Alan Pringle and the bomb (s)

[Tankertrashnav]

An interesting article in The Guardian about Valiant co-pilot Alan Pringle who flew on two sorties during Op Grapple, and thus probably became the only RAF aircrew member ever to have dropped two nuclear weapons. I remember chatting to Alan about this at one of the V Force reunions at Newark a few years ago - certainly a good conversation starter - "I once dropped two H Bombs!"

He later became a Victor K1 tanker captain and he was OC standards (I think) at Marham when I was there in the 70s. Nice chap.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/nov/16/experience-i-dropped-two-nuclear-bombs?fbclid=IwAR0E4ScSSO-QDu9DN4YHm4btGp8MnCPwzz2JKlUoSz0B8VehiHGXnW9E37w

[MPN11]

Nice link, TTN. :ok:

[JG54]

An interesting article in The Guardian about Valiant co-pilot Alan Pringle who flew on two sorties during Op Grapple, and thus probably became the only RAF aircrew member ever to have dropped two nuclear weapons. I remember chatting to Alan about this at one of the V Force reunions at Newark a few years ago - certainly a good conversation starter - "I once dropped two H Bombs!"

He later became a Victor K1 tanker captain and he was OC standards (I think) at Marham when I was there in the 70s. Nice chap.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/nov/16/experience-i-dropped-two-nuclear-bombs?fbclid=IwAR0E4ScSSO-QDu9DN4YHm4btGp8MnCPwzz2JKlUoSz0B8VehiHGXnW9E37w

Pretty sure that 'Tiff' O'Connor dropped two as well - 'Flagpole', with a yield of 1.2 megatons (also the first 'blind' radar drop) and then the 800 KT 'Halliard 1', both in the Grapple Z series, TTN.

[Innominate]

"I once dropped two H Bombs!"

But not on the same sortie! Equally, "I dropped an H bomb on two occasions" sounds as though the first was reused...

[Tankertrashnav]

Well I know Alan used to reckon he was the only one, but whether it was one or two its still a pretty amazing experience.

When I was at Marham as a young nav there were many chaps like Alan Pringle around, very experienced aircrew who seemed to have been around the V Force forever. I have to admit to being somewhat in awe of them and it would never have occurred to me to go up to them and say start a conversation. Big mistake! The ones I subsequently met in later years were all very approachable, and I could have learned so much from them, even though the techniques involved in avoiding getting swallowed up in a nuclear fireball might not have been of any real use to me!