Global Aviation Magazine : 60 Years of the Hercules
Brian 48 Nav and AA62,
Great shots of 203 in real "clothing". Like you, I wondered at the lack of FEAF identification on the aircraft, and have to agree with AA62 (for what my opinion is worth) that it's most likely a recent arrival in theatre, prior to proper "finish"
I will offer only that in my time at Colerne - early 71 to 73, I never once saw an aircraft on either base 2 or 3 servicing with a FEAF nameplate, though early on there were a few 70 Sqdn jobbies with NEAF wording on the fuselage. I wonder if that is down to 48 Sqdns having their second line servicing done elsewhere ?
Bingofuel, I might well have asked the question of pilots to highlight the peculiarities, or otherwise of flying Albert some time ago, it seems that unlike most pilots, Albert jockeys are reticent to enlighten us on the ins and out of operating the aircraft. Was it really that boring a job gentlemen ? I know that in my time as a GE there was many a long night spent fettling as a result of pilot "discomfort" with one aspect or another. Best of luck with your latest attempt to get some "flying" input to the thread, particularly from a "learning to fly it" point of view. Here's one from my days as a liney on ALSS circa 1986. A Captain was indignant that his seat cushion was "extremely" uncomfortable during his first sortie of two in a particular aircraft. We swapped it with the Co Pilots. On the second sortie debrief the Captain thanked the riggers for dealing with his seat cushion problem, the Co, who had also shown up at the debrief also said thanks for the seat cushion change, as his was more comfortable than the one he had ridden on the morning sortie. It takes all sorts !!!
Smudge
Great shots of 203 in real "clothing". Like you, I wondered at the lack of FEAF identification on the aircraft, and have to agree with AA62 (for what my opinion is worth) that it's most likely a recent arrival in theatre, prior to proper "finish"
I will offer only that in my time at Colerne - early 71 to 73, I never once saw an aircraft on either base 2 or 3 servicing with a FEAF nameplate, though early on there were a few 70 Sqdn jobbies with NEAF wording on the fuselage. I wonder if that is down to 48 Sqdns having their second line servicing done elsewhere ?
Bingofuel, I might well have asked the question of pilots to highlight the peculiarities, or otherwise of flying Albert some time ago, it seems that unlike most pilots, Albert jockeys are reticent to enlighten us on the ins and out of operating the aircraft. Was it really that boring a job gentlemen ? I know that in my time as a GE there was many a long night spent fettling as a result of pilot "discomfort" with one aspect or another. Best of luck with your latest attempt to get some "flying" input to the thread, particularly from a "learning to fly it" point of view. Here's one from my days as a liney on ALSS circa 1986. A Captain was indignant that his seat cushion was "extremely" uncomfortable during his first sortie of two in a particular aircraft. We swapped it with the Co Pilots. On the second sortie debrief the Captain thanked the riggers for dealing with his seat cushion problem, the Co, who had also shown up at the debrief also said thanks for the seat cushion change, as his was more comfortable than the one he had ridden on the morning sortie. It takes all sorts !!!
Smudge
Smudge, as I think I mentioned to you, this thread is reminiscent of Sqn Ldr Dave Berry's book The RAF Britannia and its people, which is a great tomb of a volume full of similar stories on the Britannia fleet, which had some pilot input, so a comparison would be interesting.
Smudge,
in FEAF our major 'K' jobs were carried out by the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company at Kai Tak. This may explain why you did not see any at Colerne.
in FEAF our major 'K' jobs were carried out by the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company at Kai Tak. This may explain why you did not see any at Colerne.
AA62
Beat me to it! Yes I recall HAEC doing the majors and also helping out with urgent work such as an engine change.
On one trip we had night stopped on the Thursday and on the following morning shortly after departure the skipper, Dave Carter ( what a great bloke and a lifelong friend until his too early death in 2008 ) on doing a quick gander out of his side window spotted oil streaming out of No1. Back to Kai Tak, await new engine to be sent up from Changi and a wonderful weekend in HK enjoyed by all! Except for the Flt Eng, who had to help out with the engine change - wish I could remember his name.
On the Tuesday morning I wandered into the squadron to be greeted by the Stash, Grp Capt Merriman with " Enjoy your weekend in HK? ". Crikey, I thought, how does he know what a lowly Fg Off nav has been doing?
Re 203 - as stated before, at first we had a block of 12 Ks, 198-209 inclusive , I can recall 307 being the only replacement sent out in my time, not sure which kite went back to Colerne.
What amazes me about the much more recent stories here is that , the several wars aside i.e. GW1, the Herc was still doing fantastic routes. Back in 71 following the withdrawal from 'East of Suez', the word was that the Herc's new principal role would be to support the Army, particularly in Europe. As we still had a large 'shiny fleet' ( 5 Comets, 14 VC10s, 22 Brits and 10 Belfasts ) it looked to many of us that route flying was going to be very limited. It was certainly on my list of reasons to exercise my 8 year option and I know a lot of my mates felt the same.
On one trip we had night stopped on the Thursday and on the following morning shortly after departure the skipper, Dave Carter ( what a great bloke and a lifelong friend until his too early death in 2008 ) on doing a quick gander out of his side window spotted oil streaming out of No1. Back to Kai Tak, await new engine to be sent up from Changi and a wonderful weekend in HK enjoyed by all! Except for the Flt Eng, who had to help out with the engine change - wish I could remember his name.
On the Tuesday morning I wandered into the squadron to be greeted by the Stash, Grp Capt Merriman with " Enjoy your weekend in HK? ". Crikey, I thought, how does he know what a lowly Fg Off nav has been doing?
Re 203 - as stated before, at first we had a block of 12 Ks, 198-209 inclusive , I can recall 307 being the only replacement sent out in my time, not sure which kite went back to Colerne.
What amazes me about the much more recent stories here is that , the several wars aside i.e. GW1, the Herc was still doing fantastic routes. Back in 71 following the withdrawal from 'East of Suez', the word was that the Herc's new principal role would be to support the Army, particularly in Europe. As we still had a large 'shiny fleet' ( 5 Comets, 14 VC10s, 22 Brits and 10 Belfasts ) it looked to many of us that route flying was going to be very limited. It was certainly on my list of reasons to exercise my 8 year option and I know a lot of my mates felt the same.
Last edited by Brian 48nav; 13th Nov 2015 at 20:41. Reason: My maths
aa62 and Brian,
Yes, the major/heavy repairs were carried out by HAEC in HK, while the Base 2s were carried out by Changi ASF. Base 1s and engine/prop changes were usually carried out by 48 Sqdn ground crew.
As to the arrival of the replacement frame XV307 (one of the best at the time), I believe it was a substitute for either XV203 or 206. As I never kept a 'pretend I'm aircrew' logbook, I can't be sure if it was either of these!
I was the acting GE and inventory holder on the ferry flight of the aforesaid 'subbed' aircraft back to UK. This was due to a nasty crack in a vital part of the wing structure that was beyond local repair. The ferry flight was flown with severe limitations regarding the fuel load/disposition, minimum POB and was to be carried out in beautifully smooth, clear weather conditions only, none of that nasty turbulence stuff!
IIRC, the squadron cartoonist-in-residence, W---- R----- was the captain - if he lurks here he may be able to consult his captain's log to confirm my failing recollection of events.
Subsequently, I believe the Marshalls' team at Lyneham performed the magic fix.
Yes, the major/heavy repairs were carried out by HAEC in HK, while the Base 2s were carried out by Changi ASF. Base 1s and engine/prop changes were usually carried out by 48 Sqdn ground crew.
As to the arrival of the replacement frame XV307 (one of the best at the time), I believe it was a substitute for either XV203 or 206. As I never kept a 'pretend I'm aircrew' logbook, I can't be sure if it was either of these!
I was the acting GE and inventory holder on the ferry flight of the aforesaid 'subbed' aircraft back to UK. This was due to a nasty crack in a vital part of the wing structure that was beyond local repair. The ferry flight was flown with severe limitations regarding the fuel load/disposition, minimum POB and was to be carried out in beautifully smooth, clear weather conditions only, none of that nasty turbulence stuff
!IIRC, the squadron cartoonist-in-residence, W---- R----- was the captain - if he lurks here he may be able to consult his captain's log to confirm my failing recollection of events.
Subsequently, I believe the Marshalls' team at Lyneham performed the magic fix.
Null,
WR does indeed lurk here. No doubt he will be along in a minute to confirm your story.
WR does indeed lurk here. No doubt he will be along in a minute to confirm your story.
According to my log book I only did one UK delivery from FEAF. It was XV 179 with F/O W.... as captain. We returned to Changi on a VC 10.
I am sure Marshalls could sort this one out,
http://www.airforcemag.com/AircraftA...130J_Eglin.pdf
http://www.airforcemag.com/AircraftA...130J_Eglin.pdf
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Changi - Lyn Ferry
Yup its there XV 203. July 6 1971 dep Changi - Bahrain
7 dep Bahrain - Akrotiri
8 dep Akrotiri - Lyn.
Total flight time 24:50
In the right hand seat the current Sec of 24 Sqn Assn CH.. WH.....er. If you trawl back I posted, about a year ago, a story of this flight and the carriage of a certain Co-plot's ski boat.... and the subsequent unit enquiry!
PS if deano is on line, looking forward to renewing war stories next April
7 dep Bahrain - Akrotiri
8 dep Akrotiri - Lyn.
Total flight time 24:50
In the right hand seat the current Sec of 24 Sqn Assn CH.. WH.....er. If you trawl back I posted, about a year ago, a story of this flight and the carriage of a certain Co-plot's ski boat.... and the subsequent unit enquiry!
PS if deano is on line, looking forward to renewing war stories next April
Changi Slip July 1969
Instructors at 242 OCU at Thorney Island often joined the Changi slip pattern starting at Lyneham, where we picked up a copilot from one of the squadrons, to complete the crew .
On this occasion our ALM, Hutch, gave the rest of the crew a lift in his car from Thorney. Time to briefing was a bit tight and we were concerned when a wheel on Hutch’s car deflated near Wroughton. ‘ You have got a spare haven’t you Hutch’? we said. To which Hutch replied ‘Yes’ and proceeded to get a rim, a tube and a tyre from the boot and said ‘I’ll just hitch to the nearest garage and get them put together’. We thought that this guy was a bit crazy and that there was no way we were going to be at Ops at the briefing time but to our amazement, Hutch turned up after about 20 mins with an assembled wheel and we got airborne on schedule.
We flew from Lyneham direct to Bahrein by overflying Turkey and Iran (relatively friendly then) which was about a 10 hr flight and then from Bahrein direct Changi about 12 to 13 hrs. Crew Duty then was 19 hours.
A marvelous few days at Changi Creek Hotel and shopping in Changi village and then the return home loaded with goodies.
The return trip to Gan was on a lovely day when it was a pleasure to fly, no clouds, calm blue sea, basic crew (unusual for 242OCU), Gan NDB rock steady and pointing reassuringly dead ahead . Very relaxed until--
Hutch asks who would like a hot dog and proceeds to make them. About 10 mins later there is an enormous explosion by the crew door with lots of white vapour. My immediate thought was that the crew door had opened and I was going to be sucked through it. Then a sheepish voice over the i/c said ’Don’t worry,' explains Hutch, ’it’s only a sausage can exploding. I forgot to puncture the can before I put it in the oven’.
The white smoke was a combination of vapour and atomized sausage meat. Incredibly the oven door had remained closed but the explosion had forced the contents of the can past the oven seal, with majority of the atomized sausage being plastered down the freight bay. Luckily no pax or they would have been a bit smelly.
When it was time to call Gan, to give our serviceability state, the captain,trying not to laugh, requested a cleaning party to clean the freight bay after 'a large sausage explosion'! It was seemed very funny at the time.
Hutch was a wild card! Maybe somebody else remembers him?
On this occasion our ALM, Hutch, gave the rest of the crew a lift in his car from Thorney. Time to briefing was a bit tight and we were concerned when a wheel on Hutch’s car deflated near Wroughton. ‘ You have got a spare haven’t you Hutch’? we said. To which Hutch replied ‘Yes’ and proceeded to get a rim, a tube and a tyre from the boot and said ‘I’ll just hitch to the nearest garage and get them put together’. We thought that this guy was a bit crazy and that there was no way we were going to be at Ops at the briefing time but to our amazement, Hutch turned up after about 20 mins with an assembled wheel and we got airborne on schedule.
We flew from Lyneham direct to Bahrein by overflying Turkey and Iran (relatively friendly then) which was about a 10 hr flight and then from Bahrein direct Changi about 12 to 13 hrs. Crew Duty then was 19 hours.
A marvelous few days at Changi Creek Hotel and shopping in Changi village and then the return home loaded with goodies.
The return trip to Gan was on a lovely day when it was a pleasure to fly, no clouds, calm blue sea, basic crew (unusual for 242OCU), Gan NDB rock steady and pointing reassuringly dead ahead . Very relaxed until--
Hutch asks who would like a hot dog and proceeds to make them. About 10 mins later there is an enormous explosion by the crew door with lots of white vapour. My immediate thought was that the crew door had opened and I was going to be sucked through it. Then a sheepish voice over the i/c said ’Don’t worry,' explains Hutch, ’it’s only a sausage can exploding. I forgot to puncture the can before I put it in the oven’.
The white smoke was a combination of vapour and atomized sausage meat. Incredibly the oven door had remained closed but the explosion had forced the contents of the can past the oven seal, with majority of the atomized sausage being plastered down the freight bay. Luckily no pax or they would have been a bit smelly.
When it was time to call Gan, to give our serviceability state, the captain,trying not to laugh, requested a cleaning party to clean the freight bay after 'a large sausage explosion'! It was seemed very funny at the time.
Hutch was a wild card! Maybe somebody else remembers him?
Last edited by DeanoP; 13th Nov 2015 at 23:56. Reason: Title missing
Dean,
remember Hutch ? Oh yes......................... !
Not to be confused with another ALM called Hutch wh came along much later.
remember Hutch ? Oh yes......................... !
Not to be confused with another ALM called Hutch wh came along much later.
aeroid
ref #3894
Many thanks for confirming the XV203 ferry details. The blonde one's ski boat incident had slipped my mind.
Do you have any interesting stories about your time on Test and Ferry Flt at Colerne?
I was on Blue Team and our paths crossed several times when you were RHS to B---- W----p. One memorable incident occurred when the bungee-bit of the centre escape hatch had been mis-rigged and 'popped' during an air test. I seem to remember that the FE, 'Pop' B-----r, didn't enjoy having to climb the onboard ladder to try and reset the thing because he wasn't too keen on heights!
ref #3894
Many thanks for confirming the XV203 ferry details. The blonde one's ski boat incident had slipped my mind.
Do you have any interesting stories about your time on Test and Ferry Flt at Colerne?
I was on Blue Team and our paths crossed several times when you were RHS to B---- W----p. One memorable incident occurred when the bungee-bit of the centre escape hatch had been mis-rigged and 'popped' during an air test. I seem to remember that the FE, 'Pop' B-----r, didn't enjoy having to climb the onboard ladder to try and reset the thing because he wasn't too keen on heights!