Tower Bridge Hunter incident
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Tower Bridge Hunter incident
I've just spotted this on Wikipedia
"The Hawker HunterTower Bridge incident occurred on 5 April 1968 when a Royal Air Force Hawker Hunter FGA.9 jet fighter from No. 1 Squadron, flown by Flt Lt Alan Pollock,flew through Tower Bridge. Unimpressed that senior staff were not going to celebrate the RAF's 50th birthday with a fly-past, Pollock decided to do something himself. Without authorisation, Pollock flew the Hunter at low altitude down the Thames, past the Houses of Parliament, and continued on toward Tower Bridge. He flew the Hunter beneath the bridge's walkway, remarking afterwards that it was an afterthought when he saw the bridge looming ahead of him. Pollock was placed under arrest upon landing, and discharged from the RAF on medical grounds without the chance to defend himself at a court martial."
Did it actually happen and was he really "disappeared" on medical grounds?
Have there been any similar incidents over the years?
Are the medics still the most powerful branch in the RAF? Are there any medics still in the RAF?
So many questions, so little time!
Rgds SOS
"The Hawker HunterTower Bridge incident occurred on 5 April 1968 when a Royal Air Force Hawker Hunter FGA.9 jet fighter from No. 1 Squadron, flown by Flt Lt Alan Pollock,flew through Tower Bridge. Unimpressed that senior staff were not going to celebrate the RAF's 50th birthday with a fly-past, Pollock decided to do something himself. Without authorisation, Pollock flew the Hunter at low altitude down the Thames, past the Houses of Parliament, and continued on toward Tower Bridge. He flew the Hunter beneath the bridge's walkway, remarking afterwards that it was an afterthought when he saw the bridge looming ahead of him. Pollock was placed under arrest upon landing, and discharged from the RAF on medical grounds without the chance to defend himself at a court martial."
Did it actually happen and was he really "disappeared" on medical grounds?
Have there been any similar incidents over the years?
Are the medics still the most powerful branch in the RAF? Are there any medics still in the RAF?
So many questions, so little time!
Rgds SOS
Last edited by SOSL; 11th Apr 2013 at 21:13.
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http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...er-bridge.html
hopefully the link works, if not searching for "pollock" should bring up previous threads on the topic
hopefully the link works, if not searching for "pollock" should bring up previous threads on the topic
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It's funny that you can fast- forward a few years.... Establish the Olympic Games and suddenly, flying under wires and bridges along the River Thames is positively encouraged
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Al is still very involved in military aviation matters. He is involved in the running, and perhaps even the creation of the Tangmere Aviation Museum
Welcome to Tangmere Military Aviation Museum
Welcome to Tangmere Military Aviation Museum
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Al is still very involved in military aviation matters. He is involved in the running, and perhaps even the creation of the Tangmere Aviation Museum
Welcome to Tangmere Military Aviation Museum
Welcome to Tangmere Military Aviation Museum
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This famous painting was commissioned to celebrate one of the most astonishing aviation incidents of the jet age. On 5 April 1968 Hawker Hunter FGA.9 XF442 from No.1 Squadron RAF, flown by Flt Lt Alan Pollock, flew under Tower Bridge after "beating up" the Houses of Parliament. Unimpressed that there would be no fly past over London to celebrate the RAF's 50th Anniversary, Pollock decided to do something himself.
Hunter Tower Bridge
Coff.
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Here is a recent picture of the man himself! http://img.thisismoney.co.uk/i/pix/2...06_100x110.jpg
When I was at RAF Nicosia Met Office 1961-64 we saw the last of the conscript National Service airmen as Met Observers. Top men.
One, who shall be nameless, claimed that he was closely related to the original Mad Major of Bridge fame.
I can assure the readership that the alleged genes ran strong in the blood ....... ............ easily the most eccentric character I ever shared a night shift with.
The scrapes, minor and major, would fill a book.
Don't ask!
One, who shall be nameless, claimed that he was closely related to the original Mad Major of Bridge fame.
I can assure the readership that the alleged genes ran strong in the blood ....... ............ easily the most eccentric character I ever shared a night shift with.
The scrapes, minor and major, would fill a book.
Don't ask!
SOSL asks if the medics are the most powerful branch in the air force. 'Influential' might be a better description, as few lay people are going to risk ignoring the opinion of a medic without either placing themselves in a very risky position or being able to advance an overriding contrary argument.
In 1975 I was sent to Central Medical Establishment (CME) in London because I was having stomach problems. I did not know until I arrived for my appointment that the specialist was a psychiatrist and my first reaction was to be pretty miffed with the station doc who had sent me. The consultation - conducted whilst the great man ate his lunch at the desk - was coming towards its conclusion when he said, in a very offhand way; 'now tell me flight lieutenant Old Duffer, do you ever feel that you'd be better off outside the air force?' Fortunately, I had the wits to say 'No' or else I would have probably been a civilian before the day was out!
Ever after, I have always been very circumspect in my dealings with the RAF's medical branch and have been concerned that their influence is possibly too strong.
Old Duffer - or perhaps I should now change my 'sign in' to the Mad Hatter!!
In 1975 I was sent to Central Medical Establishment (CME) in London because I was having stomach problems. I did not know until I arrived for my appointment that the specialist was a psychiatrist and my first reaction was to be pretty miffed with the station doc who had sent me. The consultation - conducted whilst the great man ate his lunch at the desk - was coming towards its conclusion when he said, in a very offhand way; 'now tell me flight lieutenant Old Duffer, do you ever feel that you'd be better off outside the air force?' Fortunately, I had the wits to say 'No' or else I would have probably been a civilian before the day was out!
Ever after, I have always been very circumspect in my dealings with the RAF's medical branch and have been concerned that their influence is possibly too strong.
Old Duffer - or perhaps I should now change my 'sign in' to the Mad Hatter!!
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IIRC he was eventually exonerated after many many years as he was taking prescription medicine and the Medics didn't ground him as they should have done!
Old Duffer,
I had exactly the same experience as a young Radar Operator at Boulmer. I used to suffer from terrible heart palputations where my cardiactic rythm would go racing, absolutely nuts. I refused, at the time, as my late step father and sister tried to tell me, that it was brought on through drinking too much caffeine, Coffee in particular.
But after another funny turn, I had to report sick. An electrocardiograph was done and found all in good working order, but concern remained when it happened again while engaged in a piggyback race back from the pub (such activity was sure to bring it on) I was taken to the Duty Medic who played it down at the time, but it didn't go without notice. Next thing, when I thought a Cardiovascular specialist was called in to see me I was rather taken aback by his rather unsymapthetic (so I thought) manner. He asked the very same questions you got asked without even looking at me, just scribbled his notes and asked like a reporter "do you like being in the air force? should you be in the air force?" but as with yourself, I was quite annoyed at the suggestion and insisted yes of course I should be. Afterwards, I heard nothing more, one way or the other.
FB
I had exactly the same experience as a young Radar Operator at Boulmer. I used to suffer from terrible heart palputations where my cardiactic rythm would go racing, absolutely nuts. I refused, at the time, as my late step father and sister tried to tell me, that it was brought on through drinking too much caffeine, Coffee in particular.
But after another funny turn, I had to report sick. An electrocardiograph was done and found all in good working order, but concern remained when it happened again while engaged in a piggyback race back from the pub (such activity was sure to bring it on) I was taken to the Duty Medic who played it down at the time, but it didn't go without notice. Next thing, when I thought a Cardiovascular specialist was called in to see me I was rather taken aback by his rather unsymapthetic (so I thought) manner. He asked the very same questions you got asked without even looking at me, just scribbled his notes and asked like a reporter "do you like being in the air force? should you be in the air force?" but as with yourself, I was quite annoyed at the suggestion and insisted yes of course I should be. Afterwards, I heard nothing more, one way or the other.
FB
Allan Pollock's own story is in "Out of the Blue" along with many other fascinating stories from the Cold War RAF. An excellent book which makes money for Help the Heroes too.
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The last few replies regarding the medics, have reminded me. Towards the end of my engineer training at Sleaford Tech, I had recently passed the Applied Engineering course with an A2 grade, when I and my Ford Anglia were attacked by an Aston Martin DBS with (it later emerged) a fractured hydraulic brake pipe.
I was in a coma in a civvy hospital for 3 weeks, came round, was transferred to RAFH Ely (there were some lovely PM nurses in those days) and then to Headley Court for 3 months rehab, what a fantastic outfit it was.
Finally made it back to Cranditz only to be told that the medics had decided that I had to do the whole Applied course again. This time I scored B1. I was pixxed off but, to be fair, in the following 30 years no one ever asked me what grade I had achieved on the applied course!
You're quite right OD they may not have had power but they sure had influence, they held me back by some months.
Rgds SOS
I was in a coma in a civvy hospital for 3 weeks, came round, was transferred to RAFH Ely (there were some lovely PM nurses in those days) and then to Headley Court for 3 months rehab, what a fantastic outfit it was.
Finally made it back to Cranditz only to be told that the medics had decided that I had to do the whole Applied course again. This time I scored B1. I was pixxed off but, to be fair, in the following 30 years no one ever asked me what grade I had achieved on the applied course!
You're quite right OD they may not have had power but they sure had influence, they held me back by some months.
Rgds SOS
Last edited by SOSL; 13th Apr 2013 at 16:14.
SOSL . After 320 hours TT I was officially grounded for air sickness, following a totally confusing episode ( for me) on the IAM spin table.
Such is life.
You just have to get on with it.
Such is life.
You just have to get on with it.
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I worked briefly with psych services and the "are you happy to serve" question was asked for a number of reasons but mostly to see if there was a simple environmental root csuse for needing a psych assessment. AFAIK it wasn't deliberately used to get people out.
