Shoreline displays - a new can of worms?
Gentleman Aviator
Before that I never liked Decca approaches (in the Wessex it was the only thing we had apart from an even worse ADF),
I recall doing a night famil for a Newbie at Aldergrove once - 1980s maybe? We were bimbling out to the East of Aldergrove when they told me the weather was socking in - it was that wierd low fog that rolled in unannounced from Lough Neagh.
"Oh" they said, "and the radar's just gone off line and so there's no SRA!"
Never mind methinks - good opportunity to demo Decca approach to Newbie (did all helicopter Stations have to be on a Green 30 Decca lane??).
Decca gets us back, but at whatever DH we had - 300 ft maybe - we were still above the tops of the now blanket of fog on the airfield.
One knew it WAS the airfield, cos sticking out of the clag was the top of the civvy terminal building, with the red neon sign (so true at the time!) saying:
Welcome to Belfast International Airport
Hover taxi across to the terminal, and let down gently keeping building in sight. Land on - shut down. Phew!
ATC: "Well done, we'll send transport - where are you?"
TH: "Haven't a f
clue - on the civil side somewhere!!"Sorry for continuing the thread drift - 'twas Shackman's talk of Decca and red lights that made me do it!
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
(did all helicopter Stations have to be on a Green 30 Decca lane??).
I remember the time that the baddies blew up the red Decca transmitter to the south if Aldergrove because they had been told that it would ground the Wessex detachment. Could only happen in Ireland (other provinces are available).
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Somewhere in England
Age: 60
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Some years ago, when conducting an inquiry into a Service flying accident, I spoke to one of the officers involved in the investigation into the Lightning crash at Scarborough in 1983. He was firmly of the opinion that the pilot became disoriented while manoeuvring at low level over the sea. The subsequent loss of SA may have contributed to the final, and sadly fatal, manoeuvre.
