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Global Aviation Magazine : 60 Years of the Hercules

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Global Aviation Magazine : 60 Years of the Hercules

Old 30th Nov 2014, 09:28
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TLAR....errr Green ON....!
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 10:32
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Mr Ripley, that looks like Entebbe 2003
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 10:36
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Red face Aerial Delivery

Morning Coff.
I did wait a suitable interval to see if any other mug would take the bait, honest.
Air Drop is a team effort for the entire crew and is a meld of science and art.
In essence the boxes are calibrated by telemetry (in my day Aberporth) for ballistics. The teams at Boscombe then would do the sums for weights and drop heights. The JATE boys would then trial the kit for procedures and then some poor sap at Group would collate all this **** in a page inserted in the book of words given to the crew. The science was the height, speed, flap setting and release sequence. (Don't ask about Para Wedge) for each load and type of chute. The art was where to put it. When the box finished its travel from comfortable rest at its tie down station to being arrested in its death dive by the parachute it was at the mercy of the wind this is called the Still Air Forward Throw. All O.K. so far?
The windage is split into head/tail component and left/right. On the run in to the drop zone the crew configures the aircraft in the approved mode as briefed.The Nav then states the left/right displacement and the Captain puts him there allowing for drift. The Nav then either used the SCNS to do the work or gazed out the window till the Calculated Air Release Point was reached and called the lights. Robert is your Uncle.
For complete jam strangling blind luck observe Page 35 of this thread post#689
Now Jedi you are.
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 11:03
  #1944 (permalink)  
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Many thanks Obi One Kenobi ...

Much information and understanding I now have

Morning Dougie ...

Sad I know ... But my interest in stuff like this goes back prior to learning basic Pilot Nav when as a 17 year old A Level Maths stude I wrote a computer programme to resolve Velocity Triangles ... the only problem was that data input was via Marked Sense Cards (using a HB pencil) and Punch Tape with a turnaround of a week to get output back from a computer the size of a mobile classroom ... not very 'practical' ... but I eventually got it to work

40 years ago ...

Best regards ...

Coff.
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 11:23
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Wind

Coff, Sorry I took my eye off the ball.
Wind or really the difference between forecast and actual has the greatest influence. hence the need to get closer to the ground.


There is also variability in parachute opening times depending upon so many things. Wight of the load, Air speed, Air density, parachute porosity, floor angle and position in the aircraft (exit time).


On the J using a system called PADS (you will find a good clip on You Tube) we were able to do from 12K what we could at 800 ft using standard 1 tons and a wet finger for the wind.
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 11:41
  #1946 (permalink)  
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Afternoon Drag

Many thanks ... I'll go have a peek

PS. Mr & Mrs Coff are off to Prague for a few days ... so will be "off air" the early part of next week
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 11:54
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Sometimes after a poor result of a manually despatched load (free drop harness pack etc) the Nav would accuse the loadmaster/despatch team of delaying the load exit! As if we would !!!
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 12:50
  #1948 (permalink)  
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What are you saying AA62 !!!
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 12:57
  #1949 (permalink)  
 
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Coff,
sometimes there was beer on the result I believe !
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 13:27
  #1950 (permalink)  
 
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Angel Drop Accuracy

Told you it was an art.
I once got a call from the DZ saying the load was 600 yds at 6 o'clock when the DZSO was in cahoots with the Master Air Despatcher (MAD) one P*** E******* when I was going for an unbroken run of bullseyes.
There WAS beer involved.
However,I NEVER upbraided a Loadmaster for adding or subtracting VAT on difficult loads where his local knowledge was better than mine.
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 17:36
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Dougie,
I don't believe said MAD would do such a thing. Now I do know others that might! I do recall one pi$$ing contest between my mates at Q2 over a set of CARP Coefficients and a long drop. They would not accept the data provided by the USAF. more or less insisted that they undertake exhaustive trails and have an a/c allocated to Boscombe for the purpose.


Years back when we did a slight modification to the apex tie of the small cruciform (I can't recall id it was the SC8 of GQ6m) the number of drops required kept the team at JATE going for nearly a year. Similar sketch when we did ADUX from J - By the way your MAD was the only guy who knew how to do a draw tie. All the other cutes had had Norah Batty static lines for ages.


Talking of ADUX - my thoughts are with said chap who bears the call sign on here and his family this coming week.
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 18:14
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The CARP tables were generally OK for temperate climes at near sea-level but it didn't take the brains of a rocket surgeon* to realise that at a few thousand feet up and ISA plus scorchio, the air would be a bit thinnerer making the still-air forward-throw a tad longerer and the canopy a bit less stoppier. This necessitated the 'green-on' being mindraulically adjusted to get the stores on more or less the right continent**.

* Yes, I know.

** Or not as a few of my fellow members of SODCATS found out***.

*** But not Dougie M, the well-known and godlike Elvis impersonator who smote American vehicles with his CARP of righteousness.
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Old 30th Nov 2014, 20:13
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Now then you droppers of things, a quick question. I spent my first tour out of Halton Apprenticeship at RAF Colerne 71-73. A rumour abounded during my time there that an Albert had flown over, and an unsecured chain tensioner had detached and penetrated two floors of our ATC building (the tower ?). I can imagine that a tensioner at terminal velocity could certainly do some damage, but two floors ? Anyone else have knowledge of the incident, or was it once again, rumour ?

Smudge

PS Coff, have a nice trip to Prague. It's a nice place.
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Old 1st Dec 2014, 05:36
  #1954 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by smujsmith
PS Coff, have a nice trip to Prague. It's a nice place.
Now.

Its my understanding (from others) that that was not true some 30-50 years ago.
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Old 1st Dec 2014, 07:27
  #1955 (permalink)  
 
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smudge,
it has happened more than once that one of the 5000lbs tensioners has fallen out of the stowage in flight with the ramp and door open. If you recall said stowage was up on the fuselage wall on the left as you look aft.
Whilst we are on the subject of airdrop. I think these were a Rickman motorbikes being trialled for the special forces. Hopefully someone may know for certain.

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Old 1st Dec 2014, 08:32
  #1956 (permalink)  
 
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6 o'clock 600yds

Hi Drag.
The episode of the "spoof call" was when the foot and mouth epidemic was on and for drop currency for the AD boys we finagled a drop zone on the airfield at Lyneham. The recovery of the loads would not have to cross farmland.
A stern ATC brief designated a 100 yd square area in the NW corner of the airfield. The strongest avoidance terms covered not obstructing RW18 in the undershoot, RW25 on the left, the ILS localiser array in the overshoot and the pony club, flying club and skeet shooting club on the right.
This was briefed again at the aircraft to the despatchers along with the CARP (fish) and lights and intercom (dark and quiet) info.
"Questions?"
"Think you can do it?"
"Piece of pi$$"
"Beer?"
Anyway, all 1 ton MEs landed within 25yds of the impact marker including the one "spoof called"
It put the breeze up our rather sensitive captain though.
P*** E*** said afterwards "that's for spoofing me in Ethiopia with that fat bird" Ask him!

Last edited by Dougie M; 1st Dec 2014 at 10:23.
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Old 1st Dec 2014, 09:45
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After an unscheduled absence due to med malingering I return to find the thread still on page one, lots of catching up to do on reading so many thanks chaps .
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Old 1st Dec 2014, 10:28
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Smile Ksimboy

Welcome back. Hope you are restored. My knee injury due to the volcano relief ops in Antigua still attracts a disability pension.
Coff. Have a great time in Prague with the memsahib. Avoid the carp pools in the square after leaving the Irish bar. Heavy risk of slippage. Scoff in U Flecku brill.
Dougie
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Old 1st Dec 2014, 10:57
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Ah yes Dougie, the RAF sumo wrestling squad. "Me no know, where me gonna go ,when the volcano she blow!" Happy days indeed ! Going to be a slow recovery as it was fairly major issue, although so far things are going well. The stories are still coming , which shows the legacy of Albert .
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Old 1st Dec 2014, 16:31
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The Legend that is P*** E******** . Having recently completed the TAC cse, the very junior crew were sent to Edmonton to make up the numbers for the Crosscheck competition. The Nav was, generally brilliant except for his assessment relative to the DZ markings. All the drops were short. On the day of the comp the weather was filthy but the Nav superb, running in to the final DZ within seconds. Red On...Green on. long pause then Load Gone. DZ reported that it looked like it might have been a MalDrop but it was a DH. PE had taken no chances, slashed the gores and eyeballed the drop himself, effectively launching a ballistic freefall HP. We won the comp. Top man, happy days.


SJD
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