Air Display C*ck Ups - Bournemouth Hurn 19 Aug '84
I try again.
The day after the Open Day I briefed the pair to return to Leuchars. ATC had asked us to do a flyby but as it was Sunday (noise) elected to do a pairs t/o rather than 2 singletons. (yes I know it would still be noisy....)
At around 100 kts my excellent nav (GH) called "He's going off". I turned to see the No 2 nav (PH) riding a flame-tube and the F4 roasting the grass.
It was heading for the Red Arrows' Hercules and the pilot (DH) elected to get airborne. There would have been carnage otherwise.
An airborne inspection revealed wires and debris trailing behind the aircraft. I - erroneously as it turned out - told him to jettison his apparently damaged drag 'chute assembly and we proceeded to Lyneham for a cable engagement. It was DH's first - he was a JP fresh out the OCU - and he did it just fine.
On landing I swapped GH for DH and we went off to Leuchars for a beer withthe Boss (CCC).
PH ( volunteered from 43 Sqn to crew the spare for a w/e away) ended up in hospital but with no lasting injuries. He has probably lived out on the perils of volunteering to fly with 111.
REASON Leuchars operated the ex-FAA F4K. After the winding down of FAA 892 Sqn their ac were transferred to the RAF. This mark had different Nose Gear and Nose Wheel Steering for carrier operation than the RAF F4M. A problem was Pilot Induced Oscillation (PIO) caused by the higher NWS gearing for pilots only used to the RAF F4M. This was never flagged up as a potential problem by either MoDPE (Boscombe Down); the RAF (228 OCU) or the FAA PTF. As a result several pilots fresh out the OCU (F4M) and indeed more experienced F4M drivers were caught out. The above was not the only 'off rw' incident.
I hope this clarifies the day. Others initialled abovemay have their comments to make.