How Fast Can You Get Airborne?

[ssultana]

Ok.. forget the walkaround, lose the non essential pre flight checks in the cockpit, and don't worry about getting info from the ATC...

How fast, from can you get from standing on the tarmac next to the a/c to getting in the air? - assuming you are positioned at the of the runway to start.

I only have experience of the Tutor but i think 2.5 mins could be possible.

It's a strange question but i want to know how fast people flying other aircraft can do it...

[Bertie Thruster]

I can launch Mrs BT to 30000ft in about 0.5 nanoseconds!

[The Nr Fairy]

Not military I know, but about 15 seconds, if not less. That assumes you check left, ahead and right is clear before lifting to the hover.

[ORAC]

Out of the cockpit in the deckchair, ORP, for the hawk used to be 2 minutes.

[Pontius Navigator]

On a Micky Finn two Vulcan crews went from readiness 15 to airborne in under 3 minutes. They were at, I think, Brawdy and sunning themselves under the aircraft.

We had a spectacular 10 minute launch once. We were in a Vulcan near the ORP at Cottesmore when we went u/s. We shutdown and piled out into a crew bus that had been summoned. We were then driven flat out to the engine running spare in one of the mid-airfield dispersals. Once there we sprinted to the aircraft. The start crew captain was holding the ladder to show his authority. His crew formed a chain and slung all our baggage from bus to jet. Cocks away, doors closed and taxy. I sorted out the heap of junk and set about helping the pilots strap in. Strapped in I lived their seats and strapped in to mine as we rolled.

At rotate we hit a wall of snow that the other aircraft in the stream had dumped at exactly the same point on the runway.

It was, as I said, about 10 minutes from u/s to airborne in another jet. It was on that sortie that we attacked a French airfield at low level at a shade over 400 kts.

[MobiusTrip]

Did a Q scramble once (like many, many others) from unconscious to gear up in 4 1/2 mins . The jet was cocked though and half my stuff was still unconnected/undone (boots etc).

It was worth the rush :-)

MT

[BEagle]

Crewroom to bus to ac to airborne = 7 minutes.

VC10K....

[Mr C Hinecap]

Strewth Beags - that is probably the most impressive on here yet. Was that a specially trained racing crew? Slim and record-breaking? Or was there an Aeromed team waiting with oxygen (and pies) onboard? :E

[Blacksheep]

I've seen a VC10 C1 launched nearly that quick on a training detail, but he had to dump fuel and come back to have his nose gear lock pin removed :p

I've seen Whirlwind HAR10's launched in around two and a half minutes, crew-room to airborne, but that was pretty routine and one supposes that practicing often, wearing full kit in the crew room and keeping ones flying machine outside the door is cheating...

[4Greens]

Sitting on a catapult in a Scimitar - close to a minute! Ah the good old days.

[BEagle]

The bus was outside pointing the right way, we ran to it , the driver had already got the engine running. The ac was at RS30, so was 'cocked'. The bus raced around the southern taxiway to the jet, GPU was running, the GE had his lads all ready for a rapid scramble start . Engineer started the APU, then steps, chocks, external intercomm all removed. Eng started engines, gennies on line and GPU away as we strapped in. "Brief - standard". Nav had re-checked V1 and was happy to go without the IN (being of the old school he could cope without!). All 4 turning, quickly through the checks, then a scramble taxy to RW26 short "Everyone ready?" "Yes", full power, turn on course at 500 ft.....

And we got our Bears!

In those days the squadron was fine-tuned and can-do...... We were more interested in sorting out the Soviets than bug gering about with IiP, H&S, EO Trg, 'I hear what you say' and all the other factors which have so wrecked real RAF squadron life.

[NickE]

We had a spectacular 10 minute launch once. We were in a Vulcan near the ORP at Cottesmore when we went u/s. We shutdown and piled out into a crew bus that had been summoned. We were then driven flat out to the engine running spare in one of the mid-airfield dispersals. Once there we sprinted to the aircraft. The start crew captain was holding the ladder to show his authority. His crew formed a chain and slung all our baggage from bus to jet. Cocks away, doors closed and taxy. I sorted out the heap of junk and set about helping the pilots strap in. Strapped in I lived their seats and strapped in to mine as we rolled.

Yours or the ground crews? :D

[Vage Rot]

Eating dinner in the mess to a/b on SAR - 13 mins on the Mighty Hunter.

False call, dump fuel for 30 mins, hold to eat rations and resume normal handling of dinner in the mess.

[scroggs]

The Herc tankers used to hold Q for the F4s/F3s down south. The aircraft would be prepped for a quick start - GTC (APU) on, turn all four, taxi. We's usually be ready for T/O before the fighters, but SOP was for them to go first.

Was once scrambled from Q to rescue an F3 after their tanker had gone US - less than 4 minutes from crewroom to airborne (and ony 2 minutes from arriving at the aircraft).

[max nightstop]

Took me 3 days to get a Tornado GR1 airborne once. Hawk was ready once the gyros were wound up, about 1 1/2 mins. Unless the sun was out, then you needn't wait that long, apparently. Never had that pleasure at Valley though.

[hirsute]

OK, maybe we need to define the question a bit but we once got airborne in a Belfast from Dakar, Senegal, 25 minutes from the wake up call. And the hotel was 10 minutes from the airport.

Homeward bound of course.

[AllTrimDoubt]

Lynx 3 in the shed folded and stowed for night servicing when the balloon went up - out, started and airborne in 8 mins.

Lads still fastening panels as we started, Obs briefed on the hoof and me adopting old principle of "just move the shiny switches!" (Paperwork and other triv on return, but it was wartime servicing!)

Normal max times were AL15 with cab on deck/spread & crew briefed/dressed, or AL5 with crew strapped in ready to go.

[keithl]

Unconscious to Airborne, Nimrod, 17 mins.Vage Rot at dinner was only quicker because he had the advantage of being up and dressed.

[Art Field]

Fast asleep to airborne in eight minutes. Aircraft-Victor, airfield- Kinloss, crew in caravan at end of runway, immersion suits to be donned. Result- nosewheel red, dump fuel and land back, noselock still in place. More haste, less speed !!!!!.

[allan907]

Don't know about timing but once saw a 4 Vulcan scramble at a Finningley 'At Home' day that almost went horribly wrong in front of about 100,000 people.

Bomber Controller was piped through the PA system - "Scramble, Scramble, Scramble". 4 aircraft lose themselves in a cloud of black exhaust as 16 Olympus are started up. No 1 starts rolling off the ORP and barrels down the runway. No 2 starts rolling almost as quick then puts brakes on and rocks a bit. No 3 starts rolling to take his place and has turned onto the runway when No 2 decides he can now go for it (had a transitory tech problem perhaps?). No 2 then sees No 3 about to cut in front of him and proves that the braking system on a B2 really does work fine. No 3 continues, followed by No 4 and then No 2 - finally!

I think that all the grockles thought it was normal but all the blue suits were getting ready to run the opposite way!!

[Pontius Navigator]

Vage Rot

SAR deployed to Prestwick because of winds at ISK. Crew check in to *** hotel, kit in rooms - WHY? and then to dinner. Steaks all round Liz paying.

SCRAMBLE.

Harry Nockolds legs it into the kitchen, hoovers up a dozen steaks and away the heros go. Hours later they land back at ISK leaving the Navy pay for the steaks and recover the luggage.

I don't recall if there was a bill for the steaks as they were only away from base a couple of hours or so - 9 hours on flight rations excepted.

[Captain Gadget]

Tac Weapons Unit, Chivenor, 1984: from 63 Sqn Ops room (not expecting to fly, but then told either spare ac or stude U/S, can't remember which) to first 30mm round down Pembrey range - 17 minutes.

Several years later (and slightly off-topic), lunch-critical at Moncton, Canada (on the Herc OCU) witnessed very impressive demo by senior instructor in how to fly ILS at 180kt with gear up and not a lot of flap in sh*tty weather to make touchdown time as required to claim said allowance. Subsequently used the technique myself at various civvy airports. Thanks, mate!

Devised devilishly cunning plan (although I'm damned if I can remember it now) during Op Granby for very rapid start of no 2 engine (for utility hydraulics - brakes, nosewheel steering and stuff) followed by tac start of 1, 3 and 4 as we taxied (Eng either steering or pressing start buttons - anyone who knows Albert will know that you'd have to be an octopus to do both!) then leaving The Magic Kingdom by the shortest route allowed by that other Magic at Not A Lot agl.

Practised it many times, but always managed not to be in the same space/time continuum as the Scuds, so always got to the far holding point with all checks caught up and complete, actually.

Nonetheless, reckon we could have got safely airborne off the long taxiway - downwind if necessary - in 2-3 minutes.

As long as you didn't want to use the tyres again.

Gadget :ok:

[Bertie Thruster]

Did brakes off to 5000ft in less than 1 minute. (RAF SAR SeaKing, Falklands) Beat the Tonka too!

[ShyTorque]

Ops room to airborne 43 seconds. Twin engine, 3 pob.
Not my timing.

Bertie, we all know that you took the brakes off at 4,999 feet

[Bertie Thruster]

ShyTorque; Of course!! But you could have waited to see if I had got any bites!

[7FF]

To get a 747-400 in the air takes 2 cups of tea and a tray of sarnies.
Blocks off at Kai Tak to blocks on in CKS Taipei in 1Hr 03 mins[about 500nms]. I believe that a tri- motor did it in 1 hour, but not substantiated.:ok:

[Hueymeister]

On SAR stby...call to skids off 1 min 02..and it akes 30 seconds to crank the huey's donk..but it was prepped.

[FFP]

I've heard the boys at Brize don't think about getting airborne until they've sunk a baguette :ok:

[Pontius Navigator]

Micky Finn at Waddington in about 1968. Nav Radar in the bomb-bay checking the training nuke before the crew took over the weapons system.

Engines start to spool up. You should hear the racket in the bombbay was the trubines start to spin up and then it just gets noisy.

About 30 minutes after the scramble order we are still wondering why this crew has not checked in. I took a waggon to find out - GONE.

They had scrambled before declaration and ATC had not seen them go. They were keen to get to Manston and the country club. Only crew that ALWAYS reported for a no-notice callout with their DJs.

They would have been the most sartorial POWs if it had happened.

[Spur Lash]

Wessex 1, avpin start.

Crewroom, 50 yard dash, defying gravity in 90 seconds. (No stab of course, the valves weren't even warm!!)

'Course, that was in the Old Days;)

[John Farley]

Sqn Ldr Tom Lecky-Thompson April 1969

From the top of the GPO Tower to being plugged into a Victor approaching the Boscombe overhead took exactly 10 mins and that was via St Pancras and not an airfield.

He lifted off in his GR1 6min and 50 secs after departing the top of the tower.

(That 6 min 50 was spent coming down the tower, running to a Wessex, flying to St Pancras, running from Wessex for 9 secs to get to the Harrier, 46 secs to strap in and another 40 secs for the engine to run up and complete the two compulsory accel checks before lift off)

Tom won the westbound race from the top of the GPO Tower to the top of the Empire State Building after a VL in New York (by the UN building) in a total time of 6hr 11min 57 sec.

Edited due to poor memory...

[scroggs]

Remember watching that on telly, John. It was a bloody fantastic achievement, even if it was totally pointless! Shame there aren't many opportunities for otherwise-futile, pride-engendering exercises these days.

[Impiger]

Talking of futile gestures does anybody know who holds the London to Edinburgh speed record for aircraft? Seem to remember a 74(F) Sqn F4 team taking it in the mid to late 80s but can't believe their record still stands.

[John Farley]

Scroggs

Not entirely sure about it being pointless. The aeroplane had just got a CA release. The RAF HCT had not started to fly it (Tom was at Boscombe at the time) and the world did not really know that the Harrier had happened. We were keen to demonstrate the breakthrough in operating site flexibility (which no other jet aeroplane has actually matched since that date) and other things like it was cleared to tank and that at last the RAF had an INAS equipped aircraft.

Tom was telling the Victor where it was all across the pond – and they actually did not like the fact that this little aeroplane (with its one little pilot – sorry Tom) could know so much!

The race also left us with a pair of aeroplanes in the US afterwards (Tom’s and a spare that Andy Jones flew out for the Eastbound race that Graham Williams flew having positioned his own aeroplane earlier). Tom and I went on a demo tour in the US with these two and I actually operated from USS La Salle at Navy Norfolk - my first ever ship operation (although we did not mention that until the job was done….) I was personally ordered not to do the La Salle sortie by a Hawker director plus Bill Bedford who were both out there observing. When I asked them why they said "In case it does not start" (I intended to shut down and add stores on La Salle to show the Harrier needed no yellow gear to fly from ships) I suggested to them that if they were not confident enough of their product to allow such normal ops then they did not ought to be flogging it. Needless to say I got in the aeroplane and did it because I believed in the little green jet and some RAF VC10 ground crew from Washington (bless em) entered into the spirit of things and stuck on some empty tanks and rocket pods on La Salle. This was not the only sod ‘em thing that produced the equivalent of a civilian court martial after the event but they never did sack me. But then the US did order it two years later.

Ooooops sorry about the off topic rant

[johnfairr]

No need to apologise for going off-thread. The mere fact that you did what you did is evidence enough of the efficacy of your product.

:ok: :ok: