Italian Tornado at TTTE - Wheels Up "Incident"
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LJ!
I remember it well, was on the guilty Sqn at the time!
Fast forward to the Christmas dinner and one of the Lineys placed some after eight mints on the pilots plate (Aussie exchange Sqn Ldr if memory serves) and said
"That's what 3 greens look like D**khead!
I remember it well, was on the guilty Sqn at the time!
Fast forward to the Christmas dinner and one of the Lineys placed some after eight mints on the pilots plate (Aussie exchange Sqn Ldr if memory serves) and said
"That's what 3 greens look like D**khead!
Last edited by peppermint_jam; 6th Oct 2013 at 08:00.
PJ,
Also remember that night well, I was the line NCO on the see-in. QFI told me he thought they might have scraped the runway at Waddo and I should have a look at the jet. CBLS were both ground nearly flat! They were very lucky, think the Aussie may have let the jet sink back onto the runway following gear up from the roller?
Also remember that night well, I was the line NCO on the see-in. QFI told me he thought they might have scraped the runway at Waddo and I should have a look at the jet. CBLS were both ground nearly flat! They were very lucky, think the Aussie may have let the jet sink back onto the runway following gear up from the roller?
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Final months of "the" OCU at Leu a ladee managed to bang the back end go round with one eng at rev and land normally. Saw it in the cct over the Eden, nothing to write home about at all.
Ah, the blessed fin.
Ah, the blessed fin.
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.....but the brakes bl00dy weren'
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Location: definitely not close enough to the Alps, or anywhere hilly.....
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A similar effect can be achieved on a touch and go by selecting 'gear up' whilst the engines are still lagging behind.
It is a strange sight when ATC ask you to visually inspect another aircraft and you see flattened shoulder pylons and tank fins, especially when they haven't told you what happened!
It is a strange sight when ATC ask you to visually inspect another aircraft and you see flattened shoulder pylons and tank fins, especially when they haven't told you what happened!
Last edited by E-Spy; 5th Oct 2013 at 19:58.
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I was there to recover the Fighter
Gentlemen,
I was at Cottersmore at the time of the Italians land speed record attempt and sent to "power it up" to find the electrical fault in the undercarriage system.
The plane was placed in the Battle of Britain hangar, jacked and slowly we started to set breakers.. The lower skin was so thin it was like tin foil. Once we had some power on her and the hydraulics applied, the gear worked perfect coming down...But, as the doors closed..now half worn away, the donkey d**k bar which holds the doors open, made contact and the door just cracked like a bomb going off...
Am interested to find other that were there and complete the story.
After we had checked everything, removed the gear selector switch and has it x-rayed by the medical department, it was the Sunday..
The officer in charge stated.." Sunday, a good day for a good Italian Catholic to confess!" To which the offending Italian did admit he pre-selected!
I was at Cottersmore at the time of the Italians land speed record attempt and sent to "power it up" to find the electrical fault in the undercarriage system.
The plane was placed in the Battle of Britain hangar, jacked and slowly we started to set breakers.. The lower skin was so thin it was like tin foil. Once we had some power on her and the hydraulics applied, the gear worked perfect coming down...But, as the doors closed..now half worn away, the donkey d**k bar which holds the doors open, made contact and the door just cracked like a bomb going off...
Am interested to find other that were there and complete the story.
After we had checked everything, removed the gear selector switch and has it x-rayed by the medical department, it was the Sunday..
The officer in charge stated.." Sunday, a good day for a good Italian Catholic to confess!" To which the offending Italian did admit he pre-selected!
Fast forward to the Christmas dinner and one of the Lineys placed some after eight mints on the pilots plate (Aussie exchange Sqn Ldr if memory serves) and said
"That's what 3 greens look like D**khead!
"That's what 3 greens look like D**khead!
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I trust the insolent airmen was charged? He damn well should have been!
Imagine the scene at the CM, having refused CO's award for such a bull**** charge.
"Sqn Ldr Tufty, Cpl Unworthy states that he called you a "********" because, despite knowing you had scraped the runway at Waddington, you elected to fly to Marham with unknown damage. This in a training sortie, not an operational task. Is there any truth to this?"
"Yes Sir".
"We find the case proven, but cannot help but agree with the defendant's viewpoint. Fined one pound. March out".
Damned well ought to be the outcome.
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Leon,
I remember that night well! I was the JEngO and was in Ops chewing the fat with our Auth (who was the Sqn XO and also covering DCF) about the following day's flypro when I took the phone call:
"Waddo SATCO here, one of your Tonkas has just bombed my runway!"
"How do you know?"
"Theres bits of 3Kg practice bomb everywhere"
At this point, I handed the phone to the Sqn Ldr and left him to it, especially it was another Sqn.......
I remember that night well! I was the JEngO and was in Ops chewing the fat with our Auth (who was the Sqn XO and also covering DCF) about the following day's flypro when I took the phone call:
"Waddo SATCO here, one of your Tonkas has just bombed my runway!"
"How do you know?"
"Theres bits of 3Kg practice bomb everywhere"
At this point, I handed the phone to the Sqn Ldr and left him to it, especially it was another Sqn.......
I recall, from my time on the worlds most prestigious and longest serving fixed wing reconnaissance squadron, that the Jaguar had a secondary landing gear fitted to its single seaters shortly after the late, great, Bill L********* chose to test out the wheeless short landing capabilities of the T bird.
Probably the only times when using re-heat to taxi was justified.....
See:
Oops!
The SENGOs Shoes
Ya gotta laugh
Probably the only times when using re-heat to taxi was justified.....
See:
Oops!
The SENGOs Shoes
Ya gotta laugh
Originally Posted by Leon Jabachjabicz
For some unknown reason they decided to go back and land at Marham having left a few items off the CBLS at Waddington 
. I would have thought landing at Waddington would have been a better bet rather than risk bits falling off across half of Lincolnshire and Norfolk, but I guess they had their reasons.
. I would have thought landing at Waddington would have been a better bet rather than risk bits falling off across half of Lincolnshire and Norfolk, but I guess they had their reasons.
Although my 3-year tour on TTTE was after the incident in the OP, I recall that all the talk at the time was that he was an ex-F104 driver and therefore was drilled to raise the gear before rotate.
The Tornado does have a weight-on-wheels system which should prevent the gear raising whilst there is weight on the wheels, but as some of us have found out to our cost, there comes a certain point in the take-off roll when there is sufficient speed to generate enough lift, prior to actual take-off, to render the WoW switch inoperative.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Heard a rumour that the only injuries in the incident with the Italian Pilot and the German Nav' were sustained, after exiting the aircraft, by the Italian as a result of the German beating him over the head with his helmet - may not be true but since when should that get in the way of a good story!
Apparently it was English!
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When first posted to TTTE in 82 for Tornado course. Whilst on the course there was an incident at Coningsby. Their runway having just reopened after refurb. An Italian learner did a perfect landing with no gear down. Needless to say Coningsby CO was not pleased.The learner had a quick exit back to Italy. Also the rumour of the painted hands is true. There was also another incident when a Sqn Ldr left a message for one of the Italian jocks. It was something about there being no reverse in this type of transport if he felt he was on the losing team
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