What is in your log book?
June 16th 1970 - (29 sqd) -Lightning T5; Combat with 104 g's
104G means dissimilar air combat training against F-104G Starfighters
August 11th 1970 - (29 sqd) Lightning F3; GH & aeros (I assume GH is general handling)
Yes, general handling and aerobatics.
Oct 1st 1970 - (29 sdq) -Lightning F3; AAR+S7A+PD ?? 2h40 long flight for a lightning
AAR is air-to-air refuelling, S7A is a type of practice interception, PD is a practice diversion to another aerodrome.
During Dec 1970 - 3 trips have 'Profit' one with W3E
EX. PROFIT was electronic warfare training, usually against a Canberra.
Feb 1st 1971 - (29 sqd) - Lightning T5; AAR Sub PI's s7B+Viz
is AAR - air to air refuelling??
Sub PIs + Viz probably means subsonic practice interception and visual identification work – closing to short range using the radar and finally looking out to identify the other aircraft. AAR is indeed air-to-air refuelling.
April 71 - a couple of 1v1, Q scramble, combat and lots of FvF and in May 1.3-headon
1v1 is basic single fighter versus single target training, Q scramble is a quick reaction alert scramble against (probably Soviet) aircraft approaching the UK air defence region.
Think he was in Cyprus July 71 as the return flight only is shown - 5 hours, during the trip did some Buccaneer Affil 's
August 71 - F3 Lightning - TGT for shad shep; another just says Coffee
TGT for shad shep means he acted as a target aircraft for some purpose, although I don’t know what ‘shad shep’ means. Perhaps the other aircraft was required to practice shadowing and intervening? Coffee means EX COFFEE – an electronic warfare exercise with jamming, spoofing and all manner of villainy from the target Canberra.
Jan 25th 72 - F3 - V3A DNCO Birdstrike
DNCO means ‘duty not carried out’. He hit a bird at some point and had to recover early.
April 72 - F3 - Standoff Profile & conventional profile
June 72 - Ex Sandmartin
Sorry, don’t know.
While on 2(T) during 73 codes include - LLPI's / R86/R84/R69/TGT/PD Mar/S7E+Vis+evas!/opex 1a
LLPIs means low level practice intercepts. I don’t know what the alphanumeric terms described, PD Mar is probably a practice diversion to Marham. Vis + evas! probably meant carryong out a visual ident against an evading target? Opex 1A was probably a work-up exercise of some sort.
While on a CFS course at Valley in 74 - Manual give/manual mutual/manual give back/unlock/unlock mutual/MLT give/MLT mutual
Manual give/manual mutual/manual give back means being taught to teach flying the Gnat in a degraded flight control mode, simulating loss of hydraulic power and reversion to ‘manual’ controls. ‘Give’ means being taught, ‘mutual’ means practising the exercise with another trainee instructor and ‘give back’ means practising by giving instruction to an instructor. ‘Unlock’ was another Gnat degraded control mode, but not as serious as ‘manual’. Usually when electrical failure precluded the availability of ‘feel trim’, so the elevators were unlocked from the slab tailplane, allowing the aircraft to be flown without feel trim provided that the speed was kept below (I think) 300KIAS / M0.7. ‘MLT’ means medium level turning, involving turning at maximum rate at medium level. A very tiring exercise; the student would pull to 5g then squeeze to 6g, in a descending steep turn with full power – whilst looking back at the instructor to see how many fingers he was holding up! The instructor had to ensure it was flown correctly without the student overstressing, being too timid or failing to look out properly...
Nite fam 4 (yeuk!)
Night flying familiarisation. Not an instructor’s favourite activity!
Clarkson Trophy aero's 1500 (lost)
Probably the end of course aerobatic competition, which he didn’t win. 1500 probably means a minimum height of 1500 ft above the aerodrome during the aerobatic sequence.
Dec 75 (4FTS) - Gnat - Ex7 DNCO control rest
He had a flight control restriction which meant he couldn’t complete the exercise (duty not carried out). Ex 7 would have been an early student conversion exercise.
All squadron flight authorisations sheets included a column labelled ‘Duty Carried Out or remarks’. Back in the days when people had to sign in to visit a nursing sisters’ Officers Mess, some wag included a ‘DCO or remarks’ column in their visiting book....
It was ages before someone explained – and the sisters weren’t very amused!
104G means dissimilar air combat training against F-104G Starfighters
August 11th 1970 - (29 sqd) Lightning F3; GH & aeros (I assume GH is general handling)
Yes, general handling and aerobatics.
Oct 1st 1970 - (29 sdq) -Lightning F3; AAR+S7A+PD ?? 2h40 long flight for a lightning
AAR is air-to-air refuelling, S7A is a type of practice interception, PD is a practice diversion to another aerodrome.
During Dec 1970 - 3 trips have 'Profit' one with W3E
EX. PROFIT was electronic warfare training, usually against a Canberra.
Feb 1st 1971 - (29 sqd) - Lightning T5; AAR Sub PI's s7B+Viz
is AAR - air to air refuelling??
Sub PIs + Viz probably means subsonic practice interception and visual identification work – closing to short range using the radar and finally looking out to identify the other aircraft. AAR is indeed air-to-air refuelling.
April 71 - a couple of 1v1, Q scramble, combat and lots of FvF and in May 1.3-headon
1v1 is basic single fighter versus single target training, Q scramble is a quick reaction alert scramble against (probably Soviet) aircraft approaching the UK air defence region.
Think he was in Cyprus July 71 as the return flight only is shown - 5 hours, during the trip did some Buccaneer Affil 's
August 71 - F3 Lightning - TGT for shad shep; another just says Coffee
TGT for shad shep means he acted as a target aircraft for some purpose, although I don’t know what ‘shad shep’ means. Perhaps the other aircraft was required to practice shadowing and intervening? Coffee means EX COFFEE – an electronic warfare exercise with jamming, spoofing and all manner of villainy from the target Canberra.
Jan 25th 72 - F3 - V3A DNCO Birdstrike
DNCO means ‘duty not carried out’. He hit a bird at some point and had to recover early.
April 72 - F3 - Standoff Profile & conventional profile
June 72 - Ex Sandmartin
Sorry, don’t know.
While on 2(T) during 73 codes include - LLPI's / R86/R84/R69/TGT/PD Mar/S7E+Vis+evas!/opex 1a
LLPIs means low level practice intercepts. I don’t know what the alphanumeric terms described, PD Mar is probably a practice diversion to Marham. Vis + evas! probably meant carryong out a visual ident against an evading target? Opex 1A was probably a work-up exercise of some sort.
While on a CFS course at Valley in 74 - Manual give/manual mutual/manual give back/unlock/unlock mutual/MLT give/MLT mutual
Manual give/manual mutual/manual give back means being taught to teach flying the Gnat in a degraded flight control mode, simulating loss of hydraulic power and reversion to ‘manual’ controls. ‘Give’ means being taught, ‘mutual’ means practising the exercise with another trainee instructor and ‘give back’ means practising by giving instruction to an instructor. ‘Unlock’ was another Gnat degraded control mode, but not as serious as ‘manual’. Usually when electrical failure precluded the availability of ‘feel trim’, so the elevators were unlocked from the slab tailplane, allowing the aircraft to be flown without feel trim provided that the speed was kept below (I think) 300KIAS / M0.7. ‘MLT’ means medium level turning, involving turning at maximum rate at medium level. A very tiring exercise; the student would pull to 5g then squeeze to 6g, in a descending steep turn with full power – whilst looking back at the instructor to see how many fingers he was holding up! The instructor had to ensure it was flown correctly without the student overstressing, being too timid or failing to look out properly...
Nite fam 4 (yeuk!)
Night flying familiarisation. Not an instructor’s favourite activity!
Clarkson Trophy aero's 1500 (lost)
Probably the end of course aerobatic competition, which he didn’t win. 1500 probably means a minimum height of 1500 ft above the aerodrome during the aerobatic sequence.
Dec 75 (4FTS) - Gnat - Ex7 DNCO control rest
He had a flight control restriction which meant he couldn’t complete the exercise (duty not carried out). Ex 7 would have been an early student conversion exercise.
All squadron flight authorisations sheets included a column labelled ‘Duty Carried Out or remarks’. Back in the days when people had to sign in to visit a nursing sisters’ Officers Mess, some wag included a ‘DCO or remarks’ column in their visiting book....
It was ages before someone explained – and the sisters weren’t very amused!
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I've long pasted photographs into my logbook, despite my former AEF boss saying "Its not a bloody scrapbook you know".
Should help my children when I'm too senile to remember!
Should help my children when I'm too senile to remember!
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August 71 - F3 Lightning - TGT for shad shep; another just says Coffee
TGT for shad shep means he acted as a target aircraft for some purpose, although I don’t know what ‘shad shep’ means.
TGT for shad shep means he acted as a target aircraft for some purpose, although I don’t know what ‘shad shep’ means.
Ie Intercept a target unseen then shepherd it to an airfield.
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They're important to help those that read them later and try to piece together your history, it's heartbreaking when you look through these, some are relatively modern too, like the Pakistani AVM looking for his ex instructor from the seventies.
Help Wanted 400+
Help Wanted 400+
Last edited by NutLoose; 14th Feb 2013 at 16:27.
Never experienced the 'joys' of shacklebomber flying but a mate on Beverleys had done a tour or two on Mk1s in Malta. He recalled being in the 2nd St,By crew when a VIP Hastings ditched in the Med.1st St.By was airborne and searching but nothing seen, so 2nd was launched. Just got the wheels up when the ditching was located and 2nd not wanted. Mk1s, apparently, did not have fuel jettison and were, therefore, committed to 7 hours fuel burning before they got down to landing weight!!! Great joy!!
