Dominies Finningley-Gibraltar
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Dominies Finningley-Gibraltar
Please does anyone remember the near-end-of-course despatching of slack handfuls of Dominies from Finningley to Gib? Always a Friday.
I certainly do, because it was always stressful for a mere chairbound weather man, in that Obs were thin over the Iberian coast, TAFs were rubbish, satellite cover of fog/ low St was unreliable, Spain was a no-no for Divs, and N Africa a bit dubious.
Radiating icy-calm, I would brief OCOps/Flying with great confidence. Radiating icy-calm, he would promise to have my guts for garters if they came unstuck. I briefed several cancellations, all subsequently justified, very fortunately.
The ulcers flared up during that tour.
I certainly do, because it was always stressful for a mere chairbound weather man, in that Obs were thin over the Iberian coast, TAFs were rubbish, satellite cover of fog/ low St was unreliable, Spain was a no-no for Divs, and N Africa a bit dubious.
Radiating icy-calm, I would brief OCOps/Flying with great confidence. Radiating icy-calm, he would promise to have my guts for garters if they came unstuck. I briefed several cancellations, all subsequently justified, very fortunately.
The ulcers flared up during that tour.
In all my trips from Finningley if the lunch time / over night / weekend stop was somewhere decent then we always launched on the mere promise of the much fabled 1000 Zulu clearance.
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that's a decent sized impi!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Yes, but it was from Stradishall. Without checking my log book, we may have staged through St Mawgan one way or the other. We had lunch on the wing at Porto before arriving in Gib.
The previous time had been a Varsity when we overflew Spain. The weather was as you said so we delayed a few hours. I remember briefing the pilots on RW 27 only to be told it was 26. I corrected them saying it had just been updated with new variation.
I then waited 40 years for another opportunity. It came at Coningsby pre-Typhoon. The variation changed but they couldn't afford to change the numbers at the time.
The previous time had been a Varsity when we overflew Spain. The weather was as you said so we delayed a few hours. I remember briefing the pilots on RW 27 only to be told it was 26. I corrected them saying it had just been updated with new variation.
I then waited 40 years for another opportunity. It came at Coningsby pre-Typhoon. The variation changed but they couldn't afford to change the numbers at the time.
Remember my trip to Gib from Strad very well. We didn't need the St Mawgan stopover so went direct to Porto then Gib. Coming back we went via Nice then airways up through France. Great weekend - visit to the casino on Saturday night and a trip round the caverns in the rock on Sunday. The border was closed at that time (1970) and we all went and had a laugh at the Fred Karno's army style of Spanish soldiers who came and performed a rag-tag ceremony at the frontier post every evening. Happy days. Amazing that those Dominies have only finally been withdrawn in the last year or so.
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In my time on the mighty Dom the Gib ranger had all but come to an end, although 45 Sqn (METS) still went routing both ways via Porto.
I did take a Dom to Gib to act as traffic for the Civie air trafficers training up on the PAR prior to handover from the RAF although, strangely enough, we routed via Monte Real outbound. That was in 95 and we flew direct Monte Real, direct Gib.
I did take a Dom to Gib to act as traffic for the Civie air trafficers training up on the PAR prior to handover from the RAF although, strangely enough, we routed via Monte Real outbound. That was in 95 and we flew direct Monte Real, direct Gib.
Last edited by ExAscoteer; 4th Apr 2013 at 01:51.
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I did two trips to Gib when I was at Finningley. Once on basic Nav Training and once on the Nav Refresher course a year or so later. "Mac" was the met man in those days and I don't recall any problems.
Quick Friday flit to Lyneham to top up with fuel, then lunch at Oporto and airways to Gib. Coming back it was into Istres, where the French were drinking wine in the aircrew-feeder, then straight back in airways to Finningley on the Monday.
Seem to recall we used Saccone & Speed (?) for the duty-frees, all handled by a very accommodating co-pilot, then, as it was the last ride in the Domini on the course, we lounged around waiting for our postings . . . . 40 years ago!!
Quick Friday flit to Lyneham to top up with fuel, then lunch at Oporto and airways to Gib. Coming back it was into Istres, where the French were drinking wine in the aircrew-feeder, then straight back in airways to Finningley on the Monday.
Seem to recall we used Saccone & Speed (?) for the duty-frees, all handled by a very accommodating co-pilot, then, as it was the last ride in the Domini on the course, we lounged around waiting for our postings . . . . 40 years ago!!
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Ah! The delights of the Dominie.
My first overseas as a stude was to Malta via Nice in January '67 with M.Pilots Chappell and Coulbeck. I remember taking off in snow and I'm sure we didn't give proper cognisence to surface contamination! Looking back in the logbook I see that twice that month we did Strad - Strad night trips lasting 3:30hrs. I can't remember how much div fuel we carried, but it must have been just fumes!
Subsequently on 2 refresher courses and also a tour at Finningley (Cse Cdr 267) it was always to Gib via St Mawgan and also using Porto/Monte Real/Tancos.
Great fun and the Dom soldiered on much longer than ever expected.
My first overseas as a stude was to Malta via Nice in January '67 with M.Pilots Chappell and Coulbeck. I remember taking off in snow and I'm sure we didn't give proper cognisence to surface contamination! Looking back in the logbook I see that twice that month we did Strad - Strad night trips lasting 3:30hrs. I can't remember how much div fuel we carried, but it must have been just fumes!
Subsequently on 2 refresher courses and also a tour at Finningley (Cse Cdr 267) it was always to Gib via St Mawgan and also using Porto/Monte Real/Tancos.
Great fun and the Dom soldiered on much longer than ever expected.
Last edited by friendlypelican 2; 3rd Apr 2013 at 17:42.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Seem to recall we used Saccone & Speed (?) for the duty-frees
You rang? Still very much at your service - Saccone & Speed (Gibraltar) Group of Companies - Saccone & Speed (Gibraltar) Limited which we always knew as "Sack-One and Velocity"
Jack
You rang? Still very much at your service - Saccone & Speed (Gibraltar) Group of Companies - Saccone & Speed (Gibraltar) Limited which we always knew as "Sack-One and Velocity"
Jack
Thankfully I went to Malta for the weekend, with lunch stops in Nice on both legs. Lovely aircraft, the Domine.
I subsequently got posted to Malta for 4 years
- spent a lot of time to/from Gibraltar thereafter 
I subsequently got posted to Malta for 4 years
- spent a lot of time to/from Gibraltar thereafter
friendlypelican2
You must have been on 85 Course. My log book shows Strad to Luqa via Istres and return via Nice in December 66 with Flt Lts Horner and Richardson in XS 739. I seem to remember that Saccone and Speed looked after our duty-free needs; also that we got a couple of extra days in Malta because of headwinds over France. Will never forget The Gyppo Queen.
You must have been on 85 Course. My log book shows Strad to Luqa via Istres and return via Nice in December 66 with Flt Lts Horner and Richardson in XS 739. I seem to remember that Saccone and Speed looked after our duty-free needs; also that we got a couple of extra days in Malta because of headwinds over France. Will never forget The Gyppo Queen.
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I took a Dom (XS733 Q) via Nice to Malta in late 96.
IIRC it was the proving trip for the (forthcoming) airshow and we were the first RAF aircraft back into Malta since Mintoff threw us out for the second time.
Barksdale Boy, XS739 (F) was the first black and white Dominie (and one of the nicest in the fleet to fly) after we got the avionics upgrade, compete with a Playboy Bunny either side of the fin (and by the crew door). I took her to RIAT 97 where she got quite a lot of attention!
There was a plan on 55 Sqn to have all our post upgrade aircraft with logos pertaining to the Black and White scheme, eg a Blue Star (Newcastle Brown Ale), 2 Terrier dogs (Black and White Whisky).
Sadly the Staish and OC Ops at the time were C words with very active 'Fun Detectors' so our nefarious plan came to naught.
IIRC it was the proving trip for the (forthcoming) airshow and we were the first RAF aircraft back into Malta since Mintoff threw us out for the second time.
Barksdale Boy, XS739 (F) was the first black and white Dominie (and one of the nicest in the fleet to fly) after we got the avionics upgrade, compete with a Playboy Bunny either side of the fin (and by the crew door). I took her to RIAT 97 where she got quite a lot of attention!
There was a plan on 55 Sqn to have all our post upgrade aircraft with logos pertaining to the Black and White scheme, eg a Blue Star (Newcastle Brown Ale), 2 Terrier dogs (Black and White Whisky).
Sadly the Staish and OC Ops at the time were C words with very active 'Fun Detectors' so our nefarious plan came to naught.
Last edited by ExAscoteer; 4th Apr 2013 at 02:03.
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2 Litre Steins and Bratties.........
not quite Gib but nice weekend in Furstenfeldbruck (very near Munich...
I went to Bruggen for my last LLTS trip with Matt Clark. I'm pretty ashamed to say that I was rather hungover from a night out in 7th Heaven in Donny. Still, passed the trip and got enough ciggies to keep me going for a couple of weeks!