Final Hercules Flypast
Well done to Gladys and the Crews! I joined a big crowd on the main drag in Wobbly B, lots of old faces from the Camp. Nice touch when the Police stopped traffic to let all onto the road for the flypast 
. A good tight formation down the main street with everybody going bonkers on the ground.
Good coverage from BBC Wiltshire, and a job well done by Team Lyneham!
Wrong decision to move - lots of reasons, but not emotion driven.
. A good tight formation down the main street with everybody going bonkers on the ground.Good coverage from BBC Wiltshire, and a job well done by Team Lyneham!
Wrong decision to move - lots of reasons, but not emotion driven.
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Excellent clip thank you Grimweasle.
All the best with your new base. I had 10 great years at BZN. Guess it will be a bit crowded but some great pubs around to escape to.
All the best with your new base. I had 10 great years at BZN. Guess it will be a bit crowded but some great pubs around to escape to.
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Was hoping to catch a glimpse but admit to not actually taking any practical measures to be in the right place/time. Lo and behold the 4-ship flew right over our village past our living room window!
Sorry to see LYE go - happy memories of the base and a few nice trips as SNC. Wishing everyone a happy future at 'superbase' Brize.
Sorry to see LYE go - happy memories of the base and a few nice trips as SNC. Wishing everyone a happy future at 'superbase' Brize.
Because the BBC dicked about with TV scheduling last night, thanks to some game or other of tennis, it's probable that a lot of people will have missed BBC Oxford's coverage of the day's events.
You can see last night's 1830-delayed to-2030 live OB plus local news here:
BBC iPlayer - BBC Oxford News: 01/07/2011
How lucky we are to have Geraldine as our local news presenter!
You can see last night's 1830-delayed to-2030 live OB plus local news here:
BBC iPlayer - BBC Oxford News: 01/07/2011
How lucky we are to have Geraldine as our local news presenter!
Any one know another link that does not need BBC iPlayer - mean bu@@ers won't let us watch in France. Mind you watching the Tour de France (ITV4) on our local roads is fun, so long as you are not trying to get anywhere!
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Thanks Beags and Grimweasel for the links.
Yes I too remember the 39 a/c det to Incirlik. Should we leave the details of the 47Sqn wave of 6 all abandoning take-off to the dim memory? Mind you, they caught up after about an hour and slotted-in immediately in front of us (leading the 30Sqn wave) as if nothing had happened! According to my logbook, all for 7.55hrs low-level as a 36-ship.
This forum has never been backward in berating truckies for grabbing the best accom, so perhaps it is worth flagging-up that even in the '70's we were then sharing in 66-man rooms and 12-man bogs (sans doors!).
And the memories of the many week-ends of 6, 12 & 18 ship exercises including Tiree and Benbecula procedural let-downs, to end up still in the correct order at low-level. Perhaps JATFOR memories deserve a thread of there own.
Whatever, all the very best to the guys and girls now at Brize, who clearly continue the very finest traditions established by earlier Albert crews!
Yes I too remember the 39 a/c det to Incirlik. Should we leave the details of the 47Sqn wave of 6 all abandoning take-off to the dim memory? Mind you, they caught up after about an hour and slotted-in immediately in front of us (leading the 30Sqn wave) as if nothing had happened! According to my logbook, all for 7.55hrs low-level as a 36-ship.
This forum has never been backward in berating truckies for grabbing the best accom, so perhaps it is worth flagging-up that even in the '70's we were then sharing in 66-man rooms and 12-man bogs (sans doors!).
And the memories of the many week-ends of 6, 12 & 18 ship exercises including Tiree and Benbecula procedural let-downs, to end up still in the correct order at low-level. Perhaps JATFOR memories deserve a thread of there own.
Whatever, all the very best to the guys and girls now at Brize, who clearly continue the very finest traditions established by earlier Albert crews!
friendlypelican 2
As you know I left late '73 and I'm pretty sure the term 'Truckies' wasn't around then.
When did it start? Was it something that came from the Kris Kristofferson film about lorry drivers, CB radios, convoys etc?
IIRC the term 'Herky Bird' was widely used and in Changi the coastal guys, 205 Sqn, had come up with the name 'Grumblies', which I think referred to the sound made when Ground Idle was selected. I think that is a much nicer name than 'Truckies'.
33/36 ship formations! Gosh!! One of the reasons why I left, and I know I wasn't the only one.
BW
When did it start? Was it something that came from the Kris Kristofferson film about lorry drivers, CB radios, convoys etc?
IIRC the term 'Herky Bird' was widely used and in Changi the coastal guys, 205 Sqn, had come up with the name 'Grumblies', which I think referred to the sound made when Ground Idle was selected. I think that is a much nicer name than 'Truckies'.
33/36 ship formations! Gosh!! One of the reasons why I left, and I know I wasn't the only one.
BW
I don't wan't to be happy at threads like this..
Death of Concorde
Death of Vulcan
Death of Lightning
Death of Jaguar
Death of Lightning
and no doubt many other RAF "mainstream" types.............
I was proud of what Team GB could produce, but now I'm reduced to memories of what once was....
I was born in 1948 and what the RAF represented then is not what I perceive now...........
Please tell me that we still have something to be proud of?????????????????????
Death of Concorde
Death of Vulcan
Death of Lightning
Death of Jaguar
Death of Lightning
and no doubt many other RAF "mainstream" types.............
I was proud of what Team GB could produce, but now I'm reduced to memories of what once was....
I was born in 1948 and what the RAF represented then is not what I perceive now...........
Please tell me that we still have something to be proud of?????????????????????
Incirlik 1973
Hello friendlypelican2
I was the wave leader who abandoned at the front of the 47 wave, because I had no airspeed indications.
After taxiing off the runway, the ground engineer discovered a six inch blade of grass in the pitot tube!
How it got in there was never established, but it's hard to believe it got there unassisted.
As you recounted, we rejoined the fray in time for the drop, and as I only logged 7.35, I got round 20 minutes quicker than the rest of you!
The aircraft was XV 179 which was sadly lost in Iraq on 30/1/05.
My last flight on the Herc (don't know when Albert came into fashion but clearly after my time) was on 30/12/76, from Brize to Lyneham in XV209.
Is she still around?
I had 8 great years at Changi, Fairford and Lyneham and wish everybody good luck at your new home in Oxfordshire.
Tommy
I was the wave leader who abandoned at the front of the 47 wave, because I had no airspeed indications.
After taxiing off the runway, the ground engineer discovered a six inch blade of grass in the pitot tube!
How it got in there was never established, but it's hard to believe it got there unassisted.
As you recounted, we rejoined the fray in time for the drop, and as I only logged 7.35, I got round 20 minutes quicker than the rest of you!
The aircraft was XV 179 which was sadly lost in Iraq on 30/1/05.
My last flight on the Herc (don't know when Albert came into fashion but clearly after my time) was on 30/12/76, from Brize to Lyneham in XV209.
Is she still around?
I had 8 great years at Changi, Fairford and Lyneham and wish everybody good luck at your new home in Oxfordshire.
Tommy
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Incerlik
Tommy T and friendlypelican
Reading your posts sent me scurring to my log-books and my record show that we abandoned due to the said blade of grass. I put out the call on tower freq and the following 5 ac of the first wave also abandoned so the second wave ldr led the formation. Our ac was was XV213
My log book shows that the 5 ac tagged on at the end of the stream as they were serviceable but we had to wait while the cause of problem was found. My recollection is that the blade got into the vent beacuse 36 ac started No 3 engine at the same time, generating a lot of crud and smoke. Infact, Incerlik went BLACK for a few minutes.
While we waited for the rectification, message was received from the DZ that one jumper had candled and died so the crew was tasked to fly to Izmir to pick up the body and fly to Lyneham directly to avoid the host nation getting involved. So we picked up XV 299 and Sqn Ldr Richard Hodder who was the medical officer (as well as the Sqn MO) and did that but via Istanbul. Richard Hodder had the gruesome task of examining the body and sign the certificate. All this happened on 27 Sep 73.
Reading your posts sent me scurring to my log-books and my record show that we abandoned due to the said blade of grass. I put out the call on tower freq and the following 5 ac of the first wave also abandoned so the second wave ldr led the formation. Our ac was was XV213
My log book shows that the 5 ac tagged on at the end of the stream as they were serviceable but we had to wait while the cause of problem was found. My recollection is that the blade got into the vent beacuse 36 ac started No 3 engine at the same time, generating a lot of crud and smoke. Infact, Incerlik went BLACK for a few minutes.
While we waited for the rectification, message was received from the DZ that one jumper had candled and died so the crew was tasked to fly to Izmir to pick up the body and fly to Lyneham directly to avoid the host nation getting involved. So we picked up XV 299 and Sqn Ldr Richard Hodder who was the medical officer (as well as the Sqn MO) and did that but via Istanbul. Richard Hodder had the gruesome task of examining the body and sign the certificate. All this happened on 27 Sep 73.
Terminology
Brian48: I'm sure you are right about the 'Truckie' term not being in use in 1973. I don't think I ever heard it used about myself before getting to Staff College in 1978, and I'd swear on the Good Book that the term was not then in use at BZN as I left there - which makes me think that it did not originate within the Air Transport Force.
As to 'Fat Albert' - I became aware of that whilst with the USAF in 1970. It had emerged as a slightly pejorative nickname for the C-5A, then being introduced to service in Military Airlift Command, and the word was that 'Higher Command' really did not like it! With that background, and with our Belfasts being distinctly more rotund, I was always quite surprised at the term eventually coming into use for the RAF's relatively slim C-130s.
As to 'Fat Albert' - I became aware of that whilst with the USAF in 1970. It had emerged as a slightly pejorative nickname for the C-5A, then being introduced to service in Military Airlift Command, and the word was that 'Higher Command' really did not like it! With that background, and with our Belfasts being distinctly more rotund, I was always quite surprised at the term eventually coming into use for the RAF's relatively slim C-130s.
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Anyone know why the formation avoided the centre of Swindon
I hear the local paper is getting letters
This is what people who live in the middle of Swindon affectionately call Ikea……
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Kreuger flap
Works for me . . .
First time I saw the magic roundabout, I parked in a bus stop and walked on the pavement until I could suss out how to get around it.
Turned out to be brilliant though . . . unlike the rest of Swindon (which was about 7 miles finals and always good for a pee).
Works for me . . .
First time I saw the magic roundabout, I parked in a bus stop and walked on the pavement until I could suss out how to get around it.
Turned out to be brilliant though . . . unlike the rest of Swindon (which was about 7 miles finals and always good for a pee).
