Supermarine Scimitar

[SATCO Biggin]

I was chewing the cud with a friend in the bar last night and it appears we both unknowingly grew up in the same area. Conversation turned to the early 1960's when on a regular basis a military jet would circle around the Bexley, Dartford and Crayford area at approx 1500 feet. He would go round and round in a sort of oval pattern for perhaps an hour or more at a time.

Now comes the question.....

I seem to recall the aircraft was carrying out some sort of gunsight, bombsight, radar tracking type development work for the Vickers Armstrong factory at Dartford.

Can anyone confirm that the aircraft was a Scimitar in the early days, changing to a Sea Hawk later?, and were they operated by FRADU?

Regards

SATCO Biggin
(feeling a bit old)

[BEagle]

FRADU operated Sea Hawks from 1962-1969 after their Sea Furies were retired in 1962 (which I remember seeing over Somerset when oi were a lad!), and also operated Scimitars from 1965-Dec 1970. So from 1965-1969 they operated both types!

So many more military aircraft in the skies back then....

[D120A]

I used to see the aircraft frequently from Barnehurst, where a friend lived. His father worked at Vickers and the aircraft was indeed involved with calibrating things they made there, in Crayford. We used to watch it through a large Vickers naval telescope! Relentless figures of eight.

But I only ever saw a Sea Hawk. This was 1958-60 time, and I am sure I would have remembered a Scimitar if one had appeared during that period. We were all avid spotters and there were an interesting array of types around, then.

[BEagle]

Increasing Scimitar loss rates and the introduction of the Buccaneer meant that the Scimitar was relegated to 2nd line duties in the early 1960s; the last RH frontline unit gave up its Scimitars in 1966 and FRADU flew some from 1965-1970.

[Gainesy]

Was there any particular reason(s) for the high accident rate?

[SATCO Biggin]

D120A

Small world, used to live in Barnehurst (Edendale Road) but from my viewpoint could only see the aircraft turn overhead back towards Dartford so assumed it was a racetrack pattern, but a figure of eight would make more sense.

The Sea Hawk was more frequent than the Scimitar, although there is a possibility a Hunter joined the fun more latterly.

I cannot see the environmenalists putting up with military jets flying round and round over a built up area at approx 1500 feet in these modern times.

Unfortunately all of my ex spotting books were trashed many years ago otherwise I could have put definite serials to the aircraft, although I remember it was invariably the same aircraft taking part.

[JW411]

An ex-FRADU friend once asked me what the Scimitar and a choir boy had in common?

The answer was that they were both f****d by Vickers!

[mustafagander]

As I recall it, the late, unlamented VC10/VC15 was nicknamed Choir Boy for the same reason.

[4Greens]

Used to fly them! A big problem was large aircraft and small carriers. To land in the tropics (nil natural wind) fuel had to be reduced to five minutes endurance so that wires were not broken. This may well have increased pressure. There were numerous failures but perhaps not many more than on any aircraft of this vintage. Another factor in carrier ops of the time was lack of practice. Due to low number of carriers they had to steam from place to place in a short time resulting in less flying. In a couple of tours I only did two practice landings (no hook). Mind boggling compared to modern ops.

Great fun though!

[Noah Zark.]

Speechless Two,
Good piccies of the Scimitars landing (crashing!) on. As always, on these occasions, the "Goofers Gallery" was full!
I had a look round the example that is on the deck of the U.S.S. Intrepid in New York last April, and sadly it is on its way. Bit of a hashed paint job on it, they haven't even bothered putting any serial numbers, etc., on it. Very sad.
( Slightly off thread, but I also had a look at Concorde 'AD on/in its new home, a barge moored alongside the Intrepid. It looks great. Not! It is already suffering from the environment it is in. It is a travesty)

[pulse1]

One Scimitar was lost when it hit the Isle or Wight in the late 60's. They used to operate fron Hurn which was a wonderfully noisy place then, with Scimitars and lots of BAC111 test flying and crew training.

I believe that 22 aircrew were lost in a six month period during the Beira blockade, not all Scimitars though.

[BEagle]

Health and Safety boys, girls and those of uncertain or ambiguous gender, more like

[Schiller]

Certainly we lost no-one from 800 NAS in Eagle during the Beira patrol. I can't be absolutely certain but I'm pretty sure there were no casualties from any of the other squadrons onboard either.

[Croqueteer]

I remember a Daily Mirror picture of a Scimitar over the side with the pilot struggling unsuccessfully to open the canopy, one of these photos that stick in you mind forever.