Vulcan scramble
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I remember a survival scramble at Waddo at the end of an exercise one beautiful summer afternoon in about 1978 when (I think) 16 Vulcans did a stream take off, the first 4 from the ORP. I wish I'd been able to film the ladder of Vulcans going up and out into the blue (and you could see them all as they were a lot less smoky than the B52s!)
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First of all, thanks for all the replies and the stories (and I agree it looks like a separate thread may be required for those!!)
Old duffer - it was Hendon that we were at, if you were around in the afternoon then you probably saw my kids running around although they spent a lot of time either in the JP cockpit or the R22 when they realised that I've flown both in the past (although not those specific airframes).
NutLoose - before yesterday I would have agreed with you about the lack of electricity at Hendon. I have to say that I remember it being very badly lit but I was pleasantly surprised as they seem to have improved it (and I don't just mean the new hall). I've never been to Cosford although I used to spend a lot of my working time in Birmingham and Telford so drove past it an awful lot. Really wish that I had popped in there for a couple of hours now.
As a side note, I was talking to my youngest this afternoon (she is 3) and she desperately wants to go back. Do the RAF pay commission for recruitment!!
Cheers
airmail
First of all, thanks for all the replies and the stories (and I agree it looks like a separate thread may be required for those!!)
Old duffer - it was Hendon that we were at, if you were around in the afternoon then you probably saw my kids running around although they spent a lot of time either in the JP cockpit or the R22 when they realised that I've flown both in the past (although not those specific airframes).
NutLoose - before yesterday I would have agreed with you about the lack of electricity at Hendon. I have to say that I remember it being very badly lit but I was pleasantly surprised as they seem to have improved it (and I don't just mean the new hall). I've never been to Cosford although I used to spend a lot of my working time in Birmingham and Telford so drove past it an awful lot. Really wish that I had popped in there for a couple of hours now.
As a side note, I was talking to my youngest this afternoon (she is 3) and she desperately wants to go back. Do the RAF pay commission for recruitment!!
Cheers
airmail
airmail,
The RAF Museum don't pay commission but then you didn't pay to get in (apart from the parking fee).
Do try to get to Cosford, the 'flavour' is rather different with the Cold War exhibition, many more external exhibits and - depending on the day of the week - aircraft buzzing around. You should enquire when the Sir Michael Beetham Conservation Centre is open (it's not Sir M they're conserving by the way!) and you will be able to see the restoration programmes up close and personal.
There are also many other local attractions such as the Telford Gorge and the Black Country Living Museum - I sense a weekend away coming on!!
Old Duffer
The RAF Museum don't pay commission but then you didn't pay to get in (apart from the parking fee).
Do try to get to Cosford, the 'flavour' is rather different with the Cold War exhibition, many more external exhibits and - depending on the day of the week - aircraft buzzing around. You should enquire when the Sir Michael Beetham Conservation Centre is open (it's not Sir M they're conserving by the way!) and you will be able to see the restoration programmes up close and personal.
There are also many other local attractions such as the Telford Gorge and the Black Country Living Museum - I sense a weekend away coming on!!
Old Duffer
Not a scramble as such, but anyone present at Wideawake for the first Blackbuck launch could not fail to have been impressed. The "other" sqn. were on shift, but certain members of "our" sqn. were called in for extra "see off snag" cover. Two Vulcans followed by 11 Victors at about 1 min. intervals. Middle of the night, all the noise you wanted and clouds of dust and ash blasting about, quite superb.
The noise was awesome, but went quiet after each Victor went past the large lump of rock called a hill (name I forget), but not when the Vulcans did.
IIRC it was a Vulcan lead off (XM598), then some Victors, then a Vulcan (XM607) then the rest of the Victors.
IIRC it was a Vulcan lead off (XM598), then some Victors, then a Vulcan (XM607) then the rest of the Victors.
Display scrambles were great fun; when ordered off, mass rapid start was used, then, when leaving the ORP we were encouraged to keep dabbing the brakes thus giving the impression of " straining at the leash".
Line up was L-R-L echelon into wind, No1 brakes off when no4 was exiting the ORP. During the take off roll the AEO would transmit "60 Knots", triggering next aircraft brake release.
On rotate Hi Lo Hi was used to minimise jet wash effect.
It was particularly important after rapid start that the the throttles were momentarily completely closed to shut off the dipping valve and prevent overfuelling, which could lead to flame out! I do remember rapidly closing on the one in front watching flames in the jet pipe as he relit 2 engines on the runway!
Nothing matters very much, most things don't matter at all.
Line up was L-R-L echelon into wind, No1 brakes off when no4 was exiting the ORP. During the take off roll the AEO would transmit "60 Knots", triggering next aircraft brake release.
On rotate Hi Lo Hi was used to minimise jet wash effect.
It was particularly important after rapid start that the the throttles were momentarily completely closed to shut off the dipping valve and prevent overfuelling, which could lead to flame out! I do remember rapidly closing on the one in front watching flames in the jet pipe as he relit 2 engines on the runway!
Nothing matters very much, most things don't matter at all.
It is worth putting practice scrambles into context. Whilst the general public was usually only aware of them through air displays they were a routine feature of V-force training. The monthly group exercise would involve 3 to 5 waves of 4 aircraft being scrambled in succession from each 1 Gp station. In addition a dispersal airfield was usually exercised on a monthly basis with the aircraft being scrambled from it the day after flying in. Looking back I would estimate that the average crew probably participated in a practice scramble on at least 2 months out of 3, quite possibly more frequently.
Scrambles were not a party piece rolled out for air displays and visiting dignitaries, they were a central element of what we did.
YS
Scrambles were not a party piece rolled out for air displays and visiting dignitaries, they were a central element of what we did.
YS
Unfortunately the fun of 'mass rapid' had gone by the time I arrived on the V-force. The best we could hope for was a ripple rapid, or a single rapid / sim. crossfeed start. I never flew a 300-ser jet, so didn't have the fuel dipping valve precaution to worry about - it wasn't such a problem on 200-ser engines, if I recall correctly.
Yes, Group exercises were pretty common and taken quite seriously. One fine day we were on exercise at Sunny Scampton, but the wind was just out of peacetime limits for RW23, so we were all brought to RS02 and taxyed around to RW05 - a string of about 20 bombers all champing at the bit eager to get away from the usual niff-naff and triv of station exercises. Then came the "Attention attention, this is the Bomber Controller" bit as we were given the scramble order. Of course the scramble order was accompanied by a multi cipher authentication code, for example 'Delta Seven Foxtrot'. For 2-man principle reasons, part of the code was kept at the front with the pilots, the other part with the rear crew - you looked at the various unique options until you found the correct line and checked with the back who should have the same line. "Delta blank Foxtrot = line 3!" "Blank Seven Blank = line 3, I agree!" or somesuch. All OK, off you went.....
However, although the codes were delivered in an envelope marked 'Exercise Top Secret' or similar, most co-pilots and AEOs would have the code sheet all ready in their kneepads ready for a quick check.
On this particular day, as we heard the code, 19 of us released the brakes and began to move, then suddenly stopped - because the lead aircraft was still stationary on the runway. "WTF are they faffing with?", about 95 aircrew wondered - then the lead jet finally began to roll.
The mystery was later resolved when the 'vault' officers took the codes back off us following Endex. Amongst the offerings was rather a soggy envelope which looked as though it had been attacked by a police dog. It seems the lead co-piglet had followed orders and only opened the envelope when the authentication was transmitted - or rather, he'd tried to open it. A stout brown envelope containing codes sealed in heavy duty polythene is quite a challenge to someone wearing flying gloves - so eventually he dropped his oxy mask and bit the thing open, then had to put his mask back on to check with the rear crew! His captain had watched the pantomime in astonishment, but finally the codes were agreed and off they went!
In the mid-to-late '70s, the V-force really was a great life!
Yes, Group exercises were pretty common and taken quite seriously. One fine day we were on exercise at Sunny Scampton, but the wind was just out of peacetime limits for RW23, so we were all brought to RS02 and taxyed around to RW05 - a string of about 20 bombers all champing at the bit eager to get away from the usual niff-naff and triv of station exercises. Then came the "Attention attention, this is the Bomber Controller" bit as we were given the scramble order. Of course the scramble order was accompanied by a multi cipher authentication code, for example 'Delta Seven Foxtrot'. For 2-man principle reasons, part of the code was kept at the front with the pilots, the other part with the rear crew - you looked at the various unique options until you found the correct line and checked with the back who should have the same line. "Delta blank Foxtrot = line 3!" "Blank Seven Blank = line 3, I agree!" or somesuch. All OK, off you went.....
However, although the codes were delivered in an envelope marked 'Exercise Top Secret' or similar, most co-pilots and AEOs would have the code sheet all ready in their kneepads ready for a quick check.
On this particular day, as we heard the code, 19 of us released the brakes and began to move, then suddenly stopped - because the lead aircraft was still stationary on the runway. "WTF are they faffing with?", about 95 aircrew wondered - then the lead jet finally began to roll.
The mystery was later resolved when the 'vault' officers took the codes back off us following Endex. Amongst the offerings was rather a soggy envelope which looked as though it had been attacked by a police dog. It seems the lead co-piglet had followed orders and only opened the envelope when the authentication was transmitted - or rather, he'd tried to open it. A stout brown envelope containing codes sealed in heavy duty polythene is quite a challenge to someone wearing flying gloves - so eventually he dropped his oxy mask and bit the thing open, then had to put his mask back on to check with the rear crew! His captain had watched the pantomime in astonishment, but finally the codes were agreed and off they went!
In the mid-to-late '70s, the V-force really was a great life!
Do try to get to Cosford,
It had been rented out for a corporate lunch.
A certain well known captain at in the mid 70s at Waddo on being given a non-exercise code and OC Ops rapidly appearing on the airfield?
So far so good, all crews checked in at 05, a "start engines" was declared, accomplished and we all waited. After a short time air traffic broadcast a reversion message and this is where things started to go wrong because it did not correspond with the contents of the sealed envelopes and the crews remained resolutely in their aircraft.
In the Station Commander's aircraft the wing NBS officer appeared on the ladder between the pilots' seats:
"I know what's gone wrong" he said, "They've broadcast the exercise termination code, the ops officer should then have been issued with the reversion code for air traffic to transmit"
"So why haven't they done that?" says Station Commander
"Because they can't get into the vault to get it" says NBS officer dangling the key he had on a lanyard round his neck!
Happy days!
YS
When I was merely 'stepping out' with the current Mrs O-D, she was based at Finningley and invited me to a BofB display.
I was nicely settled in the staff marque and the 'Bomber Controller' was broadcasting his various messages over the loudspeaker system, building up to the scramble itself.
When this came, the din and smoke from 16 engines doing a simultaneous start (played havoc with the engine life BTW) was never to be forgotten. Out the beasts rolled and away they went. At the end of it an ex-Vulcan nav was jumping up and down shouting; 'It's a record, it's a record' and waving a stopwatch about. Can't remember the time but one minute 13 seconds seems to ring a bell - but someone out there will put me straight.
Anyway, after about 34 years, thank you Sqn Ldr Tony B....... and all those behind you for a memorable display!
Old Duffer
I was nicely settled in the staff marque and the 'Bomber Controller' was broadcasting his various messages over the loudspeaker system, building up to the scramble itself.
When this came, the din and smoke from 16 engines doing a simultaneous start (played havoc with the engine life BTW) was never to be forgotten. Out the beasts rolled and away they went. At the end of it an ex-Vulcan nav was jumping up and down shouting; 'It's a record, it's a record' and waving a stopwatch about. Can't remember the time but one minute 13 seconds seems to ring a bell - but someone out there will put me straight.
Anyway, after about 34 years, thank you Sqn Ldr Tony B....... and all those behind you for a memorable display!
Old Duffer
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When this came, the din and smoke from 16 engines doing a simultaneous start (played havoc with the engine life BTW) was never to be forgotten.
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Beags - thats for putting up the painting....
To coin a cheesy spam saying - BRING THE RAIN!
Although more appropriate would be to bring the noise, in the words of the Beastie Boys.
That is an awesome sight. I remember being Very late home from an Air display at RAF St Mawgan - all due to the Vulcan, IIRC it was the display farewell after Black Buck shennanigans down south.
apologies to all those who were held up by the bus being late coz of me. But I could not miss that howl.
To coin a cheesy spam saying - BRING THE RAIN!
Although more appropriate would be to bring the noise, in the words of the Beastie Boys.
That is an awesome sight. I remember being Very late home from an Air display at RAF St Mawgan - all due to the Vulcan, IIRC it was the display farewell after Black Buck shennanigans down south.
apologies to all those who were held up by the bus being late coz of me. But I could not miss that howl.
More bang for your buck
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But I could not miss that howl.
