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[Human Factor]

I remember flying with an ex-Phantom driver who talked of intercepting a Bear at night, needing to get the airframe number and flying somewhat adjacent to both inboard props in order for the nav to get the number from underneath using his torch!!

Is that feasible?

[ZH875]

Originally Posted by Mike Jenvey

Very nice piccie of XL445 – was it on 06 Mar 1984?? If so, I was there!! Two Bears on the day, an “A” & an “F” - & yes, the b*ggers could slow down very quickly & then accelerate away with amazing rapidity!

The day was made even more interesting on the approach back at Waddo with min fuel, as the F4 ahead went off the runway & the crew banged out (safely) – we scooted for Scampton & forced the Sparrows to cancel a practice display!

The F4 Bangout was great, it was during an exercise and due to the blacked runway, the exercise was paused. It meant that 50 Sqn nightshift actually got a bit of kip.

The only reason the crew banged out, was that the aircraft was heading towards the nice new LOX building.

This is the same LOX building that now finds itself too close to the newly expanded Foxtrot dispersal, so close that if any aircraft have engines running on that side of the pan, then all LOX bay work must cease.

Still, mustn't have noisy jet engines closer to Air Tragic than needs be eh!

[Pureteenlard]

Originally Posted by Backwards PLT

SHar = fighter
F3 = fighter
Jag = bomber
GR4 = Bomber
GR7 = slow bomber
All above (except matbe GR7) = fast jet!
I thought it was obvious?

The great thing about the GR7 is that it doesn't get any slower no matter how much you hang off it.

[ORAC]

I remember flying with an ex-Phantom driver who talked of intercepting a Bear at night, needing to get the airframe number and flying somewhat adjacent to both inboard props in order for the nav to get the number from underneath using his torch!! Is that feasible?

Normal practice, the airframe number was painted on the nosewheel doors so you flew underneath to get them. Sometimes risky, there was one occasion a Bear F dropped a sonobuoy which hit and cracked the canopy. They were never sure if it was deliberate or an accident.

The Bears normally flew in pairs, but sometimes split by up to 20-30 miles. The tanker would shadow one, the fighter the other, with the two swapping over for the fighter to get the door numbers.

There was an occasion when, after the fighter came back with the first number, the tanker immediately came back with the second. The Russians filed a complaint and, IIRC, they worked it out that there would have been about 2 foot separation between the top of the tanker tail and the belly of the Bear. Then was when the manual changed to include a minimum closure distance for the tanker.

On a subsequent occasion someone then queried the close up photos taken by one of the tankers. They were, it was, explained, taken with a telephoto lens....

[Wader2]

Originally Posted by Human Factor

I remember flying with an ex-Phantom driver who talked of intercepting a Bear at night, needing to get the airframe number and flying somewhat adjacent to both inboard props in order for the nav to get the number from underneath using his torch!!

Is that feasible?

One dark night in a Shack the F4 parked himself between port inboard and port outboard to look for a suspect oil leak on the port inboard. Unfortunately, not being a QRA jet they did not have a very powerful torch. Also, the pilot flying the aircraft had to get the nav to use his torch, the aircrew torch with a beam length of about 6 inchs.

Yes, agree, not just feasible, absolutely true.

[Human Factor]

Thanks very much.

[Mud Clubber]

Orca,

Luckily the SHAR had an AAR probe which allowed it only to turn one way! No wonder they have all become baked bean tins.