Jag at Gib
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Jaguar XX956 at Gibraltar « SEPECAT Jaguar in detail
Should have left her painted in the grey/green camouflage rather than the very wrong looking grey they used.
Should have left her painted in the grey/green camouflage rather than the very wrong looking grey they used.
It was indeed the Gate Guardian placed by the Western hangar in 2009. Its no coincidence that the Station Commander at the time had spent most of his career flying Jaguars.
It has been moved a few times.
It has been moved a few times.
Jags were deployed to Gib to "guard" it in the early '80s, after the Spanish got a bit uppity after the Falklands.
I recall a Jag pilot and myself (in civvies) being accosted by a peace protester harridan in the Square during a demo one Saturday.
"What are you going to do when the bomb drops ?!"
He replied
"Retrim & fly home....I'm going to be the one dropping it"
(Jag pilots were usually on attachment to Gib from Bruggen, where they mounted Nuclear QRA)
I recall a Jag pilot and myself (in civvies) being accosted by a peace protester harridan in the Square during a demo one Saturday.
"What are you going to do when the bomb drops ?!"
He replied
"Retrim & fly home....I'm going to be the one dropping it"
(Jag pilots were usually on attachment to Gib from Bruggen, where they mounted Nuclear QRA)
Spent three glorious weeks in Gib as Jaguar detachment commander. We flew several missions a day including splash firing and ship identification.
Great Mess and some jolly good japes including putting flour on the fans in the dining room for a dinner night!
Bloody IPad predictive typing again! Sorry! Now corrected!
Great Mess and some jolly good japes including putting flour on the fans in the dining room for a dinner night!
Bloody IPad predictive typing again! Sorry! Now corrected!
Last edited by newt; 23rd Jul 2014 at 11:08.
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I seem to recall a game where one tried to jump up just high enough to have a beer can knocked off your head by the fan but not too high to decapitate. 
A great OM.
...putting flower on the fans in the dining room
A great OM.
Did a stint on the Jag Det in Gib in 1985. They had recently stopped flying them in and out from the duty squadron and 3 aircraft were permanently based there. They had various old sqn markings so we painted them out and replaced them with G, I and B on the fins and nose doors. Flew with live armed HE rounds and had a go at splash for the first time. Can't remember what the readiness was but it must have been daylight only and we had 3 'QRA' ex-stn bikes, all painted red and white I seem to remember.
I can't recall the Jags being deployed in response to anything specific, I was under the impression that they had taken over from the Hunter det.
It was a great mess at Western Beach but over the next few visits the bar went out to tender (NAAFI) and a security fence was put up on the patio. Later it became tri-service and then became the Sgts mess, officers being consigned to HMS Rooke.
I can't recall the Jags being deployed in response to anything specific, I was under the impression that they had taken over from the Hunter det.
It was a great mess at Western Beach but over the next few visits the bar went out to tender (NAAFI) and a security fence was put up on the patio. Later it became tri-service and then became the Sgts mess, officers being consigned to HMS Rooke.
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Yep was supposed to be a low key detachment but to remind the Spanish we were there, I was there when the border opened and the Det Boss I seem to remember decided to join in so put up some Jags, needless to say people in high places nearly choked on their lunch when it was on the news....
Highlights of Gib, trying to get in with the place out of limits, nearly hit the rock and crash alarm pressed, night on the Algarve.....the naked ninja wrecking the police bar, 2 Guys going straight back on the trooper they arrived on (after asking a cleaner in the NAAFI what she thought of this while flashing her, not a lot apparently and neither did her RAFP hubby
) sgt with the call out beeper who having been on the beer with us at lunchtime said he would have one more, so we left to change, arrived back in same bar at 10 pm to find him passed out on the stairs, beeper still clipped to his belt.
There are pictures of the dets on the 14sqn association site.
Highlights of Gib, trying to get in with the place out of limits, nearly hit the rock and crash alarm pressed, night on the Algarve.....the naked ninja wrecking the police bar, 2 Guys going straight back on the trooper they arrived on (after asking a cleaner in the NAAFI what she thought of this while flashing her, not a lot apparently and neither did her RAFP hubby
) sgt with the call out beeper who having been on the beer with us at lunchtime said he would have one more, so we left to change, arrived back in same bar at 10 pm to find him passed out on the stairs, beeper still clipped to his belt.There are pictures of the dets on the 14sqn association site.
Last edited by NutLoose; 24th Jul 2014 at 11:46.
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When the Americans bombed Tripoli after Lockerbie, it was decided to have some proper air defences for Gib. The Army sent a bunch of Rapiers, the RN sent HMS something and the RAF sent its finest - 29 Sqn of course. H24 QRA. Pee'd off northern neighbours. And a fine time was had by one and all.
The piccy didn't work but it's here:
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnm...type=3&theater
Jaguar air defence
The piccy didn't work but it's here:
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnm...type=3&theater
Jaguar air defence
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The Jags also used to play Exocet for any passing Navy boats heading south to the Falklands.
Nice picture of the slowest versions of the F-4 ever built
http://www.14sqn-association.org.uk/...Jaguar.html#10
Nice picture of the slowest versions of the F-4 ever built
http://www.14sqn-association.org.uk/...Jaguar.html#10
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The Jags also used to play Exocet for any passing Navy boats heading south to
the Falklands.
Nice picture of the slowest versions of the F-4 ever
built
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Crawls back under rock 
One had to say something
One had to say something
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So how was the Jaguar a facsimile of the F4?
Besides (alluding to the 'famous photo') not every aircraft needed a motorway to get airborne (Summer 1976 if memory serves). I remember stickers in the urinals at Gutersloh saying 'Come back Harriers, all is forgiven'.
Held in high esteem that jet . . .