LONG RANGE SAR

[Surplus]

Samuel,

Quite a few people have transferred permanently to the NZ Air Force, Pilots, Navs, AEOps etc, it's not just Seedcorn Brits over there.

[500N]

That video makes an interesting contrast between the RNZAF and the "running answers" by whoever it was.

[Samuel]

Surplus:True, and I'm aware of that, but the pilot in question IS RAF.

[bakseetblatherer]

I think person in question is a Nav, Flt Lt Eric King RAF who flying RNZAF Orions.

BBC News - A day with the MH370 search mission

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11225597

[BBadanov]

#mh370 SAR Difficulty: The Depth Of Indian Ocean Was Ten Times More Than KLCC

I hope this video posts ok, shows the difficult conditions.

[betty swallox]

Flt Lt Eric King is the WSO (Weapons Systems Officer). The title Nav doesn't exist anymore. Eric is part of Project Seedcorn and hasn't transferred to the RNZAF. He's RAF and working with the Kiwis.

[QTRZulu]

I think the guy holding the blank piece of paper looks suspiciously like Trev Parker to me?

[betty swallox]

It sure is!!!

[fincastle84]

Relaxation

I bet that the bar is doing a roaring trade. So many happy memories apart from having all of my clothes removed by my loyal crew, ably led by Jakko, in a bar below His Majesty's theatre in Perth. The BHC's wife was most impressed, another nail in the coffin of my career.

Back on topic, Jeremy Vine has just been waffling on BBC R2 about the information supplied by Inmarsat. He obviously obtained his info from the kids channel rather than read the excellent piece in today's Telegraph. And I always thought that Doppler could only be used for tracking Russian nukes!

[Yellow Sun]

The BHC's wife was most impressed, another nail in the coffin of my career.

You had a career.......?

YS

[fincastle84]

You had a career.......?

I probably did when I started training on 2 Oct 1966!

[Surplus]

And I always thought that Doppler could only be used for tracking Russian nukes!

LE4 or LE8?

[Surplus]

More Seedcorn helping with the search.

[nimbev]

Can anyone please tell me how many seedcorners there are and with which nations they are serving?

[SwitchMonkey]

Seedcorn

An answer can be found here:

House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 24 Nov 2011 (pt 0003)

The cut & paste version:

The number and location of personnel and equipment to be used is as follows:

Location
Aircraft Number of personnel
Canada

Royal Canadian Air Force Greenwood

CP-140 Aurora

7


New Zealand

Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Whenuapai

P-3K Orion/P-3K2 Orion

5


Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Ohakea

Beech King Air B200

1


Australia

Royal Australian Air Force Base Edinburgh

AP-3C Orion

4


United States

Naval Air Station Norfolk

Non-flying appointment related to maritime operational staff duties.

1


Naval Air Station Patuxent River

P3C Orion

2

Additionally, discussions are ongoing with the US Navy on an exchange initiative for fully qualified RAF aircrew to support the US P-8A Poseidon programme.

That was from 2011 so things may have changed a little.

[betty swallox]

That's an old slide.

There are 20 personnel supporting the P-8A program. 11 at NAS Jacksonville, FL and 9 at NAS Patuxent River, MD.

[Party Animal]

That's the overseas 'Seedcorners'. There are a bunch of ex Nimrod MR aircrew still connected with the Air C2 of Allied MPA, who remained in the UK. They also come under the seedcorn umbrella.

The idea, should we get back in the game post SDSR 15, is to have a knowledge base of practitoners, taskers and tacticians who can lead on the future construct of a UK MPA capability - accepting that the platform will be called an MMA (whatever it is) and there may well be a high level of jointery with the RN.

If there is nothing coming our way in the next SDSR, then I suspect that Seedcorn will rapidly fade away.

[500N]

Had to laugh at one of the Faifax videos on a P3 Orion.

Warrant Lieut Mick Barker !


If you want to watch it, it is here, about 50 seconds in.
MH370 search suspended

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

Seedcorn

And the NZ King Air QFI has rtb'd.

Or should that be rt'db?

Dunc

[nimbev]

switch/betty/PA - thanks for the info.