Tornado Tuesday
Back in the late '60s or early '70s, there was a report in Air Clues (or possibly the Learning Command crash comic) about an incident during Civil Defence training with a civvy copper.
To the uninitiated, this was great fun. Sponsored by the Home Office, once a year UAS QFIs would fly firemen and policemen around at low level, practising some convoy control and other stuff required as 'post nuclear attack' activity. This legacy of the 1950s was eventually binned when some fun detector queried it around the turn of the century....
Back to the incident in question - it seems that the rather large copper hadn't been strapped in very tightly and during turbulence he'd managed to get his helmet stuck through the canopy roof. But there was an excellent cartoon of some rozzer in typical Dixon of Dock Green kit with his policeman's helmet poking out of the top of a Chippy.
Of course in reality he was wearing a proper bone dome, but it was a great cartoon. From the days when a little levity was still allowed in official publications.....
To the uninitiated, this was great fun. Sponsored by the Home Office, once a year UAS QFIs would fly firemen and policemen around at low level, practising some convoy control and other stuff required as 'post nuclear attack' activity. This legacy of the 1950s was eventually binned when some fun detector queried it around the turn of the century....
Back to the incident in question - it seems that the rather large copper hadn't been strapped in very tightly and during turbulence he'd managed to get his helmet stuck through the canopy roof. But there was an excellent cartoon of some rozzer in typical Dixon of Dock Green kit with his policeman's helmet poking out of the top of a Chippy.
Of course in reality he was wearing a proper bone dome, but it was a great cartoon. From the days when a little levity was still allowed in official publications.....
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I remember seeing that same pic BEagle ... from the early 70's I think ... about the same time the Mk1a Bonedome Visor 'Knob' had to be filed down to prevent further cracked perspex canopies on the Chipmunk ... that MOD might well have been related to said 'Plod' incident 
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One for those with a few bob and a barn to spare (as well as the grammar mafia).
Owners looking to sell Panavia Tornado GR1 aircraft in Lincoln | Lincolnshire Echo
Owners looking to sell Panavia Tornado GR1 aircraft in Lincoln | Lincolnshire Echo
Tuesday again. Here's an F3 being glued together, it became ZE787, anyone got that in a logbook?
BS4 with nasty things hanging underneath, and a camera pod.
BS4 with nasty things hanging underneath, and a camera pod.
ZE 787 - First jet to have my name on it (supersonic, Mar 29 1989). I have more hours than I care to remember - thanks for posting the pic!
Much later, I helped rent her to the Italians.
When did you deliver her O-P?
Much later, I helped rent her to the Italians.
When did you deliver her O-P?
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One for those with a few bob and a barn to spare (as well as the grammar mafia).
I particularly loved the line about the service the Tornado has seen, "They have also played minor roles in Afghanistan and Yemen."
Not sure those involved either with the RAF or the RSAF would agree with this, and describe their role as minor.
"...they were also sold to South Africa"
They were?
Redhill, I was "stunned, outraged and offended" (to use the appropriate journalistic terms) by that too. So much so that I felt compelled to write to the editor of the Lincs Rag to point out their shameful misrepresentation of the Tornado's long and distinguished history.
I could have said that I emailed them, but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.
I'll let you know if I get an answer.
I could have said that I emailed them, but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun.
I'll let you know if I get an answer.
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F3WMB,
I'm working from a gin riddled memory here, so please forgive me if I'm wrong.
I believe I collected her in March/April '88 and took her to XI at Leeming. I collected 4 from the factory, every time we strapped in, the guys that built them cried and gave the girl a pat goodbye.
I'm working from a gin riddled memory here, so please forgive me if I'm wrong.
I believe I collected her in March/April '88 and took her to XI at Leeming. I collected 4 from the factory, every time we strapped in, the guys that built them cried and gave the girl a pat goodbye.
F3WMB,
I'm working from a gin riddled memory here, so please forgive me if I'm wrong.
I believe I collected her in March/April '88 and took her to XI at Leeming. I collected 4 from the factory, every time we strapped in, the guys that built them cried and gave the girl a pat goodbye.
I'm working from a gin riddled memory here, so please forgive me if I'm wrong.
I believe I collected her in March/April '88 and took her to XI at Leeming. I collected 4 from the factory, every time we strapped in, the guys that built them cried and gave the girl a pat goodbye.
According to UK Serials ZE787 was
f/f 11/04/1988, d/d 13/05/1988, loaned to the Italian AF (AMI) as MM7205, returned 07/06/2004, stripped and stored at St.Athan 2005, to H Williams and Sons scrapyard Hitchin, Hertfordshire, 18/09/2007, scrapped 09/10/2007
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On collecting a V Sqn jet from Warton, the taileron tips failed to appear in the mirrors on the Mech Mode control check; we adjourned to Taps and tried again (successfully) the next day.
