VULCAN 607
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I was duty pilot in the tower at Scampton when a certain senior captain and his crew collected a turbine disc breakup on rotate [the one Beags refers to earlier]. It was spectacular. A tube of flame twice the length of the aircraft appeared and the ac disappeared out of sight over the ridge for a few secs. When he re-appeared, the flames had gone and he was trailing black smoke [which diminished as the circuit progressed].
He staggered up to cct ht and went a long way upwind before turning downwind. Because the controller had hit the crash alarm, the tower rapidly filled up with the brains trust. When the DCF arrived, I reverted to logging every single event surrounding the incident, including decisions made by whoever. When captain called 'Mayday c/s downwind to land' the stn cdr [head of brains trust] told the controller to tell the captain to orbit 5 miles north 'whilst we sort the problem out'. He then went back into the huddle. The ac continued downwind.
He then called finals and head of brains trust adopted furious mantle at having his orders ignored. The orbit call was repeated but the captain specifically acknowledged that order and again asked for clearance to land. The controller, bless him, gave the surface wind and clearance to land, whereupon he removed his headset refusing to take any further part in this farce.
Ac landed, streamed the chute in full aerodynamic braking pose, stopped about 2/3 the way up the runway, the door opened and five figures scattered to the wind.
Stn Cdr was blazing mad - 'I'll see Flt Lt xxxx in my office immediately' - and stomped off. Nothing more was ever said about the tower fiasco, but I had logged everything - and I mean everything.
Next time I was duty pilot, I opened the logbook to have another look. The pages had been neatly cut out - as though the incident had never happened.
He staggered up to cct ht and went a long way upwind before turning downwind. Because the controller had hit the crash alarm, the tower rapidly filled up with the brains trust. When the DCF arrived, I reverted to logging every single event surrounding the incident, including decisions made by whoever. When captain called 'Mayday c/s downwind to land' the stn cdr [head of brains trust] told the controller to tell the captain to orbit 5 miles north 'whilst we sort the problem out'. He then went back into the huddle. The ac continued downwind.
He then called finals and head of brains trust adopted furious mantle at having his orders ignored. The orbit call was repeated but the captain specifically acknowledged that order and again asked for clearance to land. The controller, bless him, gave the surface wind and clearance to land, whereupon he removed his headset refusing to take any further part in this farce.
Ac landed, streamed the chute in full aerodynamic braking pose, stopped about 2/3 the way up the runway, the door opened and five figures scattered to the wind.
Stn Cdr was blazing mad - 'I'll see Flt Lt xxxx in my office immediately' - and stomped off. Nothing more was ever said about the tower fiasco, but I had logged everything - and I mean everything.
Next time I was duty pilot, I opened the logbook to have another look. The pages had been neatly cut out - as though the incident had never happened.
Last edited by FJJP; 20th Jul 2006 at 15:32.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Hmmm. advice from the tower.
IIRC there was the occasion when a CY F4 lost its outer wing working just off the Norfolk coast. The pilot found the aircraft was controllable and was holding at medium level, doing various low speed handling checks, when the tower brains trust suggested he see how it handled with flaps down. Pilot selects flaps down, hydraulic valves in wing open, total hydraulic failure follwed by double ejection.
Subsequent BOI finds pilot responsible as captain. No blame at all to brains trust, as they were only offering advice....
Moral - There can be only one...
IIRC there was the occasion when a CY F4 lost its outer wing working just off the Norfolk coast. The pilot found the aircraft was controllable and was holding at medium level, doing various low speed handling checks, when the tower brains trust suggested he see how it handled with flaps down. Pilot selects flaps down, hydraulic valves in wing open, total hydraulic failure follwed by double ejection.
Subsequent BOI finds pilot responsible as captain. No blame at all to brains trust, as they were only offering advice....
Moral - There can be only one...
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Originally Posted by BEagle
Not quite the same as the likes of the Black Buck planners 'winging' the Wideawake recovery plan after all the Victors were coming home on fumes.....
You guys deserve more credit than you got.
In my little Hawk at Chivenor, I did the (in those days) standard 'on, holding, off, exhausting' brake check downwind - only to find that one brake stayed showing max pressure. I had lots of fuel, so went round and round whilst the duty wheels scurried off to the tower. By throttling to idle and operating as many hydraulic bits simultaneously as I could, I was pretty certain that it was an indication snag as the Hawk wasn't capable of producing such high pressures with all services operating together (air brake in, gear dow and flaps down all at the same time....).
After much deliberation, the Duty Pilot (who was valiantly kicking all the high-priced help out of the tower) concurred with my idea. Anti-skid off, then touch down - if no burst tyre, feet off, anti-skid on. All went to plan, the only change being that after I'd put the anti-skid back on I applied max braking short of the anti-skid operating, so that if it had been some weird transient fault, then the difference between sides would be as little as possible. Then cleared the RW and shut down to await a tug. The Stn Cdr ('cement head') thought that was unnecessary......
We were always briefed as Duty Aircrew Officers at Sunny Scampton in V-force days that our main job was to lock the tower visual control room and take the phone off the hook to stop the idiot 'Brains Trust' rushing up to interfere!
After much deliberation, the Duty Pilot (who was valiantly kicking all the high-priced help out of the tower) concurred with my idea. Anti-skid off, then touch down - if no burst tyre, feet off, anti-skid on. All went to plan, the only change being that after I'd put the anti-skid back on I applied max braking short of the anti-skid operating, so that if it had been some weird transient fault, then the difference between sides would be as little as possible. Then cleared the RW and shut down to await a tug. The Stn Cdr ('cement head') thought that was unnecessary......
We were always briefed as Duty Aircrew Officers at Sunny Scampton in V-force days that our main job was to lock the tower visual control room and take the phone off the hook to stop the idiot 'Brains Trust' rushing up to interfere!
FJJP
Re. your tower fiasco.
Seems to be an endemic type of 'decison taking' of The Brains Trust. I well remember an incident at FY in which I (a very humble ATCO) was told to land the a/c 'between the gusts'
- that pearl came from OC Ops!!
Re. your tower fiasco.
Seems to be an endemic type of 'decison taking' of The Brains Trust. I well remember an incident at FY in which I (a very humble ATCO) was told to land the a/c 'between the gusts'
- that pearl came from OC Ops!!
AAR probe - it makes taxying easier as it provides good visual reference cues when trying to taxy a 'semi-detached house looking through the lavatory window' as it was once described to me.
On our bomb comp jet, we had 2 large day-glo rings around the probe which could act as a back up bomb sight for the height/weapon defined for the comp.
Whenever anyone (male or female) asked what they were for, we'd reply "Lipstick marks".... Well, this was before PC days!
On our bomb comp jet, we had 2 large day-glo rings around the probe which could act as a back up bomb sight for the height/weapon defined for the comp.
Whenever anyone (male or female) asked what they were for, we'd reply "Lipstick marks".... Well, this was before PC days!
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BEagle,
Your mentioning PC reminded me that there was a suggestion that researchers into the effects of Cosmic radiation could not do better than look at the life, health and deaths of the thousands of V-Force aircrew who must have gone through the system. However, this was discarded as we were all apparently male and there was no info on females.
Those were the days!
Your mentioning PC reminded me that there was a suggestion that researchers into the effects of Cosmic radiation could not do better than look at the life, health and deaths of the thousands of V-Force aircrew who must have gone through the system. However, this was discarded as we were all apparently male and there was no info on females.
Those were the days!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
In 1964 not all Vulcans had probes. There was one intersting incident (if you were in the back ot the letter box) where a student Captain had flown his first 4 trips (or may be just 3) in a probed Vulcan. He was then sent off on exercise 5, the crew solo, in an aircraft without a probe.
As the staff were, at that time, used to flying either type no one gave a thought until the stude found great difficulty lining up for the approach.
I guess he might have been a non-copilot Captain candidate.
As the staff were, at that time, used to flying either type no one gave a thought until the stude found great difficulty lining up for the approach.
I guess he might have been a non-copilot Captain candidate.
Don Quixote Impersonator
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Aaaaaaahh thanks BEagle
Going back and having a closer look I can see why.
BTW it must also have been one of the first of those Psywar machines,
If one of these;
came batting
down the byway at you I'm sure most of us would have a very dry throat.
Going back and having a closer look I can see why.
BTW it must also have been one of the first of those Psywar machines,
If one of these;
came batting
down the byway at you I'm sure most of us would have a very dry throat.
Went out and bought the book, a good read indeed.
I wondered if Dark Blue types could advise if an account of HMS Conqueror's war is out there? I have read 100 Days but now have a thirst for knowing how the sub stalked it's prey. It is mentioned that it followed the Belgrano very closely. That must have been tense.
I wondered if Dark Blue types could advise if an account of HMS Conqueror's war is out there? I have read 100 Days but now have a thirst for knowing how the sub stalked it's prey. It is mentioned that it followed the Belgrano very closely. That must have been tense.
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I thouroughly enjoyed it, an Air Force that just doesnt exsist anymore, cant believe that corners could be cut like that these days.
I didnt realise just how touch and go it was regarding the Tanker brackets for Black Buck, found that a real eye opener.
Just a pity XM607 is being left to rot, sad end for a piece of History ..
I didnt realise just how touch and go it was regarding the Tanker brackets for Black Buck, found that a real eye opener.
Just a pity XM607 is being left to rot, sad end for a piece of History ..
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[QUOTE=Thanks to prompt work by FR reps, working all hours and with a can do attitude which at other times can be hard to find in British industry, .[/QUOTE]
Intresting statement, I've worked in "British industry" 25 years and the one thing I can say is that us engineers have always had a can do attitude, working 70 hrs plus weeks when required, not going home until the job is done, and why do engineers do this, well because we know you guys are on the line and need the support.
Those on this forum who keep knocking British industry should spend their time knocking the money men. The Engineers within British industry are the best you will find anywhere in the world, in fact most of us at some point have had to work in other parts of the world, and why! because there is no real investment in the UK and everyone want's it done on the cheap.
Intresting statement, I've worked in "British industry" 25 years and the one thing I can say is that us engineers have always had a can do attitude, working 70 hrs plus weeks when required, not going home until the job is done, and why do engineers do this, well because we know you guys are on the line and need the support.
Those on this forum who keep knocking British industry should spend their time knocking the money men. The Engineers within British industry are the best you will find anywhere in the world, in fact most of us at some point have had to work in other parts of the world, and why! because there is no real investment in the UK and everyone want's it done on the cheap.
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Every operation/exercise I was ever involved with had bodge, fix-it-yourself and make-and-mend to contend with. The Hastings and Beverley were operated with WW2 technology until 1967 and the C-130 didn't have an autopilot for two years after entry into service. Said type was pressed into operational service in 1967 when we were kicked out of Aden at short notice, crews having only a few hours on type, with aircraft in bare aluminium as delivered from Marietta (afterwards they invented the OCU of course). The troops and airmen involved in the Gulf wars, Iraq and Afghanistan have to make do to an amazing degree (read Col. Tim Collins' book)*.
*At the Board of Enquiry:
Board: "Is it true that you were in posession of an AK47 rifle?"
Collins: "No, that is not true. I was in posession of three AK47s because the issue SA80 rifle is f@cking useless."
The situation will never change for the armed forces.
*At the Board of Enquiry:
Board: "Is it true that you were in posession of an AK47 rifle?"
Collins: "No, that is not true. I was in posession of three AK47s because the issue SA80 rifle is f@cking useless."
The situation will never change for the armed forces.
... completly surpassed by a squadron of SHAR's ...
The only reason that the SHARs and GR3s were able to concentrate on the Argentine attack aircraft was because the BLACK BUCK raids had caused the junta to move their primary air defence aircraft north.
Yeees - although Big Mouth Ward tried to call the Vulcan on RT on its way in to the target 
......
It was immediately after the first raid that the principle AD aircraft (Mirage) were redeployed well away from the Malvinas to protect potential mainland targets in Argentine, making things much safer for the SHARs and GR3s.
......It was immediately after the first raid that the principle AD aircraft (Mirage) were redeployed well away from the Malvinas to protect potential mainland targets in Argentine, making things much safer for the SHARs and GR3s.