A10 Thunderbolts in UK?
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: North Cornwall
Age: 73
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Anyone else on here remember when they were at Bentwaters, Woodbridge and Alconbury. In those days they were green and grey too......happy days!
When the Hawgs were stationed at Bentwaters, I was lucky enough to do the commentary for a couple of their air shows. In those days, they were very popular round the country, and they used to do a very sharp two-ship display at many shows.
The Hawg guys were the nicest people to do business with - very laid-back, extremely can-do. And I came away on both occasions with a bottle of scotch, and a 'shot-glass' made out of a shell-case base from that extraordinary gun.
Still got the shot-glasses - though I'm always slightly worried that they may be faintly radio-active.....
airsound
The Hawg guys were the nicest people to do business with - very laid-back, extremely can-do. And I came away on both occasions with a bottle of scotch, and a 'shot-glass' made out of a shell-case base from that extraordinary gun.
Still got the shot-glasses - though I'm always slightly worried that they may be faintly radio-active.....
airsound
Only the wartime rounds are made from depleted uranium.
The training rounds used in the UK were a mild steel cylinder with a dinky witches hat shaped aluminium cap over one end to make them somewhat aerodynamic - A very crude looking device compared to say an ADEN round.
I am sure archaeologists in the future will be puzzled why there are many thousands of 30mm (and the odd 27 and 20mm) diameter steel objects grouped around a few coastal locations in Lincolnshire.
The training rounds used in the UK were a mild steel cylinder with a dinky witches hat shaped aluminium cap over one end to make them somewhat aerodynamic - A very crude looking device compared to say an ADEN round.
I am sure archaeologists in the future will be puzzled why there are many thousands of 30mm (and the odd 27 and 20mm) diameter steel objects grouped around a few coastal locations in Lincolnshire.
Rare View of an A10
Will never forget, in 70's while skiing in New York 's Adirondack Mountains at Oak Mountain, of coming off ski lift. Turned to left and went to top of Kunjamok Run, looked down to see an A10 pulling up and flying nape of earth up the ski run. Came up the slope flying between the tree tops, then over my head and down the other side of the mountain. What a roar and skiers down on their backs, sides and sprawled all over slopes. Cheers and laughter followed. Never looked down at an aircraft flying up at me before. Sight to remember.
Join Date: May 2011
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going off-topic, but I once had the sight in the 1980's of a Vulcan screaming over my head on a narrow hill ridge and then dropping down into a valley to my left, with around 30 feet below the Vulcan and around 40 feet on each side - and I was looking down at it. The hill ridge is shown on the OS map as being only 114 meters high. OS grid ref was ST480163. The Vulcan had come south through the gap between Monatacute Tower and Ham Hill and was literally tree-scraping - I can only assume it was trying to "hide" from Yeoviltion - and then dropped into the Witcombe valley, below me. (and I was only at 114 metres high....)
Whoever was pilot that day was trying to prove something....
Whoever was pilot that day was trying to prove something....
Not me, Guv! Although a year or so earlier I did once rattle the windows at a lady friend's house on a direct track between Chard reservoir and the spies' wireless station at Trickey Warren which we were using as an IP for a bombing run.....
The USAFE A-10 pilots were always very good at passing low level position reports on the UKLF UHF frequency, bless them....
So, shortly after GW1 when I'd returned to child abuse at the UAS, I was pottering around LFA4 in one of HM's mighty Bulldogs with an air experience Shrivenham student in the seat, when we heard a brace of A-10s announcing their intentions.
So the horns came out. A bit of mental arithmetic and some devious lurking meant that I was well placed to appear from behind a well-known hill in the Vale of Evesham to roll in on them. Well as best you can in a Bulldog... Sure enough they spotted us, called the threat and did their defensive break manouevre. We had a brief "Were you there too?" chat on the frequency, then went our separate ways.
There was still fun to be had back then....
The USAFE A-10 pilots were always very good at passing low level position reports on the UKLF UHF frequency, bless them....
So, shortly after GW1 when I'd returned to child abuse at the UAS, I was pottering around LFA4 in one of HM's mighty Bulldogs with an air experience Shrivenham student in the seat, when we heard a brace of A-10s announcing their intentions.So the horns came out. A bit of mental arithmetic and some devious lurking meant that I was well placed to appear from behind a well-known hill in the Vale of Evesham to roll in on them. Well as best you can in a Bulldog... Sure enough they spotted us, called the threat and did their defensive break manouevre. We had a brief "Were you there too?" chat on the frequency, then went our separate ways.
There was still fun to be had back then....
>The USAFE A-10 pilots were always very good at passing low level position reports on the UKLF UHF frequency, bless them....<
One morning I happened to be listening to the London Mil ICF. Up popped "London Mil, this is... oh, gosh, darn, I forgot my callsign. We're an A-10 pair". Quick as a flash, the controller replied "A-10 pair roger, adopt the callsigns Dummy One and Dummy Two".
Which they did. Happy days...
One morning I happened to be listening to the London Mil ICF. Up popped "London Mil, this is... oh, gosh, darn, I forgot my callsign. We're an A-10 pair". Quick as a flash, the controller replied "A-10 pair roger, adopt the callsigns Dummy One and Dummy Two".
Which they did. Happy days...
A10s at Bentwaters
My ATC squadron visited then from our summer camp at Wattisham. We were being shown around a jet on the flight line when our CO, who had been delayed, arrived in the squadron van, Seeing the cadets he thought he would drive down to join us.
To do this he passed a black and white car that then chased him with its light flashing and sirens sounding. Next minute our CO is facing the side of the van with arms in the air. Sniggers all round from staff and cadets...
To do this he passed a black and white car that then chased him with its light flashing and sirens sounding. Next minute our CO is facing the side of the van with arms in the air. Sniggers all round from staff and cadets...
RIAT 2011
Well I have also photographic proof from mid July that there were a pair of OA-10 in UK 
at RIAT no less 
However driving past EGUL this morning noticed one of the 48th SFS Humvees parked at front gate looking menancing (assuming it was same exercise as why the Warthogs were in town as Humvees are rarely seen at the front gate facing the incoming traffic) and that earlier on up the A11, there was a Humvee going south as well and thats a rare sight to see a USAF Humvee on the roads, not so uncommon in Germany IIRC but on UK roads.
at RIAT no less However driving past EGUL this morning noticed one of the 48th SFS Humvees parked at front gate looking menancing (assuming it was same exercise as why the Warthogs were in town as Humvees are rarely seen at the front gate facing the incoming traffic) and that earlier on up the A11, there was a Humvee going south as well and thats a rare sight to see a USAF Humvee on the roads, not so uncommon in Germany IIRC but on UK roads.
