Originally Posted by
Pontius Navigator
I was the briefing officer at Ascension for the first T* air bridge. It was an RAF crew. The captain was the one that made the subsequent hard landing. I subsequently briefed the BA crews on procedures for the Falklands. MOD authorized the release of classified ADIZ penetration procedures but the BA aircraft (not RAF ,T*) only had Mode 3 SIF and VHF. Instead I devised and briefed them an unclassified procedure. They were given an entry point on the edge of the identification zone, a track to fly to a beacon not below 15,000 feet. In the event of no comms, no contact or shepherd to divert at PLE or discretion. Otherwise contact MPA on VHF and follow instructions. I briefed their chief nav, Peter Royce, and subsequently, around May 85, they did a route prover filling ASI and MPA with relief crews.
I ended my detachment in May and returned to UK in an RAF crewed T*. I believe BA then took over the contract while the T* went to Marshalls.
Peter Royce was the chief pilot on the 747 at BA. The 747 operated the Falklands air bridge while the Tristars operated the rest of the RAF "network" mainly for exercises and troop movements.