Practice bomb demolished pub toilet
The Summer of '76 was particularly hot and dry - which was unusual in South Wales. One fine day at Pembrey Sands range, a 79 Sqn Hunter with some Wg Cdr on a refresher course tips in to the 10° dive bombing attack line....
The RSO is expecting the usual 25 lb smoke and flash bomb to be dropped; however, much to his surprise a pair of still quite full 230 gall drop tanks tumble off the wings and impact rather short, saturating the tinder dry range with kerosene. "Unplottable at six" calls the RSO - the Wg Cdr is somewhat miffed when told to RTB in response to his request to continue...
Despite the red tags and safety flaps, he'd managed to select 'pylons inner' - so when he pressed the tit, the ejector release units worked as advertised...
I was stand-in RSO one day when the normal chap was away and it was quite fun really. Two QFIs in a JP managed to fly through the range between a Hunter tipping in for a (fortunately dry) strafe attack and the target, so I did some detective work and guessed they'd be on their way to St Mawgan - which indeed they were, as I found out when I rang St Mawgan ATC "Compliments of Officer Commanding RAF Pembrey Sands, but please advise the JP captain that the next time he flies through a live weapons range he might just get shot down!". They promised to pass the message on.
During the afternoon a yacht drifted across the attack track not far from the coast, so we had to stop live weapons for a while. 'Kiwi' Ωn was at the helm of one Hunter in the pattern, so I asked him if he could see whether there was any activity on the yacht to indicate that it was underway....
"Yes, there's activity! There's a couple sh*****g on the deck"
"Doing what?"
"SH*****G!"
"Can you 'persuade' them to go away?"
So after a couple of fast low passes from my chum, up went the sail and away they went! Back to normal business on the range once the lads on the quadrants had stopped nearly wetting themselves laughing.
The RSO is expecting the usual 25 lb smoke and flash bomb to be dropped; however, much to his surprise a pair of still quite full 230 gall drop tanks tumble off the wings and impact rather short, saturating the tinder dry range with kerosene. "Unplottable at six" calls the RSO - the Wg Cdr is somewhat miffed when told to RTB in response to his request to continue...
Despite the red tags and safety flaps, he'd managed to select 'pylons inner' - so when he pressed the tit, the ejector release units worked as advertised...
I was stand-in RSO one day when the normal chap was away and it was quite fun really. Two QFIs in a JP managed to fly through the range between a Hunter tipping in for a (fortunately dry) strafe attack and the target, so I did some detective work and guessed they'd be on their way to St Mawgan - which indeed they were, as I found out when I rang St Mawgan ATC "Compliments of Officer Commanding RAF Pembrey Sands, but please advise the JP captain that the next time he flies through a live weapons range he might just get shot down!". They promised to pass the message on.
During the afternoon a yacht drifted across the attack track not far from the coast, so we had to stop live weapons for a while. 'Kiwi' Ωn was at the helm of one Hunter in the pattern, so I asked him if he could see whether there was any activity on the yacht to indicate that it was underway....
"Yes, there's activity! There's a couple sh*****g on the deck"
"Doing what?"
"SH*****G!"
"Can you 'persuade' them to go away?"
So after a couple of fast low passes from my chum, up went the sail and away they went! Back to normal business on the range once the lads on the quadrants had stopped nearly wetting themselves laughing.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Bosnich, I bow to your accreditation, so we have a 9/12 competition the same as 9/617.
It must have been around 1969 that a 14 Sqn BI8 dropped a 25lb PB on the road close to the Akrotiri NAFFI. It gave rise to the gleeful chant '14 Sqn bombed the NAFFI' throughout the remainder of the det.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
SB, by then it would have been the 28lb.
Years later an intrepid pilot dropped the whole CBLS on Wainfleet range. Naturally it didn't go bang and we duly recovered it for our trophy haul however it was hardly dry from the wash down before his 'mates' turned up and claimed it for their own purposes.
Years later an intrepid pilot dropped the whole CBLS on Wainfleet range. Naturally it didn't go bang and we duly recovered it for our trophy haul however it was hardly dry from the wash down before his 'mates' turned up and claimed it for their own purposes.
PN.
I did wonder if it was a 28lb, but after 48 years my memory of small details is not so good. I have to say I am amazed at the memory of some posters, clearly older than my three score and ten and a bit yet with such precise recall.
I did wonder if it was a 28lb, but after 48 years my memory of small details is not so good. I have to say I am amazed at the memory of some posters, clearly older than my three score and ten and a bit yet with such precise recall.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
BB, I'll check see if it had the same dates. Could be Akrotiri had legacy stocks.
SB, the point about the 25lb on external carriage was its risk of on-pylon detonation from bird strike. This led to both the CBLS and 28lb.
SB, the point about the 25lb on external carriage was its risk of on-pylon detonation from bird strike. This led to both the CBLS and 28lb.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
BB, my last drop at Akrotiri was Oct 71 thereafter 28lb. I remember John McCrae, the nav rad trapper asking what was the colour of the 25lb and 28lb. Of course the 25lb had a yellow band and the 28lb brown, both were blue.
No they weren't. The 25lb was Duck Egg Blue and the 28lb was French Powder Blue - FFS it was f***ing blue. from Jan '71 I recorded both 25 and 28 drops.
At Waddo I once ordered a crew that had a hang up on the 28lb, which was of course ejected, to do a safe drop in the Wash jettison area, carrier and all! That was probably in 1968 and no later than '69.
I guess they must have decided that it was safe to drop the old stocks of 25lb that may have been in Germany ex-Canberras etc.
No they weren't. The 25lb was Duck Egg Blue and the 28lb was French Powder Blue - FFS it was f***ing blue. from Jan '71 I recorded both 25 and 28 drops.
At Waddo I once ordered a crew that had a hang up on the 28lb, which was of course ejected, to do a safe drop in the Wash jettison area, carrier and all! That was probably in 1968 and no later than '69.
I guess they must have decided that it was safe to drop the old stocks of 25lb that may have been in Germany ex-Canberras etc.
My biggest error on the NBS course at Lindholme was 9 miles - I "attacked" the wrong reservoir dam up in the Yorkshire Dales. Fortunately no actual bombs were involved, just an electronic pulse.
Just as well I ended up on tankers and they never let me loose with the real thing!
Just as well I ended up on tankers and they never let me loose with the real thing!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
TTN, mine in the V-Force was a shade less than 6 miles on Watertown. Terry Lynn on 35 then borrowed my offsets and got nearer 7 and an interview, hats on, with the AOC.
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These war stories are all well and good but can we get back to the threads main issue please? Should this bomb count as a DH given the bomb aimer thought the pub was the target? This is a serious point which retired QWIs should adjudicate on while the rest of us laugh long and hard. Of course I threw few wild ones here and there myself but under the rehabilitation of offenders act I don't have to declare them on my CV anymore.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Definitely a Dog How, he hit what he aimed at, just like the F15 jock at Wainfleet.
Target mis-ident OTOH scores under an entirely different register
Target mis-ident OTOH scores under an entirely different register
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Well, there's a guy on the "other RAF forum" who says it was 617 Squadron which I somewhat doubt. I think it was a Canberra of 9 Sqn.
The New RAF Forum
The New RAF Forum
PN
Thread drift but good memories of Jock McCrae, a fine nav rad before he became a standardizer. He gave me a very fair ground oral which, after about an hour, we had to abandon because an alert was called and he said "I'm getting out of here". He had the good grace to say that I did OK.
Thread drift but good memories of Jock McCrae, a fine nav rad before he became a standardizer. He gave me a very fair ground oral which, after about an hour, we had to abandon because an alert was called and he said "I'm getting out of here". He had the good grace to say that I did OK.
They Left!
The Summer of '76 was particularly hot and dry - which was unusual in South Wales. One fine day at Pembrey Sands range, a 79 Sqn Hunter with some Wg Cdr on a refresher course tips in to the 10° dive bombing attack line....
The RSO is expecting the usual 25 lb smoke and flash bomb to be dropped; however, much to his surprise a pair of still quite full 230 gall drop tanks tumble off the wings and impact rather short, saturating the tinder dry range with kerosene. "Unplottable at six" calls the RSO - the Wg Cdr is somewhat miffed when told to RTB in response to his request to continue...
Despite the red tags and safety flaps, he'd managed to select 'pylons inner' - so when he pressed the tit, the ejector release units worked as advertised...
I was stand-in RSO one day when the normal chap was away and it was quite fun really. Two QFIs in a JP managed to fly through the range between a Hunter tipping in for a (fortunately dry) strafe attack and the target, so I did some detective work and guessed they'd be on their way to St Mawgan - which indeed they were, as I found out when I rang St Mawgan ATC "Compliments of Officer Commanding RAF Pembrey Sands, but please advise the JP captain that the next time he flies through a live weapons range he might just get shot down!". They promised to pass the message on.
During the afternoon a yacht drifted across the attack track not far from the coast, so we had to stop live weapons for a while. 'Kiwi' Ωn was at the helm of one Hunter in the pattern, so I asked him if he could see whether there was any activity on the yacht to indicate that it was underway....
"Yes, there's activity! There's a couple sh*****g on the deck"
"Doing what?"
"SH*****G!"
"Can you 'persuade' them to go away?"
So after a couple of fast low passes from my chum, up went the sail and away they went! Back to normal business on the range once the lads on the quadrants had stopped nearly wetting themselves laughing.
The RSO is expecting the usual 25 lb smoke and flash bomb to be dropped; however, much to his surprise a pair of still quite full 230 gall drop tanks tumble off the wings and impact rather short, saturating the tinder dry range with kerosene. "Unplottable at six" calls the RSO - the Wg Cdr is somewhat miffed when told to RTB in response to his request to continue...
Despite the red tags and safety flaps, he'd managed to select 'pylons inner' - so when he pressed the tit, the ejector release units worked as advertised...
I was stand-in RSO one day when the normal chap was away and it was quite fun really. Two QFIs in a JP managed to fly through the range between a Hunter tipping in for a (fortunately dry) strafe attack and the target, so I did some detective work and guessed they'd be on their way to St Mawgan - which indeed they were, as I found out when I rang St Mawgan ATC "Compliments of Officer Commanding RAF Pembrey Sands, but please advise the JP captain that the next time he flies through a live weapons range he might just get shot down!". They promised to pass the message on.
During the afternoon a yacht drifted across the attack track not far from the coast, so we had to stop live weapons for a while. 'Kiwi' Ωn was at the helm of one Hunter in the pattern, so I asked him if he could see whether there was any activity on the yacht to indicate that it was underway....
"Yes, there's activity! There's a couple sh*****g on the deck"
"Doing what?"
"SH*****G!"
"Can you 'persuade' them to go away?"
So after a couple of fast low passes from my chum, up went the sail and away they went! Back to normal business on the range once the lads on the quadrants had stopped nearly wetting themselves laughing.
Since Sailing, Shxxxxxg and Hunter Blue Notes are well up my list of favourite things I would have thought I had died and gone to heaven. I suppose it would be too much to hope your mate had a couple of bottles of decent Port tucked in the air brake?
