Whay were 51 Sqn up to?

[Chairborne 09.00hrs]

What were 51 Sqn up to?

On 17th July 1986?

There I was, having a nice day out at RAF Wyton - when all 3 of their Nimrods taxied out, flew past in formation:




and landed again.

I've always been curious - does anyone know why they did this on that date? Or was it a regular occurrence?

[Wader2]

Late birthday party? Formed in May 1916 and might have been the nearest suitable date with all airframes available?

[plans123]

Thats got to be a photoshop job. 3 frames airborne at the same time?

[Daf Hucker]

It was a real event, made before the days of Photoshop! All 3 aircraft were flown to prove that we could actually get 3 R1s airborne at the same time, a very rare event as most of the time one is in deep maintenance.

[wonderboysteve]

There must have been a lot of important calibration duties that day

[airborne_artist]

They were conducting a flypast for my 27th birthday. Just a pity they didn't tell me in advance

[kluge]

It must be real. Only #1 has AAR prodder fitted.

[FantomZorbin]

Visiting dignatory to 51 ... now retired?

[Safety_Helmut]

That would be '64 with the probe, and the pictures from the event featured on a Christmas card.

S_H

[L J R]

Did they listen to each other's intercom from that distance, or did they need the combined power in a quazi 'mega virtual aerial' to get the entrie spectrum for a long range, which can only be achieve if they are exactly 1.453327 dipole away - a feat that takes a special piloting skill to achieve, given that the aerials do not have the correct digital spectrum manipulation to achieve.

[FJJP]

L J R - You just had to do it, didn't you? You have just given away one of the Sqn's most closely guarded operational secrets.

Black Omegas for you then...

[Chairborne 09.00hrs]

Thanks for the responses, chaps.

So who was the visitor in whose honour the flypast was staged?

[XV277]

I have seen some other pictures from that flypast somewhere recently, can't remember where now....

[LowObservable]

I could tell you, but then I'd have to use a shagged-to-death cliche from a third-rate movie starring some runty religious nutcase whose name I have forgotten.

[aviate1138]

Today 19:04
LowObservable
"I could tell you, but then I'd have to use a shagged-to-death cliche from a third-rate movie starring some runty religious nutcase whose name I have forgotten."

Excellent!

Or,

"Kill them!"

[For PC types it is from the BBC's the Armstrong & Miller Show]

YouTube - armstrong & miller "kill them" compilation

OK, thread creep............

[Chairborne 09.00hrs]

After an interval of 22 years? Sheesh... must have been a heck of a Big-Wig!

Gorbachev?