Dom War Stories

[Dunhovrin]

Very sad to see the beast go but not enough war stories...

When I was a METScoteer in '86 Dom Squadron was like a borstal only not as good looking. "Shambles! My office."

There must be plenty of SODCAT members out there who have carers who can type...

[Pontius Navigator]

Sorry, 25 year rule still applies.

[Sinker]

There was an OC Advanced Nav Trg Sqn known widely as Gonzo, was there not, who was reputed to have used the Elsan at low level on a bumpy sort of day. He is the only person I have ever heard of who found it necessary to use same at all and the only one who suffered from Elsan turbulence as a result.

Apart from the that, the only joke about the Dominie was trying to use it for anything other than as a V bomber simulator - at which it was quite good, I suppose.

[Geehovah]

Hardly a war story but I remember my Nav School Instructor, who was an ex F4 mud, wondering "how do you get 5 people into an aircraft that size".

If you look at the wingspan he had a point.

[Pontius Navigator]

geehovah, a fully loaded Domine weighed exactly the same as a full fuel load on an F4 delta fit!

[Geehovah]

And only an extra 4 feet on the wingspan! Good use of space.

Now I'm struggling

38000 AUW, 2500 x 2 for 2xfletchers and 4000 for a centreline. 47k plus 8x500 lbs for missiles. 51k?

[BEagle]

For the FGR2, fuel was roughly 12500lb internal(?), 2500lb each Fletcher and 4000lb C/L...

Sparrows were 427lb each and 'winders were 210lb.

Dom water stories were legendary in the VC10. "Leave the domestic water behind, Eng" was a way of technically squeezing a bit more weight on - but the Air Eng would probably 'forget'.....although one once really did offload all the water before a pond hop .

Another trick, if an 'indulgence seat' wasn't available due to MAUW, was for the Air Eng to find a small snag during taxy out. Then taxy back, 'fix' snag and announce that the indulgence seat was now available as they'd burned 200 lb of fuel..... Usually because the person after the indulgence seat was a mate and some King Teds had been promised to a helpful Mover (yes, really!).

Oh, sorry, Dom 'war', not 'dom water'....

[NutherA2]

For the FGR2, fuel was roughly 12500lb internal

Memory fades as age increases, Beags, but for the FG1 I seem to remember the tape over counter figures as 13.2 over 5.8, have I got it wrong?

[BEagle]

To be honest, mate, I can't remember as it was all about 30 years ago. I found a dusty old idiot's guide upstairs for those figures. How much was in the rear tank - did we normally fill it?

MTOW seems to be quoted as 56K generally (a good number!).

[Pontius Navigator]

IIRC 7-tank was not filled on the FGR2.

Would it be a good thing or a bad thing if we could cleqar out 40 year old crap




or in my MiLs case 80 year old crap.

[Top Bunk Tester]

As a baby Eng in 1990, all I can remember was being afraid to fly with Ed the Duck, scary pilot, and ending most sorties with a rudder gust lock shaped bruise on the back of the head.

Had my first Pan call during my first night sortie due to excessive icing, believe we ended up doing a Pole Hill to get back quick, JC left me in the seat as well, must have been mad.

[camelspyyder]

Thanks TBT

Now we're back on thread...

Only a few years ago a Dominie was taken for a barrel roll by the squadron cowboy. The staff kept quiet about it (which was viewed by many of us as a bad thing). However, the students on board were just too excited and blabbed rather publicly...at the Sqn dining-in the next night.

Cue the cowboy riding off into the sunset...

CS

[FantomZorbin]

camelspyyder

I seem to remember that the gentleman concerned was a Wg Cdr (fortunately I've forgotten his name). To me he was a breath of fresh air, but then I wasn't on his Sqn.

[Winchweight]

July 1988, North Eastern route, as AE radio operator. Making loads of practise sighting calls of various soviet ships in the north sea etc.

Pilot calls us to look out to the port side, the sky's aglow and there's a huge amount of smoke rising on the horizon.

Piper Alpha was burning... shocking.

[spekesoftly]

Only a few years ago a Dominie was taken for a barrel roll

I seem to remember that the gentleman concerned was a Wg Cdr

I thought that was sometime in the late 1970s. Story I heard was that said Winco had recently returned to flying after a desk job, and the barrel roll was celebratory "Joie de Vivre".

[camelspyyder]

Must have been rolled more often than I knew about then.

The one I know of certainly wasn't a senior officer.

Next -

Did you hear about the lady Nav instructor who landed a Dominie so hard at Waddington they all had to get a bus home?

Or the other lady Nav instructor who was caught short at FL270 - several years after the mod which removed the toilet

CS

[Tankertrashnav]

I seem to remember that the gentleman concerned was a Wg Cdr (fortunately I've forgotten his name).

If we are talking about Finningly,c 1971, yes he was a wing commander, FantomZorbin. Wasn't his name something like "leftstream", or was it is "rightriver"? Or was it something in between those two

Anyway after 40 years I doubt if the guy concerned gives a toss.

[aw ditor]

TTNav.

I seem to recall he was "Court Martialled" but as you so rightly say at this distance in time, I doubt he gives a t**s!


AD'.

[taxydual]

Also the staish at FY getting a court martial for doing single engine take-offs with a Dom full of FAF VIP's. Again in the '70's. Interesting decade.

[FantomZorbin]

TTNav, aw ditor

Yes that's the chap.

taxydual

An interesting decade indeed. There was a rather big fire in one of the hangars, so hot it reduced a Varsity to ash. In a discussion with a senior officer from the legal/courts martial fraternity he disclosed that the SIB had uncovered sufficient material for 30+ courts martial. In the event only one disgruntled SAC stood trial