As a Rigger working on Line Sqdn at Brize from 1970 to the aircrafts demise I think we all had a bit of a `Love Hate` relationship with the Belfast. A bit like the Lightning techies.
I am sure there will be a few Riggers out there remembering the long hours toiling with: Hydraulic cycling timing, Slow U/C retraction and lowering. Target speeds, The dreaded Air-conditioning snags, standing next to the prop in low ground idle while you poked a piece of locking wire down the compressor to ascertain if it was in min or max flow. Aircraft returning with Aircon Emergency Spill Valves tripped. Why? God only knew. The Air Eng pulled the fuses from the compressors on `take off` keeping the compressors in `Min Flow`. Inserting them one at a time once in the the cruise, no doubt with fingers crossed. Stick shaker activating on approach not unusual.
A few of you reading this, especially Riggers will remember how different each aircraft could be.
One of the classics was the `Emergency U/C lowering. Actuated by pulling a lever and via cables tripped the `Uplocks`
We got an STI relaying how to set these cables up. If I remember correctly it was impossible as every Airframe was so different. You certainly had to be innovative when working on that aircraft.
I had some good trips though. Two which stand out and showed the capacity of the Belfast.
One to Dorval in Canada to pick up a B747 Flight Simulator for British Airways and deliver it to Heathrow. Max AUW and came back via the Azores.
Another was (I think) a warship gun turntable which we took out to Cyprus for the new Radar up Troodos. That was a heavy piece of kit.
Yes it had it`s faults. But with better spares backup and the knowledge that was being gained by the techies we could, and should have kept it a lot longer.
I don`t think it is possible to rate it against other `Heavy Lifters` because it was a one off. It was never going to be as good as the C130 but will `Atlas` be as good as `Albert` I wonder?
