30 years ago tonight..
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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I love reading posts from you youngsters. Do keep them up.
It is over 57 years since I had to swing a bumper at Kirton-in-Lindsey at the age of 22 - but then I do have a 29 year old grandson who has finished his time in the Luftwaffe.
It is over 57 years since I had to swing a bumper at Kirton-in-Lindsey at the age of 22 - but then I do have a 29 year old grandson who has finished his time in the Luftwaffe.
In the middle of 1975 at Swinditz we had the luxury of...carpets! Didn't manage to attend the Bumper courses until Halton where both the manual and semi-auto versions were fought over on a floor-by-floor basis every week.
Didnt a.a.a.affect me th-th-though.
Didnt a.a.a.affect me th-th-though.
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WRAFs had just started to go through training there then - I don't imagine any suggestions for Chippendales equality would have got particularly far.
Swinditz in 76, all we had were the girls shipped in from the local looney centre for the grab a gran on Thursday, even then guys were fighting over them, one looked alright, and was semi sane, but the rest were sadly a bunch of drooling baboons that I wouldn't have touched with yours, let alone mine... Must of been the same when the WRAF arrived
I could drag out and copy some nostalgia for you if wanted, I actually found my Joining docs for Swinditz that my Mum had squirrelled away. I too was lucky to get in the carpeted rooms at Swinditz in Gibson block, while the rest of the RAF there were still polishing Lino.
There was some poor sod there who kept getting back flighted, he had been on the camping phase near the end of his course and was standing on guard at night near the water heaters. (the gas heated 45 gallon drums with the stack pipe to add cold water) the thing exploded burning his arms badly so they were bandaged and strapped across his front. He used to have to go to the medical centre every time he needed to use the toilet and a medic would wipe his ...... Who understandably were not happy they even had to dress and feed him, you get the picture. He was still there when we left and had been there about 15 weeks.
Last edited by NutLoose; 19th Jan 2013 at 14:16.
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Winter of 62-63
Yeh! I read all about that winter in the papers, while I relaxed in the sun at Akrotiri 
Gotta admit, Yatesbury in that winter must have been one of the worst. But we always got 2 extra blankets at Yatesbury.
I was at Yatesbury for some time during each year from 52-59. I had 3 winters there, 52-3 Boys service, 55-6 Fitters course and 58-9 Bomber Conversion. Though for the last one I got away in January and never went back. Never did another course before demob in 65.
Gotta admit, Yatesbury in that winter must have been one of the worst. But we always got 2 extra blankets at Yatesbury.
I was at Yatesbury for some time during each year from 52-59. I had 3 winters there, 52-3 Boys service, 55-6 Fitters course and 58-9 Bomber Conversion. Though for the last one I got away in January and never went back. Never did another course before demob in 65.
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You youngsters
46th Entry D Flight
50 years ago today I think we had to abandon A Lines at Cosford and move to Fulton Block. Even Gunga Din’s tounge was frozen.
3 beds to a bunk stack and 60 x 16 years olds in a room for 18.
see
RAF Cosford Apprentice site Fulton Block
'A' Lines are out of shoot in the Top left hand corner.
***
46th Entry D Flight
50 years ago today I think we had to abandon A Lines at Cosford and move to Fulton Block. Even Gunga Din’s tounge was frozen.
3 beds to a bunk stack and 60 x 16 years olds in a room for 18.
see
RAF Cosford Apprentice site Fulton Block
'A' Lines are out of shoot in the Top left hand corner.
***
Winter of 62-63
Did my paper round everyday, cycling form home in Frimley to the paper shop just south of the Clockhouse roundabout at Farnborough.
Youngsters today wouldn't have believed we did it!
No1 son, single-seat master-race, TP etc, wouldn't go out on his bike if it was snowing
Youngsters today wouldn't have believed we did it!
No1 son, single-seat master-race, TP etc, wouldn't go out on his bike if it was snowing
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The big freeze of winter 62-63 is one of those events which evokes memories of 'what I was doing at the time'.
Me? I was at 230 OCU Finningley trying to complete the flying phase of the Vulcan 2 course. We climbed into a freezing cockpit eager to get to grips with this new aircraft only to be delayed at the last minute for Wx. Big anti climax - back to the feeder to wait -usually until you were scrubbed. And so it went on for weeks on end.
Me? I was at 230 OCU Finningley trying to complete the flying phase of the Vulcan 2 course. We climbed into a freezing cockpit eager to get to grips with this new aircraft only to be delayed at the last minute for Wx. Big anti climax - back to the feeder to wait -usually until you were scrubbed. And so it went on for weeks on end.
Winter of '62-'63 I was in my last year at prep school. It was great - snow covered all the jockstrappery pitches, so instead we went tobogganing! Sadly, the winter was the final death knell for the UK's commercial use of waterways.
This week 30 years ago, I seemed to have spent all my time flying ML PIs in the F-4 at RAF Wattisham. 8:20 of which only 1:20 were day, 7:00 were at night. Plus 1:15 in the simulator.
It was also the week this started:
This week 30 years ago, I seemed to have spent all my time flying ML PIs in the F-4 at RAF Wattisham. 8:20 of which only 1:20 were day, 7:00 were at night. Plus 1:15 in the simulator.
It was also the week this started:
Last edited by BEagle; 19th Jan 2013 at 20:20.
The REAL winter of 62/63 (Germany)
I was stationed in the middle of Germany, on the southern site of the Decca navigator trials unit. (site was actually in the US zone of Germany.)
I flew to Frankfurt with my new wife on Nov 19th 1962.
This was when the snow started in Germany, it took 24 Hrs from Heathrow to Frankfurt having been diverted twice while over Frankfurt.
The winter lasted until well into March.
The tech site was on a high hill overlooking the small town.(Homberg Ohm)
It was the worst winter for 300 years in Germany, sea froze for 50 miles off the north coast.
Worst spell of cold lasted for three weeks, temp around -28C ,24 hrs a day. It was also blowing an Easterly gale all the time so the wind chill took it down to estimate -50C .( I often wondered what the actual wind chill Temp. was)
The reason I say this is that one of the local civilians employed on site, general dogs body, said the effective cold was as bad as when he was on the eastern front in Russia during the battle for Stalingrad.!!!!!
We actually had frost on the casings of the heated equipment racks, within the small Air transportable container where all the technical equipment and operators station was housed.
We had no extra Winter clothing to help with the cold so we looked a right bunch of Airmen wrapped up in extras of all sorts. I was lucky, I had a winter Duffle coat which fitted over my RAF Greatcoat!!!!
We had a landrover for transport, had to run it every hour during this spell with a mixture of 50% Antifreeze to coolant.
Then all change, I left in March to go on leave, still full winter, came back a couple of weeks later to a warm spring in all its glory. 20-30 foot snow drifts all gone.
Now that was what you call a real winter.
PS Learned to swing the Bumper when at Cosford, 29th Entry, joined Oct.'56
OPF
I flew to Frankfurt with my new wife on Nov 19th 1962.
This was when the snow started in Germany, it took 24 Hrs from Heathrow to Frankfurt having been diverted twice while over Frankfurt.
The winter lasted until well into March.
The tech site was on a high hill overlooking the small town.(Homberg Ohm)
It was the worst winter for 300 years in Germany, sea froze for 50 miles off the north coast.
Worst spell of cold lasted for three weeks, temp around -28C ,24 hrs a day. It was also blowing an Easterly gale all the time so the wind chill took it down to estimate -50C .( I often wondered what the actual wind chill Temp. was)
The reason I say this is that one of the local civilians employed on site, general dogs body, said the effective cold was as bad as when he was on the eastern front in Russia during the battle for Stalingrad.!!!!!
We actually had frost on the casings of the heated equipment racks, within the small Air transportable container where all the technical equipment and operators station was housed.
We had no extra Winter clothing to help with the cold so we looked a right bunch of Airmen wrapped up in extras of all sorts. I was lucky, I had a winter Duffle coat which fitted over my RAF Greatcoat!!!!
We had a landrover for transport, had to run it every hour during this spell with a mixture of 50% Antifreeze to coolant.
Then all change, I left in March to go on leave, still full winter, came back a couple of weeks later to a warm spring in all its glory. 20-30 foot snow drifts all gone.
Now that was what you call a real winter.
PS Learned to swing the Bumper when at Cosford, 29th Entry, joined Oct.'56
OPF
Last edited by Old Photo.Fanatic; 20th Jan 2013 at 00:26.
Jan '63? I was 4 months old. It was so cold in my room, I'm told the nappy bucket was frozen over every morning. Stood me in good stead when, 27 years later doing North Sea night PI's, my conditioning failed to full cold & wouldn't switch off. Had to scrape the ice off the quarter light with my frozen mitts to see to land over an hour later. That was cold.
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Jan '63? I was 4 months old. It was so cold in my room, I'm told the nappy bucket was frozen over every morning.
I was a sprightly lad of 4 the winter of 63 and I remember watching on the black and white Telly the steam trains on Shap with snow ploughs repeatedly ramming the snow drifts that were as high as the engines to get through.... Leaves on the line... pathetic.... This was real men with real tools to do the job... I wanted to be a steam engine driver for years.. One of my first tangible memories.
Last edited by NutLoose; 20th Jan 2013 at 02:04.
Get some time in son.
flew to Frankfurt with my new wife on Nov 19th 1962
50 years ago today I think we had to abandon A Lines at Cosford...
In the middle of 1975 at Swinditz we had the luxury of...
was at Yatesbury for some time during each year from 52-59
Adam
D Sqn 69 IOT March 1983
Adam Nams
Rearrange these words, Albert, Uncle
Regards, Den.
On my SAR long course at RAF Valley, I was going out to do some drums with "Father Christmas". We were talking about using various methods to help find the wind which included smoke.
Rearrange these words, Albert, Uncle
Regards, Den.
Now that was what you call a real winter.
No central heating when I wer' a lad in the 1950s. Just winter pyjamas, extra blankets and drip-feed oil heaters to augment the aga; scraping 'Jack Frost' of the inside of the bedroom windows was pretty common on winter mornings for most of us. And that was in the soft South, it must 'ave bin real grim oop Nawrth?