Victor K2 very low with drogues winched out. Where was this photo taken?
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Victor K2 very low with hoses trailing. Where was this photo taken?
As found at
https://www.facebook.com/FlyingWarMa...type=1&theater
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...39&oe=560D58A2
https://www.facebook.com/FlyingWarMa...type=1&theater
https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...39&oe=560D58A2
Last edited by Stratofreighter; 12th Jun 2015 at 08:27. Reason: Title edited to "hoses trailing"...
The hill in the background of the OP's photo is Cat Hill, Ascension Island
I would guess the photo was taken from the top of the hill just south of the runway (circled), and that the Victor is pulling up after a low pass down the runway.
The hill circled is 200m high, so the victor is probably at just above this height when the photo was taken
Cat Hill is off to the left of this photo (arrowed)
I would guess the photo was taken from the top of the hill just south of the runway (circled), and that the Victor is pulling up after a low pass down the runway.
The hill circled is 200m high, so the victor is probably at just above this height when the photo was taken
Cat Hill is off to the left of this photo (arrowed)
Last edited by Fox3WheresMyBanana; 10th May 2015 at 12:13. Reason: Clarity
Must be one of your acquaintances Courtney....out of shot I wonder if there was another Victor taxying the opposite way? 
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Nice picture. Done a couple of air shows with the wing hoses trailed at low level, once with a couple of Lightnings close behind them, but don't ever recall trailing all three at low level
By the way, small point but the term is "hoses trailed" not "drogues winched out". The hoses were pulled out by the airflow acting on the drogues against the steadying control of hydraulic motors (electric motor for the centreline) which stopped them hurtling out and disappearing earthwards!
By the way, small point but the term is "hoses trailed" not "drogues winched out". The hoses were pulled out by the airflow acting on the drogues against the steadying control of hydraulic motors (electric motor for the centreline) which stopped them hurtling out and disappearing earthwards!
I also remember the same Victor Det landing one with a hose stuck out. Each time the rogue bounced on the runway it left behind a cute little fireball. Very entertaining to watch, but Badger and his boys didn't enjoy it much. I seem to recall something in the refuelling system had exploded leaving a ring of perforations around the fuselage. They were working those jets bloody hard for a while.
Anyone recall the full story - time and wine may have distorted my memory of this one.
Anyone recall the full story - time and wine may have distorted my memory of this one.
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It most certainly isn't Cat Hill... that's a given. Though, I feel sure it is Ascension Island, though (again) the terrain doesn't look right for Ascension.
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What I'm saying is, the circled image in Fox3's photo isn't Cat Hill. The hill in Fox3's image is Cross Hill... where the Fort Bedford guns are located. Granted, the image of Ascension Base and the subject hill is correct (whatever its name might be).
Courtney Mil wrote:
From Wikipedia:
Perhaps you might wish to rephrase your post, Courtney me old, to avoid any misunderstandings - or expensive repercussions?
Re. ASI, my favourite tale (which might be apocryphal) involved the cattle grids on the aerodrome roads, intended to prevent the wild donkeys from wandering across the runway. Allegedly one of the brighter donkeys watched the grids being built, then went off to do some calculations..... Not long after the concrete had set hard and the grids were firmly in place, a small herd of donkeys appeared. The leader strolled up to the grid and lay down next to it, with legs pointing away from it. Then rolled over until his legs were on the other side, got up and wandered off towards the runway - it seems that the semi-circumference of an ASI donkey's fuselage was slightly greater than the width of the grid!
My wife's got a pendant.
The word pendant from Old French word "pendre" and the Latin word "pendere", both of which translate to "to hang down".
Perhaps you might wish to rephrase your post, Courtney me old, to avoid any misunderstandings - or expensive repercussions?
Re. ASI, my favourite tale (which might be apocryphal) involved the cattle grids on the aerodrome roads, intended to prevent the wild donkeys from wandering across the runway. Allegedly one of the brighter donkeys watched the grids being built, then went off to do some calculations..... Not long after the concrete had set hard and the grids were firmly in place, a small herd of donkeys appeared. The leader strolled up to the grid and lay down next to it, with legs pointing away from it. Then rolled over until his legs were on the other side, got up and wandered off towards the runway - it seems that the semi-circumference of an ASI donkey's fuselage was slightly greater than the width of the grid!
Last edited by BEagle; 26th Jun 2015 at 15:59.
The hill the photo was taken from was usually referred to as TACAN hill. I do not have my maps of ASI handy, but it probably had a name given to it by the Royal Marines in the 1800s.
The incident referred to in #9 was when aircraft XL232 was refuelling an aircraft flown by a 232 OCU Crew(Captain I believe was "Carrot Top"), when the HDU main fuel pump exploded. The fuel pump in the Victor (and VC10) was driven by HOT Air from the old Bomb Bay heating system, a relic from Valiant days when the aircraft could not provide sufficient electrical power for the HDU fuel pump. The HOT air drove a turbine rotating at lots of RPM ( TTN can probably tell you how many ).
In this case the turbine disintegrated and the flying blades cut the fuel lines and electric cables. In the receiver aircraft the roof was spattered by debris, the HDU lights went out in front of them and they were left with a "Hard Hose", which nearly removed their probe. The tanker was now left with a cocktail of hot air, fuel vapour and sparking electrics in the HDU Bay. By some miracle the aircraft did not explode and take the receiver with it.
The fuselage looked like somebody had fired a complete magazine from a sub-machine gun around the HDU bay. Very lucky boys!!
XL 232 was burnt out on the runway at Marham in November 1982 when the No 3 engine failed on take off, on a Tansor scramble, and the turbine disc passed through the fuselage fuel tanks. No one was injured.
The incident referred to in #9 was when aircraft XL232 was refuelling an aircraft flown by a 232 OCU Crew(Captain I believe was "Carrot Top"), when the HDU main fuel pump exploded. The fuel pump in the Victor (and VC10) was driven by HOT Air from the old Bomb Bay heating system, a relic from Valiant days when the aircraft could not provide sufficient electrical power for the HDU fuel pump. The HOT air drove a turbine rotating at lots of RPM ( TTN can probably tell you how many ).
In this case the turbine disintegrated and the flying blades cut the fuel lines and electric cables. In the receiver aircraft the roof was spattered by debris, the HDU lights went out in front of them and they were left with a "Hard Hose", which nearly removed their probe. The tanker was now left with a cocktail of hot air, fuel vapour and sparking electrics in the HDU Bay. By some miracle the aircraft did not explode and take the receiver with it.
The fuselage looked like somebody had fired a complete magazine from a sub-machine gun around the HDU bay. Very lucky boys!!
XL 232 was burnt out on the runway at Marham in November 1982 when the No 3 engine failed on take off, on a Tansor scramble, and the turbine disc passed through the fuselage fuel tanks. No one was injured.
Tengah,
Yep, that was the story, thank you for filling in my blanks. And that was exactly what the fuselage looked like.
The Victor force had a really good team at ASI in '82. I always loved working with them, but being based together really was a treat.
Are you sure they called it TACAN Hill in the 1800s?
. Yes, I know what you mean.
Yep, that was the story, thank you for filling in my blanks. And that was exactly what the fuselage looked like.
The Victor force had a really good team at ASI in '82. I always loved working with them, but being based together really was a treat.
Are you sure they called it TACAN Hill in the 1800s?
. Yes, I know what you mean.
?