Vickers Varsity
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I wonder what happened to all the old Varsity crews ,the Master Signaller kept us fed and loads of coffee and tea. One stopped us from passing out due dozing on the mainspar at 9,000ft for a couple of hours. without oxygen. We kept away from the checking screen Navigator as he and the pupils were very busy . I contented myself with relating the map to the land features from that splendid view in the bomb-bay. To this day I am sure my geography and map reading skills go back to my Varsity flights. On the trip home we stood behind the pilots and acted as extra look outs in the Scampton/Waddington airspace,and the pilots encouraged us being there. I used to get home tired after being on oxygen for a few hours and still with the engine sound in my ears. Happy days only wish some of the youth today could experience something like that. It also made me appreciate the bomber crews as we flew over the disused airfields of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
T21, the Varsity crews "Retired Hurt" long ago! (Well I did anyway) And now the former home of 5 FTS, Oakington, has been renamed Northstowe' and awaits demolition and then some 9,500 houses. Glad you recall your flights in the Varsity with nostalgia, they were good aircraft for Cadet flights and I cannot recall us refusing a request from the local ATC/CCF units. The QFIs' from Oakington meet up every two years but regretably our numbers are dwindling.
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Fly380 ? Aw ,My mate and I just knocked on the door of the Varsity Squadron on the first Monday of our school holidays and asked to fly ? After checking our 3822 we were sitting in on a flight briefing. Bet you could not do that today ! We were dead keen . We did'nt tell the squadron and came back for more flights at Easter.
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Personal memoirs/Youtube
Someone (one of you?) posted a video (slides in the beginning and movie footage in the last half) of their time in the Varsity:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eKb8fVhKVOw
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eKb8fVhKVOw
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Thanks Allyn for that. From a casual start I am amazed at the wealth of info,photo's and film posted on this thread . Thank you everyone as it is recording the history of a forgotten workhorse of the RAF.
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Wl 681
WL 681 was indeed a Shorts operated aircraft. My father Peter Harrison was Chief TP for Shorts Flying Services Division and operated WL 681 on equipment trials from Rochester 1953 to 1964 and from West Malling 1964 until he retired in 1977. Bluebell 1 was his call sign taken from the small village near Rochester airfield, Bluebell Hill where we lived. He is still with us today and at 92 remains an avid reader of Flight each week.
While at West Malling they also operated two other Varsitys. When I can get to his log books I will post the serial numbers.
Nick Harrison
While at West Malling they also operated two other Varsitys. When I can get to his log books I will post the serial numbers.
Nick Harrison
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My Varsity archives are legendary!
Tim, Your wish is granted - here is WJ947 of the College of Air Warfare at Strubby on 16th October 1970.I have a large collection of top quality Varsity slides and am pleased to show them on this thread.
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Varsity 5 FTS & CFS
Many thanks to 'CC' who directed me to this thread.
Flew WJ947 at 5FTS RAF Oakington Oct-Dec 1973 (97course)
Other aircraft we flew in various colour schemes
WF326 WF329 WF331 WF371 WF375 WF389(which were older than we the studes)
WF409, WF418, WF419, WF422, WF429
WJ892, WJ902, WJ912, WJ920, WJ941, WJ942, WJ947
WL628, WL629, WL634, WL670, WL671, WL676
3Sqn CFS RAF Little Rissington 1974
WF377 and WF424
Any more photos gratefully recieved
thanks
Flew WJ947 at 5FTS RAF Oakington Oct-Dec 1973 (97course)
Other aircraft we flew in various colour schemes
WF326 WF329 WF331 WF371 WF375 WF389(which were older than we the studes)
WF409, WF418, WF419, WF422, WF429
WJ892, WJ902, WJ912, WJ920, WJ941, WJ942, WJ947
WL628, WL629, WL634, WL670, WL671, WL676
3Sqn CFS RAF Little Rissington 1974
WF377 and WF424
Any more photos gratefully recieved
thanks
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Okay guys - how about a Varsity aerobatic team??
Here you see WJ921,WF371 and WJ920 of "The Red Barrows" from 5 FTS at Finningley which I photographed performing at Abingdon on 15th September 1973.Does anyone know the names of the pilots, team leader and the dates they formed and disbanded? Also where else did they appear?
Don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but a Varsity at RAE Bedford successfuly carried out the first EVER Cat 3 ILS approaches.
As regards early NVG trials, these were carried out using 2 systems looking throught the bomb bay forward windows, one being FLIR, the other LLTV. I remember OC Flying coming back at about 11 pm one night, and on doing a pass over the airfield, decided to try a landing with no runway lighting. All went well with a superb view of the runway (I saw the videotape with soundtrack) until they lowered the gear, and discovered the nosewheel effectively blocked the view from both sensors!
As regards early NVG trials, these were carried out using 2 systems looking throught the bomb bay forward windows, one being FLIR, the other LLTV. I remember OC Flying coming back at about 11 pm one night, and on doing a pass over the airfield, decided to try a landing with no runway lighting. All went well with a superb view of the runway (I saw the videotape with soundtrack) until they lowered the gear, and discovered the nosewheel effectively blocked the view from both sensors!
Probably did some development flying there, but as far as I can recall (article in either RAF Flying Review or Air Pictorial c1960) the bulk was done at RAE Bedford where BLEU was based.