To one who knows very little about this period can anyone tell me if the (4 minute ?) QRA was reguallarly achieved ( from hooter to take off) ?
The QRA states were as follows:
RS15 - The "normal" state; crews able to be airborne within 15 minutes. This implied the crews either being close to the aircraft of having dedicated transport available. This RS could be held for days.
RS05 - Airborne within 5 minutes; crew in aircraft all systems and AAPP running but engines not started. This RS could be held for hours.
RS02 - Airborne within 2 minutes; engines running and in position on the ORP or at the holding point for the runway. If the aircraft was not on the ORP then they would taxi when the RS was raised from 05 to 02. This RS would not be expected to be held for longer than minutes.
There was also an exercise only state of "Start Engines", this was exactly what it said, you started and then shut down the engines. This was introduced because of restrictions on taxying the Blue Steel armed aircraft when they had an armed and fuelled missile. As stated above, we never got airborne with live weapons.
The procedures were practiced on a regular basis, the monthly Group exercise always had the first wave launched from the ORP and subsequent waves from their dispersals; all using the alert procedures. The Kinsman or Candella exercises to keep the dispersal airfields used also involved a launch of the flown in aircraft on the subsequent day. The generation exercises such as Mick or Mickey Finn always ended in an alert call out and launch where appropriate. As you may surmise, with that amount of practise we were actually quite good at it!
YS