Vampire rips up runway...
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SpazSinbad (#119),
What a wonderful story ! Did John Laming publish at all ? (I reckon 16,000 words). Or was it all on PPRuNe ? If so, on what Forum & Thread ? What does x visits since 12 Aug 2000 mean ? (I did not come aboard till 2012).
If he published, did he get his money back - or just a pain in the wallet ?
His experiences in training so mirror mine (ten years earlier) that it is quite uncanny, but will not bore you with them - it's all on "Pilot's Brevet" anyway. The Fighter Pilot's top button is undone so he can hook his whistle in the button-hole. Not actually fighting today ? take whistle off, but leave button undone to advertise to all and sundry (esp. totty) that you are Fighter Jock.
By the same token, we all smoked pipes whether you liked it or not, to impress said totty that you were Strong Silent Man (for which [so the ladies' periodicals assured us] the female heart yearned).
..."He wore a RAAF issue red silk scarf (in case one needed to attract attention if you were shot down)" ... WHAT IS THIS - ISSUE ? Not in the RAF, mate ! Primary purpose: to loosen tie and collar to give "full and free movement of neck", which you must constantly twist from side to side to see what is "creepin' up on you". Silk stops skin from chafing on (starched) collar. What was our favoured solution? - girlfriend's silk - no nylons yet - stocking (with a dash of her perfume).
Secondary purpose: to attract female attention as before....
..."and real aviators sunglasses"... No issue. Had to buy my own "Ray-Bans" ($5 in US in 1942), damn' near blinded me on an unscheduled arrival. Secondary purpose ? ....
..."direct evidence of mutual attraction between this breed of men and the attractive nurses from the nearby Camden hospital"... One Station Commander is supposed to have addressed his young men thus: "80% of you will marry nurses or teachers". Could be right, too (I married a Dental nurse, does that count ?)
Could that be the Camden of the Aviaton museum that houses the only Vultee Vengeance extant ?
..."He must have been an incredibly brave man to return to flying fighters after recovering from those disfiguring injuries"... Probably at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, in the hands of the NZ brilliant plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe. (DannysDaughter spent the greater part of her nursing career there).
..."The Operational Training Units did not prepare pilots to the standard required for combat even as late as 1953...the standard of replacement pilot is slightly below that desired ... training not organized, wasn't structured"... Nor was it at OTU in 1942 ! Think the idea was that combat flying is like learning to ride a bike. there's no way of doing it except getting on and 'having a go' - (here's a 'Heinkel' lad, see what you can do with it).
..."the Sergeant Pilots went back to the Sergeants Mess, and the instructors and Pilot Officers on the course returned to the Officers Mess. I believe we lost invaluable bar talk time because of this".... And a lot more besides ! As a Sergeant Pilot myself for a year, and then an officer, I might write a Post on this one day.
..."On the ground, where airflow through the engine radiator is reliant mainly on the propeller slipstream, it was important to be pointing into wind to keep the coolant below 110 degrees centigrade"... We were allowed 120, perhaps the early Merlins had a different water/glycol mix.
..."Forty years on, I was to see a similar finger gesture from my family doctor as he prepared to do a prostate examination!"... You were lucky, mate ! Mine rolled up a sleeve, smothered a hairy paw in some white goo, balled his fist - and YA-HOO ! (wasn't too bad).
Much more comment to come, enough to be going on with TFN ! I would dearly have liked time in a Mustang (that lovely wide undercart), and I suppose he would've liked time in a Spitfire (Ne Plus Ultra).
Danny.
What a wonderful story ! Did John Laming publish at all ? (I reckon 16,000 words). Or was it all on PPRuNe ? If so, on what Forum & Thread ? What does x visits since 12 Aug 2000 mean ? (I did not come aboard till 2012).
If he published, did he get his money back - or just a pain in the wallet ?
His experiences in training so mirror mine (ten years earlier) that it is quite uncanny, but will not bore you with them - it's all on "Pilot's Brevet" anyway. The Fighter Pilot's top button is undone so he can hook his whistle in the button-hole. Not actually fighting today ? take whistle off, but leave button undone to advertise to all and sundry (esp. totty) that you are Fighter Jock.
By the same token, we all smoked pipes whether you liked it or not, to impress said totty that you were Strong Silent Man (for which [so the ladies' periodicals assured us] the female heart yearned).
..."He wore a RAAF issue red silk scarf (in case one needed to attract attention if you were shot down)" ... WHAT IS THIS - ISSUE ? Not in the RAF, mate ! Primary purpose: to loosen tie and collar to give "full and free movement of neck", which you must constantly twist from side to side to see what is "creepin' up on you". Silk stops skin from chafing on (starched) collar. What was our favoured solution? - girlfriend's silk - no nylons yet - stocking (with a dash of her perfume).
Secondary purpose: to attract female attention as before....
..."and real aviators sunglasses"... No issue. Had to buy my own "Ray-Bans" ($5 in US in 1942), damn' near blinded me on an unscheduled arrival. Secondary purpose ? ....
..."direct evidence of mutual attraction between this breed of men and the attractive nurses from the nearby Camden hospital"... One Station Commander is supposed to have addressed his young men thus: "80% of you will marry nurses or teachers". Could be right, too (I married a Dental nurse, does that count ?)
Could that be the Camden of the Aviaton museum that houses the only Vultee Vengeance extant ?
..."He must have been an incredibly brave man to return to flying fighters after recovering from those disfiguring injuries"... Probably at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, in the hands of the NZ brilliant plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe. (DannysDaughter spent the greater part of her nursing career there).
..."The Operational Training Units did not prepare pilots to the standard required for combat even as late as 1953...the standard of replacement pilot is slightly below that desired ... training not organized, wasn't structured"... Nor was it at OTU in 1942 ! Think the idea was that combat flying is like learning to ride a bike. there's no way of doing it except getting on and 'having a go' - (here's a 'Heinkel' lad, see what you can do with it).
..."the Sergeant Pilots went back to the Sergeants Mess, and the instructors and Pilot Officers on the course returned to the Officers Mess. I believe we lost invaluable bar talk time because of this".... And a lot more besides ! As a Sergeant Pilot myself for a year, and then an officer, I might write a Post on this one day.
..."On the ground, where airflow through the engine radiator is reliant mainly on the propeller slipstream, it was important to be pointing into wind to keep the coolant below 110 degrees centigrade"... We were allowed 120, perhaps the early Merlins had a different water/glycol mix.
..."Forty years on, I was to see a similar finger gesture from my family doctor as he prepared to do a prostate examination!"... You were lucky, mate ! Mine rolled up a sleeve, smothered a hairy paw in some white goo, balled his fist - and YA-HOO ! (wasn't too bad).
Much more comment to come, enough to be going on with TFN ! I would dearly have liked time in a Mustang (that lovely wide undercart), and I suppose he would've liked time in a Spitfire (Ne Plus Ultra).
Danny.
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John Laming
It would be difficult to describe an aviation career more colorful and varied than that of Captain John Laming. His first job in aviation was in 1948 as a “general dogsbody” (that’s British slang for someone who does menial work) for Sydney Morning Herald Flying Services. One of his jobs back then was to throw newspapers out of Lockheed Hudsons and DC-3s as part of a newspaper delivery route throughout New South Wales, Australia. He began a distinguished career in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1951 where he flew a wide variety of airplanes including the Mustang, Vampire, Lincoln, Convair, Viscount, Dakota, and HS748. In addition, he spent some time as a flight instructor and accumulated time in Wirraways, Winjeels and Tiger Moths. His wide experience also led to a stint as an aircraft accident investigator. After 18 years in the RAAF, he worked in Melbourne as an Airways Surveyor, and later flew DC-3s and F.27s performing airways calibration duties. In 1976, Captain Laming was hired by Air Nauru, flying F.28s and later 737-200s on routes throughout the South Pacific. His next move was to England in 1989 where he flew 737s for Paramount Airways, covering European and Middle Eastern routes. He continued flying until 1992 when he had to retire due to the “age 60” rule. He returned to Australia where he kept flying as a flight instructor and charter pilot.
https://airfactsjournal.com/author/johnlaming/
see also
https://airfactsjournal.com/2015/02/...s-john-laming/
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A nostalgic moment for you Danny. Over Anglesey in 1950/51.
(edit) That one broke up over Scunthorpe killing the pilot -- chute failed to open -- in 1957.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=137051
(edit) That one broke up over Scunthorpe killing the pilot -- chute failed to open -- in 1957.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=137051
Last edited by roving; 16th Oct 2017 at 14:35. Reason: edt
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roving #123),
Thanks ! Sent me scurrying back to my logbook - but "not one of ours". All the Vampires I flew on 20 Sqn at Valley and on 608 at Thornaby were in the VT series - this is a VZ.
Can't place the background - don't remember the little pier anywhere on Anglesey (could it be on the Menai Strait ?) There must be hundreds of people watching this, who've been through Valley, and can "fix" this for us.
Shows the wonderful cockpit visibility from a Mk III (or V ?) Could it be that the jet pipe on the 2-seater was angled lower towards the ground than the monoposto ? We never heard of this tarmac-ripping in my time.
We used (very naughtily) to do low passes by the summit restaurant on Snowdon, exchanging waves with the trippers sunning themselves on top. Happy days !
I would've been ATC-ing at Strubby when that chap went in. Don't remember hearing about it - but then losses were still almost at wartime levels, and did not excite much interest. "Flight Safety" was an oxymoron.
Danny.
Thanks ! Sent me scurrying back to my logbook - but "not one of ours". All the Vampires I flew on 20 Sqn at Valley and on 608 at Thornaby were in the VT series - this is a VZ.
Can't place the background - don't remember the little pier anywhere on Anglesey (could it be on the Menai Strait ?) There must be hundreds of people watching this, who've been through Valley, and can "fix" this for us.
Shows the wonderful cockpit visibility from a Mk III (or V ?) Could it be that the jet pipe on the 2-seater was angled lower towards the ground than the monoposto ? We never heard of this tarmac-ripping in my time.
We used (very naughtily) to do low passes by the summit restaurant on Snowdon, exchanging waves with the trippers sunning themselves on top. Happy days !
I would've been ATC-ing at Strubby when that chap went in. Don't remember hearing about it - but then losses were still almost at wartime levels, and did not excite much interest. "Flight Safety" was an oxymoron.
Danny.
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roving #123),
Thanks ! Sent me scurrying back to my logbook - but "not one of ours". All the Vampires I flew on 20 Sqn at Valley and on 608 at Thornaby were in the VT series - this is a VZ.
Can't place the background - don't remember the little pier anywhere on Anglesey (could it be on the Menai Strait ?) There must be hundreds of people watching this, who've been through Valley, and can "fix" this for us.
Shows the wonderful cockpit visibility from a Mk III (or V ?) Could it be that the jet pipe on the 2-seater was angled lower towards the ground than the monoposto ? We never heard of this tarmac-ripping in my time.
We used (very naughtily) to do low passes by the summit restaurant on Snowdon, exchanging waves with the trippers sunning themselves on top. Happy days !
I would've been ATC-ing at Strubby when that chap went in. Don't remember hearing about it - but then losses were still almost at wartime levels, and did not excite much interest. "Flight Safety" was an oxymoron.
Danny.
Thanks ! Sent me scurrying back to my logbook - but "not one of ours". All the Vampires I flew on 20 Sqn at Valley and on 608 at Thornaby were in the VT series - this is a VZ.
Can't place the background - don't remember the little pier anywhere on Anglesey (could it be on the Menai Strait ?) There must be hundreds of people watching this, who've been through Valley, and can "fix" this for us.
Shows the wonderful cockpit visibility from a Mk III (or V ?) Could it be that the jet pipe on the 2-seater was angled lower towards the ground than the monoposto ? We never heard of this tarmac-ripping in my time.
We used (very naughtily) to do low passes by the summit restaurant on Snowdon, exchanging waves with the trippers sunning themselves on top. Happy days !
I would've been ATC-ing at Strubby when that chap went in. Don't remember hearing about it - but then losses were still almost at wartime levels, and did not excite much interest. "Flight Safety" was an oxymoron.
Danny.
The Squadron archivist assured me it was Anglesey when I showed him the photo.
edit
In fact it also appears on this webpage too.
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-no-...-20464381.html
