Global Aviation Magazine : 60 Years of the Hercules
As Smudge says there could be some very spectacular views generated by the strange departure times we used to "enjoy". One of my fondest memories is of crossing Northern Arabia having departed Akronelli bound for Masirah. This, however, was a night into day leg (I cannot for the life of me remember how that was arranged with Akronelli's famously restricted operating hours). Anyway, in the silence above the desert we were listening to a World Service Prom concert - the piece was Holst's Venus and as we listened, the sky was just brightening and there was Venus rising to greet the dawn - absolutely priceless.
Last of my tale of Red Flag detachment. Towards the end we had an incident whereby a Tornado lost one of the pods. The pod contained radioactive material so the USAF demanded the RAF clean it up. So a cleanup team was sent out from UK along with the board members of a SI. My replacement came out so I handed over my imprest, car, hotel room and log and prepared to return home.
The VC10 was full (all those extra bods) so my wife went home civvy with two a/c changes. This concerned me but as usual she coped admirably.
So here we all are on the 10 ready to go but we did not. An engine snag put us AOG. Big problem for my successor to find hotel rooms for us all. I tried to look for a Herc trip home but nothing was due for a few days to start the recovery.
I ended up in Caesars Palace, in a room with the heart shaped bed, mirrored ceiling and sunken bath ! Three days later the 10 was fixed and home I came.
It had been interesting but hard work especially as the Group Captain i/c seemed to think that non AT problems were well within my province. However he did send a nice letter to the Squadron.
All change next time.
The VC10 was full (all those extra bods) so my wife went home civvy with two a/c changes. This concerned me but as usual she coped admirably.
So here we all are on the 10 ready to go but we did not. An engine snag put us AOG. Big problem for my successor to find hotel rooms for us all. I tried to look for a Herc trip home but nothing was due for a few days to start the recovery.
I ended up in Caesars Palace, in a room with the heart shaped bed, mirrored ceiling and sunken bath ! Three days later the 10 was fixed and home I came.
It had been interesting but hard work especially as the Group Captain i/c seemed to think that non AT problems were well within my province. However he did send a nice letter to the Squadron.
All change next time.
AA62,
Thanks for that photograph. What could be nicer having left a damp dark Lyneham in the "deep midwinter" than such a sight. Taken from a position I am not unfamiliar with I suspect.
Smudge
Thanks for that photograph. What could be nicer having left a damp dark Lyneham in the "deep midwinter" than such a sight. Taken from a position I am not unfamiliar with I suspect.
Smudge
Sorry if we have had this one before but I do like it and it fits the current posts. Judging by your remarks several of you like these pics too. Taken from the starboard para door.
I was up at 5 this morning to drive to Bodium Castle to see my son take part in a triathalon. As we drove east the most stunning sun appeared as a huge red ball. Fitted in nicely with these posts.
Apart from the sunrise/sunset scenes I was always awed by the zillions of stars one could see on a clear night. There must be someone/something else out there !
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I used to like having the cupola fitted and flying the leg from MPA to ASI (particularly) and looking up at the Milky Way - absolutely stunningly beautiful (despite the noise!!!).
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I recall coming UK bound on Albert once from CYQX to Edinburgh. Night leg and followed all the way by a comet , fantastic sight and sadly no camera to hand. Gin clear sky in Edinburgh too so comet still visible. Happy days indeed.
Ahh, Ksimboy,
Those were the days, I'm sure as well as the Comet, you might have spotted a Britannia too, in those days most aircraft flew at Albert type speeds
Its definately a claim to fame for a Loadie to go for the "I stayed awake across the pond" award though, and worthy of praise indeed. Although I do remember coming back direct from IAD with Gibbo (RIP) and a trainee lady Loadie, with an empty, flat floor aircraft. I managed to connect his MP3 player into the PA system and we had a bit of a disco down the back. Thankfully, the bar remained firmly closed.
Meanwhile a shot from MPN, not mine unfortunately, but Pete Butt is OK with it.
Albert taking off into the sunset MPN.
Smudge
Those were the days, I'm sure as well as the Comet, you might have spotted a Britannia too, in those days most aircraft flew at Albert type speeds
Its definately a claim to fame for a Loadie to go for the "I stayed awake across the pond" award though, and worthy of praise indeed. Although I do remember coming back direct from IAD with Gibbo (RIP) and a trainee lady Loadie, with an empty, flat floor aircraft. I managed to connect his MP3 player into the PA system and we had a bit of a disco down the back. Thankfully, the bar remained firmly closed.Meanwhile a shot from MPN, not mine unfortunately, but Pete Butt is OK with it.
Albert taking off into the sunset MPN.
Smudge
Last edited by smujsmith; 7th Sep 2014 at 18:09.
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Smuj,
Also recall an empty aircraft all the way to Nairobi, on departure from RAF Butlins, where the second loadie ( Gibbo bless him) somewhat socially confused after our evening meal crashed in his hammock on the ramp. Roll of lashing tape tied to rear of hammock ,unrolled and end handed to skipper , Gibbo duly ends up nose first on ramp, furious 2nd ALM pointed in direction of end of tape and captain totally bemused. Fun times indeed!
Also recall an empty aircraft all the way to Nairobi, on departure from RAF Butlins, where the second loadie ( Gibbo bless him) somewhat socially confused after our evening meal crashed in his hammock on the ramp. Roll of lashing tape tied to rear of hammock ,unrolled and end handed to skipper , Gibbo duly ends up nose first on ramp, furious 2nd ALM pointed in direction of end of tape and captain totally bemused. Fun times indeed!
Ksimboy,
These was always a bit of fun to be had. Loadies with hammocks though ? I thought they were the preserve of the GE, after all, in my day we never qualified for any extra pay for working whilst airborne (as opposed to the FART (Flying Airborne Radar Technician) employed on the Sentry). And of course, it was our sworn duty to keep ourselves in peak condition to manage the stretchy soup and max anchovy pizza at "Vera's" (Pizza delight Gander). On a very long transit though, I did lend my hammock to our Co, who was in need of a couple of hours. The Loadie, sensibly, opted for a sleeping bag on the para seats. After around 4 hours making tea and coffee for the front end, I went to see if the "real crew" wanted to get back to work, to find the Co, curled up in my maggot at the foot of the ramp. He informed me that the third time he fell out of the hammock he had decided the floor was more comfortable.
You must have some good pictures to post on here mate, you're not old enough to have lost them. Hope you are well.
Smudge
These was always a bit of fun to be had. Loadies with hammocks though ? I thought they were the preserve of the GE, after all, in my day we never qualified for any extra pay for working whilst airborne (as opposed to the FART (Flying Airborne Radar Technician) employed on the Sentry). And of course, it was our sworn duty to keep ourselves in peak condition to manage the stretchy soup and max anchovy pizza at "Vera's" (Pizza delight Gander). On a very long transit though, I did lend my hammock to our Co, who was in need of a couple of hours. The Loadie, sensibly, opted for a sleeping bag on the para seats. After around 4 hours making tea and coffee for the front end, I went to see if the "real crew" wanted to get back to work, to find the Co, curled up in my maggot at the foot of the ramp. He informed me that the third time he fell out of the hammock he had decided the floor was more comfortable.
You must have some good pictures to post on here mate, you're not old enough to have lost them. Hope you are well.
Smudge
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The only one that survived is in my log book and isn't a pretty one , checked in the garage (where the boxes of pics were) and the little rodents have done a number on the pics , looks like comfortable nests though!
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Evening All
Sorry to have been absent for a while-life getting in the way of nostalgia.....
Somebody mentioned one of my favourite bars - The Voodoo Lounge.
A reminder of the view for you
Not my picture - this was hanging on the wall of the flight for years - I put the colour photocopier to good use. Red Flag was just more fun than should be allowed. I've got some video from the SAM sites and some HUD footage from F-14s and 16s -I'll try and get them uploaded-I think they were sanitised for release.
Sorry to have been absent for a while-life getting in the way of nostalgia.....
Somebody mentioned one of my favourite bars - The Voodoo Lounge.
A reminder of the view for you
Not my picture - this was hanging on the wall of the flight for years - I put the colour photocopier to good use. Red Flag was just more fun than should be allowed. I've got some video from the SAM sites and some HUD footage from F-14s and 16s -I'll try and get them uploaded-I think they were sanitised for release.
Chickenlover,
You may have requited Coffs lust for gun camera shots. I'm still searching for my B&W shot from GW1, just like yours, but no mountains. Whilst only a GE, I always favoured the RH para door, if allowed, during LL stuff, the piper looks a bit adjacent. I was only fortunate enough to do a few days at a time at Nellis, but always stayed at the Rio, and enjoyed the "ambience" of the place
Welcome back, you seem to have the photographs we all want to see.
Ksimboy, as long as your furry friends are comfortable, but the loss is ours entirely.
Smudge
You may have requited Coffs lust for gun camera shots. I'm still searching for my B&W shot from GW1, just like yours, but no mountains. Whilst only a GE, I always favoured the RH para door, if allowed, during LL stuff, the piper looks a bit adjacent. I was only fortunate enough to do a few days at a time at Nellis, but always stayed at the Rio, and enjoyed the "ambience" of the place
Welcome back, you seem to have the photographs we all want to see.
Ksimboy, as long as your furry friends are comfortable, but the loss is ours entirely.
Smudge
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Hammocks....
I didn't tend to use them as I was quite happy with a sleeping bag on the para seats. But one time I did use a hammock on a long leg from Bahrain to Deigo Garcia resulted in me being dumped head first on to the ramp. I had used lashing tape to sling the hammock over the ramp. The aircraft vibrations had caused the lashing tape to fray until it snapped. It was nothing to do with the weight in the hammock exceeding the breaking strain of the lashing tape!!
I landed head first on the ramp. Sat up quickly in case anyone had seen my acrobatic stunt but the rest of the team (2) and the GE were still asleep. I decided to move to my normal para seat after that. I must have done some damage to my neck as I couldn't move it without being in pain.
As for lashing someone into their hammock, we took revenge on my team Sgt who was a big wind up merchant.
I didn't tend to use them as I was quite happy with a sleeping bag on the para seats. But one time I did use a hammock on a long leg from Bahrain to Deigo Garcia resulted in me being dumped head first on to the ramp. I had used lashing tape to sling the hammock over the ramp. The aircraft vibrations had caused the lashing tape to fray until it snapped. It was nothing to do with the weight in the hammock exceeding the breaking strain of the lashing tape!!
I landed head first on the ramp. Sat up quickly in case anyone had seen my acrobatic stunt but the rest of the team (2) and the GE were still asleep. I decided to move to my normal para seat after that. I must have done some damage to my neck as I couldn't move it without being in pain.
As for lashing someone into their hammock, we took revenge on my team Sgt who was a big wind up merchant.
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Chickenlover ...
Poor Albert !
Interesting pic ... I just wonder if anyone "up-front" has planted an imaginary piper from Albert on a sharp pointy thing
Smudge ...
Still no luck in finding your Nav Bag/Tool Kit then
Poor Albert !
Interesting pic ... I just wonder if anyone "up-front" has planted an imaginary piper from Albert on a sharp pointy thing
Smudge ...
Still no luck in finding your Nav Bag/Tool Kit then
Not quite Caesar's Palace but a step up from the tents. ASI during Op Corporate. Concertina City ! Brought in by the USAF all folded up and then extended into the state you see it. Complete with generator and support crew.
The gene ran all the time except for a short period at night when it was shut down for maintenance. When that happened most of the crews woke up !
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Coff,
Can't imagine anyone would do that sort of thing......
Fighter Affil got a lot more interesting when the fighters introduced the assumption that we were fitted with a gun, so they could no longer wave their @rses at us with their impunity. We had a very good relationship with the Harriers as my skipper was ex-harriers of many years and mates with most of the pilots. One memorable day over West Falkland we got in a fur ball with 3 GR3s. We also had OC Hardet on board taking a window seat. We survived a good 15 minutes before they claimed a kill on us but we got in a guns shot before then, verified by their boss. Much hilarity ensued on the flight deck. The poor Harrier mate, 'shot' by a Herc, had a tough time in the debrief. I'm sure anyone who flew with my skipper would remember the experience. I've never flown with a pilot who was better at combat/evasion/affil. He could make the Herc do things that should have been impossible. His use of the vertical in combat was a sight to see -caused quite a stir amongst the fighter community in the FI. I believe he was one of a handful of Herc pilots that went on to get an ovation in a red-flag debrief for his evasion skills against Red-air.
He was equally renowned for his low-flying - this is how i spent much of my time in the Falklands...
Slight thread creep - anyone remember these ? Only available to those who had endured endless viewings and could answer a tricky exam in quotes from the film
One of my ground duties was Adj, and thus I had to produce reems of paperwork. I always tried to lighten the daily orders/programme by adapting a well known cartoon to local interest.
Can't imagine anyone would do that sort of thing......
Fighter Affil got a lot more interesting when the fighters introduced the assumption that we were fitted with a gun, so they could no longer wave their @rses at us with their impunity. We had a very good relationship with the Harriers as my skipper was ex-harriers of many years and mates with most of the pilots. One memorable day over West Falkland we got in a fur ball with 3 GR3s. We also had OC Hardet on board taking a window seat. We survived a good 15 minutes before they claimed a kill on us but we got in a guns shot before then, verified by their boss. Much hilarity ensued on the flight deck. The poor Harrier mate, 'shot' by a Herc, had a tough time in the debrief. I'm sure anyone who flew with my skipper would remember the experience. I've never flown with a pilot who was better at combat/evasion/affil. He could make the Herc do things that should have been impossible. His use of the vertical in combat was a sight to see -caused quite a stir amongst the fighter community in the FI. I believe he was one of a handful of Herc pilots that went on to get an ovation in a red-flag debrief for his evasion skills against Red-air.
He was equally renowned for his low-flying - this is how i spent much of my time in the Falklands...
Slight thread creep - anyone remember these ? Only available to those who had endured endless viewings and could answer a tricky exam in quotes from the film
One of my ground duties was Adj, and thus I had to produce reems of paperwork. I always tried to lighten the daily orders/programme by adapting a well known cartoon to local interest.
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Chickenlover ...
Many thanks ... a definite F4 kill there
Well they put "Winders" on the Mighty Hunter ... so why not the Herc
AA62 ...
Your recent pic ... was that the forerunner to Glamping
Keep em' coming chaps
Many thanks ... a definite F4 kill there
Well they put "Winders" on the Mighty Hunter ... so why not the Herc
AA62 ...
Your recent pic ... was that the forerunner to Glamping
Keep em' coming chaps