The MADGE; a wonderful approach aid that would enable Hercules and suchlike to land on primitive strips in all weathers; the same for helicopters.
I was, in a small way, involved in the development of the kit in 1971. We had recently formed the first Puma squadron and the word in the rest of the helicopter world was that the Puma needed two days notice in writing to stop and come to the hover. This filtered through to RAE Bedford, who were trialling the MADGE. The O/C, whom I knew, asked us to go the Thurleigh and have a shot with the MADGE in order to assess whether a Puma could stop satisfactorily coming out of clag at 200 ft..
Two of us then flew up in a Puma to have a look at the problem. We got the brief on the kit; obviously we couldn’t use the Puma as it didn’t have the fit so we were going to fly the trials Wessex. There was a sense of urgency because at 13.00hrs the civil fire section was going on strike and the airfield would be closed; marooning us in Thurleigh.
My companion, ex 72 Sqn, went first whilst I chewed the rag with my old mate. He came back, we changed over, the LHS chap indicated that I had control and off we went. My enforced experience in the V Force ensured that flying a pseudo ILS was easy and there was no problem, as far as I could assess with a Puma at the DH it would stop quite happily.
I flew it back to the apron at Thurleigh and we landed at 12.55. The Puma was already burning and turning so I bid farewell to the safety pilot, jumped in the Puma and away we went back to Odiham.
It was a successful operation apart from two minor points:
1: The O/C trials unit had assumed that I was qualified on the Wessex, which I wasn’t. Having spent two tours in the Far East I had stacks of time on Whirlwinds but zero on the Wessex.
2: I had assumed the chap in the LHS was a pilot, which he wasn’t. He was a navigator or some other cave dweller with no idea about the Wessex and I had left him in the middle of one turning and burning in the middle of an airfield with no fire cover at lunchtime.
I had no trouble flying it; it was just two Siamesed Whirwinds. I think that the torquemeter’s needle, the Puma not having one in those days, may have ventured into unexplored territory.
My mate was dragged out of the dining room and rushed to his Wessex to shut it down as the occupant was having kittens over the radio. He telephoned to complain but after a very short time he realised what had really happened so he seemed to dry up somewhat.
I never did see or hear of MADGE in RAF service.
Last edited by Fareastdriver; 24th Jul 2013 at 13:16.