Did You Fly The Vulcan?? (Merged)

[Petet]

Thanks, once again, for your generous feedback.

I am now spending time updating my 35 Squadron archives / database with the information supplied.

Regards

Pete

[Petet]

MARITIME RADAR RECONNAISSANCE

A couple of questions that have cropped up (whilst trying to consolidate the information I have) relate to No. 35 Squadron's role in Maritime Radar Reconnaissance.

Firstly, were all aircraft equipped for the role, or were specific serial numbers used? Secondly, was this just a standby role or were there regular sorties carried out (and, if so, what did they entail)?

Your usual help would be much appreciated

Regards

Pete

[Pontius Navigator]

I can add a few more serials from my log book while on 35 in NEAF:

XH 554, 560-561
XJ 780,781, 782, 784
XL 320, 389, 391
570 - 573

Interestingly, especially for Bill Macgillivray, my last flights were a day return Akr-Wad and RTB, 5.00 there and 4.20 back in 824

[Pontius Navigator]

Originally Posted by Petet

MARINE RADAR RECONNAISSANCE

A couple of questions that have cropped up whilst trying to consolidate the information I have relate to No. 35 Squadron's role in Marine Radar Reconnaissance.

Firstly, were all aircraft equipped for the role, or were specific serial numbers used? Secondly, was this just a standby role or were there regular sorties carried out (and, if so, what did they entail)?

Your usual help would be much appreciated

Regards

Pete

One role modification for MRR was the addition of a 1:2,000,000 scale on the H2S to allow for a larger visible area. This was of course a special mod. While in Cyprus we occasionally did a MRR practice using the normal H2S. In UK in the late 60s this went by the name INSTOW. In NEAF is was PICTURE.

The idea was that we would observe for 15 minutes and then the AEO would transmit the report in a 'comms window' In the Med there were so many contacts that it could take the AEO 15 minutes to transmit one report (voice) and immediately begin the next!

Easier was when tattle tailing a task group as that was a simple short broadcast, but of course first find your task group and then be prepared to evade if you p***ed them off

[Bill Macgillivray]

PN

I remember it fairly well (8 May 73). We had the C-in-C as co-pilot, if my logbook is correct!! Happy days, regards,

Bill

[Dorman]

Contact details for Ricky Crowder?

Hi
Ricky Crowder was my instructor in the Queen's University Air Squadron in 1967/8 and our intake is trying to have a 50 year reunion. We would like to invite our instructors which include Ricky Crowder, Bob Aitken and Paddy Cullen. Can anyone put me in touch with any, or all, of these lovely chaps?
Many thanks
Alan Dorman

[pzu]

Low Level MR?

Not sure if this belongs here?

Found this on FBook - origin unknown25550122_1759869257390565_4835300737062961392_n.jpg

PZU - Out of Africa (Retired)

[Pontius Navigator]

Dorman, contact Tankertrashnav

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by pzu

Found this on FBook - origin unknown

Watch as Vulcan bomber cockpit is dragged across the River Tees ahead of airshow

[RedhillPhil]

Originally Posted by pzu

Not sure if this belongs here?

Found this on FBook - origin unknownAttachment 3847

PZU - Out of Africa (Retired)

Is that what is meant by "ditching"?

[Petet]

Can anyone identify the officers in the picture at the foot of this page. https://35squadron.wordpress.com/2018/04/29/1972/

I think it could relate to the handover of No. 35 Squadron from JB Fitzpatrick to KI Watson (1972) ..... but I need confirmation and to identify who is who.

Any thoughts?

[Bill Macgillivray]

Petet,
Ken Watson on the left, John Fitzpatrick on the right. I remember the picture being taken. I was Squadron pilot leader (QFI/IRE)

Bill

[Petet]

Thanks Bill; I have been typing your name on a regular basis over the last few days (listing the captains of aircraft) and hopefully I have spelt it correctly each time.

If you (or anyone else) have any copies of photographs / documents from your time with the squadron which could be included on the website (which is aimed at preserving the history of No. 35 Squadron) please could you get in touch via the Contact Page on the site https://35squadron.wordpress.com/contact/

Regards (and thanks again)

Pete

[macwood]

Storey I heard and I haven't checked - was that President Nixon had this really good idea to encourage the Russians to put pressure on the Chinese to stop helping their Viet Nam chums during that war. He had the USAF nuclear armed fleet patrolling north of Russia and asked us to help by dispersing our nuclear capability to war state dispersals Unfortunately we had no method of transporting stores to dispersal units.
This is from memory so it might be all bull**** -what do I know ?!
ex crew chief Waddo 1965 -'75

[Pontius Navigator]

Originally Posted by macwood

Storey I heard and I haven't checked - was that President Nixon had this really good idea to encourage the Russians to put pressure on the Chinese to stop helping their Viet Nam chums during that war. He had the USAF nuclear armed fleet patrolling north of Russia and asked us to help by dispersing our nuclear capability to war state dispersals Unfortunately we had no method of transporting stores to dispersal units.
This is from memory so it might be all bull**** -what do I know ?!
ex crew chief Waddo 1965 -'75

I can say with complete certainty that this was not true between 1964 and 1974.

1. We certainly had the capability to move weapons to dispersal by road or air though it would not have been quick.
2. Dispersals did not have storage facilities.
3. The guard force for dispersed storage would have been much larger than we could manage.
4. Separating weapons from the delivery platform would make generation near impossible.

There is however a grain of truth as the Honington, Cottesmore, and Waddington bomber wings had from about 1963 (before the Vietnam war) a reinforcement role to support FEAF. This ceased in 1974.

[Waddo Liney]

Groundcrew QRA shift scheduling

A couple of old sweats (yours truly being one), who served on the Flight Line Sqdn. at Waddington during the mid-sixties, are having trouble recalling how the shift system worked when we were detailed to be on QRA. We remember that our tour on QRA was for a certain period of time; 1 week? or 2 weeks? not sure which. Also, that we were confined to the QRA site (Alpha dispersal) for the duration of our shift, (except for meals, when one person from each crew was released for the meal at the airmens mess), but we can't recall if a shift was for a 24 hour period followed by a 24 hour stand-down, or was it 2 days on and 2 days off? We do remember having to be there over a weekend, but not how that tied in with other days of the week. Does anyone from that era remember? If so, I would appreciate your input.

[Timelord]

I’m having a recollection problem as well. How were bomb and HRS steering demands presented to the pilots? I thought I remembered a simple left / right needle but looking at cockpit photos I couldn’t find it. Any clues?

[Pontius Navigator]

The Mark 1s used the G4B compass system with the PBI (Pilot's Bombing Indicator) this was indeed a simple left/right in front of the LHS pilot. I think the bomb steer for the Mark 2s was fed directly through the MFS.

[BEagle]

In the Vulcan B2, steering signals were presented to the pilots by azimuth director pointers on the MFS director horizon. You banked the aircraft to put the circular bank indicator over the ADP and kept it there, achieving the required steer when the wings had levelled.

The steering source depended upon the MFS selector panel (which had a 'bomb' position for the NBS steering signal) and the MFS / HRS switch. Beam compass heading demands were presented to the ADPs with 'MFS' and 'central' selected on the MFS selector, 'HRS' steers were generated by the Nav Plotter and displayed to the ADPs with 'HRS' and 'central' selected.

"Go to 'bomb', advise demand!" - I can still hear that today!

[Timelord]

Thanks PN and Beags. B1 was well before my time. Could it be that I remember the left / right needle from the Hastings T5.
?.
Indeed ‘ go to bomb , advise demand”
”Hard left”
”Oh b***er - go back to HRS and central then!”