Tornado - End of an Era - Dits reqd

[Flinty22]

Hello Everyone

As part of the disbandment process for IX(B) Sqn we are going to put a booklet together about the history of the Tornado. Rather than the usual potted Sqn history guff we thought it might be a far more interesting read if we could fill it with some amusing stories from anyone who has served with or worked along side a Tornado Sqn (Aircrew or Groundcrew). Any time period, any theatre of ops, although nothing that can't be read by members of the public please.


Cheers

Flinty

[Bob Viking]

This is not a plug for sales but our Boss at the end of the Jag had this made:

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Cat-Diary-Jaguar-Squadron/dp/0955724708

Great photos and pictures of the Sqn personnel and I still treasure it. Hopefully my kids also will in years to come.

Feel free to ignore the suggestion but just wanted to show what is possible. Sorry for the thread hijack.

All the best.

BV

[Buster15]

There are masses of information on the net about the history of the Panavia Tornado. A really interesting publication can be found in the RAF Historic Society; I believe called BIRTH OF TORNADO.
I was involved in the RB199 engine development and in-service phases. It was an incredibly advanced engine that pushed to the limits what was possible given the technologies and materials available during the late 60's and early 70's. When certified it had the largest cleared flight envelope and was the only engine capable of operating at Ma 1.2 at sea level (800kts). It's electronic control system was by a long way the most advanced at that time initially being analogue and thus highly complex.
Best of luck with the booklet.

[Onceapilot]

Great plan Flinty, and good luck with your quest! I know there are many fantastic tales that cannot be told for, oh, at least another 30 years! :oh:
Tornado: Core of the RAF 1979-2019! :D

OAP

[Tiger G]

I've seen a good few aircraft come and go in my time (Jag, Bucc, Harrier, F3, etc), but there's something about the Tonka I'm really going to miss. I can't quite put my finger on what makes it so special, but it is definitely the end of an era :sad:

[vascodegama]

Flinty

Check PMs

[Finningley Boy]

I was posted to Spadeadam in 1983 as the Tonka, plain and simple Tornado GR1 as it was then, was starting its steady squadron expansion. 617 already operational and based at Marham used to use the name of the legendary pet pooch, without any sanitization, as their callsign. Initially that is, I don't recall any ructions over it but after a short while it was changed, without any standing on ceremony, to 'Black Dog'. Not being one for PCness but I do recall feeling a lot more at ease with this. A regular refrain was to call Marham Ops and ask if Guy Gibson's dog was up yet?:ok:

FB

[itsnotthatbloodyhard]

When certified it had the largest cleared flight envelope and was the only engine capable of operating at Ma 1.2 at sea level (800kts)

Which might come as a surprise to those who’d been operating at 800+ with the TF30... (Not to take anything away from the RB199, of course.j

[99 Change Hands]

617 already operational and based at Marham used to use the name of the legendary pet pooch

Ah yes, that was an awkward time, the N-word was used as the callsign for formations and Sqn Ops and the feeder was called N's Bone. I seem to remember it started to unravel when we did an airfield attack at Upper Heyford and were handled as November formation throughout. By the time the aircraft landed a call had rattled up the USAF chain, across to SASO and back down again.

[frodo_monkey]

The N-word was the Sqn ops radio callsign at Lossie in 2012...

[Buster15]

Which might come as a surprise to those who’d been operating at 800+ with the TF30... (Not to take anything away from the RB199, of course.j

TF30 as in the F14?
Wow, I have to say that I was not aware of that. 800+ at sea level is really something. Didn't realise that it operated at LL. Thought F14 was more of an air defence aircraft.

[just another jocky]

Didn't the F111 go quite fast at LL too (maybe it had the same engine)?

[itsnotthatbloodyhard]

Yes, I was referring to the 111. Even the early ones with the lower powered TF30s were cleared for M1.2 at SL, up to 2.5 at altitude. The curves in the performance manual graphs continued past those limits, as did the jet itself (if it didn’t have a compressor stall above around M2.2, which was solved with the intake redesign). But let’s not hijack the Tonka’s thread!

[Lima Juliet]

Depends on the model of Tonka with respect to Low Level and High Level top speed. The ‘Popular Plus’ version (GR1 or 4) had a fair lick of speed but could not match the ‘RS Cosworth’ version (F3) for straight line speed.

Personal bests:

870kts IAS (M1.3) @ LL (with missiles!) and she wanted to go faster. I heard that one had been flown past the 999 limit in the HUD.

M2.1 @ 43,000 and very short of fuel (even more so when the re-heat purged passing the gate!).

Chased down B1-Bs in Denmark that were trying to get away (O'sea) and also F-111s in Alaska. Never got to try it against a Fencer as it ran away at about 60 miles!

One thing the F3 was not short on was speed, which it was oddly enough designed for as an interceptor - pretty poor in a scrap with a low wing loaded fighter though!

[PARALLEL TRACK]

There has to be a ‘dit’ to tell about getting the Tirpitz bulkhead back from Bruggen in 1991? Not there myself but know a few guys who were.

[just another jocky]

There has to be a ‘dit’ to tell about getting the Tirpitz bulkhead back from Bruggen in 1991? Not there myself but know a few guys who were.

Already passed on to the appropriate authorities! :ok:

[Finningley Boy]

There has to be a ‘dit’ to tell about getting the Tirpitz bulkhead back from Bruggen in 1991? Not there myself but know a few guys who were.






That reminds me,their arch rival's callsign; 'Gotham Formation'!:ok:

FB

[glad rag]

Where's the sammy the seal picture?