British Plane on Fire in Afghanistan..
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Too far North - hardly a RAF base that isn't these days...
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All the best to 'me old muckers' who got out this time.
It does slightly put the kybosh on me getting back to K Hercs, runnin' out of frames. Bugger.
It does slightly put the kybosh on me getting back to K Hercs, runnin' out of frames. Bugger.
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Hi Nige,
You know as well as I do, having been out for 4 years now tho, that the reduced fire cover made it poss to do many jobs that would otherwise would have fallen by the wayside. Lets face it most of the airports we have been to together in Africa might have had fire cover, but I never expected much from them.
I feel it would not be poss to carry enough equipment to do anything more than give you a little more time to evac the aircraft. Nothing faster than a pair of scared aircrew legs. I'm also lead to believe that the strips would be far too exposed to leave fire personnel on.
Sh!t happens. Just glad beyond belief that all legged it in the correct manor.
You know as well as I do, having been out for 4 years now tho, that the reduced fire cover made it poss to do many jobs that would otherwise would have fallen by the wayside. Lets face it most of the airports we have been to together in Africa might have had fire cover, but I never expected much from them.
I feel it would not be poss to carry enough equipment to do anything more than give you a little more time to evac the aircraft. Nothing faster than a pair of scared aircrew legs. I'm also lead to believe that the strips would be far too exposed to leave fire personnel on.
Sh!t happens. Just glad beyond belief that all legged it in the correct manor.
Join Date: Jun 2004
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Glad all got out OK.
Tonight was the first interview I have seen given by Des Browne - on Channel 4.
Man couldn't string a coherent sentence together, knew less about the event than I did (and I fly naval sea kings!!) and was so evasive, if you could strap him to the side of an aircraft all our worries would be over!!
God help the armed forces with this fool in charge, I'm out in 13 months after 16 yrs and in thats not a moment too soon.
Fatobs
Tonight was the first interview I have seen given by Des Browne - on Channel 4.
Man couldn't string a coherent sentence together, knew less about the event than I did (and I fly naval sea kings!!) and was so evasive, if you could strap him to the side of an aircraft all our worries would be over!!
God help the armed forces with this fool in charge, I'm out in 13 months after 16 yrs and in thats not a moment too soon.
Fatobs
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I read a commentary in one of the papers (Times?) yesterday that intimated that Mr Browne will 'Bore for Britain'! However, they suspected that it was a 'front' for a very incisive mind. Hmmmmmm...the jury is out on that one!
However, it woudn't take a very incisive mind to realise that our military have been right-royally f@cked over by this (and previous) gov'ts asking them to do more and more with less and less. Let's hope his sharp intelllect allows Mr Browne to cut to the chase - and provide our Forces with the equipment, support and manpower they deserve, or else, GETTHE HELL OUT of IRQ and AFG!
However, it woudn't take a very incisive mind to realise that our military have been right-royally f@cked over by this (and previous) gov'ts asking them to do more and more with less and less. Let's hope his sharp intelllect allows Mr Browne to cut to the chase - and provide our Forces with the equipment, support and manpower they deserve, or else, GETTHE HELL OUT of IRQ and AFG!
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Its not the strip the sappers built. Its the same strip at Lashkar Gar where a AN-26 last month piled in (Both pilots killed when a car drove across the runway whilst taking off) none as BOST. C-130 written off
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Picture in the Mail this morning. A/C burnt to a cinder(well tail survived) and a remarkably intact Chelsea Tractor type jeep thing, that it was rumoured, was to be used to ferry the ambassador around the area.
Bloody thing probably had more armour plating than a Challenger....
Bloody thing probably had more armour plating than a Challenger....
Join Date: Mar 2006
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help needed
hello one and all. i'm bob o'connors sister. he was one of the crew to perish on xv179 on jan 30th 05. yesterday was an emotional day for me as i was so scared that the outcome of the hercules fire was much worse than it was. please ensure that you all take care of yourselves and each other. as flipster wisely says do not underestimate the power of shock. i am so thankful that the crew got out alive but i expect they had the memory fo xv179 going through their mind. nonetheless, we cannot rest as there is still the increased risk that unless we get foam to all hercules now we will be seeing this happen again. foam may or may not have a place in yesterdays fire. i do not know the technical side. i do find it very strange that the wheel bursting caused so much damamge. i know the herc is on a reduced service life and will be fazed out but this is ridiculous way of doing it. i feel so much sadness and pain as it's opened up a very raw pain. even if foam had no place, let us also not underestimate the effect of a full DAS. if there was enemy fire we have to wonder why this was the outcome if as des browne says we send our troops out with appropriate measures to maintain their safety. what a liar!
i have worked very hard to try and get foam /DAS for all hercules and will step up my fight now. i have been in the house of commons taking on MP's. i have had defence question asked in parliament. i'm waiting to hear back from des browne about meeting him. there is an MP called james gray who some of you may know. he is reported to have branded nigel gilbert a self publicist and to let the foam issue lie! his comments are on the parliamentary questions thread.page 30 ish.it's worth a look. please join us in contacting him to tell him he's wrong! i do need your help though chaps and chapesses. please spread the word on your bases. i, a nurse from cambridge, have set up a petition calling for signatures to support fleetwide foam with immediate effect on a website. please sign it and get your friends and families to. in 48 hours we've had 342 names. this is more than we had in weeks on the one calling for blair to meet with the bereaved families. the website is www.mfaw.org.uk follow the links in the box i think it's orange writing on a green background,or vice versa! it may be utter madness that it takes a nurse to instigate this but if the government can't do it after losing ten of your colleagues then it will have to be shown that we want it. thankyou.
i have worked very hard to try and get foam /DAS for all hercules and will step up my fight now. i have been in the house of commons taking on MP's. i have had defence question asked in parliament. i'm waiting to hear back from des browne about meeting him. there is an MP called james gray who some of you may know. he is reported to have branded nigel gilbert a self publicist and to let the foam issue lie! his comments are on the parliamentary questions thread.page 30 ish.it's worth a look. please join us in contacting him to tell him he's wrong! i do need your help though chaps and chapesses. please spread the word on your bases. i, a nurse from cambridge, have set up a petition calling for signatures to support fleetwide foam with immediate effect on a website. please sign it and get your friends and families to. in 48 hours we've had 342 names. this is more than we had in weeks on the one calling for blair to meet with the bereaved families. the website is www.mfaw.org.uk follow the links in the box i think it's orange writing on a green background,or vice versa! it may be utter madness that it takes a nurse to instigate this but if the government can't do it after losing ten of your colleagues then it will have to be shown that we want it. thankyou.
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Todays article from the Telegraph gives a fair account. The last paragraph, understatement of fact.
'The crash is likely to put further strain on the RAF Hercules transport fleet, operating at maximum capacity for the Government's overseas expeditions.'
A huge well done to the crew and glad all are safe.
'The crash is likely to put further strain on the RAF Hercules transport fleet, operating at maximum capacity for the Government's overseas expeditions.'
A huge well done to the crew and glad all are safe.
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A mine would make sense to me. Once again this was a very highly considered crew. What on earth is going on with force protection here. Adam Ingram chose to hide behind secrecy when challenged about force protection by HCDC. He simply refused to answer the questions. A mine is explosive, Des Browne said last night that ESF would not have helped. I believe this remark is foolish and irresponsible. I believe this is the sort of thinking that has led to the loss of 2 Hercs and considerable loss of life. If our brave crews do not have fire cover on these strips they should have every other type of protection.
MODERN DAS Min Standard DIRCM
ESF Foam Protection for fuel tanks
FDA Flight Deck Armour
BALLISTIC (Kevlar) MATTING Protect passengers
How many more times do we have to say this? How many more Hercules do we have to lose?
NG
MODERN DAS Min Standard DIRCM
ESF Foam Protection for fuel tanks
FDA Flight Deck Armour
BALLISTIC (Kevlar) MATTING Protect passengers
How many more times do we have to say this? How many more Hercules do we have to lose?
NG
Last edited by nigegilb; 25th May 2006 at 11:36.
Whilst it may have been a mine (84 had a Beverley temporarily disabled by one 'up country' in Aden ) it could just as easily have been just the tyre exploding. As my fading memory recalls the USAF have lost several C130s to just such an event. On the OCU when doing several rollers in succession it was the SOP to leave the dunlops dangling to cool the brakes and the tyres. The hyd systems (utility and booster ) are pressurised to around 3000 psi and any rupture of the lines caused by a blowout or brake explosion causes highly flammable vapour to be ejected giving a blowtorch effect. No authorised amount of fuselage carried portable fire ext would do much good in this instance.
Glad to see all survived. (I take it as read that the LOX tank is empty and purged on these sorties !)
Glad to see all survived. (I take it as read that the LOX tank is empty and purged on these sorties !)
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[QUOTE=ancientaviator62]Whilst it may have been a mine (84 had a Beverley temporarily disabled by one 'up country' in Aden ) unQUOTE]
If you're referring to XM106 at Habilayn then there was nothing " temporarily disabled " about it. It was dragged to the edge of the airstrip and the Royal Engineers finished it off with a large amount of HE.
If you're referring to XM106 at Habilayn then there was nothing " temporarily disabled " about it. It was dragged to the edge of the airstrip and the Royal Engineers finished it off with a large amount of HE.
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Ancient aviator - I think you'll find that the only hydraulics near the tyres are the brake lines which have a reduced pressure (2000psi IRC) and have hydraulic fuses that should prevent a leak becoming too large. All the 'big' hydraulics are the other side of the bulkhead. However, the reason we used to carry the extinguishers was was for brake fires - which can become nasty.
Unfortunately, I suspect that the reality is that a big brake/hyd fire would not allow the extinguisher to be got out in time to be much use (it is quite hefty), it wouldn't have been much use even once in position. Furthermore, there may have been a Mayfair Tractor in the way? Who knows - only time will tell.
If however, a fuel leak caused by FOD/bullets/leak and then which caught fire may have been prevented from spreading by the fitting of foam. Again who knows?
Speculation is interesting but it detracts from the main arguments that ESF should have been fitted to this aircraft before it was deployed. Its replacement should also be fitted - but it won't!
Where is the ballistic matting and why are we flying in the day? It all seems a bit unecessary to me.
We are using up our luck at a most alarming rate!
Rust In Pieces XV206
Unfortunately, I suspect that the reality is that a big brake/hyd fire would not allow the extinguisher to be got out in time to be much use (it is quite hefty), it wouldn't have been much use even once in position. Furthermore, there may have been a Mayfair Tractor in the way? Who knows - only time will tell.
If however, a fuel leak caused by FOD/bullets/leak and then which caught fire may have been prevented from spreading by the fitting of foam. Again who knows?
Speculation is interesting but it detracts from the main arguments that ESF should have been fitted to this aircraft before it was deployed. Its replacement should also be fitted - but it won't!
Where is the ballistic matting and why are we flying in the day? It all seems a bit unecessary to me.
We are using up our luck at a most alarming rate!
Rust In Pieces XV206