Beverleys
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My only flight in a Beverly was Gutersloh to Cranwell---into a strong headwind. We were reasonably low through Germany and , I kid you not, were overtaken by traffic on the autobahn.
Only a few pax and no freight, we were able to have a kick around with a football on the freight deck.
ATC story.
Early Bev going UK into French airspace. On handover, French ATC---
"We have you contact, you appear to be followed by two objects"
"That's OK, they are our fins"
Only a few pax and no freight, we were able to have a kick around with a football on the freight deck.
ATC story.
Early Bev going UK into French airspace. On handover, French ATC---
"We have you contact, you appear to be followed by two objects"
"That's OK, they are our fins"
Cunning Artificer
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The Beverley was a "Stately" machine. There was no point in rushing her or getting into a flap. On one 'Mickey Finn' we flew from Waddington to Machrihanish in a Beverley carrying our own Fire Tender for the detachment. There was a westerly gale blowing and it took us nearly four hours to get there. Four days later when we returned it was still blowing a gale and we got back in less than an hour. Those who are familiar with Waddington will know that the runway is aligned something like 03/21 so the landing was rather 'interesting'. We could see straight down the runway centreline through the 'portholes' in the boom and though we weren't actually going backwards, there wasn't an awful lot of forwards either. Does anyone know the crosswind limits for a Bev? We must have been close to the limit.
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I never got the throw anything out of a Bev but I've spent many a long hour talking to a chap who did a fair bit of Air Drop trials work with them. I like this one best.
On the Bev the extraction parachute was mounted on the rear face of the cargo bay sill and during the pre start up checks someone had used it as a step when getting down. What wasn't noticed was that the relaese had been damaged. During the take off roll the extractor parachute fell off and deployed, this in turn pulled the the Medium Stressed Platform out of the hold and deposited it on the runway. Releived of its load the Bev promptly took off.
Has anyone ever seen the Bev with what looks like an arrestor hook! (Is it the largest aircraft to ever have one?) for Ground Proximity Extraction drops?
On the Bev the extraction parachute was mounted on the rear face of the cargo bay sill and during the pre start up checks someone had used it as a step when getting down. What wasn't noticed was that the relaese had been damaged. During the take off roll the extractor parachute fell off and deployed, this in turn pulled the the Medium Stressed Platform out of the hold and deposited it on the runway. Releived of its load the Bev promptly took off.
Has anyone ever seen the Bev with what looks like an arrestor hook! (Is it the largest aircraft to ever have one?) for Ground Proximity Extraction drops?
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Has anyone ever seen the Bev with what looks like an arrestor hook! (Is it the largest aircraft to ever have one?) for Ground Proximity Extraction drops?
As you would expect, the 'package' returned to base together. To take the urine out of the fighter jocks, I once saw a USAF C130 deploy the mother of all 'brake' parachutes upon landing!
I bet she stopped toute-suite as well.
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The "arrestor hook" was probably the red tripod fitted under the sill of the cargo bay to prevent tipping when unloading.
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No the hook was a hook.
It was fixed to the sill and broke away when it caught the cable. However it was still attched to the load which would then be extracted from the aircraft.
When the arrestor system was replaced by a system of extractor parachutes ULLA (as the UK called it, LAPES by everyone else) was born, havng the advantage of not needing the arrestor cables to be set up first.
It was fixed to the sill and broke away when it caught the cable. However it was still attched to the load which would then be extracted from the aircraft.
When the arrestor system was replaced by a system of extractor parachutes ULLA (as the UK called it, LAPES by everyone else) was born, havng the advantage of not needing the arrestor cables to be set up first.
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Airdrop
As has been reported, ULLA/LAPES was used by the Beverley although I don't think it was ever used operationally. Please somone correct me if I am wrong. I have used it in the USA from C-130s in 1964 as well as the PLADS system and it was used in Vietnam. We did quite a few ULLA trials on JATE at Abingdon in the early 70s with the C-130K but I don't think it ever caught on in the RAF. I am not privvy to the latest black arts as practised by the SF world anymore, but it seems that the USAF system of GPS controlled high level parachute drop has some merit. If I am straying into forbidden territory, please shut me up but it seems the RAF have not moved very much in the last 50 years. Apologies for the thread creep.
As has been reported, ULLA/LAPES was used by the Beverley although I don't think it was ever used operationally. Please somone correct me if I am wrong. I have used it in the USA from C-130s in 1964 as well as the PLADS system and it was used in Vietnam. We did quite a few ULLA trials on JATE at Abingdon in the early 70s with the C-130K but I don't think it ever caught on in the RAF. I am not privvy to the latest black arts as practised by the SF world anymore, but it seems that the USAF system of GPS controlled high level parachute drop has some merit. If I am straying into forbidden territory, please shut me up but it seems the RAF have not moved very much in the last 50 years. Apologies for the thread creep.
Apologies for the slight thread creep but I did some of the ULLA trials with the C130K and we continued the Beverley practice of using extractor parachutes (modified Vulcan brake 'chutes if my fading memory is correct ). Each platform could weigh a max of 14000 lbs and as we used to do triple ULLA, a handy load could be delivered with just on pass.
Years ago, I used to fly with an ex Beverly pilot. During the 60's, he'd been first officer on a Beverly doing the Wolverhampton airshow. He said they had a very serious incident, due to him preparing the props for reverse on landing, as briefed. Apparently, the captain changed his mind at the last moment and decided to do a touch and go instead. This required the F/O to deselect a load of switches in quick time before it was safe to apply power. They came very close to running out of runway.
Years later, I was talking to someone who'd been a member of The Wolverhampton Aeroclub. He told me all about how he'd watched a Beverly nearly crash at the airshow. Both stories tied up beautifully!
Years later, I was talking to someone who'd been a member of The Wolverhampton Aeroclub. He told me all about how he'd watched a Beverly nearly crash at the airshow. Both stories tied up beautifully!
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I was invited by a chum on a Beverley afternoon sortie out of Nairobi, for a low level cruise around the game parks, back in the 60's. All went well and I was enjoying the views from the throne like jump seat, when it was decided to carry out a low level attack on a herd of eliphants.After the first pass a lone bull remained trumpeting at the 'intruder'. On the third pass with the bull still rooted in position and waving its trunk, the flight engineer surmised aloud that clearly the bull was anticipating mating!
The resulting explosion of mirth may well have been our last, however, fortunately my chum remembered to pull out of the 'attack'!
The resulting explosion of mirth may well have been our last, however, fortunately my chum remembered to pull out of the 'attack'!
Ah, the Beverley (just discovered this thread).
I was on 390MU, Seletar from1966 to 1968. Seletar was also home to 34 Sqn Beverleys. When the Belvederes of 66 Sqn Kuching detachment needed extra help to catch up on modifications I was despatched to Kuching on a Beverley. Must say I found the flight (up in the boom) to be very peaceful and relaxing. The aircrew were reputed to navigate outbound by dead-reckoning and then return by following the oil slick...........
Sad to say that later in my tour I was a member of the working party sent across Seletar airfield to strip the Bevs of anything useful then chop/hack/saw the twin tailplane off, prior to local scrap merchants descending mob-handed to finish the job. Had I been tasked with carrying out a similar task on the Whistling Tits, I would have done it with much greater gusto!
I was on 390MU, Seletar from1966 to 1968. Seletar was also home to 34 Sqn Beverleys. When the Belvederes of 66 Sqn Kuching detachment needed extra help to catch up on modifications I was despatched to Kuching on a Beverley. Must say I found the flight (up in the boom) to be very peaceful and relaxing. The aircrew were reputed to navigate outbound by dead-reckoning and then return by following the oil slick...........
Sad to say that later in my tour I was a member of the working party sent across Seletar airfield to strip the Bevs of anything useful then chop/hack/saw the twin tailplane off, prior to local scrap merchants descending mob-handed to finish the job. Had I been tasked with carrying out a similar task on the Whistling Tits, I would have done it with much greater gusto!
ZeBedie
Ah yes, the dreaded prop interruptor switches!!
Yet another retrofit to sort out problems with the prop de-icing IIRC. Unfortunately they required reselection/deselection when using reverse thrust and if you got it wrong you were stuck in reverse. Needless to say, such a potential 'Murphy' didn't take long to surface - one of the early 30 Sqn aircraft was being parked in a dispersal, at Dishforth, using reverse thrust but with the switches deselected - dispersal sloped down in the direction of travel.... attempts to get out of reverse failed and subsequent brake application produced the inevitable rotation onto the tail
Happy days
Ah yes, the dreaded prop interruptor switches!!
Yet another retrofit to sort out problems with the prop de-icing IIRC. Unfortunately they required reselection/deselection when using reverse thrust and if you got it wrong you were stuck in reverse. Needless to say, such a potential 'Murphy' didn't take long to surface - one of the early 30 Sqn aircraft was being parked in a dispersal, at Dishforth, using reverse thrust but with the switches deselected - dispersal sloped down in the direction of travel.... attempts to get out of reverse failed and subsequent brake application produced the inevitable rotation onto the tail
Happy days
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Beverley in New Zealand
Extracts from a letter written by Group Captain F.C. Griffiths Blackburn Beverley, XM104 RAF Transport Command.
" ......... on our way to Rotorua [in the vicinity of Ohakune] we saw a plume of white smoke in a deep valley. As we got nearer it manifested itself as a cropdusting [topdressing] operation. I took the power off and we watched from about two miles away as he dropped his load, landed on the small farm strip and picked up another load and took off. It was the first time I'd seen cropdusting and it was a very slick operation, maybe only four minutes between take-off's.
We'd been briefed to fly low and show the Beverley to the inhabitants so here was an opportunty!
I don't think either the pilot of the cropduster or the loading party on the ground had any idea we were standing off at reduced power and I judged it nicely. The Beverley is a superb aircraft though large for landing in small places at low speed. As the cropduster took off we came in just behind him to the utter astonishment of the party on the ground. I don't suppose four engined aircraft often came into their farm strip. I touched our wheels and off we went to Rotorua.
I'm not exactly sure where this place was as we were a bit lost at the time but at least there must be someone who will remember the incident....."
I16
" ......... on our way to Rotorua [in the vicinity of Ohakune] we saw a plume of white smoke in a deep valley. As we got nearer it manifested itself as a cropdusting [topdressing] operation. I took the power off and we watched from about two miles away as he dropped his load, landed on the small farm strip and picked up another load and took off. It was the first time I'd seen cropdusting and it was a very slick operation, maybe only four minutes between take-off's.
We'd been briefed to fly low and show the Beverley to the inhabitants so here was an opportunty!
I don't think either the pilot of the cropduster or the loading party on the ground had any idea we were standing off at reduced power and I judged it nicely. The Beverley is a superb aircraft though large for landing in small places at low speed. As the cropduster took off we came in just behind him to the utter astonishment of the party on the ground. I don't suppose four engined aircraft often came into their farm strip. I touched our wheels and off we went to Rotorua.
I'm not exactly sure where this place was as we were a bit lost at the time but at least there must be someone who will remember the incident....."
I16
Last edited by I16; 29th Jan 2007 at 08:37.
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I recall a senior USAF guy who said he had flown the Beverley; possibly an exchange tour. He described it thus:
'Great ship. Take anything nowhere.'
On the subject of hooks and such, I have a vague recollection of seeing a Beverley flying with what can only be desribed as a bloody great net hanging out the back. Possibly South cerney. Any thoughts?
'Great ship. Take anything nowhere.'
On the subject of hooks and such, I have a vague recollection of seeing a Beverley flying with what can only be desribed as a bloody great net hanging out the back. Possibly South cerney. Any thoughts?
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Anybody, Ex Bevs, Akrotiri '61-62 remember this incident ?
The best I can recall.
……..the Beverley’s were amazing aircraft. From our school playground at Akrotiri we could watch their ops. They would load up with parachutists and stagger up to a suitable height and deposit these unfortunate soles on the salt flats just to the north of Akrotiri. Sometimes they would disgorge a Land Rover or Light Tank supported by several parachutes.
One morning we watched from the playground as a Beverley turned towards the DZ, its rear doors wide open. At the appropriate moment a Land Rover was dispatched out of the rear of the lumbering giant. It fell away and we all waited for the tell tail sign of the trail chute to appear. We waited and waited. One parachute opened but the other three just candled. The receiving ground crew were on the ball. As we watched for the other three parachutes to open they were already running.
The Land Rover hurtled into the ground at a huge rate of knots and disappeared in a cloud of sand and mud and metal. We kids shouted and cheered. Fantastic stuff, the likes of which we had never seen before. This was the only talking point in the playground for weeks to come.
Later that day, my father took me to the scene. The Land Rover was about two feet tall…………
Clint.
The best I can recall.
……..the Beverley’s were amazing aircraft. From our school playground at Akrotiri we could watch their ops. They would load up with parachutists and stagger up to a suitable height and deposit these unfortunate soles on the salt flats just to the north of Akrotiri. Sometimes they would disgorge a Land Rover or Light Tank supported by several parachutes.
One morning we watched from the playground as a Beverley turned towards the DZ, its rear doors wide open. At the appropriate moment a Land Rover was dispatched out of the rear of the lumbering giant. It fell away and we all waited for the tell tail sign of the trail chute to appear. We waited and waited. One parachute opened but the other three just candled. The receiving ground crew were on the ball. As we watched for the other three parachutes to open they were already running.
The Land Rover hurtled into the ground at a huge rate of knots and disappeared in a cloud of sand and mud and metal. We kids shouted and cheered. Fantastic stuff, the likes of which we had never seen before. This was the only talking point in the playground for weeks to come.
Later that day, my father took me to the scene. The Land Rover was about two feet tall…………
Clint.
Mr Grubby - my first experience of heavy drops was out of Abingdon, detached from Dishforth. We were cleared to drop by the Range Controller and duly made the run. Quite quickly after release we got the following R/T call ... " Please inform the Captain that the load took three seconds to leave the aircraft and five seconds to hit the ground". With no previous experience of the drop sequence, the significance didn't register and the message was duly passed. The response was "WTF " and a VERY rapid (in Bev terms) whip around the circuit and a low level recce to view a distinctly flat Land Rover on its rather secondhand pallet.
Dropping things from the Bev was always interesting. On the initial trials of para drops from the boom in the combined para/heavy drop role, the dummies were released through the floor hatch but disappeared from view. Much puzzlement, until they were discovered lying in the freight bay, having been swept there by the reversed airflow caused by the doors being removed. Yet another retrofit, this time the "elephant's ears", thereafter used for mixed drop sorties.
Re. the senior 'septic' comment = take anything for SHORT DISTANCES - correct - that's what they were designed for and what they did supremely well. Problem was, as ever, Auntie Betty's Flying Club rarely used it in its intended role - plus ca change
" and a VERY rapid (in Bev terms) whip around the circuit and a low level recce to view a distinctly flat Land Rover on its rather secondhand pallet.Dropping things from the Bev was always interesting. On the initial trials of para drops from the boom in the combined para/heavy drop role, the dummies were released through the floor hatch but disappeared from view. Much puzzlement, until they were discovered lying in the freight bay, having been swept there by the reversed airflow caused by the doors being removed. Yet another retrofit, this time the "elephant's ears", thereafter used for mixed drop sorties.
Re. the senior 'septic' comment = take anything for SHORT DISTANCES - correct - that's what they were designed for and what they did supremely well. Problem was, as ever, Auntie Betty's Flying Club rarely used it in its intended role - plus ca change
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Beverley Photos
Hi
gooselection of Beverley shots at http://www.abpic.co.uk/ just enter 'Beverley' in the keyword search.
ATM
gooselection of Beverley shots at http://www.abpic.co.uk/ just enter 'Beverley' in the keyword search.
ATM
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Who has the cine film of XB259?
As a spotty teenager I used to hang around Paull airfield in the mid 70's hoping to save up the astronomical sum of 400 pounds for a PPL...
I was lucky enough to bum a lift in an Aztec (G-B*HJ) around 5pm on 30th Mar 1974 to meet the Beverley coming to become our new clubhouse! I remember that somone in the plane was filming, just before the pilot said "I won't be able to get much closer than this before we hit the......" and then everything was upside down for a while.
I couldn't believe it was going to get into our grass strip. Almost as much fun as someone's pal doing a touch and go in a Vulcan - rumour has it he lost his job for that one.
Paul(l)
I was lucky enough to bum a lift in an Aztec (G-B*HJ) around 5pm on 30th Mar 1974 to meet the Beverley coming to become our new clubhouse! I remember that somone in the plane was filming, just before the pilot said "I won't be able to get much closer than this before we hit the......" and then everything was upside down for a while.
I couldn't believe it was going to get into our grass strip. Almost as much fun as someone's pal doing a touch and go in a Vulcan - rumour has it he lost his job for that one.
Paul(l)
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The good old four fan cantilever council house. moved a lot of stuff with 34 Sqn at Seletar in '62. Good old days. At least, before the staish shut down the aircrew mess.
bob C
bob C
Seeing stuff being dropped from Beverleys at Akrotiri onto the salt flats is one of my earliest memories.
Someone asked about Sharjah. The old airfield at Sharjah doesn't exist now. It's now covered by buildings and a motorway junction so it can't bee seen on Google earth. The new Sharjah airport is a few miles away from the old one.
Someone asked about Sharjah. The old airfield at Sharjah doesn't exist now. It's now covered by buildings and a motorway junction so it can't bee seen on Google earth. The new Sharjah airport is a few miles away from the old one.