Did You Fly The Vulcan?? (Merged)
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301 cf 201
I believe that when I arrived at Waddo the SOP was to take off in 301-engined aircraft with the EGT limiter in the CRUISE position to save engine life. With a 3,000 yard runway there was never any need for the full whack of 20,000 lbs or whatever. Later the limiters were wire-locked into the CRUISE position.
However on 4 Jun 69 en route to MOONFLOWER in XM603, we were delayed at Muharraq because of a snag on one of the other aircraft for which our crew chief was needed to lend a hand. By the time we got off it was about noon and HOT. In those conditions the Victor K1s had to offload so much fuel that it ws hardly worth taking off. The runway was only about 7,000 ft in those days and by the time we got to the take-off point the wind had switched to quite a significant tailwind . So rather than recalculate the take-off, with the connivance of the crew chief, the locking wire "fell off" the EGT limiter and we went off like a demented rocket! With bombay panniers full of spares and the detachment duty-free we were at about 200,000 lbs, if I recall, and we only used half the runway.
You had to watch it at Goose in winter temperatures that you did not overboost the engines.
However on 4 Jun 69 en route to MOONFLOWER in XM603, we were delayed at Muharraq because of a snag on one of the other aircraft for which our crew chief was needed to lend a hand. By the time we got off it was about noon and HOT. In those conditions the Victor K1s had to offload so much fuel that it ws hardly worth taking off. The runway was only about 7,000 ft in those days and by the time we got to the take-off point the wind had switched to quite a significant tailwind . So rather than recalculate the take-off, with the connivance of the crew chief, the locking wire "fell off" the EGT limiter and we went off like a demented rocket! With bombay panniers full of spares and the detachment duty-free we were at about 200,000 lbs, if I recall, and we only used half the runway.
You had to watch it at Goose in winter temperatures that you did not overboost the engines.
ex-Tanker
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Performance - and the lack of it...
Then there was the Micky Finn with 3 Vulcan Mk2s and one Victor K1a on the ORP at Marham. The RW was 24, with 8kts tailwind, which didn't bother the Vulcans of course. The K1a with full load was overweight for RW24. As I already have an incident on the Victor thread, I'll leave this on on the Vulcan one.
The plan was to let the Vulcans go and taxy the Victor via backtrack to RW 06, then 180 and T/O.
When the scramble order came, there was a hell of a noise and everything went black, as the Vulcans roared off. Our K1a captain (I was the Copilot this time...) caught up in the exitement also roared off - into the black fog. I started calling out speeds - 80kts, 90kts, 100kts in the hope that he would slow down - and then the air became clear, just after the Vulcan rotate point - to reveal 500m or so of remaining runway.
I should point out two things at this point - firstly the top brass were there to observe the scramble from mid field - secondly the brakes on the Victor were marginal and there was of course no reverse, only the brake-chute, which was always deployed on landing.
The brass, thinking we were trying for a direct take off, were saying "My God, they're not going to make it!" our Captain, as he closed the throttles with commendable alacrity was also shouting "We're not going to make it!" but for a different reason - he thought we wouldn't stop in time.
It is amazing how the brain works in these unforseen situations. From my position on the right, I could see the opposite ORP, empty but with a row of Victors waiting to go on the taxyway, with a little space in front of them. I called out to the Captain, who was doing a job on the brakes, that if he pulled hard right, we may be able to make a turn at speed.
Well, as he didn't have a lot of choice, he clutched at the straw and swerved into the ORP, to the consternation of the waiting crews. We then swung in a wide left turn, with the right refuelling pod millimeters off the runway and just made it in the remaining width for a very "rolling" take off on 06.
When, once we were airborne he called for Gear up (or rather Undercarriage up) I delayed as long as I could in an attempt to cool the brakes a bit - this wasn't appreciated, as the brass were watching...
By the way, the Captain eventually became "brass" himself. As they say - "Every one you walk away from is a good one...".
The plan was to let the Vulcans go and taxy the Victor via backtrack to RW 06, then 180 and T/O.
When the scramble order came, there was a hell of a noise and everything went black, as the Vulcans roared off. Our K1a captain (I was the Copilot this time...) caught up in the exitement also roared off - into the black fog. I started calling out speeds - 80kts, 90kts, 100kts in the hope that he would slow down - and then the air became clear, just after the Vulcan rotate point - to reveal 500m or so of remaining runway.
I should point out two things at this point - firstly the top brass were there to observe the scramble from mid field - secondly the brakes on the Victor were marginal and there was of course no reverse, only the brake-chute, which was always deployed on landing.
The brass, thinking we were trying for a direct take off, were saying "My God, they're not going to make it!" our Captain, as he closed the throttles with commendable alacrity was also shouting "We're not going to make it!" but for a different reason - he thought we wouldn't stop in time.
It is amazing how the brain works in these unforseen situations. From my position on the right, I could see the opposite ORP, empty but with a row of Victors waiting to go on the taxyway, with a little space in front of them. I called out to the Captain, who was doing a job on the brakes, that if he pulled hard right, we may be able to make a turn at speed.
Well, as he didn't have a lot of choice, he clutched at the straw and swerved into the ORP, to the consternation of the waiting crews. We then swung in a wide left turn, with the right refuelling pod millimeters off the runway and just made it in the remaining width for a very "rolling" take off on 06.
When, once we were airborne he called for Gear up (or rather Undercarriage up) I delayed as long as I could in an attempt to cool the brakes a bit - this wasn't appreciated, as the brass were watching...
By the way, the Captain eventually became "brass" himself. As they say - "Every one you walk away from is a good one...".
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BEagle
538 at Waddo in September 1979.
Please check caption at http://www.avrovulcan.org.uk/don_gil...waddington.htm
and advise of any changes re 538 at GVs 78 and 79.
Ta
538 at Waddo in September 1979.
Please check caption at http://www.avrovulcan.org.uk/don_gil...waddington.htm
and advise of any changes re 538 at GVs 78 and 79.
Ta
Thread Starter
We were detached to Waddington for the Giant Voice Training Flight on 19 Aug 79 with XH538. We flew numerous training routes and Dudgeon lightship NBS calibration runs during August and September 1979, including one on 13 Sep when we had to shut no 1 engine down (for a JPT gauge failure, if I recall correctly). On 15 Oct we flew 538 to Goose Bay, then down to Barksdale on 16 Oct. After 4 training flights we flew our only competition sortie on 6 Nov... We then flew XJ824 back to the UK on 16 Nov and returned on a VC10 for the prizegiving ceremony, flying back on it the day after (feeling dreadful!). 538 was certainly back in the UK very shortly afterwards as we rejoined 35 Sqn on 3 Dec 79 after a 4:35 hour BTR-bashing trip.
The next year we took 538 to Wildenrath for a long week-end of Wobbly und Wurstchen on 8-11 Feb, including some low-level fighter affil in awful weather against 19(F) Sqn F4s.
We started the 1980 Bombing Competition calibration sessions again at the end of Feb; the last time I flew 538 was on 26 Feb 80 as I was posted to Phantoms shortly afterwards - via a Jet Provost refresher course, then summer at Valley flying the Hawk until going to Chivenor in September for the first Chivenor Hawk TWU course and then to Coningsby the following spring.
The 'SAC' badge had been removed after the 1978 GV; however, its distinctive shape could still be seen on 538 afterwards.
Hmm - someone earlier made a posting after this one - it's now disappeared. The point of my post was merely to supply the information which alamo requested!
The next year we took 538 to Wildenrath for a long week-end of Wobbly und Wurstchen on 8-11 Feb, including some low-level fighter affil in awful weather against 19(F) Sqn F4s.
We started the 1980 Bombing Competition calibration sessions again at the end of Feb; the last time I flew 538 was on 26 Feb 80 as I was posted to Phantoms shortly afterwards - via a Jet Provost refresher course, then summer at Valley flying the Hawk until going to Chivenor in September for the first Chivenor Hawk TWU course and then to Coningsby the following spring.
The 'SAC' badge had been removed after the 1978 GV; however, its distinctive shape could still be seen on 538 afterwards.
Hmm - someone earlier made a posting after this one - it's now disappeared. The point of my post was merely to supply the information which alamo requested!
Last edited by BEagle; 7th Apr 2004 at 09:42.
Thread Starter
The weekend with ‘538 in Wildenrath was one of those typical trips we all did in those days. On the Friday we did a 3 hour trip from Scampton including the odd target or two, then (according to my log book) I had the ILS and landing at Wildenrath. Our captain had worked out that, if he could get to the station in Mönchen Gladbach in time, he could just make a train to visit friends elsewhere. Now it just so happened that I still had my NATO Führerschein – the legacy of a holding session between my Gnat and Hunter courses 4½ years earlier - so, with luck, we ought to be able to hire a cheapo car from the NAAFI! The nav team and AEO checked us all into the OM (those spartan annex blocks!), whilst the captain and I wangled a fairly ropey Ford Taunus estate out of the system. He changed into civvies whilst I did the paperwork, then we set off for M-G attempting to navigate from a 50 thou map we had. Found the Hauptbahnhof and my chum the captain made his train with a few minutes to spare. I then had the joy of driving through the M-G rush hour in my goon suit as I hadn’t had time to change! Eventually I got back to the OM and went to get my room key – but was hi-jacked by the rest of the crew for a very welcome Wobbly (Warsteiner Pils to the uninitiated) or few and some good banter with the fighter mates. Later I remember trying to get out of my immersion suit whilst half-pi$$ed....ever tried that? Not easy...!!
The weekend passed the usual way – late start, sober up by lunchtime, then visit Holland. Drive back later after having realised that you haven’t actually got any Guilders, then another evil session in the OM bar. Sunday – much the same except that I missed dinner and instead stopped for a Schnellie (“Ja – Bratwurst mit Senf und Pommes Frits mit Mayo’, bitte!”) on the way to collect the captain from the railway station that evening instead of getting stuck in the bar, so felt pretty chipper on the Monday morning. We briefed a short trip to bomb a target somewhere in Germany- the F4 mates would try to stop us. Off we hurtled from Wildenrath in the ‘Ruhr haze’ of those days and groped our way at low level to the target. No fighters seen, the odd Pulse Doppler peep on the RWR but nothing to indicate a Sparrow firing solution – and there was no way they’d have managed an AIM-9G shot! I remember thinking that these guys must be pretty good to operate in the sort of clag we were in, but we claimed victory! After landing, we discovered that they’d actually pulled out of low level as the weather was so poor.... Off to the Mess to warn out, then back to Ops to file for our trip home. The nav plotter was way behind the rest of us, late to pack his bags and warn out, he then wanted to check all the UK NOTAMs. “Bolleaux” we said, “we’re flying airways to Ottringham, so just check the navaids!”. Ignoring his mutterings we got to the aircraft, loaded a very happy Crew Chief and all his duty-free, then fired up and roared off. Noise abatement? No such thing then – who won the war anyway? Up to FL 430 or thereabouts, whereupon the plotter announce that he needed a pee. To do this he unplugged from the intercom, then turned his back on the rest of the crew to use that horrid pee-tube and bladder. I got the AEO to tell me when he was in mid-flow, then pushed gently to just under zero g. Plotter and pee-tube rose gently to the top of the rear cabin, then a smart pull had him in a damp puddle on the floor! He didn’t actually see the funny side of that! The rest of the trip went fine, but we all sat a few seats away from the plotter at the debrief.....
Just a typical Lone Ranger trip of those days – and we flew another 2 trips as well that week, making a total of 12 hours for the week and 47:45 for the month.
God it was fun back then!
The weekend passed the usual way – late start, sober up by lunchtime, then visit Holland. Drive back later after having realised that you haven’t actually got any Guilders, then another evil session in the OM bar. Sunday – much the same except that I missed dinner and instead stopped for a Schnellie (“Ja – Bratwurst mit Senf und Pommes Frits mit Mayo’, bitte!”) on the way to collect the captain from the railway station that evening instead of getting stuck in the bar, so felt pretty chipper on the Monday morning. We briefed a short trip to bomb a target somewhere in Germany- the F4 mates would try to stop us. Off we hurtled from Wildenrath in the ‘Ruhr haze’ of those days and groped our way at low level to the target. No fighters seen, the odd Pulse Doppler peep on the RWR but nothing to indicate a Sparrow firing solution – and there was no way they’d have managed an AIM-9G shot! I remember thinking that these guys must be pretty good to operate in the sort of clag we were in, but we claimed victory! After landing, we discovered that they’d actually pulled out of low level as the weather was so poor.... Off to the Mess to warn out, then back to Ops to file for our trip home. The nav plotter was way behind the rest of us, late to pack his bags and warn out, he then wanted to check all the UK NOTAMs. “Bolleaux” we said, “we’re flying airways to Ottringham, so just check the navaids!”. Ignoring his mutterings we got to the aircraft, loaded a very happy Crew Chief and all his duty-free, then fired up and roared off. Noise abatement? No such thing then – who won the war anyway? Up to FL 430 or thereabouts, whereupon the plotter announce that he needed a pee. To do this he unplugged from the intercom, then turned his back on the rest of the crew to use that horrid pee-tube and bladder. I got the AEO to tell me when he was in mid-flow, then pushed gently to just under zero g. Plotter and pee-tube rose gently to the top of the rear cabin, then a smart pull had him in a damp puddle on the floor! He didn’t actually see the funny side of that! The rest of the trip went fine, but we all sat a few seats away from the plotter at the debrief.....
Just a typical Lone Ranger trip of those days – and we flew another 2 trips as well that week, making a total of 12 hours for the week and 47:45 for the month.
God it was fun back then!
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Beags
Top tale, as usual. Must take issue with you on one little point though.
...then a smart pull had him in a damp puddle on the floor! He didn’t actually see the funny side of that!
Can see the rough humour in that, but I bet your ground crew didn't at the time.
Next to mercury, urine is the most corrosive stuff to have floating around loose in an aircraft. As an ex-rigger, I've seen the results of missed "relief" tubes / bags / bottles, etc - and the real hard (and messy) work it takes to clear it up and nullify the corrosive effects. If you reported it in the 700 (and I hope one of you did), it would have caused some poor s0d of a rigger hours of extra work lifting bits of floor and thoroughly cleaning / inspecting parts of the structure.
Still, a good tale though.
Top tale, as usual. Must take issue with you on one little point though.
...then a smart pull had him in a damp puddle on the floor! He didn’t actually see the funny side of that!
Can see the rough humour in that, but I bet your ground crew didn't at the time.
Next to mercury, urine is the most corrosive stuff to have floating around loose in an aircraft. As an ex-rigger, I've seen the results of missed "relief" tubes / bags / bottles, etc - and the real hard (and messy) work it takes to clear it up and nullify the corrosive effects. If you reported it in the 700 (and I hope one of you did), it would have caused some poor s0d of a rigger hours of extra work lifting bits of floor and thoroughly cleaning / inspecting parts of the structure.Still, a good tale though.
Thread Starter
Not really a problem in the Tin Triangle, as it would merely trickle down to the entrance door and then freeze. Then melt in the descent and pour out of the door when it was opened....
As 'Paddington Bear', one of our 35 Sqn Flt Cdrs discovered when, dressed in his nice crisply laundered KD he opened the door to greet us on our arrival in Luqa - only to be greeted by the by-product of a split pee-tube as it flowed out of the door and over his nice clean uniform!
But at least he had the good grace to laugh it off and give us a can of Cisk beer each! "Greet the M****n crew with some beers - and they pee all over me!" was his comment.
As 'Paddington Bear', one of our 35 Sqn Flt Cdrs discovered when, dressed in his nice crisply laundered KD he opened the door to greet us on our arrival in Luqa - only to be greeted by the by-product of a split pee-tube as it flowed out of the door and over his nice clean uniform!
But at least he had the good grace to laugh it off and give us a can of Cisk beer each! "Greet the M****n crew with some beers - and they pee all over me!" was his comment.
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Hi Beags, any idea what Paddington's doing these days? I used to fly with him in Blue Steel days - I got the full 'new co-pilot' works to drag me towards some sort of maturity!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Just to back Beagle up,
The notoriuos P-tude had 3 holes in it. One at the top which was the input and two others!
At the bottom was a screw thread bung which could, with dexterity be unscrewed and the contents of the bladder poured out before the whole was washed and disinfected. The other was the join between neck and bladder.
As many a copilot discovered to his cost this often became disconnected. As Co's usually peed sitting down you can imaging the rest.
The groundcrew disliked the pee tube as much as the aircrew but were know to leave the bottom bung unscrewed!
The other problem was the damn thing falling off its clip.
We landed in Cyprus and a sheet of yellow ice slid off the door.
Crew Chief: "Someone's dropped some orange squash onto the door."
"No Chief, not squash."
The notoriuos P-tude had 3 holes in it. One at the top which was the input and two others!
At the bottom was a screw thread bung which could, with dexterity be unscrewed and the contents of the bladder poured out before the whole was washed and disinfected. The other was the join between neck and bladder.
As many a copilot discovered to his cost this often became disconnected. As Co's usually peed sitting down you can imaging the rest.
The groundcrew disliked the pee tube as much as the aircrew but were know to leave the bottom bung unscrewed!
The other problem was the damn thing falling off its clip.
We landed in Cyprus and a sheet of yellow ice slid off the door.
Crew Chief: "Someone's dropped some orange squash onto the door."
"No Chief, not squash."
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Nasty Pee Tubes
The P51 Mustang had a little funnel on a tube somewhere beneath the seat. Other end of the tube exited the fuselage down the back.
If ground crew didn't like you they would turn the exit tube into the airflow to give one a spray job.
Longest flight I made in a Mustang was over 5 hours.
Longest in a Vulcan about the same but cannot remember whether the BMk1 had a relief tube. Did it?
The P51 Mustang had a little funnel on a tube somewhere beneath the seat. Other end of the tube exited the fuselage down the back.
If ground crew didn't like you they would turn the exit tube into the airflow to give one a spray job.
Longest flight I made in a Mustang was over 5 hours.
Longest in a Vulcan about the same but cannot remember whether the BMk1 had a relief tube. Did it?
Thread Starter
We flew it back from Barksdale to Waddington via Goose Bay 14-16 November 1979. That's the only time I flew it; it had been one of our 4 Giant Voice '79 a/c, but was ferried home after the semi-final as it wasn't one of the best. We had to leave our far nicer XH538 for another crew to fly.
Stupid question really, BUT: Having read Beagle comment on "our much nicer....."
Were the a/c different?
Handling, temperment!, vices, quality of build? What made a nice a/c?
Were some total sods?
Please expand.
Were the a/c different?
Handling, temperment!, vices, quality of build? What made a nice a/c?
Were some total sods?
Please expand.
Thread Starter
Unless there was something wrong with them, they all handled much the same. But '538 was better looked after by our crew chief, generally tidier inside with hardly any bodge taped repairs to panels, etc. We'd modified it to have a stopwatch holder for the co-pilot to use on IP-to-target work which was very useful indeed!
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PPruNe Pop XJ824
XJ824 was one of four Vulcans of No 27 Squadron that participated in Operation Skyshield II in 1961 that tested the air defences on North America. They flew from Kindley AFB Bermuda. Other aircraft were XH555 and XJ823. The fourth I don't know. Four aircraft from No 83 Squadron also participated, flying in from Lossiemouth.
Aircraft at Kindley AFB
One of the four 27 Sqn aircraft landed at Plattsburgh AFB NY and the detachment wound up at Loring.
It seems the Vulcans were pretty successful. Has anyone any further insight into this or personal recollections?
More
Aircraft at Kindley AFBOne of the four 27 Sqn aircraft landed at Plattsburgh AFB NY and the detachment wound up at Loring.
It seems the Vulcans were pretty successful. Has anyone any further insight into this or personal recollections?
More
Bombing Comps - The other bits!
Time for a bit of "Now it can be told!" In the early '70s I went off to do the CSRO course at Mountbatten. This was shortly before the annual UK Bombing & Nav Comp. In those days the targets for the competition were published about a two weeks before the comp. and given the constraints of the low level system it was possible to predict rough target areas. One of the plotters latched on to the fact that I would be driving back from Mountbatten the weekend following the course and just after the targets for the comp. were announced. The next thing I knew was that I had "volunteered" for a bit of recce. I was loaded up with a couple of armfuls of 1" maps and told to buy a film for my camera. A few days later a phonecall from the squadron provided a list of grid refs. and I started planning a scenic route back to Waddington. The weekend journey involved a lot of trudging up hills to photograph such strategically important locations as a minor road bridge over a motorway, entrance to a railway tunnel, a sewage farm (potential offset aiming point), large isolated building etc.
At one point, having just returned to my car having photographed a target somewhere on the Welsh border, I saw a car park a short distance away and out stepped two navs from another Waddington squadron who proceeded up the track I had just returned on. I snatched a quick photo, but in those pre tele lens days it was not good enough to identify them. But I know who they were! On return I was relieved of the film, much too technical for a copilot, the results of which became part of the target study material for the squadron crews.
One target which I hadn't surveyed was the final one, an insignificant little minor road bridge somewhere in the fens southeast of Waddington. This was a classic "no show" radar target. On the final day of the comp, it being fine and sunny the crew decide that an outing to watch the bombing was in order. So, having stocked the captain's car with Newcastle Brown, we set off for the last target. We found it without difficulty, for it appeared that most of Waddo, Scampton and the USAF from Marham had the same idea. The area round the isolated tiny bridge was a busy car park and all those open boot lids must have provide the best radar response south of Flixborough Works (before the explosion that is!).
YS
At one point, having just returned to my car having photographed a target somewhere on the Welsh border, I saw a car park a short distance away and out stepped two navs from another Waddington squadron who proceeded up the track I had just returned on. I snatched a quick photo, but in those pre tele lens days it was not good enough to identify them. But I know who they were! On return I was relieved of the film, much too technical for a copilot, the results of which became part of the target study material for the squadron crews.
One target which I hadn't surveyed was the final one, an insignificant little minor road bridge somewhere in the fens southeast of Waddington. This was a classic "no show" radar target. On the final day of the comp, it being fine and sunny the crew decide that an outing to watch the bombing was in order. So, having stocked the captain's car with Newcastle Brown, we set off for the last target. We found it without difficulty, for it appeared that most of Waddo, Scampton and the USAF from Marham had the same idea. The area round the isolated tiny bridge was a busy car park and all those open boot lids must have provide the best radar response south of Flixborough Works (before the explosion that is!).
YS
Thread Starter
Such close encounters with other 'spies' was all part and parcel of the fun way of life back then. One 'spy team' were negotiating a fairly awkward farm track when they met the farmer - who told them that their 'mates' were waiting for them further down the track!
On GV, it wasn't unknown for cars to be hired and driven hundreds of miles out into the bondhu to try and get some piccies of the targets... One Yank squadron even drove their own radar offset markers out into the middle of nowhere to help their competition crew. Later they helpfully showed their radar shots to the opposition; sadly the radar significant offsets had gone when they flew the route the next day!
Thanks to a friendly AEO, we had some good shots of a little telephone exchange somewhere in Yorkshire one year - even taken from the correct approach heading. Got a 50 ft score on that, we did!
On GV, it wasn't unknown for cars to be hired and driven hundreds of miles out into the bondhu to try and get some piccies of the targets... One Yank squadron even drove their own radar offset markers out into the middle of nowhere to help their competition crew. Later they helpfully showed their radar shots to the opposition; sadly the radar significant offsets had gone when they flew the route the next day!
Thanks to a friendly AEO, we had some good shots of a little telephone exchange somewhere in Yorkshire one year - even taken from the correct approach heading. Got a 50 ft score on that, we did!
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It’s a pity, in my opinion, that the Duxford Vulcan is in a ‘later’ colour scheme. The aircraft never looked better than in the early sixties delivery colours. White belly and underside, high gloss camouflage ( always loved that!) with a black radome.
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The 'wrap round' camouflage scheme arose directly out of the first Red Flag Exercise that the Vulcans took part in in 1977. The USAF fighter crews remarked that when the Vulcan was banked at low level, the white inderside was a perfect giveaway against the desert landscape. The post exercise report included a recommendation that the 'wrap round' camouflage be adopted. Astonishingly, it was agreed by the powers that be that it should be so and was rapidly adopted and implemented.
Prior to one of the UK bombing comps, the Sqn nav radar team noticed an unusual gound feature - a horseshoe shape with a dot in the middle It was figured that if we could pinpoint that location, we would have a cast iron radar offset for the area. 3 of us went to the area, and after a couple of days, found it. We used it to good effect on the comp and walked away with several trophies - no-one else matched the accuracy we achieved through that offset!
On one of the GVs, a bunch of wives in hire cars set off for a picnic at a special location, usually devoid of any radar significant features. Funnily enough, they parked facing a particular direction and simultaneously by coincidence left their boot lids open! It was pure coincidence, of course, that their boots were pointing directly up the track of the approaching bombers! Astonishingly, the Vulcan crews found a big fat offset target on their radar screens... The USAF immediately investigated, but when they arrived at the field in question, all they found were a bunch of cows!
Prior to one of the UK bombing comps, the Sqn nav radar team noticed an unusual gound feature - a horseshoe shape with a dot in the middle It was figured that if we could pinpoint that location, we would have a cast iron radar offset for the area. 3 of us went to the area, and after a couple of days, found it. We used it to good effect on the comp and walked away with several trophies - no-one else matched the accuracy we achieved through that offset!
On one of the GVs, a bunch of wives in hire cars set off for a picnic at a special location, usually devoid of any radar significant features. Funnily enough, they parked facing a particular direction and simultaneously by coincidence left their boot lids open! It was pure coincidence, of course, that their boots were pointing directly up the track of the approaching bombers! Astonishingly, the Vulcan crews found a big fat offset target on their radar screens... The USAF immediately investigated, but when they arrived at the field in question, all they found were a bunch of cows!