Looking for 'Air Clues' from Nov.1968

[Jhieminga]

I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction, or perhaps unearth the magazine in question from a storage location, but I'm looking for a copy of 'Air Clues', specifically the November 1968 issue. More specifically I'm interested in a Flight Safety article in there named 'Not So VC Tender'. The index for vol 23 of Air Clues says it's in there, so it must be so, right? I've never seen the issue or article itself but my deranged mind has convinced me that I want to. Wondering why? Have a look at the website link in my profile.

I'm not after a physical copy of the magazine, a scan will do if anyone is willing to scan it for me. Thanks!

[sycamore]

You could try ringing Brize and asking for the Station Flight Safety Orificer for help, or perhaps a PM to BEagle, the font/fount of all things VC-10. Try the Mil.forum as well, there may be others who `know` things...!

[forget]

Just missed being able to help! I've got August, September & December 1968 here. :ugh:

That article wouldn't be about the VC-10 that got lost on the North Atlantic, would it?

[Jhieminga]

The FSO at Brize is a good tip, I'm not in the immediate neighborhood myself but I think I know someone who might be.

No it's not the navigation error story, I've got a bound volume of all the 1969 issues and that story is in there.

Thanks!

[forget]

No it's not the navigation error story, I've got a bound volume of all the 1969 issues and that story is in there.

Interesting - I was on board that aircraft, as was Pontius Nav. Any chance of a copy and paste posting? I may be able to sue for Post Traumatic Stress. ;)

[Jhieminga]

I was planning to include it on my site, I'll see if I can get it scanned. Stay tuned.

[Jhieminga]

Sorted, with thanks to the OCR wizards:

Click here for the article (http://www.vc10.net/History/incidents_and_accidents.html#Navigation_error_over_the_North _Atlantic).

Forget, I'd appreciate it if you would like to add any personal notes to the story!

[Tonkenna]

I will have a hunt around tomorrow Jelle...

Tonks :cool:

[forget]

Jhieminga, Here's an old post of mine from January 2004 in 'Did you fly the Vulcan?'

I did get the Sunday morning right, and the off-track miles, so the rest may even be true. :)

But I'm sure it wasn't dark across the Atlantic. In fact, I don't think it was dark when we boarded. After a Saturday night chasing Corby Commandos in the Horsehoe Club (probably attended by the Nav) we'd have needed daylight to find the aircraft.

-------------------

One for your lot Beags. VC10s and Vulcans! Mixed memories of that combination. During the mid sixties their Air Ships realised that staging through the Gulf Area in order to reinforce the Far East Air Force with Vulcans may be a little fraught, or even impossible. The only option was through the US and across the Pacific. Early on, with one or two Vulcans running ahead of Britannia support aircraft the odd ‘suck and it and see’ staged through Gander, Omaha, San Francisco, Honolulu, Wake, Guam, Singapore, Gan, Bahrein, Cyprus and home. Delightful trips; I don’t recall what the flying time was, but it was lonnnng.

In 67/68 we had a full scale reinforcement exercise from Cottesmore. (Would this be Exercise Moonflower?) This time the support aircraft were VC10’s. We left Cottesmore one Sunday morning aboard a ’10 bound for Gander, or was it direct Omaha? Anyway, we’d been airborne for four of five hours when my seating neighbour, a guy who knew absolutely everything, said to me ‘There’s land down there, and by my reckoning there shouldn’t be any land for another hour’. Right I thought, I shall immediately alert the Nav. Yeah, sure. We then swung into the steepest bank ever seen in a transport aircraft.

Turns out my neighbour was right! The Court Martial found that we were 510 miles North of track and there was mention of two RCAF CF-100 being launched which had actually intercepted us. (Did the Canucks still have CF-100s then? An old issue of Air Clues will confirm all of this.) The Nav was kicked out, the captain was put back on Brits, and the co-pilot was given a slapped wrist. I do recall that when we did land (it must have been Gander) we were surrounded by acres of mobile flashing lights. Much embarrassment all round.

[Jhieminga]

Thanks for that addition forget! I'm assuming you don't mind if I copy a bit for inclusion into the page I linked to above? If you do please let me know.

In the meantime Archimedes solved the riddle (nothing to do with flotation this time) on a copy of this thread in the Military Aircrew forum (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=281680).

Getting answers like this on such short notice is still one of the great things about this site! :ok: