Tornadoken,
Holding QRA with BS I cite the following:
Back in 68 as OC 83 at Scampton was the then Wg Cdr John Pack. Other Ppruners will probably recall the incident with the QRA vehicle. He didn't park it in the right place and after the alert the car was some 100 yards behind the aircraft having rolled several times.
The BS sqns, unlike the FF, only practised increase in readiness to 05 or Start Engines. The FF aircraft could also advance to RS02 where they would taxi on to the main runway, No 1 at 1000 feet down, No 2 at 500 and No 3on the threshold. When RS02 was called Scampton and Wittering crews would come to cockpit readiness and start engines.
BS crews used to fly hot missiles from time to time, unarmed of course. There were emergency HTTP offload pits near the thresholds. In one instance a fireman accidently fell in to the pit and was immediately and explosively ejected from it; I beleive he was shocked but otherwise unhurt.
At Waddo, as a Master, they had an emergency HTTP offload area but no pit. In, I think 1966, a Scampton aircraft landed and did an emergency offload. Subsequent correspondence requested Scampton to supply a quantity of grass seed.
Compared with the YS2 the BS may have had a better chance of penetration but was a liability in generation. Whereas the YS2 force could be fully generated in around 8 hours or less, we managed 4hr 55 min once, the BS aircraft could take 24 hours or more. At Wittering for one Micky Finn the last aircraft took 72 hrs (I don't know how serviceable the aircraft was at startex).
So yes, they did hold QRA, with with hot missiles.
Last edited by Pontius Navigator; 11th Jan 2012 at 15:10.