Towing Aircraft
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 32,754
Received 2,738 Likes
on
1,166 Posts
RAF Upavon had a families day, the OCU was there with our aircraft that had to be hangared out of the way, during the show a casevac came in so a Puma was pulled out and down the taxiway, it was then cancelled so was towed back, just as we got to the hangar it was on again, so we turned round and set off again, over the radio it was announced it was cancelled so we turned around yet again and finally pulled it back into the Hangar. Closing the doors the RAFP who had been clearing the crowd came over and asked why we tow it back and forth across the aprons. "To wind up the starter motors" we replied... " Oh thanks" he said as he wandered off.... I do still wonder if anyone has finally told him the truth.
Guest
Posts: n/a
spekesoftly, (the link in your #4)
Wasn't there a character who shoehorned a war surplus Merlin into his Shelsey "special" (the "freikaiserwagen" ?). Went fine, by all accounts, so long as he could keep it on the road !
( a bit off-Thread, sorry).
Wasn't there a character who shoehorned a war surplus Merlin into his Shelsey "special" (the "freikaiserwagen" ?). Went fine, by all accounts, so long as he could keep it on the road !
( a bit off-Thread, sorry).
Not strictly military !!!!
I was lucky to be allocated to a Joint services gliding course at Bicester, RAFGSA Centre, early 80s as I remember. As an Airframe SNCO, I was welcomed as they needed some servicing and polishing doing. Having spent the morning of a fairly damp day doing a bit of work, with the met beginning to improve, I asked the CFI if I could tow out the ASK18 and give it a bit of a go. Permission granted and the duty car is towing the glider out. About 100 yards out on to the newly mown airfield I noticed that the one and only main wheel had stopped rotating, and was merely skidding over the surface. When we stopped and looked the wheel was jammed by a compacted mass of grass clippings. It took over an hour to remove the grass, it would have been quicker to remove the wheel to clear it. But then, I was only an A Fitt A ! But, had that happened before ? At the time nobody said it had, but you have to wonder. I note a 2.5 hour soaring trip from the eventual launch in my log book, a bit of work always paid off eventually.
Smudge
I was lucky to be allocated to a Joint services gliding course at Bicester, RAFGSA Centre, early 80s as I remember. As an Airframe SNCO, I was welcomed as they needed some servicing and polishing doing. Having spent the morning of a fairly damp day doing a bit of work, with the met beginning to improve, I asked the CFI if I could tow out the ASK18 and give it a bit of a go. Permission granted and the duty car is towing the glider out. About 100 yards out on to the newly mown airfield I noticed that the one and only main wheel had stopped rotating, and was merely skidding over the surface. When we stopped and looked the wheel was jammed by a compacted mass of grass clippings. It took over an hour to remove the grass, it would have been quicker to remove the wheel to clear it. But then, I was only an A Fitt A ! But, had that happened before ? At the time nobody said it had, but you have to wonder. I note a 2.5 hour soaring trip from the eventual launch in my log book, a bit of work always paid off eventually.
Smudge
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Somewhere flat
Age: 68
Posts: 5,555
Likes: 0
Received 42 Likes
on
29 Posts
During the 1980s, drinking beer in the 8 Squadron crew room at Lossie on a Friday evening (30 seconds after QRA end at 1700 on Friday) when an enormous crash was heard in the Hangar to which the crew room was attached. A quick sprint into the hangar gave us the view of the towing tragedy that had just happened.
The ground crew were towing a Shackleton out of the hangar onto the flight line. A tractor was attached by the towing arm to the tail wheel and the aircraft was to be reversed out into position. Unfortunately on this occasion, the chap in the cockpit had forgotten to take off the parking break: the tractor had pulled on the tail wheel which had collapsed and the aircraft had fallen onto its rear fins and bomb doors.
A cheer for the ground crew was quickly cut short when OC 8 arrived very quickly on the scene from his office in the hangar - death was on his face and we quickly slipped back to the beer call while the Boss debriefed the ground crew. (Before he came into the crew room and debriefed us about standards of behaviour).
The aircraft was fixed by salvaging parts from gate guards and fire dumps around the country (from memory, the Shack at Manston was pillaged for its bomb doors but I stand to be corrected).
The ground crew were towing a Shackleton out of the hangar onto the flight line. A tractor was attached by the towing arm to the tail wheel and the aircraft was to be reversed out into position. Unfortunately on this occasion, the chap in the cockpit had forgotten to take off the parking break: the tractor had pulled on the tail wheel which had collapsed and the aircraft had fallen onto its rear fins and bomb doors.
A cheer for the ground crew was quickly cut short when OC 8 arrived very quickly on the scene from his office in the hangar - death was on his face and we quickly slipped back to the beer call while the Boss debriefed the ground crew. (Before he came into the crew room and debriefed us about standards of behaviour).
The aircraft was fixed by salvaging parts from gate guards and fire dumps around the country (from memory, the Shack at Manston was pillaged for its bomb doors but I stand to be corrected).
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: England
Posts: 924
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
One and only prang...
was dragging a SHAR FA2 off the high power tie down at Yeovilton. The air brake had fully lowered and it caught the hold back chain T bar as it slowly moved forward, thus ripping both layers of skin on said AB. I wasn't driving but directing the move and the buck stopped fairly with me. Optically it looked safe to clear but wasn't and didn't.
Thankfully the Deputy AEO was a really decent guy and arranged a swop with a resident Hangar Queen, and nothing further was done or said.
Other than that one blot, in many years of both moving ashore, afloat and foreign and unusual I never ever pranged one. Insert smiley face here...
Thankfully the Deputy AEO was a really decent guy and arranged a swop with a resident Hangar Queen, and nothing further was done or said.
Other than that one blot, in many years of both moving ashore, afloat and foreign and unusual I never ever pranged one. Insert smiley face here...
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Bath
Age: 71
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Not RAF, but some other air force...
A guy over confident on the tractor, fast moves with style, but it went wrong one day when he missed the brake, fast reversing in the hangar.
It bent the prop of a PC9, knocked it clean over the chocks & almost into the tail section of another aircraft.
I was a few yards away, but thankfully not part of the moving team. I can still remember as clear as day, my friend who was in charge at the time, turning to me with his hand on his forehead & saying to me "I think we have an incident"
I remember the 'Cracked eggshell" look of the front PC9 canopy after a student somehow managed to eject, then the instructor landing it safely, but that was not towing related.
Someone else ripped a landing gear off a Strikemaster, after towing it across a dug out hole temporarily covered with wood.
Be careful when towing.
A guy over confident on the tractor, fast moves with style, but it went wrong one day when he missed the brake, fast reversing in the hangar.
It bent the prop of a PC9, knocked it clean over the chocks & almost into the tail section of another aircraft.
I was a few yards away, but thankfully not part of the moving team. I can still remember as clear as day, my friend who was in charge at the time, turning to me with his hand on his forehead & saying to me "I think we have an incident"
I remember the 'Cracked eggshell" look of the front PC9 canopy after a student somehow managed to eject, then the instructor landing it safely, but that was not towing related.
Someone else ripped a landing gear off a Strikemaster, after towing it across a dug out hole temporarily covered with wood.
Be careful when towing.
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: England
Posts: 924
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Too soon for some people.
Some prangs are far too recent and I can imagine many people on here dying to put something up, but daren't. Theres nothing like hearing a thundering great shuddering bang of aircraft metal upon another solid object to get people running to a scene....! Generally there's always some pale faced bloke gone into semi shock....
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Bath
Age: 71
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Whilst not aircraft towing, someone I knew well towed a gliding club winch back the hangar, the trouble was, the cable was still fully out.
It took out various airfield equipment, but he was a civilian about to join the RAF.
He didn't join as a 'Techie' but the actual incident taught me an early lesson.
That lesson was that it's the people on the ground who have an important role in making things safe & administration from senior officers, just can't plug the gap.
It took out various airfield equipment, but he was a civilian about to join the RAF.
He didn't join as a 'Techie' but the actual incident taught me an early lesson.
That lesson was that it's the people on the ground who have an important role in making things safe & administration from senior officers, just can't plug the gap.
Flight_Idle (Steph), I never did it honest
My one and only visit to OC Eng, with my hat on.
A couple of years after leaving my job as a Ground Eng on Albert and I'm SNCO i/c a second line servicing team. There was never any way that my lads on the team were doing overtime unless I was there, so, having helped with the pre air test engine ground runs, after in my case a 14 hour day, I supervised the aircrafts move back into the hangar, before cease work. At the time we had the practice of leaving the main aircraft jacks in position in the hangar (big, heavy and awkward as long as you left them where they were they were no problem) and reversing the aircraft into position over them. As I had spent around 4 hours out with the ground running team, I was not aware that in our absence our new Flight Commander had ordered a "proper" clean up of the hangar by the rest of the team, including moving the main jacks to sweep underneath them. You all know what's coming. My wing safety man on the RH wingtip (left as we pushed the aircraft backwards into the hangar, and from my viewpoint) was a tired young chap who had spent most of the evening out in the cold as safety man for the ground runs. His state of alertness was indicated by the still affirmative "clear" (thumb up) signal as I convinced the tug driver to ram the out of position main Jack with the RH external tank. No excuses, I was in charge, my fault.
The team to a man insisted we could recover the situation, and with luck in having a spare tank, and a steady diet of coffee breaks we managed to change the tank before the day shift came in the next morning to prep the aircraft for the flight test. It was duly flown and returned to the line, serviceable. I had no answer for OC Eng when he expressed his surprise at an "experienced" SNCO making such a basic mistake. Of course, there were many excuses available for it, but only my failure to spot the main jack had been moved was the cause. I was grateful that OC Eng did have some understanding of the hours we had all put in to meet a target that day.
Smudge
My one and only visit to OC Eng, with my hat on.
A couple of years after leaving my job as a Ground Eng on Albert and I'm SNCO i/c a second line servicing team. There was never any way that my lads on the team were doing overtime unless I was there, so, having helped with the pre air test engine ground runs, after in my case a 14 hour day, I supervised the aircrafts move back into the hangar, before cease work. At the time we had the practice of leaving the main aircraft jacks in position in the hangar (big, heavy and awkward as long as you left them where they were they were no problem) and reversing the aircraft into position over them. As I had spent around 4 hours out with the ground running team, I was not aware that in our absence our new Flight Commander had ordered a "proper" clean up of the hangar by the rest of the team, including moving the main jacks to sweep underneath them. You all know what's coming. My wing safety man on the RH wingtip (left as we pushed the aircraft backwards into the hangar, and from my viewpoint) was a tired young chap who had spent most of the evening out in the cold as safety man for the ground runs. His state of alertness was indicated by the still affirmative "clear" (thumb up) signal as I convinced the tug driver to ram the out of position main Jack with the RH external tank. No excuses, I was in charge, my fault.
The team to a man insisted we could recover the situation, and with luck in having a spare tank, and a steady diet of coffee breaks we managed to change the tank before the day shift came in the next morning to prep the aircraft for the flight test. It was duly flown and returned to the line, serviceable. I had no answer for OC Eng when he expressed his surprise at an "experienced" SNCO making such a basic mistake. Of course, there were many excuses available for it, but only my failure to spot the main jack had been moved was the cause. I was grateful that OC Eng did have some understanding of the hours we had all put in to meet a target that day.
Smudge
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 428
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Laarparts again, early 80's, II ac Sqn Jags. Got dragged out of the crewroom to do brakes from hangar to HAS. Young and blasé, took my mug of coffee into the cockpit. Sheer-pin broke as we took the tight turn to the entrance to the pan. I hit the brakes....... nothing!! I hadn't checked the brake pressure before jumping in. The aircraft rolls gently onto the (thankfully firm) grass. I quickly throw the coffee mug into the bushes and give a quick burst of the Electro-Hydraulic Pump. "Yes Sarge.....got plently of pressure.... don't know what happened". Pushed the aircraft off the grass and into the HAS. No damage but not my proudest moment 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: N. Spain
Age: 79
Posts: 1,311
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Another Shack towing snafu, Mk.3 this time at St. Mawgan early 60s.
Returning to pan from compass base and stopped right on the money.
The towmaster was unhitched before anybody thought to shove some chocks in. As the towmaster moves away the beast follows it and a quick look shows the air guage as low as it goes. A very loud scream from the cockpit alerts the guys below who stop the towmaster, grab the towing arm and re-attach with some difficulty and not a little risk to themselves.
No damage, no injuries, no witnesses and very little conversation on return to crew room.
Returning to pan from compass base and stopped right on the money.
The towmaster was unhitched before anybody thought to shove some chocks in. As the towmaster moves away the beast follows it and a quick look shows the air guage as low as it goes. A very loud scream from the cockpit alerts the guys below who stop the towmaster, grab the towing arm and re-attach with some difficulty and not a little risk to themselves.
No damage, no injuries, no witnesses and very little conversation on return to crew room.
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: 23, Railway Cuttings, East Cheam
Age: 68
Posts: 3,115
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've taxied an aircraft with only one brake working. That was interesting at the brake check as it did a quick change of direction to the right. Of course to stop and shut down you have to put more brake onto the one side that's working...thus lurching around like a drunkard hoping that no one of consequence is watching.
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: 23, Railway Cuttings, East Cheam
Age: 68
Posts: 3,115
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Another Shack towing snafu, Mk.3 this time at St. Mawgan early 60s.
And to get back to the raison d etre for this thread - hope you are keeping an eye on it Newt 
After a bit of a pi55 up the night before (feeling like death cooled down) - towing a Hawk out at a Pembrokeshire airfield,me driving with a dodgy greenie (leccy) as nco i/c - as we trundled round the peri track - we remarked on how friendly 2 guys were standing outside the ground training school (they were waving to us).
Then realisation dawned - nobody was that friendly LOL and looking back we saw the Hawk about three quarters of a mile away with the brakeman waving at us (gee what a nice guy)
The SHEAR PIN had ...well.... sheared... good job we had a mug on brakes eh
After a bit of a pi55 up the night before (feeling like death cooled down) - towing a Hawk out at a Pembrokeshire airfield,me driving with a dodgy greenie (leccy) as nco i/c - as we trundled round the peri track - we remarked on how friendly 2 guys were standing outside the ground training school (they were waving to us
).Then realisation dawned - nobody was that friendly LOL and looking back we saw the Hawk about three quarters of a mile away with the brakeman waving at us (gee what a nice guy
)The SHEAR PIN had ...well.... sheared... good job we had a mug on brakes eh
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: moraira,spain-Norfolk, UK
Age: 82
Posts: 389
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In the 50's sitting in a glider winch which was being towed back
for the day. Tractor driver decided it would pass under the wing
of a Valient. It didn't. Winch roof ended up a inch or two lower,
no problem. Valient wing - big problem
for the day. Tractor driver decided it would pass under the wing
of a Valient. It didn't. Winch roof ended up a inch or two lower,
no problem. Valient wing - big problem
