Did you ever have a "moment" when flying
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Back in the 70s we were in a bomber stream exercise flying identical routes out of Cyprus at 10 minute intervals.
We were night IMC at 430 and approaching the first time point on a celestial navigation leg. We had been given two timing options - adjust speed or do a timing trombone.
Our nav plotter decided to keep the speed up, time in hand, and lose the extra time in the trombone. Unknown to us the preceding crew elected speed adjustment.
We were only alerted as we heard him. Our IMC had been his contrails. That was scary.
We were night IMC at 430 and approaching the first time point on a celestial navigation leg. We had been given two timing options - adjust speed or do a timing trombone.
Our nav plotter decided to keep the speed up, time in hand, and lose the extra time in the trombone. Unknown to us the preceding crew elected speed adjustment.
We were only alerted as we heard him. Our IMC had been his contrails. That was scary.
Most aviation scares are very brief - they are over very quickly one way or another. Contrast that with some other activities (sailing springs to mind) where extremely frightening "moments" can last for days on end.
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Two Nimrods and a P3 observing the passage of Russian Naval units well out to the west of the UK. The captain of the other Nimrod, a Wing Commander, had a group of journalists on board and he suggested that we formate on the P3 so that his passengers could get some photographs of the two of us with the Russians in the background. I knew that the captain with whom I was flying was a very capable pilot but I recognised a potentially dangerous situation when I saw one, unplanned, unbriefed, unpracticed formation of two different aircraft types. So I concentrated my attention inside the flight deck while both the pilots were looking outside. We joined on the P3's starboard side partially astern and slowed to his patrol speed. The pair of us flew down one side of the Russians, the P3 between us and the ships, and started a 180* port turn to fly past on the other side. About ¾ round the turn the captain called “Speed check”. The P3 had lost a little speed in the turn and the Nimrod was beginning to feel a bit sloppy. No reply from the co-pilot. The captain called “Speed check” a second time and got no reply so I slid my seat forward and turned so that I could see an A.S.I. Three things then happened almost simultaneously. The captain looked down, so I looked up, and the P3 rolled out of his turn. I remember changing my shout from “Look out” to “Look up” just before the tail of the P3 passed above our flight deck at a distance of less than 10 feet. We broke downwards and sat quiet for quite some time. Nothing was said because there was nothing to be said.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Lancman, I was in Ops and 'twas Win Harris who had wanted the picture of the Nimrod over Kiev. I thought a Bear joined in.
TS, as I was down the back and using the sun gun OK I didnt know we were IM.
TS, as I was down the back and using the sun gun OK I didnt know we were IM.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Lancman, your name reminded me.
1. We were holding low level, and I mean low, over North Hykeham in the Lanc in turbulence. I was in the astro dome. The Lanc went down and I went up and the dome disappeared. I wandered up the front and tapped Dad Stanley on the shoulder. He turn round and saw my face covered in blood.
2. Dad was leading a mixed formation Spit, Lanc, Hurri as a three ship over Farnborough. It had been a kneepad brief and no practice. We flew so low over the hangar where the French Atlantic had gone in the day before that the Hurri almost joined it.
3. Rush trip for a display and no FE. I was instructed to balance the fuel. Back at base we were then asked to do a take off and circuit for TV csamneras. As we rolled we got a fuel low light. Moments later we got a second. Dad simply said switch the tanks. Only one cock was labelled and he had given me duff gen pre flight.
4. Worst, Dad was checking out the new staish, Mike D'Arcy. Dad taxied, lined up, took off, circuit, landed, taxied, lined up, and Mike D took the seat for the first time. Applied full power and we departed the runway just beyond the ORP, he gave a boot of rudder and after rejoining the concrete we departed the other side before snaking back and getting airborne. Finally, under control, we landed. The tyre were worn across the treads.
1. We were holding low level, and I mean low, over North Hykeham in the Lanc in turbulence. I was in the astro dome. The Lanc went down and I went up and the dome disappeared. I wandered up the front and tapped Dad Stanley on the shoulder. He turn round and saw my face covered in blood.
2. Dad was leading a mixed formation Spit, Lanc, Hurri as a three ship over Farnborough. It had been a kneepad brief and no practice. We flew so low over the hangar where the French Atlantic had gone in the day before that the Hurri almost joined it.
3. Rush trip for a display and no FE. I was instructed to balance the fuel. Back at base we were then asked to do a take off and circuit for TV csamneras. As we rolled we got a fuel low light. Moments later we got a second. Dad simply said switch the tanks. Only one cock was labelled and he had given me duff gen pre flight.
4. Worst, Dad was checking out the new staish, Mike D'Arcy. Dad taxied, lined up, took off, circuit, landed, taxied, lined up, and Mike D took the seat for the first time. Applied full power and we departed the runway just beyond the ORP, he gave a boot of rudder and after rejoining the concrete we departed the other side before snaking back and getting airborne. Finally, under control, we landed. The tyre were worn across the treads.
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PN, there was other traffic around, and I deliberately avoided naming names.
First rule for Lancaster Flight Engineers "On take-off, Lead with the Left". Unless you've got Hercules engines.
First rule for Lancaster Flight Engineers "On take-off, Lead with the Left". Unless you've got Hercules engines.
Last edited by Lancman; 5th Mar 2017 at 17:36. Reason: Just seen PN's second story.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Lancman, oh, maybe he was right then as he had told me cocks left then cocks right. I had thought, much later, it was outboard inboard with cocks rotated out or in.
Names, innocent station cdrs are I think fair game, and Dad is well known and I think liked.
PN, I can guess which one I named. You could never win.
Names, innocent station cdrs are I think fair game, and Dad is well known and I think liked.
PN, I can guess which one I named. You could never win.
Was given a demo of incipient Vortex Ring in a Puma by 'Parts' when I was on 230. Unfortunately it was actually an extremely successful demonstration of fully developed and almost unrecoverable Vortex Ring. I've met no end of people who have since told me that you can't get a Puma into VR and it's really easy to get out. Bolleaux.
We entered incipient Vortex Ring, 6500' at night with the town of Coleraine on our right...as advertised the aircraft got all wallowy, but as Parts started to recover the ROD went through 800' and then instantly pegged fully down at 2500'.....I'm not sure exactly how much nose down we got to, but it felt like 90 degrees. All I know is we pitched instantly and massively fully forward and I was reading the bottom of the AH. I seem to remember just gripping the seat like a vice and thinking that I was dead. As we hit nose down the aircraft also rolled fully 180 degrees. Some other stuff happened and eventually parts got it out.....we came out at 1800', with 30 knots ias, still about 700' rod and the world all skewiff. Coleraine was also on our left hand side now. It was the last demo of incipient VR in the aircraft
We entered incipient Vortex Ring, 6500' at night with the town of Coleraine on our right...as advertised the aircraft got all wallowy, but as Parts started to recover the ROD went through 800' and then instantly pegged fully down at 2500'.....I'm not sure exactly how much nose down we got to, but it felt like 90 degrees. All I know is we pitched instantly and massively fully forward and I was reading the bottom of the AH. I seem to remember just gripping the seat like a vice and thinking that I was dead. As we hit nose down the aircraft also rolled fully 180 degrees. Some other stuff happened and eventually parts got it out.....we came out at 1800', with 30 knots ias, still about 700' rod and the world all skewiff. Coleraine was also on our left hand side now. It was the last demo of incipient VR in the aircraft
Highland Restricted Area before the flow arrows had been thought of in the back seat of a Jaguar T2. Roll and bunt over a hill into the valley below and a Buccaneer flashed by left to right and very close!! I kept him in sight and informed my driver of his departing engine exhausts. "Never mind him, Buccs fly in formation, look for his mates" from the front seat followed by a "**** this" and a low level abort told me he had found his mate(s) i just didn't see them!
Thread Starter
So many lessons to be learned from these experiences.
Someone referenced the 1968 Atlantique crash at Farnborough earlier in the thread and sadly for those airmen their moment was tragically their last. For anyone not familiar:
Following a last minute re-assignment of the PIC, which is rarely a good thing. The aircraft was performing a low level display which included a single engine (feathered) pass with the port engine shut down. The gear was left down (which was unbriefed) and the a/c entered a low level 25 degree bank to starboard at which time the port prop was unfeathered. The aircraft then gently rolled to port at which time the roll was seen to rapidly increase to 60 degrees and the aircraft impacted some hangars. All 5 crew were lost plus one RAE technician on the ground (and a dog, rarely mentioned).
One little known fact is that the French crew had earlier been in the RAE Library where they spent some time chatting up the young ladies who worked there, convincing them to come up on the display flight with them the next day. They were saved by their boss who told them they were there to work, not go on joy rides.
Someone referenced the 1968 Atlantique crash at Farnborough earlier in the thread and sadly for those airmen their moment was tragically their last. For anyone not familiar:
Following a last minute re-assignment of the PIC, which is rarely a good thing. The aircraft was performing a low level display which included a single engine (feathered) pass with the port engine shut down. The gear was left down (which was unbriefed) and the a/c entered a low level 25 degree bank to starboard at which time the port prop was unfeathered. The aircraft then gently rolled to port at which time the roll was seen to rapidly increase to 60 degrees and the aircraft impacted some hangars. All 5 crew were lost plus one RAE technician on the ground (and a dog, rarely mentioned).
One little known fact is that the French crew had earlier been in the RAE Library where they spent some time chatting up the young ladies who worked there, convincing them to come up on the display flight with them the next day. They were saved by their boss who told them they were there to work, not go on joy rides.
Avoid imitations
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Was given a demo of incipient Vortex Ring in a Puma by 'Parts' when I was on 230. Unfortunately it was actually an extremely successful demonstration of fully developed and almost unrecoverable Vortex Ring. I've met no end of people who have since told me that you can't get a Puma into VR and it's really easy to get out. Bolleaux.
We entered incipient Vortex Ring, 6500' at night with the town of Coleraine on our right...as advertised the aircraft got all wallowy, but as Parts started to recover the ROD went through 800' and then instantly pegged fully down at 2500'.....I'm not sure exactly how much nose down we got to, but it felt like 90 degrees. All I know is we pitched instantly and massively fully forward and I was reading the bottom of the AH. I seem to remember just gripping the seat like a vice and thinking that I was dead. As we hit nose down the aircraft also rolled fully 180 degrees. Some other stuff happened and eventually parts got it out.....we came out at 1800', with 30 knots ias, still about 700' rod and the world all skewiff. Coleraine was also on our left hand side now. It was the last demo of incipient VR in the aircraft
We entered incipient Vortex Ring, 6500' at night with the town of Coleraine on our right...as advertised the aircraft got all wallowy, but as Parts started to recover the ROD went through 800' and then instantly pegged fully down at 2500'.....I'm not sure exactly how much nose down we got to, but it felt like 90 degrees. All I know is we pitched instantly and massively fully forward and I was reading the bottom of the AH. I seem to remember just gripping the seat like a vice and thinking that I was dead. As we hit nose down the aircraft also rolled fully 180 degrees. Some other stuff happened and eventually parts got it out.....we came out at 1800', with 30 knots ias, still about 700' rod and the world all skewiff. Coleraine was also on our left hand side now. It was the last demo of incipient VR in the aircraft
Supervised the external and internal ground Puma on it's ear photography for the Board : post arrival near Forkhill in 1975, of M... T.... and his illustrious (now sadly deceased) Co Pilot G..... B...... . Vortex Ring was involved IIRC.
Last edited by Haraka; 6th Mar 2017 at 17:02.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Arclite, sadly no. You prompted me to look up his bio. He had been OC 1 ITS when I joined before being OC 44 and later OC Waddo. What saddened me was to see he died as an Air Cdre aged just 50, a real gent.
Despite my paucity of Military Flying I do consider I have had a bit of a moment...
I was awarded a 'good boy' AEF flight in a Sea King at RAF Boulmer as an ATC cadet.
The pilots were practicing instrument flying and all was going smoothly-towards the end of my flight I was invited up front by the pilot as we were doing a 'fly by' down the runway at a well known civil airport.
I was 'plugged in' and merrily chatting away to said pilot, when an urgent call came for us to 'vacate the runway as we've got something coming in on finals' (or similar).
This resulted in a 'hang on' and a left wing over with yours truly hanging onto both poles either side of said pilots.
I'm sure not especially dangerous or exciting in the grand scheme of thing already told on here, but pretty exciting to a 14 yo Air cadet who wanted to be a Fighter Pilot at the time....
I was awarded a 'good boy' AEF flight in a Sea King at RAF Boulmer as an ATC cadet.
The pilots were practicing instrument flying and all was going smoothly-towards the end of my flight I was invited up front by the pilot as we were doing a 'fly by' down the runway at a well known civil airport.
I was 'plugged in' and merrily chatting away to said pilot, when an urgent call came for us to 'vacate the runway as we've got something coming in on finals' (or similar).
This resulted in a 'hang on' and a left wing over with yours truly hanging onto both poles either side of said pilots.
I'm sure not especially dangerous or exciting in the grand scheme of thing already told on here, but pretty exciting to a 14 yo Air cadet who wanted to be a Fighter Pilot at the time....
Last edited by Treble one; 7th Mar 2017 at 13:16.
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Had one of mine when pulling away (alone) from a photographic run over a target in Burma my Flight had just bombed, my gunner piped up: "there's a radial - engined fighter about two miles behind us !"
Another was when, downwind, wheels down with full bomb load and fuel, the engine seized ! (Vultee Vengeances went down like a stone when power failed - no hope of "dead-sticking" it on the strip).
We survived, but left a pile of scrap spread along a half-mile of Arakan open jungle.
Another was when, downwind, wheels down with full bomb load and fuel, the engine seized ! (Vultee Vengeances went down like a stone when power failed - no hope of "dead-sticking" it on the strip).
We survived, but left a pile of scrap spread along a half-mile of Arakan open jungle.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
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I'm just surprised that Danny only lists 2. I would have thought he could have filled a Thread on his own 
