Some stunning coldwar images of Lightnings etc

[MPN11]

Dang and blast ... I failed to spot the shadows in the grass at Finningley


Thanks, BEagle. I shall sleep soundly tonight

Apologies, vascodegama. I should have taken your early call more seriously.

[Minnie Burner]

Well done Beags. Another triumph for GD/P!

It looks like XP 702(C) has been flying in the box slot, either that or bl00dy fast!

[MAINJAFAD]

Old Pax

Could be they are doing options of producing the MR 1 and 3, The early MR 2 did have a mid upper turret.

[BEagle]

Presumably the liquid on the tarmac under WG557 in that photo is engine oil?

[Croqueteer]

The mid-upper was removed from the Mk2 by 1956.

[Davef68]

Airfix are doing an MR2 with early and late period markings, with an AEW 2 coming later (NOt official, but they displayed a test model with a radome!)

[JW411]

I particularly liked the shot of Ulf Burberry and his crew scrambling towards a Victor. I had a bit to do with training Ulf on the Argosy when he became Station Master at Benson and I have to say that he was a joy to fly with. Mind you, I never saw him running!

[pax britanica]

In keeping with the allegedly poor security and USSR penetration of UK instituitions , the second Mail picture of the three recruits and the Flight Sgt type appears to show a young Mikhail Gorbachev , the man nearest the non com trying to infiltrate the RAF..... just an observation

[Tankertrashnav]

ISTR I was about the only single cadet there with a car, which somewhat enhanced my prospects with fellow cadets of the fair sex.

Wasn't a Triumph Herald was it ? If so, I may have travelled back from the pub in it in the back seat with a WRAF cadet

...the second Mail picture of the three recruits and the Flight Sgt type

He's a warrant officer (see cap badge and patch pockets on the tunic). Call him "flight" instead of "sir" at Feltwell and you'd have been standing at attention getting the "hairdryer" treatment!

[Vendee]

I'm guessing that the 74 Sqn Hunter shot with the rather attractive SACW was at Horsham St Faith (now Norwich airport)?

[victor tango]

gayford reyr #10

You called?

[MPN11]

@ Tankertrashnav ... no, just an old upright Ford Popular, but in my case it was the only show in town
My car-sharing days were [briefly] confined to the course at Shawbury, before I became a 2-car a/plt off and hired one out

BTW, I noticed the gent on the right on the Feltwell photo appeared to have a pen in his breast pocket.
One assumes he didn't graduate?

[STN Ramp Rat]

I clicked on the daily mail link in the first post and thought I had been diverted to the caption competition thread

[Tankertrashnav]

BTW, I noticed the gent on the right on the Feltwell photo appeared to have a pen in his breast pocket.
One assumes he didn't graduate?[

Yes, I noticed that, and his rather naff tieclip. Still, I suppose he was shown the error of his ways. I'd stopped eating peas with my knife by the time I graduated

[kaitakbowler]

The Victor scramble had a proper Chief Technician as well.

[LowObservable]

Mr Winklepicker has a classic FLATUS DETECTED UNKNOWN ORIGIN expression, and his bag is the exact kind that was advertised in the back of RAF Flying Review. Trendy chap!

[aviate1138]

What a pity the UK does not have an airworthy Lightning that we could send to intercept an ageing Bear intruder and shame the Russians into stopping their petty "threats"

[27mm]

With a pen in the breast pocket, one is neither an officer nor a gentleman....

[Melchett01]

With a pen in the breast pocket, one is neither an officer nor a gentleman

What about wearing jeans?

[Wander00]

Remember DC at Binbrook giving a sqn ldr a very low F1369 score for wearing jeans for gardening, but it was about 1981!


In the production control office at Marshalls in 69/70 I was told that I should have pencils or pens in my breast pocket of my jacket as that lent an air of authority. I did not succumb!