Stanwell]

Wondered about that myself.
Anyway, last time I looked, the Belfast at Cairns was still parked there - not going anywhere but being looked after (sort of).

[chopd95]

You came home in a Belfast?
sheer luxury - we made it in a Hastings
Well I seem to think so - all totally knackered in any event ( people and planes!)

Phil Bright
95 C

[BEagle]

We did indeed return from King Rock '69 in a Belfast!

I went to RAFG and back twice during my pre-University year as a Flt Cdt - once each in Britannia, Comet, VC10 and Belfast! Such a variety of aircraft in Air Support Command in those days! As we waited to board our Belfast, we saw a Basset getting ready to take a passenger back to the UK. Our Belfast looked much comfier!

[212man]

One of my previous employers started operating Dornier 328s in Nigeria, owned by the client and on a new contract (previously used operator owned Twin Otters). Initially TPs, then jets. One of the newly hired pilots was ex-Heavy Lift and he recounted an amusing story from GW1. All the HL crews had been brought into a meeting with the D.Ops, who explained that they had just been awarded an MOD contract to support the effort, with regular flights from the UK to Saudi. Acknowledging that there was some risk involved, he asked for volunteers, and those not keen to leave the room. After a number of pilots had left the room, he turned to those remaining and said, "oh, by the way, we will be paying a 1,000 pounds sector allowance!"

Apparently, changing your mind was not accepted!

[T28B]

is this a record for dormant thread resurrection?

7 years, 3 months and 13 days between posts!

S-D Beags now has a 10 year, 7 month, 11 day resurrection to his credit.

[BEagle]

Beags now has a 10 year, 7 month, 11 day resurrection to his credit.

Sorry, but someone else must have posted just before me! I just responded to the King Rock comment!

[ICM]

A happy resurrection - gave me a chance to wander down Memory Lane.

[Rural53]

I'll try and get some photos of the one in Cairns next week.

[Senior Pilot]

Sorry, but someone else must have posted just before me! I just responded to the King Rock comment!
Which was posted January 2015.

Time to visit Specsavers, eh? 🤔😂

[Smalahove]

Time to visit Specsavers, eh? 🤔😂He was distracted by all the badges.

[Jhieminga]

Now that this has been resurrected, I can post a few photos from Hans Huizing in this thread:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1200x822/scan_2025_07_29_0045_resize_watermark_5d8c2fa9a9d4b5a7f87b1b 3e2b7418e1fd4b9814.jpg
G-BFYU in 1989
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1200x849/scan_2025_07_29_0047_resize_watermark_e4124b61c8f83a6cb090b2 dd031b631444237b83.jpg
G-HLFT in 1997
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1200x813/scan_2025_07_29_0049_resize_watermark_dd122a51798e8c55ad5d13 63ce9f5b7b0e470707.jpg
G-BFYU in 1989
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1200x838/scan_2025_07_29_0051_resize_watermark_1bf5ec02b20ecedfd9f6da 89794e309b0862a30f.jpg
G-BEPS in 1997

I don't have any further information about these photos unfortunately.

[BEagle]

Senior Pilot, I don't know why it did, but this thread popped up on PPRuNe yesterday and I merely answered the previous post.

[Old Bricks]

I remember coming back from King Rock 69 with BEagle in the Belfast. As a very junior member of the RAF, with no experience of flying in passenger airliners, I remember sitting in comfort in the seats in the Upper Circle, and seeing London by night for the first time. It may have been slow, but it was a first class pax experience.

[SWBKCB]

Senior Pilot, I don't know why it did, but this thread popped up on PPRuNe yesterday and I merely answered the previous post.

It got here as fast as it could.... :ok:

[bingofuel]

For those wondering about the thread title, I vaguely recollect the story that a Belfast was trundling along mid ocean somewhere, possibly towards Gan, and gave a position report ending with the phrase “ no signs of scurvy on board” due to its rather sedate pace and length of sector. Perhaps those with better memories can confirm or enlighten?

[BEagle]

It got here as fast as it could.... :ok:
Indeedy!

Actually, it was probably my fault after searching for something mentioned in the 'Bye bye Bev' thread! If so, then mea culpa.

However, it brought back memories of times when PPRuNe was a much happier place than it seems to have become in recent times.

My only other memory of the Belfast was when one was doing an endless engine run during ULAS Summer Camp at RAF Abingdon in July 1973 - doubtless as part of a Major?

bingofuel, yes that was a true story. One of the navigators who was on my VC10 course had been around at the time and said that the Captain of said Belfast was given rather a one-way interview when he eventually got back to the UK! It might have been an early Belfast trip out East?

[Chugalug2]

For those wondering about the thread title, I vaguely recollect the story that a Belfast was trundling along mid ocean somewhere, possibly towards Gan, and gave a position report ending with the phrase “ no signs of scurvy on board” due to its rather sedate pace and length of sector. Perhaps those with better memories can confirm or enlighten?
It had been delayed at Akrotiri, awaiting VMC forecast over the Turkish mountains (I've done the same with a Hastings until ordered to forget about it and come home). It was heading down the CENTO route for tropical trials. The departure signal sent to Upavon when it finally got airborne was alleged to have stated, "Am forging east. Crew scurvy free. God Save the Queen!". It was viewed with disfavour by HQASC and interviews followed in due course (again, allegedly).

[212man]

It had been delayed at Akrotiri, awaiting VMC forecast over the Turkish mountains (I've done the same with a Hastings until ordered to forget about it and come home). It was heading down the CENTO route for tropical trials. The departure signal sent to Upavon when it finally got airborne was alleged to have stated, "Am forging east. Crew scurvy free. God Save the Queen!". It was viewed with disfavour by HQASC and interviews followed in due course (again, allegedly).
I'm curious what that route looks like? I would not have imagined flying north from Cyprus to go somewhere tropical.

[BEagle]

I think that the ‘Northern CENTO route’ went from Cyprus, across Turkey and Iran to Muharraq, then Gan and finally to Singapore?

[ORAC]

Also better known as the Belslow…..

[bingofuel]

Ah, but then it got the go faster strakes at the rear!

[DeanoP]

Cento Route (approx) from Cyprus to Bahrein Names that stick in my mind are Malatya, Lake Van (Tatvan and Van ), Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Bandar then Bahrein. All NDBs. Very 'interesting' in the Hastings a/c.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/967x695/screenshot_2025_08_22_at_12_45_09_006a0075c8c55c1211671803a5 d58f709bb39a6d.png

[Union Jack]

A very close older friend of mine, who served on the last commission of HMS BELFAST, assures me that there was never the slightest sign of scurvy since the standard of the wardroom messing was excellent. Oh that Belfast.....:D

Jack

[DogTailRed2]

Does anyone have an original HMS Belfast Action Man?
They were given away for special events, very rare and are much sought after.

[Brian 48nav]

I can remember as you approached Lake Van you could see Mount Ararat to the north ( I think that is where Noah's Ark was supposed to be ) and just off the track was an airfield named Batman. In the early 90s my son diverted there when he had an engine failure in his Jaguar while tanking from a VC10 - on his way back from an overflight sortie of Iraq.

[ICM]

My first flight around the CENTO route was probably sometime in 1967. Based in Aden on the Argosy, I had to replan a UK Ferry trip at short notice when Dip Clearance across Egypt was withdrawn and we were told of this routing from Bahrain, across into Iran and then along most of Turkey till a turn left for Cyprus. (Later, on the Belfast, making safety height across the Iranian mountains from Bahrain was a bit of a challenge.)

In the meantime, one in RAF colours during a stop at Shannon. Spot the Sea King - it was in there somewhere:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/652x284/img_1433_62c7eb663c00ddbcd3f14e67eabfa2e780585352.jpg

[Al Richey]

I flew on that route a number of times. I recall that we were technically illegal as we could not maintain sufficient height to clear the mountains around Lake Van in the event of an engine failure. We got round the problem by picking a point just before the mountains so that if the engine failed before that point we would turn around and return to Cyprus and if it failed after that point we would drift down, just clear the mountains and stabilise at the new height on the other side. Much as I loved the aircraft she was a bit short on power. We used to say that the 2-engine stabilsing height was measured in fathoms.

[ICM]

Navigators' Route Checks back than were normally on long overwater legs but, due to the performance issues involved between Bahrain and Akrotiri for the Belfast, that leg was an acceptable alternative. I see I had just such a check in June 1970 - and I'm fairly certain that involved getting the ODM Vol 1 out for a driftdown calculation once we were over Turkey.

[Chugalug2]

DeanoP :-

Cento Route (approx) from Cyprus to Bahrein Names that stick in my mind are Malatya, Lake Van (Tatvan and Van ), Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, Bandar then Bahrein. All NDBs. Very 'interesting' in the Hastings a/c.​​​​

After Bandar I recall Kark Island, due north of Bahrein. That was in the 'Persian Gulf', which then became the 'Arabian Gulf' when inbound to your destination. So the routeing (in my day at least) was further to the west in Iran, exiting the mainland at the head of the Gulf. So some miles saved but a very roundabout way in order to avoid Syria and Iraq. This was in the days of the Shar of course. Come Khomeini and the Revolution and CENTO was no more, but the Turkish invasion of Cyprus had already really rather put the mockers on it.
As you say, an unpressurised Hastings was less than in its element at those altitudes. Everyone on oxygen of course, and if you needed the loo you trailed a long thread of tubes plugged into the passenger ring main for your visit to the rear of the aircraft. I seem to recall that the only reason for the Hastings flying the route at all was because the Britannias (whose normal domain it was) were otherwise engaged in hauling Zambian copper thanks to some chap named Smith...

[DeanoP]

Flew from Lyneham to Bahrein in a C130, on a long 10 hour route check along the CENTO route joining at Corfu. All in a distant memory now. Luckily the route checker was asleep and forgot about the obvious drift down question! From memory, not a great problem on the C130 unless we had a high ZFW. Only remember doing the calculation once, on the C130, leaving Mombasa at night, overflying Ethiopia, for Akrotiri. (Rompers Green 'Akronelli' :bored: ).



https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1206x452/screenshot_2025_08_23_at_11_18_31_5940f2830e1637e22f917e43fb 16890fca9c1476.png

[BEagle]

It took us 5:30 to fly from Diego Garcia direct to Muharraq in a VC10K3, so how EVER long did it take in a Belfast to fly from Muharraq to Gan?

[DeanoP]

BEagle (https://www.pprune.org/members/6981-beagle)
It took the Hercules 7 hours to cover the 2100nm between Muhurraq and Gan. We cruised at about 315 TAS and , I believe the Belfast had about the same cruising speed after modification. I do recollect overtaking some on the Gan to Changi leg but they were at a lower level and probably heavier. This was in 1968 and possibly the Belfast we overtook may not have been modified with the Strakes.

[ICM]

Muharraq to Gan? I see that it took 7 hours 55 Minutes in mid-December 1969.

[Ninthace]

Slight drift - as SLF on Crabair, every time I passed through Gan it was dark. Did the sun ever shine there?

[DeanoP]

ICM (members/248964-icm)
Was this before the 'go-faster' strakes were fitted? There is about 35 knots difference between the Hercules and your Belfast flight. Mind you; in those early years, we were operating at 1010*C TIT and 330 knots TAS was quite normal. The max operating temperature of the Allison engines was dropped to 985*C TIT a few years later, in order to save engine life and a TAS of 315 became the norm.

[ICM]

Dean: My time on 53 Sqn was in the 'Fastback' era. I had been on No 5 Conversion Course, the second course after the gap in conversion training during which the Mods had begun to be incorporated. As I recall, we never had more than 4 or 5 airframes available in 69/70 and I recall one departure from Brize being delayed by 2/3 days over a snag, with no replacement airframe to hand. And you're probably right about that 35 knot TAS difference from the C-130 as I doubt we reached more than 280 knots or so.

[ancientaviator62]

Deanop,
IIRC in the early days we had long range cruise (LRC) at 970 TIT and high speed cruise (HSC) at 1010 TIT. Someone decided that we should always operate at LRC to save money and fuel. What they did not take into account that the extended flight times impacted on items of equipment that were lifed on hours ! As you point out the compromise was 985.

[DeanoP]

ancientaviator62 (https://www.pprune.org/members/136256-ancientaviator62)
Hello Bill,
A bit of thread drift.
Ref flying Long Range Cruise(LRC) on the C130. The power setting was variable but not above 985*C TIT. It was not fixed at 970*C TIT. It went something like this:

Fly at Cruise ceiling, accelerate to LRC Target IAS (1.2VMD), throttle back to VMD and hopefully cruise climb (if allowed by ATC). Do not allow IAS to fall below VMD. If flying below the cruise ceiling and a/c not making target IAS, increase power to achieve target but note the Specific Ground Range (SGR) before increasing power and then again when Target IAS has been reached. Compare the two SGR readings and go for the power setting that gave the best range.

I recall, and it is a long time ago, that we gave up on LRC and stuck to HSC at Cruise ceiling because as you say it impacted on the longevity of equipment. Generally speaking we were rarely fuel critical but the Falklands conflict dictated LRC and, although I never did it, Pressure Pattern Flying.

[Jetset 88]

Nearly made it........
Having been a first tourist co and then making the LHS for just over a year on Britannias, before the Govt scrapped them in Jan 1976, I was overjoyed to be posted to 53 on the Belfast. My pleasure was shortlived as, on Day 1 of the Ground School course, the Belfasts future was decided in the same Defence cuts as well and at midday, it was announced they were going as well and we were sent home.
Three months later onwards, in that scorching hot summer of 1976, I spent the next few months' weekends in a second-hand Mini up and down the A1 to first Cranwell and later Leeming doing the CFS instructors course. (CFS had been at Rissie since the year dot until then.) .....
Where did I end up, having grown to like flying big aircraft around the world?
In a Bulldog on a UAS. grrrrh!

Four years later however, the Bulldog's climbing speed of 80 kts was quickly forgotten and replaced by 290 kts / M.84 on the VC10. - Good exercise for the grey matter !
Happy days!

[ancientaviator62]

Dean,
hello again. Thanks for the clarification . As you say it is a long time ago. We will not, of course mention the Jetplan era !

[Clyffe Pypard]

It was the only aircraft in my 25 + years that we played cricket in !

[Herod]

You could play volleyball in the C-130, if empty. A useful example of the reduction on strength and rection time in a low-oxygen environment.

[sycamore]

Herod,an `e`,or an `a`...?

[Herod]

Sorry Sycamore; I missed that. Of course "reaction", although "rection" does refer to rules of grammar. :ugh:

[ICM]

Mention of the C-130 reminds me that, amongst many development proposals concerning the Britannic (which eventually became the Belfast), there was one that envisaged marrying the main fuselage to the swept-wing and high T-tail of the Lockheed C-141A, to be powered by 4 early Rolls Royce turbofans. This was, I believe, in the early 60s, around the time that the vectored-lift HS 681was in vogue, and it came to nothing - so no jet Belfast to foreshadow the C-17.

[langleybaston]

You could play volleyball in the C-130, if empty. A useful example of the reduction on strength and rection time in a low-oxygen environment.

My dirty mind added an 'e' .................

[chevvron]

Mention of the C-130 reminds me that, amongst many development proposals concerning the Britannic (which eventually became the Belfast), there was one that envisaged marrying the main fuselage to the swept-wing and high T-tail of the Lockheed C-141A, to be powered by 4 early Rolls Royce turbofans. This was, I believe, in the early 60s, around the time that the vectored-lift HS 681was in vogue, and it came to nothing - so no jet Belfast to foreshadow the C-17.
I remember illustrations like that in 'Flying Review International' early '60s including one version using 4 X Pegasus engines (as in the Kestrel/Harrier)

[ORAC]

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/780x680/image_e296eaa32e23c3306c8ea4ce28d4b13eec88fb8d.png

[Flap Track 6]

Mention of the C-130 reminds me that, amongst many development proposals concerning the Britannic (which eventually became the Belfast), there was one that envisaged marrying the main fuselage to the swept-wing and high T-tail of the Lockheed C-141A, to be powered by 4 early Rolls Royce turbofans. This was, I believe, in the early 60s, around the time that the vectored-lift HS 681was in vogue, and it came to nothing - so no jet Belfast to foreshadow the C-17.
Having worked on Nimrod MRA4, marrying a new wing and an old fuselage is a dreadful idea.

[pr00ne]

Having worked on Nimrod MRA4, marrying a new wing and an old fuselage is a dreadful idea.

When this idea was mooted they were both new.

[HalesandPace]

Average ground speed over a reasonable sector on the C130 was about 300 knots, for the Belfast, only about 240 knots!

Switch on the anti-icing (via the frequency wild alternators) & you'd lose 30 kts as the power was sucked out of the engines.

"Hello Gander, request re-route 100 miles south to pick up tail winds from the anti-cyclone, not the 100 knots of headwind that makes our ground speed about 120 knots in all the clag!!"

The Belslow hadn't read the book about service ceiling & 300 ft / min climb. Leave it to sort itself out & you'd get another 3000- 4000 ft - veeeeery slowly.

[ericferret]

18 years on and this thread is still chugging along. A fitting tribute to the Belfast.

[Timmy Tomkins]

18 years on and this thread is still chugging along. A fitting tribute to the Belfast.
A bit like the aircraft then. But we got there in the end

[ORAC]

You scurvy knave…..

[Freeman Lowell]

When this idea was mooted they were both new.
Irrelevant. The fuselages were hand built and the new wings precision built.
Freeman

[Rural53]

Some photos from last week. The engine cowls were open on one engine and some guys were working on it.

https://i.postimg.cc/g2ZTFB1b/20250826-114132.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/WzqTS4XW/20250826-114413.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[Timmy Tomkins]

Could there be life after all? A long time in a tropical environment. The innards will need careful examination, few modern materials used when they were built.

[chevvron]

Could there be life after all? A long time in a tropical environment. The innards will need careful examination, few modern materials used when they were built.
No telling what sort of 'wildlife' has taken over the aircraft.