Buccaneer Strike [AIR PICTORIAL
1980] Report and photos by MALCOLM ENGLISH
“...Having previously switched the radar set back to standby, my final task before we joined the Honington circuit was to select the bomb-bay fuel transfer switch ''off''.
Approaching Honington in arrow formation, we "broke'' over the airfield to join the downwind leg of the circuit for our landing. On ''downwind'' [S/Ldr] Bob [Joy] [No.208 Sqdn RAF Honington] lowered the undercarriage, selected tailplane and wing ''blow" and the wing flaps, aileron droop and tailplane flaps. As we turned on to approach, Bob used airbrakes to reduce our airspeed while holding our
angle of attack at 20 units. I could clearly hear the audio signal from the airstream direction detector system (ADD) as we flew down the approach path.
Befitting his No. 809 Squadron (ex H.M.S. Ark Royal) experience, Bob carried out a no-flare touch-down, at 1720 hours, which was surprisingly less violent than I had anticipated. As Bob lowered the nosewheel on to the runway, the Buccaneer adopted a nose-down attitude which felt strange after flying for so long in a nominally level attitude....”
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