Global Aviation Magazine : 60 Years of the Hercules
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Saigon
Now there's a thing. So the pictures of Saigon, Tan Son Nhut airbase and as a result of a night stop the scenes of downtown Saigon didn't happen. What a relief, didn't want to get into trouble after all this time.
Incidentally ref JATFOR I was on the weather aircraft for many of these sorties and took a mass of cine from 1000ft whilst the formations formed up, executed the impressive taxi plan etc and as the only aircraft airborne at the time I guess they are unique. Alas they are on Super 8 format and with no way of playing them they remain part of the loft collection. Seems a shame as they are part of the fleets history.
Enjoyed reading the preceding pages, great memories of a wonderful period in our formative years.
Incidentally ref JATFOR I was on the weather aircraft for many of these sorties and took a mass of cine from 1000ft whilst the formations formed up, executed the impressive taxi plan etc and as the only aircraft airborne at the time I guess they are unique. Alas they are on Super 8 format and with no way of playing them they remain part of the loft collection. Seems a shame as they are part of the fleets history.
Enjoyed reading the preceding pages, great memories of a wonderful period in our formative years.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Sussex UK
Age: 66
Posts: 6,995
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
For those involved with JATFOR ... this article from Flight June 1974 might be of interest 
In Support of RAF Strike Command : UK JATFOR
Tactical training in the transport support role is centred on the UK JATFOR, to which up to 37 Hercules are committed at any one time.
Third in the trilogy of this sequence but plenty more to come provided that they are still of interest. There may also be a slight thread drift now and again but today's excuse will be if it was not for the 'K' I would not have been in a position to take the pics ! Hope the originator of this thread and the 'mods' understand and I promise to regain track at the earliest opportunity.
We went into Saigon on a regular basis taking in embassy supplies and the like.
One time we went in we were warned that a Skyraider had just been shot down in the circuit. Rather concentrated the mind !
Brian, the observation domes were removed some time in the 70's. Some were replaced on the tanker and certain SF frames. There will be some pics of the Himalayas along in due course.
500N
I think it was more that John didn't want some explaining to do if I had been seen by a military cop. I do recall a crew member almost being arrested at RAF Akrotiri when using a camera on the pan - perhaps there was a U2 there?
Mind you the next time I went to Tan Son Nhut the skipper was wandering all over dispersal and the terminal building camera in hand - 'no names,no pack drill' as he's a pruner
.
All through '68/9 48Sqn had 2 or 3, occasionally more, trips to Saigon every week, ostensibly with Red Cross supplies and beer for the embassy - they either had a lot of staff or some seriously heavy drinkers!
In Jan' 68 one of my fellow Plt Off navs was on his first 'big boy' trip and the a/c went u/s in TSN and they spent a couple of nights in a hotel downturn and were able to watch all the action from the hotel roof-top bar. Their aircraft was parked in a remote part of the field where the VC managed to infiltrate one night, IIRC there were some bullet holes in the tailplane.
On another occasion I was on a flight from Kai Tak and listening in to HF we could hear one of the squadron co-pilots trying to pass details of his a/c's fault from on the ground at TSN to FEAFOC. The poor operator just couldn't understand Ron Jeffrey's Belfast accent when he was saying 'fire wire'! We, of course, were wetting ourselves up at FL 260.
It is difficult now to understand why there were 'sensibilities' about RAF aircraft on the ground at TSN, when you consider that both the RAAF and RNZAF were operating there and to a casual observer, especially from a distance, their roundels looked the same as ours. Talking of NZ, on another occasion we took a wounded Kiwi soldier all the way back to Whenuapai.
Mind you the next time I went to Tan Son Nhut the skipper was wandering all over dispersal and the terminal building camera in hand - 'no names,no pack drill' as he's a pruner
.All through '68/9 48Sqn had 2 or 3, occasionally more, trips to Saigon every week, ostensibly with Red Cross supplies and beer for the embassy - they either had a lot of staff or some seriously heavy drinkers!
In Jan' 68 one of my fellow Plt Off navs was on his first 'big boy' trip and the a/c went u/s in TSN and they spent a couple of nights in a hotel downturn and were able to watch all the action from the hotel roof-top bar. Their aircraft was parked in a remote part of the field where the VC managed to infiltrate one night, IIRC there were some bullet holes in the tailplane.
On another occasion I was on a flight from Kai Tak and listening in to HF we could hear one of the squadron co-pilots trying to pass details of his a/c's fault from on the ground at TSN to FEAFOC. The poor operator just couldn't understand Ron Jeffrey's Belfast accent when he was saying 'fire wire'! We, of course, were wetting ourselves up at FL 260.
It is difficult now to understand why there were 'sensibilities' about RAF aircraft on the ground at TSN, when you consider that both the RAAF and RNZAF were operating there and to a casual observer, especially from a distance, their roundels looked the same as ours. Talking of NZ, on another occasion we took a wounded Kiwi soldier all the way back to Whenuapai.
XV202
I managed to blag an invite to Cosford last year for the formal handover of 202 to the RAF Museum, because I had been part of the crew that took her out to Changi late '67. The invite extended to the pilots, Sqn Ldr Alan Colman and ( then ) Flt Lt Pete Sedgwick - sadly Alan had a double booking.
If I could get the hang of posting pictures here, I have a couple with Pete and I with the afore mentioned off-spring, who was CTP at Marshalls at the time. For an ex-single seat guy I couldn't believe how excited he got when flying a K model on an air test for the first time, particularly when he sat in 'my seat'.
I was very surprised at how poorly attended the event was, having expected to see loads of old-timers like me - the only people I recognised were Ian Corbett and Geoff Collins.
If I could get the hang of posting pictures here, I have a couple with Pete and I with the afore mentioned off-spring, who was CTP at Marshalls at the time. For an ex-single seat guy I couldn't believe how excited he got when flying a K model on an air test for the first time, particularly when he sat in 'my seat'.
I was very surprised at how poorly attended the event was, having expected to see loads of old-timers like me - the only people I recognised were Ian Corbett and Geoff Collins.
Last edited by Brian 48nav; 22nd May 2014 at 13:42. Reason: Addition
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Sussex UK
Age: 66
Posts: 6,995
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Brian ... Check your PM's for help with pic posting
There are some cracking pics on-line by Gavin Weaver of XV202 arriving at Cosford for retirement ...
Hercules XV202 retirement - RAFM Cosford - 12.08.2011 ? FighterControl ? Home to the Military Aviation Enthusiast
There are some cracking pics on-line by Gavin Weaver of XV202 arriving at Cosford for retirement ...
Hercules XV202 retirement - RAFM Cosford - 12.08.2011 ? FighterControl ? Home to the Military Aviation Enthusiast
Brian,
the dedication event alas coincided with our being out of the country otherwise I would have gone. I have seen over 202 since the arrival at Cosford and was pleased to note that it (and all the others) still leaked !
It is a pity that it is being left outside whilst the Belfast is snug inside the Cold War hangar. Did you notice that there was an MSP heavy drop platform in the Belfast ?
the dedication event alas coincided with our being out of the country otherwise I would have gone. I have seen over 202 since the arrival at Cosford and was pleased to note that it (and all the others) still leaked !
It is a pity that it is being left outside whilst the Belfast is snug inside the Cold War hangar. Did you notice that there was an MSP heavy drop platform in the Belfast ?
Brian,
when on 48 I did the annual SEATO visit to the USAF bases in Thailand with lots of 'brass' in the back of the Herc. I took a few pics at the various bases we visited which will be along in due course. I too was reluctant to upload my pics on the grounds that I did not wish to bore anyone. Coffman very kindly pm'ed me and then talked me through the procedure. I would love you to join me and any others so that it does not become a photo monologue from me.
when on 48 I did the annual SEATO visit to the USAF bases in Thailand with lots of 'brass' in the back of the Herc. I took a few pics at the various bases we visited which will be along in due course. I too was reluctant to upload my pics on the grounds that I did not wish to bore anyone. Coffman very kindly pm'ed me and then talked me through the procedure. I would love you to join me and any others so that it does not become a photo monologue from me.
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: WOOTTON BASSETT, WILTS
Age: 73
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A62
Re: your#67,
The Jato cans did have a connection with the Sqdn at the very least. I was at a beercall as the 79 Rodeo team was put together (XV210) and they were specifically pointed out to me then.
It may well be that they they were off an american kite, but an RAF pilot was definitely involved in their use. If IIRC they were donated by that pilot, but cant say more than that. I certainly havent seen any footage or photos to back this up.
Wonderful photos of XV179, Brown, Shiney and NEW!! Always thought that I hadnt seen such a grotty load of a/c as those on the ramp at Rompers, especially as I came towards finishing. There was more activity at Thorney Island washpan in 68 than there ever was 22 years later in sunny Wiltshire.
Re: your#67,
The Jato cans did have a connection with the Sqdn at the very least. I was at a beercall as the 79 Rodeo team was put together (XV210) and they were specifically pointed out to me then.
It may well be that they they were off an american kite, but an RAF pilot was definitely involved in their use. If IIRC they were donated by that pilot, but cant say more than that. I certainly havent seen any footage or photos to back this up.
Wonderful photos of XV179, Brown, Shiney and NEW!! Always thought that I hadnt seen such a grotty load of a/c as those on the ramp at Rompers, especially as I came towards finishing. There was more activity at Thorney Island washpan in 68 than there ever was 22 years later in sunny Wiltshire.
. Nice to see Her in a previous life though 
.
Yes XV 179 in her original coat and in happier days. I served through all the losses except 179 by which time I had retired. I was sent pics of the wreckage XV 180 (which I do not intend to show) by someone unknown and without a covering note. My first instinct was to destroy them but they are a part of the 'K''s history and 'there but for the grace of god' and a salutary reminder that it was not all skittles and beer.
This pic is connected to the Herc thread because the Herc replaced it in RAF service and provided a quantum jump in capability. It was taken at Palisadoes Airport in Jamaica where we stopped after taking some of the Belize garrison to Grand Cayman for R and R. We hired the Minor convertible( have you seen how much they cost these days ?) to tour the island. It was far ahead of its time as it had slick tyres long before they got to F1. Inevitably we had a puncture just outside a village in the Blue Mountains. As we were changing the tyre two local Rasta chaps came up to us. Trouble we thought. During the rather terse conversation one of them asked if we were RAF . We confessed to this fact and the mood changed immediately. He had lived in the UK and had served his National Service in the RAF !. Not only that he had been stationed at RAF Yatesbury where I had completed my Air Radar Fitters course. So whist the rest of the crew changed the wheel my new found friend and I discussed life at 'Stalag Luft' Yatesbury. Job done we went on our way.
It was a small world even then.
Pleasantly surprised that others seem to be enjoying the pics and the tales.
pbk,
the JATO 'cans' may well have been brought back by a pilot who had been on exchange with the USAF. Unless anyone has proof to the contrary I still think that they were never used by the RAF on the 'K'.
the JATO 'cans' may well have been brought back by a pilot who had been on exchange with the USAF. Unless anyone has proof to the contrary I still think that they were never used by the RAF on the 'K'.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Sussex UK
Age: 66
Posts: 6,995
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Originally Posted by 500N
This thread is getting better every day with each daily installment
Keep it up guys !
Keep it up guys !
PS. Just been in touch with Upgently ... hopefully some pics to come from him next week
Just waiting to hear from Brian ...
Upgently needs help with posting his pics. Perhaps one of the experts could gently guide him to fruition. I've advised on a PM, but suspect my expertise in this is a bit short. Hopefully someone can help.
Meanwhile, the Bullet on Ground Runs;
Smudge
Meanwhile, the Bullet on Ground Runs;
Smudge