BUCCANEER AIRCREW FINAL PLEA

[Snapshot]

A FINAL PLEA! IF YOU HAVE EVER (IN ANYWAY) HAD AN ASSOCIATION WITH THE BUCCANEER...PLEASE READ MY PLEA AND MAKE THE EFFORT.. IT IS WORTH IT I ASSURE YOU.
Before anyone reads this, thanks, but also to those who know me are aware of the significance of my loyalty towards the Banana AND how important it is for this project to be successful.
Andrew Brooks
Snapshot

BUCCANEER TRIBUTE CD, FINAL PLEA FOR HELP

About the CD,
Initially when I thought of the idea some years ago, it was to be a pictorial tribute to the aircraft, to the men that flew her and equally the boys and girls that kept the Buccaneer in the air. It was to have approximately 300-400 photographs with a little video plus a number aircrew stories/ OM bar yarns etc.
However, things do seem to expand with enthusiasm! What has happened since has just taken over. There shall now be around 1000+ photographs ranging from the prototype airframe under wraps to the very last RAF flights in April 1994. Quite a span. Possibly a whole second CD with video, plus other bits and pieces like a 'GET SADDAM' game that a friend in the US designed for me! Stats, facts and figures etc shall also be included. I have even managed to secure the music of Phil Collins to enhance it too.

The whole project is being delayed for 3 main reasons at the moment.
1; I have been promised various photographs from various quarters which I feel are essential to the CD. Development images mostly. Still waiting.
2; It is taking an age to scan the images I already have and the equally the photographs I am being sent. It is equally difficult to decide, what's in and what's out! Some of the photographs are awesome.
3; Guaranteeing that when it is finally finished, it shall work on ALL computer systems.

The CD is in my opinion going to be AWESOME and please accept my apologies, to any of you that are waiting to have a 'play' for this delay, however, I do not want to release a version 1.1 some months after I have got out the main one. I feel it is essential that there be only 1 copy of this, so it MUST be perfect first time around. It would be all too easy to just 'chuck' one out to keep everyone happy but that is not the way I do business. It is worth the wait.

WHERE CAN YOU HELP?

One thing I am REALLY struggling for at the moment is personal accounts.
The more I think about what I want the CD to mean to people, the more I realise that personal accounts from an individuals 'affair' with this awesome aircraft are going to be the nucleus of this, so worthy project. The photographs can only enhance it!

Would you like to be involved in the CD, there is still time? As I said the CD is a tribute not only to the aircraft but also to the men that flew her and kept the Buccaneer in the air. I am looking for as many stories, tales, incidents funny or serious and any photographs from personal collections including photographs of aircrew/ground crews. This is a chance to allow all the people who get the CD to remember with a smile what 'they' used to do, places 'they've' been or at least for those who were never there to at least get the chance to 'smell' that never forgotten perfume of a thoroughbred aircraft.

Let me know if you are interested in contributing, it can be anything from best 3 things, worst 3 things about the Buccaneer. A simple paragraph, or a 4000 word account of anything you like? It is 'your' CD, so it should be 'your' story. I do not mind what you write as long as I can get as many individual feelings about the aircraft onto the CD.

ALL DECENT ACCOUNTS (Lengthy and detailed) SHALL OF COURSE RECEIVE A FREE CD.

If you want to help, PLEASE contact me, time is running short now.

FLL.

Kind regards
Andrew Brooks
Snapshot
[email protected]
www.AvCollect.com (http://www.AvCollect.com)
www.BlackburnBuccaneer.co.uk (http://www.BlackburnBuccaneer.co.uk)

[Snapshot]

http://members.tripod.co.uk/AvCollect/buccaneer/900sno.jpg
XX900 on final flight A-5 Pass 6th April 1994 DC/MS Lossie-St Athan. Aircraft now at Bruntingthorpe.

[STANDTO]

Snapshot.

Just a little one, but one of my endearing memories of the time I spent in the RAF was balmy summers evenings at St Athan, and on one particular one,a Buccaneer zero feet,gear up, beating up the runway from the seaward end, with me stood in the back garden of the officers mess overflow house. Turn it back forty years and it could have been a spitfire. The aircraft, in my mind, had that same iconic status.

[email protected]

[Snapshot]

Thanks for the reply Standto,
The number of people who shall never forget being 'snotted' by a Banana ha! FFL.
Any snags to your memory being put onto the CD?
Noticed your Occ, shall be in touch mate, thanks again
Snaps

[halty]

Always remember the bucc during refuel, it used to make a sound like a wounded animal. amusing story: A new liney{WRAF}was sent to the HAS {at the foxes lair} to refuel a bucc 20 mins later phone call in crewroom :help, i think i've f**&ed up. all the lads pile down to the HAS, floor covered in avtur, she hadn't noticed the bomb bay was open and the fuel was transfering straight out the vent!! spent the next few hours spreading chicken **** but at least she got the beers in!

ON ME BUCCING HEAD

[Snapshot]

Halty,
Nice one, brought a smile at 0115 in the morning whilst I slog away on the computer.
Keep em coming boys!
AB.

[Buck Kinnear]

St Mawgan during another JMC:

ATC – “Request departure details”

Bucc – “We’ll be getting airborne off 31 and descending low level”

(For those who don’t know St Mawgan runway 31 ends at a cliff edge 350 Ft above the sea)


Departure clearance from Pisa Tower – enroute to Cyprus in the tanker fit (23K fuel):

ATC – “Departures require you at 5000 ft by 5 DME”

Bucc – “We could probably guarantee 500 ft”

In any hot weather ops a heavy Bucc would take approx 11500 Ft horizontally to make 50 Ft vertically on take off – not overly impressive performance but an excellent crack – particularly getting airborne in Cyprus at night - crossing the Guard Post at 50 ft – much to the displeasure of the Feds therein!


A number of stories that spring to mind invariably revolve around ranges and bombing.

The first involved a press day at Spadeadam EWTR; the brief was quite simple – run through the range avoiding any threat radars or systems and drop a 3 Kg practice bomb on the simulated target at Wileysike where the press would have their cameras set up.
Our intrepid heroes were airborne on time and quickly established at low level. Maintaining +/- 5 secs timing they masterfully avoided all threat systems presented, flew a text book IP to Tgt run, positively identified the target and pickled followed by a loud thump.

Crew: “off hot” - that did not feel like a 3kg.

Range: “unscorable at 6:00 – looked like a CBLS”

It was – one of the walk round checks was to ensure a screw on the pylon pointed at either Pylon Release or Carrier Release (depending on whether you wished to drop the whole store from the pylon or release a practice weapon from a carrier) – guess where this one was set.
The only saving grace was that the cameras had been focused on the target and the drop was out of the field of view of most of them – there, but for the grace ……... So saying, I believe it did bring their laydown average in.


The second happened at Garvie Island (just east of Cape Wrath). A relatively junior crew went off to toss a 1000 lb bomb for the first time. In addition they carried a CBLS with 2 x 14 Kg bombs for a practice run. Unlike more modern jets with clever stores management systems (though only as good as the weapon code set – tanks over Kuwait anyone?), one had to remember which station had which store on and manually select the appropriate one -what is the AMD for an ECM pod? (a certain sqn with a now infamous badge at Tain).

Back to the story, the crew flew a couple of dry runs with no problems and elected to run in hot on the next pass. ‘Standby now’ 4g pull, egg timer runs, 6” small thump “Off hot switches safe” into toss recovery.

Range: “no spot”

Crew: “we felt it come off” curse at ‘blind’ range controller and return to Lossie.

Armourers meet the jet: “any problems sir?”

Crew: “None at all, bomb came off as advertised – but a no spot, range controller couldn’t spot a …….etc, etc”

Armourers: “actually sir the bomb is still on the ac – but you're missing one 14 kg”

------------------
Standing on the corner swinging my chain ....

[This message has been edited by Buck Kinnear (edited 22 April 2001).]

[This message has been edited by Buck Kinnear (edited 22 April 2001).]

[STANDTO]

Snapshot. no problems popping it on the CD. Every little helps!

regards

[Snapshot]

Kinnear,
Excellent, really enjoyed that mate, much appreciated. Ist post, name change, I wonder if that's 'Q46'?
If so, thanks.
SALT :)
Come on boys, keep em coming.. I feel another photograph but which one?
Snapshot
www.AvCollect.com (http://www.AvCollect.com)
www.BlackburnBuccaneer.co.uk (http://www.BlackburnBuccaneer.co.uk)

[Burnside]

Brooksey,

You've probably already got this one, but there is the great rumour/story of the Buccs coming back off some foriegn jaunt and flying a maritime tactic sortie over the North Sea on the way. One of the formation gets tapped by some AD mate and elects to simulate a BIF (Bomb In Face, previously known as knickers). In the Bucc, with internal stores, this involved opening the bomb bay first. The hapless pilot dutifully went through the motions and rolled the bomb door open ready to simulate dropping the bomb, only to have the 550 knot airflow rip his baggage pannier out and dump his and his Nav's baggage into the ogin! I bet it got the fighter mate's attention though.

During my own short time on the mighty jet, I can only think of one slightly amusing anecdote:
During a transit to Gib I was about to begin my first AAR bracket so my trusty Nav decided to take a break and have his lunch. Unfortunately for him, he decided to open his yoghurt just as I had a bit of overtake on the tanker and cut the power by a handful. The Buccs dodgy cabin conditioning took over, the cabin pressure dropped and my Nav's yoghurt exploded all over him.

Oh and the best addition to your CD would be to FIND THE IN-COCKPIT VIDEO FOOTAGE OF MY LAST TRIP!

FAO Bucc Kinnear:

Are you 'Q46', because you are in the right place at the moment to have heard about the tanks over Kuwait?

Burnside.

[Snapshot]

Sideburn :),
Who had the yoghurt over the g-pants, JJ?
Spoke to 'hostie', might see you at the Summer Ball, that's if she can get her ass back from JNB.
Best of luck on the course, AND yes, I know, IF ONLY WE COULD FIND THE TAPE! But could your career deal with the vortex of such conclusive evidence, giddy up!
AB

[This message has been edited by Snapshot (edited 22 April 2001).]

[bad livin']

I'm dyin to see this footage now! Hope you find it!

Rgds and 4 leaf clovers
BL

[Snapshot]

BL,
believe me, it is probably best it is lost forever. A real shame as it was the LAST OFFICIAL RAF Buccaneer flight over the mainland. Lets put is this way, those who were there shall never forget the memory of why the Banana was known as Faster, Lower, Longer... Enough said me thinks!
Did you get my reply to your e-mail?
Snaps.