Vickers Varsity

[Herod]

a quick Google suggests Sycamores were still at TH in '65/'66, so looks as if Herod just missed it.

Yep, The Sycamore had just been withdrawn when I started. I believe it was a quick change caused by several accidents to the old beast. My first rotary flight was 1st June '66, and I think it was one of the first courses on the Sioux. Sorry if we've caused thread drift.

[Cornish Jack]

Brain failure ... again!

[Cornish Jack]

Arrived at TH in April 64, no Sycamores and Sioux for basic training.

[sycamore]

C-J, I went to TH in May `64 ,lived in secret accommodation(Barthropp House), and did my basic helicopter training on a secret `stealth helicopter` with wooden rotor blades (not the Skeeter,but I did fly that once).There were no `see-thru` Sioux there at the time.Most of my flying was done in the dark or on foggy days to muffle the frantic noise and flaming exhaust as the `stealth `dayglo` paint was re-applied every few sorties,and we operated out of the `topless hangar` to avoid prying eyes..In Aug`64,I was then banished to an Island and even more remote accommodation,befitting my lowly airman status to fly a highly visible `big yellow` hecilopoter........I would, of course ,deny all this ,should I be impeached.......there is no-one under my desk.....

[Fareastdriver]

Arrived at TH in April 64, no Sycamores and Sioux for basic training.

About the time there was a bad accident with a Sycamore where an instructor and student died during a vortex ring demonstration.

I arrived in June 1965 and the basic training was on Sycamores, the Sioux being used for instructor courses. At the end of my course there were a few wobblies with Sycamores so the decision was made to use the Sioux for basic training.

The Sycamores went to Northolt and a couple of years later I had a go in one with Digger Barrell. What I remember is my 3R ducking when we got going because I had forgotten how close the blades went past the roof.

The Sycamore was possibly the best trainer the RAF ever had. If you could fly a Sycamore you could fly ANYTHING!!!!

[Harry Wayfarers]

Originally Posted by nipva

Was it the trainer for fiture heavy bombers pilots (Vulcan, Victor, Valiant, Canberra...) or were they selected from the fast jet pipeline?
By the mid 60s, when I went through the system, streaming from BFTS was done as follows:
Fast jet (Lightning, Hunter and occasional Canberra) to AFTS at Valley primarily on the Gnat or the Hunter if you couldn't fit into a Gnat.
Heavies (V force, Maritime & Transport/AAR) to Oakington on the Varsity
Rotary to Shawbury on the Whirlwind? - not sure after so many years!
At the end of the 60s Fast Jet also included Harrier, Buccaneer and Jaguar.

I don't believe that Shawbury had choppers during the 1960's, I was at Shawbury during 1976 at a time when RAF Tern Hill was closing and RAF records tend to agree that it was open upon the Tern Hill closure that choppers moved in to Shawbury

https://raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/.../raf-shawbury/

[Cornish Jack]

Sycamore and FED - I shall plead impending insanity and 84th birthday! I confused my initial TH sojourn (64) with my return in 68. Logbooks are a blessing. My initial encounter with the Sycamore was in Aden in mid 50s. Not ideal operating conditions - make that totally unsuitable!!

[teeteringhead]

This https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/161117 could be the Ternhill Sycamore fatality referred to above. March 1964 and seemed to have been a blade failure.

[BrizeTim10]

Astro compass

Hi all. Found in my late fathers possessions an Astro compass mk2. Not sure how as he got it as he worked in Brize in TCW. I am trying to find some history of it’s use. It has some white pen under the bubble housing. WF380 TF/NU 21 2 69. So any history on that aircraft would be good and what the other letters and date mean. The compass itself is a MK2A ref 6B/399 serial no 657. Also white markings KHI-R-I0-63 not sure what these mean. Would like to try and trace its origins. Any advice for further research would be much appreciated.

[Ka-2b Pilot]

Just to advise you all that one of the last surviving Varsities, WH945 at St. Mawgan, is under threat as the Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre is being evicted from its present site by Cornwall Council, who think we can just pick up all our aircraft and move them elsewhere.
More details and a petition here: https://www.change.org/p/save-cornwa...m_medium=email

[JW411]

I think you might mean WJ945. (WH945 was a Canberra).

[Pypard]

Originally Posted by Ka-2b Pilot

Just to advise you all that one of the last surviving Varsities, WH945 at St. Mawgan, is under threat as the Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre is being evicted from its present site by Cornwall Council, who think we can just pick up all our aircraft and move them elsewhere.
More details and a petition here: https://www.change.org/p/save-cornwa...m_medium=email

I thought the CAHC lease had come to an end? If correct, then it's not correct to say that the Museum is being evicted. Aside from WJ945 at Newquay (the former G-BEDV), there are six other complete Varsities extant:

WF369 – Newark Air Museum
WF372 – Brooklands Museum
WF382 - stored for Allied Museum, Berlin
WL626 – East Midlands Airport Aeropark
WL679 – RAF Museum Cosford
82001 – Swedish Air Force Museum, Linköping

[DaveReidUK]

Discussion on Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre closure here.

[WJ897]

Varsity WJ897 / G-BDFT

This year is the 40th anniversary of the accident which befell Varsity WJ897 / G-BDFT. A small group of relatives and survivors will be gathering at the site to mark the occasion. Unfortunately in the 15 years which have elapsed since the last such gathering, some of the contact details we have are no longer working.
If you're a relative or if you know of someone who would like to attend, please message us here or via our website's contact page - details of which I can't post here, but search Google for WJ897 and it's the Wix one.
Thanks

[Fennec Flyer]

AFTS Courses at RAF Strubby

Originally Posted by CharlieJuliet

Hi d d - was at Manby Sep 64 till Nov 64 as a co on the Varsity and then was on the last Meteor AFTS course at Strubby Nov 64 till Apr 65. In Apr 65 we flew the Meteors down to Kemble for storage/disposal. Were you there at that time? I think that John Scambler was the boss of the Meteor Squadron at that time. We lived in the Nissan huts at Strubby. Great times!!

I was on No20 Course at RAF Oakington from Aug 1962 - Vampire & Varsity. We got going on the Vampire T11 and I managed 34 Hrs on it before the' great snow' of Late '62 - Mar '63, which brought 5 FTS to a standstill... We became 'snow clearers' with Bass Brooms etc, until Feb '63 when all courses were summoned to the Officers Mess, and Wg Cdr Flying announced that something had to give, as courses had built up, so No 20 Course was sent to RAF Manby to fly the Varsity. As fate would have it, Manby was not the destination, but RAF Strubby was; and had Meteors as well. I was thrilled because at 6' 3" the JP 3/4 had been a squeeze and at Oakington, the Vampire T11 was a nightmare!! The Meteor T7/F8 were fabulous machines, and I loved it, passing out in July 1963 and posted to the then 'new' Argosy, even though we all wanted to fly Hunters by then, but that's another story. I had always imagined that we were a rarity in doing our AFTS on the Meteor, so it is good to hear that Charlie Juliet was fortunate to do his AFTS course in late 1964 - Apr '65!! Are there any folk out there who also did their AFTS at RAF Strubby, or on Meteors elsewhere?

[OUAQUKGF Ops]

Fennec If you haven't already read 'Meteor Boys' by Steve Bond you might like to obtain a copy - published by Grub Street in 2016. Second hand copies can be had.
Super book with several pages devoted to memories of flying Meteors at Strubby during the 1960s.