Hunter people!
Joined: May 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
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From: Quite near 'An aerodrome somewhere in England'
Well, I flew the wonderful Hunter at Valley (Hunter refresher when jindabyne was a QFI!), TWU at Brawdy on 234 (another superb outfit), then went to Wittering to join 58 Sqn as the last $hag JP posted to a Hunter squadron.....
....was the idea. Unfortunately 'they' wanted to pinch half of the 45/58 fleet to bail out the engineers at Brawdy. Our gleaming F(GA)Mk9s were all in excellent fettle, compared to the scruffy things at Brawdy. The Boss was told of the idea, and said "If you're going to pinch half my jets, there's not much point in the squadrons carrying on for another 6 months. "Funny you should say that", 'they' said - and brought the axe forward 6 months. So back I went to Brawdy to await another posting - but at least got to fly the well kept Wittering jets after the guys flew them over to Pembrokeshire International!
....was the idea. Unfortunately 'they' wanted to pinch half of the 45/58 fleet to bail out the engineers at Brawdy. Our gleaming F(GA)Mk9s were all in excellent fettle, compared to the scruffy things at Brawdy. The Boss was told of the idea, and said "If you're going to pinch half my jets, there's not much point in the squadrons carrying on for another 6 months. "Funny you should say that", 'they' said - and brought the axe forward 6 months. So back I went to Brawdy to await another posting - but at least got to fly the well kept Wittering jets after the guys flew them over to Pembrokeshire International!
Joined: Apr 2004
Aviation Qualifications: Military
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From: Richard Burtonville, South Wales.
Truth or Urban Myth?
Any truth in the story that the cold war Germany Hunter jocks had to practise flying with an eye patch in case of flash-blindness; and that they practised landing on taxyways in case of runway damage?
CG
CG
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 90
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From: Manchester
Hunters
Hi all
Please accept apologies for a slight divergence of the thread but would like to make contact with anyone who flew XJ646 in Aden in 1966-8 it isshortly to go to the Malta Air Museum and they wish to contact ex crews etc
Please accept apologies for a slight divergence of the thread but would like to make contact with anyone who flew XJ646 in Aden in 1966-8 it isshortly to go to the Malta Air Museum and they wish to contact ex crews etc
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Fife
[Any truth in the story that the cold war Germany Hunter jocks had to practise flying with an eye patch in case of flash-blindness; and that they practised landing on taxyways in case of runway damage?
QUOTE][/QUOTE]
Not in my time (Jever 1956/57)
QUOTE][/QUOTE]
Not in my time (Jever 1956/57)
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: spain
One tank T Bird out of Lossie
I was the pilot of that T bird. We, the CIRE and me, took off and as you said the tank fell off as the wheels went up. Being a QFI, I kept the ball in the middle and trimmed it all out. The Hunter like most old a/c would fly quite happily in odd configurations. After the climbing turns(an IRT remember) we levelled at F200 for steep turns and the fuel check revealed one white dolls eye (no fuel,or no tank!!). While we thought about this, ATC came up and mentioned that something might have fallen off!! A look out of the window revealed the missing tank, my side, so we did a quick LSHC and landed.
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Lincolnshire
SNator,
At least I had some of the details correct, but I definitely remember the tank had fallen off.
IIRC it was a TACAN fuse that had been repositioned which allowed power to the jettison line on that side of the aircraft, several other aircraft were affected, but had not flown at that point.
At least I had some of the details correct, but I definitely remember the tank had fallen off.
IIRC it was a TACAN fuse that had been repositioned which allowed power to the jettison line on that side of the aircraft, several other aircraft were affected, but had not flown at that point.
Joined: Jul 2000
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From: Cape Town South Africa
Hunter people
To Tim McLelland,
I spent a large part of my service as an aircraft fitter on or around Hunters in the 60's. Two and a half years on 20 Squqdron in Singapore and three years at Halton as a technical instructor. Can I be of assistance?
I spent a large part of my service as an aircraft fitter on or around Hunters in the 60's. Two and a half years on 20 Squqdron in Singapore and three years at Halton as a technical instructor. Can I be of assistance?
Thread Starter
Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Sheffield
Certainly - all contributions gratefully received as they say. Although I obviously have to run the usual story of the Hunter's development etc., I want to try and include as many personal accounts as possible, so that the book is a decent read, rather than just being a re-tread of the same story!
Thanks for all the feedback so far guys - much appreciated!
Thanks for all the feedback so far guys - much appreciated!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 175
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From: Karup, Denmark
Any truth in the story that the cold war Germany Hunter jocks had to practise flying with an eye patch in case of flash-blindness; and that they practised landing on taxyways in case of runway damage?
)They also flew excercises in Army "battle dress" instead of flying suits, and according to a nice cartoon looked like a bunch of "Castro's"!
A few Hunters landed themselves after the pilot left them. One Danish Hunter ended up intact on the runway, gear up, at Skrydstrup. At one point the rogue Hunter pointed at the Tower and caused a hasty exit by all.
P.S. Normal to mark out strips of usable runway/taxiway. Easier if you had a Harrier!
Last edited by normally right blank; 23rd November 2007 at 20:02.
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 518
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From: Fife
"Any truth in the story that during the Indonesian confrontation an Indo Mig 17 tangled with a 20 Sqdn Hunter resulting in said Mig badly damaging the ground."
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Hampshire physically; Perthshire and Pembrokeshire mentally.
Hello Tim,
I flew Hunter F6/6A/FGA9/T7s at a TI/QWI at TWU RAF Brawdy 1979-82. What sort of book are you writing and what sort of stories are you looking for?
WS
Ps I've got one or two photos as well.
I flew Hunter F6/6A/FGA9/T7s at a TI/QWI at TWU RAF Brawdy 1979-82. What sort of book are you writing and what sort of stories are you looking for?
WS
Ps I've got one or two photos as well.
Guest
Posts: n/a
I knew a guy who worked on one of the quads at Cowden many moons ago. He told me of a Hunter doing shallow (practise) dive bombing on the land targets, hitting the wrong button, blowing the tanks off and spectacularly sending quite a few yards of cliff into Bridlington bay!
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 740
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From: Nottinghamshire
http://www.tintagelweb.co.uk/Tintage...ne%20Crash.htm
Thats a good Hunter story - at least no one was hurt. Though I probably took a few weeks off my life with the session in the country club at the end of the first days guard!
Thats a good Hunter story - at least no one was hurt. Though I probably took a few weeks off my life with the session in the country club at the end of the first days guard!
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8
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From: Anglesey
Oman Hunters
About 10 years ago John Clementson wrote a complete history of SOAF/RAFO culled mainly from Squadron diaries and scrapbooks called 'The Eagles Book'. Although both PDRY and SOAF entered each others airspace in '75 and later in the last skirmish of '87 there was no air combat. I was out in Oman for some time and spoke to most of the pilots involved. They confirmed it.