QBF 1996 Tornado Diamond 16
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Wales
Age: 63
Posts: 729
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
QBF 1996 Tornado Diamond 16
The link below is a video of the Queen’s Birthday Flypast in 1996. The flypast was 16 Tornados from RAF Bruggen. 14 Sqn were the lead in organising the event and the diamond 16 was led by Group Captain Glenn Torpy, Station Commander RAF Bruggen.
14 Sqn Groundcrew, along with engineers from TTF, RAF Leuchars supported the aircraft which were all flown from RAF Bruggen to RAF Leeming several days earlier. I can’t remember how many aircraft we took to Leeming to support a 16 ship diamond, but to my knowledge it was every serviceable frame we had at Bruggen.
I asked one of the Navs (no names mentioned) if he would take my video camera and film the event from the cockpit. I was very pleased with the results he produced.
I have trimmed the video so that it just shows the main elements of the flying but it is still about 09 mins long! Sadly, the video is old now so the quality is a bit dodgy in places. The final shot is taken from the BBC news showing the aircraft flying over the palace.
A great job done by all involved.
Just wondered if anybody here either remembers the event or was part of it??
Happy Days
YouTube - Queens Birthday Flypast 1996. 16 Tornado aircraft from RAF Bruggen
14 Sqn Groundcrew, along with engineers from TTF, RAF Leuchars supported the aircraft which were all flown from RAF Bruggen to RAF Leeming several days earlier. I can’t remember how many aircraft we took to Leeming to support a 16 ship diamond, but to my knowledge it was every serviceable frame we had at Bruggen.
I asked one of the Navs (no names mentioned) if he would take my video camera and film the event from the cockpit. I was very pleased with the results he produced.
I have trimmed the video so that it just shows the main elements of the flying but it is still about 09 mins long! Sadly, the video is old now so the quality is a bit dodgy in places. The final shot is taken from the BBC news showing the aircraft flying over the palace.
A great job done by all involved.
Just wondered if anybody here either remembers the event or was part of it??
Happy Days
YouTube - Queens Birthday Flypast 1996. 16 Tornado aircraft from RAF Bruggen
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Somerset
Age: 81
Posts: 635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Gosh - it all looks so calm and unstressed! I can assure you it was not like that in the middle of this lot. Shame we did not have video then. Lovely shots of Tornados though
Excellent video!
Firstly, a correction to the date ... it was 1995, not 1996, that the Bruggen Wing did the Queen's Birthday Flypast o/h Buckingham Palace.
24 Tornado GR1s drawn from 9, 14, 17 and 31 Squadrons were detached to RAF Leeming, and sixteen aircraft were selected to form four "box four" formations.
The 24 aircraft were:
ZD810/AA
ZD739/AC
ZD719/AD
ZD890/AE
ZD845/AF
ZD720/AG
ZD747/AL
ZD789/AM
ZD714/AP
ZG756/AX all of 9 Squadron
ZD809/BA
ZA393/BE
ZD895/BF
ZD712/BY all of 14 Squadron
ZD793/CA
ZA463/CR all of 17 Squadron
ZG791/DC
ZG792/DD
ZG779/DK
ZG775/DN
ZD711/DY
ZG771/DW
ZD741/DZ
ZD742/-
ZD744/- all of 31 Squadron
They all arrived on either the 14th of 15th June.
There was a practise on 15th June (presumably with Waddington playing the part of Buck House) with 16 aircraft flying as four groups of four with eth callsigns 'Crossbow Blue', 'Black', 'Red' and 'Gold'. The 'Red' formation had an extra aircraft, presumably some for of photo aircraft, or maybe a 'whipper-in'.
There were also two air-spare aircraft which flew 'just in case'.
The flypast itself was on Saturday 17th June, when the callsign was 'Crossbow Formation', but I still need to identify which aircraft did the flypast, and which were air-spares.
Firstly, a correction to the date ... it was 1995, not 1996, that the Bruggen Wing did the Queen's Birthday Flypast o/h Buckingham Palace.
24 Tornado GR1s drawn from 9, 14, 17 and 31 Squadrons were detached to RAF Leeming, and sixteen aircraft were selected to form four "box four" formations.
The 24 aircraft were:
ZD810/AA
ZD739/AC
ZD719/AD
ZD890/AE
ZD845/AF
ZD720/AG
ZD747/AL
ZD789/AM
ZD714/AP
ZG756/AX all of 9 Squadron
ZD809/BA
ZA393/BE
ZD895/BF
ZD712/BY all of 14 Squadron
ZD793/CA
ZA463/CR all of 17 Squadron
ZG791/DC
ZG792/DD
ZG779/DK
ZG775/DN
ZD711/DY
ZG771/DW
ZD741/DZ
ZD742/-
ZD744/- all of 31 Squadron
They all arrived on either the 14th of 15th June.
There was a practise on 15th June (presumably with Waddington playing the part of Buck House) with 16 aircraft flying as four groups of four with eth callsigns 'Crossbow Blue', 'Black', 'Red' and 'Gold'. The 'Red' formation had an extra aircraft, presumably some for of photo aircraft, or maybe a 'whipper-in'.
There were also two air-spare aircraft which flew 'just in case'.
The flypast itself was on Saturday 17th June, when the callsign was 'Crossbow Formation', but I still need to identify which aircraft did the flypast, and which were air-spares.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Wales
Age: 63
Posts: 729
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Geezers of Nazareth
Wow, thanks for that information.
It’s funny you said 1995. For some reason I did not put the date on the video tape when I downloaded it from my camera. I knew it was 95 or 96 but could not be certain. It was a long time ago so I guessed 96. I was a sooty Sgt on 14 Sqn at the time and I was promoted to Chief Tech in 96, so with hindsight I should have worked out the correct date.
14 Sqn were also involved in the QBF which we did from RAF Marham, It was either the following year (1996) or 1997. To be honest we were doing so many detachments in those days I lost track.
It is a shame I did not video the “Rects Board” otherwise I would have been able to tell you which aircraft they were. Sad, because I normally did video everything.
Wow, thanks for that information.
It’s funny you said 1995. For some reason I did not put the date on the video tape when I downloaded it from my camera. I knew it was 95 or 96 but could not be certain. It was a long time ago so I guessed 96. I was a sooty Sgt on 14 Sqn at the time and I was promoted to Chief Tech in 96, so with hindsight I should have worked out the correct date.
14 Sqn were also involved in the QBF which we did from RAF Marham, It was either the following year (1996) or 1997. To be honest we were doing so many detachments in those days I lost track.
but I still need to identify which aircraft did the flypast, and which were air-spares.
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: South of the Mason-Dixon...
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Blimey...
SRENNAPS,
What a blast from the past.
Thought the vid looked familiar, then I realised - I was that nav! Thank you for editing out my bit of airborne commentary filmed as we recovered back across the N Sea. Do you also remember the carnage that we caused for the continuity team of the film crew that were filming 'Strikeforce', aka 'Strikefarce', at Leeming at the same time?
As I remember the following year was a diamond 9, or possibly just a 4 ship, as part of a larger package, which we flew from what was then sleepy Marham - sadly don't have access to my log book at present to confirm details.
Happy days, eh?
What a blast from the past.
Thought the vid looked familiar, then I realised - I was that nav! Thank you for editing out my bit of airborne commentary filmed as we recovered back across the N Sea. Do you also remember the carnage that we caused for the continuity team of the film crew that were filming 'Strikeforce', aka 'Strikefarce', at Leeming at the same time?As I remember the following year was a diamond 9, or possibly just a 4 ship, as part of a larger package, which we flew from what was then sleepy Marham - sadly don't have access to my log book at present to confirm details.
Happy days, eh?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Wales
Age: 63
Posts: 729
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Auntie Maureen
Hello Mate, how are you. I was thinking about you when editing the video whether you would want your face in it, but decided to edit it out. I cannot believe you have seen it here on PPrune. Brilliant!
I can’t seem to be able to send you a private message; it must be because you are Probationary.
Yes I remember the making of Strikeforce and also have some video of the action…..if you could call it that.
If we can make proper contact I can send you the full unedited version. They were great days with the Crusaders and I am so glad that I have a lot of video to remind me of the good old days.
Message for a moderator:
Can you help me send a private message to Auntie Maureen please?
Hello Mate, how are you. I was thinking about you when editing the video whether you would want your face in it, but decided to edit it out. I cannot believe you have seen it here on PPrune. Brilliant!
I can’t seem to be able to send you a private message; it must be because you are Probationary.
Yes I remember the making of Strikeforce and also have some video of the action…..if you could call it that.
If we can make proper contact I can send you the full unedited version. They were great days with the Crusaders and I am so glad that I have a lot of video to remind me of the good old days.
Message for a moderator:
Can you help me send a private message to Auntie Maureen please?
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
229 OCU Windsor Formation
I believe that the date of the 229 OCU Tornado F2 9-ship QBF should be 14 Jun 1986 - 'Windsor' formation. I recall that 229 only had about 6 ac in Jun 1985.............
Red On, Green On
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Between the woods and the water
Age: 24
Posts: 6,487
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
PS and no practice to speak of
14 Sqn were also involved in the QBF which we did from RAF Marham, It was either the following year (1996) or 1997. To be honest we were doing so many detachments in those days I lost track.
It is a shame I did not video the “Rects Board” otherwise I would have been able to tell you which aircraft they were. Sad, because I normally did video everything.
but I still need to identify which aircraft did the flypast, and which were air-spares.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Wales
Age: 63
Posts: 729
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Geezers of Nazareth
Yes please, then I can print all the info and place it with my DVD.
Dont know if you have read all the recent posts but the Nav that had my camera to make the film, has seen this thread and the video. It just go show what a small communty of people we are....even after 15 years
Thanks
Yes please, then I can print all the info and place it with my DVD.
Dont know if you have read all the recent posts but the Nav that had my camera to make the film, has seen this thread and the video. It just go show what a small communty of people we are....even after 15 years
Thanks
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Somerset
Age: 81
Posts: 635
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Fortissimo
Them my lad are what has kept England safe for many centuries past as opposed to the camouflaged pointy things in a sixteen ship above who have marginally helped out since 1918. Har me Hearties. Carry On.
Them my lad are what has kept England safe for many centuries past as opposed to the camouflaged pointy things in a sixteen ship above who have marginally helped out since 1918. Har me Hearties. Carry On.