Mach Loop comedian...

[NickB]

Ok, so who was it?!!!

Good to see that a sense of humour still exists out there! :ok:


Navigator's gag amuses plane-spotters as fighter jet races through Snowdonia | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1289185/Navigators-gag-amuses-plane-spotters-fighter-jet-races-Snowdonia.html)

[barnstormer1968]

I see the newspaper joined in the gags too with:

'Capable of 1400mph' :ok:

[November4]

A RAF navigator gave plane-spotters a chuckle as he held up a sign reading 'I'm with stupid' with an arrow pointing to the co-pilot.

A crew of 3...?

[Belle and Sebastian]

Would have been funnier if the pilot had held the message up.......

[pohm1]

Would have been funnier if the pilot had held the message up.......

no..it would have just been amazing that he'd thought of it!

P1

[NickB]

rather tenuous link with Top Gun too!

Still, it is The Daily Mail :\

[Low Flier]

fighter jet races

Who won the race?

The stickmonkey or the reargunner?

Just asking.

[StopStart]

A comment on the Daily Mail site summed it up though...

. The guys in the Tornado are probably just "passengers" at the moment the photo was taken , thanks to the ground following radar in the cockpit.

Just as I'd always thought.... :)

[Dr Illitout]

What did the Mail expect the MOD to say? "we have had the man resposible, shot"???
Good shot and a good laugh:ok:

Rgds Dr I

[Fokkerwokker]

3 x :ok:

Correct response from the top for a change

[Abbey Road]

And if the 'stupid' 'co-pilot' screws up, the navigator is toast?

[forget]

Abbey Road, are you a redundant stand-up comedian by any chance?

[Runaway Gun]

A shot from the later peak shows him reading the Positions Vacant column.

[AR1]

Top Gun Joker according to the Sun. - I hope there was a lot of towel clad men back in the locker room to give him a hug and slap his back.

But please bear this comment in mind:
It is all very well having a laugh but its at times like these when these pilot lose concentration showing off to their mates that we then hear reports of tragic training exercise accidents

Or as the posters used to say "Horseplay. Begun in fun - ends in tragedy"

So stop enjoying yourselves.

[Pontius Navigator]

But did you notice that the Nav is a SHE?

[pohm1]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/06/24/article-1289185-0A2CE07F000005DC-318_634x482.jpg

P1

[Torque Tonight]

It recalls the famous moment in Top Gun when Tom Cruise gives the finger to a Russian MiG pilot during an 'impossible' 4-G negative dive, and then claims he was just 'keeping up foreign relations'.

Err, WTF? Cutting edge journalism from the Mail. And, don't read the comments section if you care about your blood pressure. Plenty of ill-informed drivel from antis out there. Idiots.:mad:

Unfortunately we need a QR to the effect of 'under no circumstances shall any member of the armed forces be perceived to be taking pleasure in his or her job' to keep some people happy.

[Clockwork Mouse]

Look closely. I reckon the pilot is a girl too! Wonder if we'll get to know. Whoever they are, good for them!

[Pontius Navigator]

CM, I'll go with that. Blonde too I get from the advert.







hat, coat, scarf

[Jellybrain]

Please Lord let it be the Boss in front! Oh to be a fly on the wall.

[helidriver]

....or is it a SHIM.....?

[TheWizard]

The Ministry of Defence laughed off the light-hearted moment, saying the navigator was showing some personality.


Amazing!!:}

[Krueger Flap]

Has 31 Sqn bolt-holed to Lossie? Or maybe a jet swap and it hasn't been rebadged yet? Or maybe the Mail got it wrong...

[30mRad]

Jets get moved around regularly and don't always get re-badged. It takes a fair bit of work/time etc that keeps the jet from being used productively.

The XV(R) Sqn line had all sqn badges on it's fleet last time I was there.

[Unixman]

Was this a put-up jobbie? Andrew Chittock is a well-know military/war photographer and is well in with the MoD. He took the photos of Lt Col Thorneloe's funeral (as well as many others) http://www.demotix.com/users/andychittock/profile

[Bubblewindow]

Andrew Chittock is a well-know military/war photographer

No offence to him or anything but lookin at his gallery I dont think it was.
That image is causing a world of **** on the Aviation photo forums!!
It wouldnt normally be posted on a forum never mind in the papers due to the "What if it causes ****?" factor. It has happened before when a wayward pilot went the wrong way down a flowed valley and it was posted on the net.

I certainly hope it doesnt cause ****, because this is also my hobby when Im not flying!!

BW.

[zero1]

I think the (the WSO) showed some spirit, I hope it doesn’t go to a “Caps On” meeting with the CO.

As for those claiming this might lead to a potential accident I think this was well planned at a known photo spot on the flight path (I bet a way point was added to the flight plan for good measure...) and therefore the risks would have been assessed.

[Bubblewindow]

lead to a potential accident I think this was well planned at a known photo spot

Thats one of the problems, a "Known photospot". The anti low flying lobbyists claim the pilots show off and the photogs attract them, even though aircraft have been flying there long before anyone even thought of climbing a hill to photograph them. The worry I have is the lobbyists are gagging for any chance to stir it. Im hopping that it will just blow over as it usually does when they find something else to whinge about like when they retired there from the Midlands or London they didnt expect the birds to sing so loud and they want the trees cut down (I **** you not, this happened in N.Z)

BW.

[Rigga]

Nice to see they were classed as "profesional"

I dunno...Journo's today can't even use spelchkker!

[vecvechookattack]

I think the (the WSO) showed some spirit, I hope it doesn’t go to a “Caps On” meeting with the CO.


He may be the CO.

[Wrathmonk]

If it is a Brownstar, sorry Goldstar, crew ;) then the front seater doesn't look 'stocky' enough to be the Boss. And he used to be a PPRuNer ......

[Low Flier]

He may be the CO.

He may be a she.

If so, the truth is out now.

Wham bam, thankyou, Ma'am.

[vecvechookattack]

Possibly but I think that the moustache shows that he is a he and not a she.....

[Low Flier]

A reargunner doesn't prove much by having a moustache.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c105/The_Forester/Spitfire10.jpg

[helidriver]

Low Flier,

Too funny, awesome matey!

h

[Dan Winterland]

At least mud mover Navs can spell.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb73/dbchippy/A2A067.jpg

[Runaway Gun]

Great. Now THAT photo will end up on the front of the Sun, RAF News, and Rainbow Weekly.

[Unixman]

Bubblewindow (http://www.pprune.org/members/213037-bubblewindow)

Fair enough. And looking at the other photos on his site it seems that a large number of WSOs are waving to the adoring crowds .....:ok:

[JEM60]

Curiousity question. Should it not be helmet visors down in that environment, high speed, low birds etc., Just interested. As an ATC Cadet many years ago, I did the Mach Loop as pax in a Vampire T.11. Huge fun!!. Nice to see humour is is alive and well.

[Wholigan]

I was also pleased to see this in the article:

RAF trains pilots in Snowdonia to be future fast jet combat pilots

I'm glad we're finally teaching Tornado crews to be "future fast jet pilots"!

:E;):E

[TEEEJ]

BW,

700_5452_a_b on Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy-chittock/4695833834/)

Flickr: andychittock's Photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy-chittock/)

BBC - Mid Wales Aberaeron - War Photographer (http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/aberaeron/pages/andychittock.shtml)

TJ

[SRENNAPS]

Great photos and superb banter. That’s what I often miss.:D:D

Slight change of subject, could somebody provide me with the exact coordinates of the Mach Loop so I can look it up on Google maps/earth.

Also is anybody aware of any nearby campsites or convenient legal overnight areas where I can park up my (small) motorhome and walk to where the pictures are taken?

Thanks

[Wensleydale]

Mind you, if it was an "all girl" crew then it explains why there hasn't been a b*ll*cking.

[Molemot]

SRENNAPS...this should help:

franknoort.nl - Frank's Trip Page (http://franknoort.nl/index.html)

Go to the Gallery Index and then "Low flying in Wales".

[TEEEJ]

SRENNAPS,

See following PPRuNe link. I've posted up some Google Earth Maps of some of the car park locations in the Mach Loop. Follow the guides that others have posted and you won't go wrong. Have a great time!

http://www.pprune.org/spectators-balcony-spotters-corner/417252-fastjet-photo-location-uk.html

TJ

[SRENNAPS]

TEEEJ & Molemot

Many thanks for the links.

Will start planning a trip soon hopefully:ok:

[MadsDad]

And a thought on the photo. The driver (front-seater) in those things has command over the ejection seat system. And if whoever was driving got really annoyed at being called stupid could this lead to the back-seater dangling under a canopy, clutching the placard, trying to insert the word 'Was' into the caption.

[ExAscoteer]

"The driver (front-seater) in those things has command over the ejection seat system."

Isn't the Command Eject lever in the back of a Tornado, like on the Hawk?

[goudie]

This pic illustrates an excellent example of CRM.

[ian176]

"The driver (front-seater) in those things has command over the ejection seat system."

Isn't the Command Eject lever in the back of a Tornado, like on the Hawk?

Yup - command eject back seat switch. Unless something goes wrong, front seat pulls handle, both crew do a Martin Baker let down...

[TEEEJ]

SRENNAPS,

No problem. Hope you get lots of aircraft!

Cheers

TJ

[Lima Juliet]

That "Figter Jocks have big c@cks" takes me back. Twas written in a rush on the back of a med level chart for the CSE Show girlies on the Tristar. Sadly the crew were none the wiser about the "spooling misteak" until the Tristar crew showed them the pictures in the bar later - to much embarassment!

Must have been about 1996, if I recall...

LJ
(The Figter Jock)

[Rakshasa]

Tsk. The missing H is forgivable, Leon. Spelling 'are' with a V however... :E

[Dan Winterland]

Hi Leon, It was the VC10 and not the Tristar - I took the photo. The CSE show were on board the ten for the highly complex tactical scenario that we used to practice in the FI. Something along the lines of "See you over Swan Island at 10am".

That CSE show featured the very famous pop group 'Bucks Fizz' and their supporting act 'Dance Attic'. I seem to remember that 1435 thought they were missing out on the action with the tanker w@ankers getting unhindered access to the dance group. But I don't think the sign helped your case!



I was also involved in writing the remedial ISS package which arrived at 1435 soon after with exercises such as:

"Correct the following statement. Yesterday i coodent spell figter pilot. Now i is one."

Harsh, but fair!

[Bubblewindow]

@ TJ

Cheers for that! So it was him.

Fair enough. And looking at the other photos on his site it seems that a large number of WSOs are waving to the adoring crowds .....http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/thumbs.gif

Yeh but they dont appear in the daily rag!! The lady at Corris corner (left turn at the lake in th Loop) is just dyin to get her hands on this stuff.
My hobby aside and with my aircrew hat on, I did piss myself laughing.
I remember meeting up with the other aircraft in our Sqn while returning from a MarPat only to see my counterpart's bare arse pressed into the bubblewindow!!

BW

[Slfsfu]

So, the driver is the idiot - what does that make the passenger!!!!!!:E

Just wondering, you techo types will probably tell me

Loved the photp

[PARALLEL TRACK]

Surely the back seater used to go by the name of specky tw*t (twas a long time ago) or are my eyes failing me. Not part of the FE anymore so not working any rumours, pure speculation!

[TEEEJ]

BW wrote

Cheers for that! So it was him.

No problem.

Cheers

TJ

[Lima Juliet]

Dan

You're right! I forgot it was a VC-10! I'd also forgotten about Bucks Fizz, but I do remember the Dance Troop :E

I met this girl from the Troop, who I'd remembered was in Grange Hill when I was a young lad (Star File - Samantha Lewis (http://www.grangehill.contactbox.co.uk/starfile/lewis.htm))

I had a very pleasant evening in the O'Mess and the Goose with her and her mates...:ok:

I think she took pity on us because of our spelling (special needs and all that!!!) - so there may have been method to our madness!!!

I think I also met BEagle on that det - although after more than TEN 6 week "specials" in MPA, they all seem to blur into one these days. I guess they call it old age :ooh:

LJ

[BEagle]

Not sure, Leon - I did a few dets with the Fuerza Aerea Malvinas, but nothing like as many as Dan! They didn't let we QFIs out to play that often.

I was there when we had a CSE show; some of the girls were certainly rather nice, but the lead act was Tony Hadley 'singing' Gold..... Unfortunately the sound people hadn't had a chance to sort out the acoustics and, no disrespect to Spandau Ballet, it sounded dreadful and many of us left after a few minutes of ordeal by noise.....

....and repaired to the OM for a few toots of Captain Morgan's Original Spiced Gold!!

[Lima Juliet]

Yup, I was there for Tony Hadley as well! That figures then :ok:

As I said 10+ dets and each time the smell of the "Death Star" made me feel like I never left! With a day to get down there and a day to get back in the Tristar - that's 3 weeks in the Tristar!

[Dan Winterland]

I only did nine.



And who can forget Bucks Fizz!!!!!!!

[dakkg651]

Leon. That's my cousin! I hope you behaved like a gentleman and not like a standard 'figter' pilot.

PM me if you want to pass on your regards.:E

[Lima Juliet]

DakkG

No need for explanation - your cousin's reputation is perfectly intact. As usual for that time in my life, I would drink to save my marriage and then be perfectly incapable of being anything other than a Gentleman! :}

Didn't save the marriage though, but that's another story! :ugh:

LJ

PS Best not pass on details as that might upset Mrs LJ Mk2!!!