PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - 1954 search for two missing RAF Canberra bombers en-route Momote to Kwajalein
Old 19th Jan 2014, 04:42
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flap relief
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: bottom of the harbour
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Yes I remember it well. This happened not long before I joined 10 Squadron although as a mystery, it was still a topic of conversation for some time after I arrived. I did meet some of the RAF crews when I was in Darwin on SAR. Their mission was ultra secret - (high altitude atmospheric sampling or something) but we all knew they had sensitive recording equipment to monitor the atomic bomb testing in the north west of Australia and around Woomera after the explosions took place. They had to fly through the clouds several times and my understanding was that they all succumbed quite early as a result of exposure to radiation. It was surprising to me to learn of a survivor flying 757s! The reference to the problem being double generator failure is pretty unlikely. Certainly, the only nav aid we had at that time was a radio compass and in those weather conditions they are pretty useless. I am not really surprised at what happened with the nav aids and the weather combination. Kwajelein is a pretty small atoll. I will order the book.
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