Elderly fast jet pilots
Are Hunters flying again then?
Heamesy taught me to fly the Hunter and Reeks was definitely of a characterful age when he stopped flying the Tonka.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
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Has Young Arthur dried out yet, or has he gone to the great Beyond? He was a Fungi to be with on occasions, and a bloody good marksman.
The current maximum age for single pilot flying under UK MAA rules is 65. If a pilot has always flown fast jets then, generally, there is no significant reduction in flying ability with age and g tolerance is not affected. The issue is that if someone has a break away from fast jet flying then the older they are, the longer and harder it is to get back up to speed. The motor skills of controlling an aircraft do not tend to perish but the airmanship does. Also, technology moves on so there may be new technology operating skills to be learnt.
I know of a pilot who is over 60 and is currently flying 3 fast jet types under MAA regulation and gets current to fly a fourth type when required. This includes delivering high onset rate g training and flying aviation medicine trials at 9g. He has been flying fast jets for 39 years continuously other than a brief couple of years flying for an airline. As a child, he wanted to be a pilot when he grew up. He achieved 50% of this; he became a pilot but didn't grow up!
On a serious note, there is a difference between just flying the aeroplanes and flying on operations and above I am not considering flying in combat; that is a separate discussion.
I know of a pilot who is over 60 and is currently flying 3 fast jet types under MAA regulation and gets current to fly a fourth type when required. This includes delivering high onset rate g training and flying aviation medicine trials at 9g. He has been flying fast jets for 39 years continuously other than a brief couple of years flying for an airline. As a child, he wanted to be a pilot when he grew up. He achieved 50% of this; he became a pilot but didn't grow up!
On a serious note, there is a difference between just flying the aeroplanes and flying on operations and above I am not considering flying in combat; that is a separate discussion.
Join Date: Aug 2007
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JUSTANOTHERJOCKY. No civilian Hunters flying, apart from the Military Contract ones [at Scampton??]/ Mr. Heames flies Gnats regularly at North Weald.
I remember Geoff Timms still flying Harriers in his sixties!!!! I believe he finally retired aged 62. He was meticulous on his walk rounds and had eyes like a S*** House Rat!
Pat King was another, he could make 6600lbs of fuel last longer than anyone! Just tootling around, we often used to think he was overdue. The old saying old pilots and bold pilots used to spring to mind.
Pat King was another, he could make 6600lbs of fuel last longer than anyone! Just tootling around, we often used to think he was overdue. The old saying old pilots and bold pilots used to spring to mind.
There's hope for me yet a 49 then!
I have serious envy at some of you guys on here! I'd just love to sit in a fast jet, but if anyone wants to take me on a sortie, I'll happily get strapped in and enjoy the ride!
I have serious envy at some of you guys on here! I'd just love to sit in a fast jet, but if anyone wants to take me on a sortie, I'll happily get strapped in and enjoy the ride!
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Maybe not a fast jet but flew a Tucano when the combined age of the 2 occupants was in excess of 120 years. Between us we had flown Venom, Hunter, Sea Vixen, Lightning, Buccaneer, Phantom, Hawk, Tornado.
Join Date: Oct 2003
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I was approaching my 56th birthday when I stopped in March. A month or so before that I flew in a 111 yr old cockpit on an OLF sortie👹👹. If it's all you've ever done then it is perfectly normal.
Not technically fast jet (albeit it was a pure jet and also pretty darn fast!) but a particular Canberra T4 QFI check sortie had a combined age of over 160years!
Back to fast jets, although the 2 QFIs certainly weren't youngsters, I recall a Hawk pairs sortie where all 4 of us had the same surname! No, it wasn't Smith!!!
Back to fast jets, although the 2 QFIs certainly weren't youngsters, I recall a Hawk pairs sortie where all 4 of us had the same surname! No, it wasn't Smith!!!
In the 70s in Oz, the OC of the main bomber base, who was a Canberra pilot, decided he had to fly every machine on his base. He had some dual training in a Huey, pronounced himself ready for a solo, and with a Sgt crewman in the left seat (all the squadron pilots disappeared and the Sgt was the only one left sleeping) proceeded to pick up to the hover and have a stinger strike. Normally this requires an inspection, but the Air Cdre continued on and scared the Sgt sh1tless.
Next on his list was the F-111, and again he had some dual trng (VFR only) and declared he would go solo. A navigator who would be able to fly the bird himself was offered as a sacrifice, and away he went. After a short while he told the nav to turn on the TFR. "Sorry sir you are not qualified on TFR."
"TURN IT ON, FLIGHT LIEUTENANT!" - OK it gets turned on, and OC was scooting around at low level, when the TFR decided it had enough, had a failure, and went into a 3-g pullup. OC sits there, watching airspeed decay, as he doesn't understand what is going on.
"Push the over-ride button on the stick, sir..." says the nav.
OC over-rides the TFR and regains some semblance of flight, but when he releases the button it pulls up again. OC says to self "Self! Keep yer finger on the over-ride and it can't fly up like that!" so there he is with finger on button and hand-flying at 450kt at zot feet.
On return, Nav goes to Base XO, a Gp Capt, and relates the story. Gp Capt asks Air Cdre if this is correct, OC replies "The Flt Lt is lying!"
Another base, a few years later, OC decides to fly the Orion. While flopping around the skies, he is passed by a Mirage. He thinks he can show the Mirage a thing or two, so he grabs the throttles and firewalls all 4. However, comma, only the Engineer is supposed to operate the throttles, as the engines are powerfiul enough to overstress the wing under such conditions. And again, with a damaged aircraft, OC blithely continued on.
And if you reckoned YOUR air force was run by dills, this dill made it all the way to the top of ours.
Next on his list was the F-111, and again he had some dual trng (VFR only) and declared he would go solo. A navigator who would be able to fly the bird himself was offered as a sacrifice, and away he went. After a short while he told the nav to turn on the TFR. "Sorry sir you are not qualified on TFR."
"TURN IT ON, FLIGHT LIEUTENANT!" - OK it gets turned on, and OC was scooting around at low level, when the TFR decided it had enough, had a failure, and went into a 3-g pullup. OC sits there, watching airspeed decay, as he doesn't understand what is going on.
"Push the over-ride button on the stick, sir..." says the nav.
OC over-rides the TFR and regains some semblance of flight, but when he releases the button it pulls up again. OC says to self "Self! Keep yer finger on the over-ride and it can't fly up like that!" so there he is with finger on button and hand-flying at 450kt at zot feet.
On return, Nav goes to Base XO, a Gp Capt, and relates the story. Gp Capt asks Air Cdre if this is correct, OC replies "The Flt Lt is lying!"
Another base, a few years later, OC decides to fly the Orion. While flopping around the skies, he is passed by a Mirage. He thinks he can show the Mirage a thing or two, so he grabs the throttles and firewalls all 4. However, comma, only the Engineer is supposed to operate the throttles, as the engines are powerfiul enough to overstress the wing under such conditions. And again, with a damaged aircraft, OC blithely continued on.
And if you reckoned YOUR air force was run by dills, this dill made it all the way to the top of ours.
At the age of 48, still flying the Tornado, only occasionally, I found my ability to read flip cards at night and pull lots of G was no longer optimum. I had always felt that before the point that a Nav may worry about my pilot capabilities, I would hang up my wings. I was in a fortunate position to do so and have had no regrets.
Join Date: Sep 2006
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Not a pilot, but Plt Off Bernard Green was 52 when he was shot down in a 44 Sqn Hampden during WW2. He fought in the First World War, was wounded twice, and ended the War as a major in the Machine Gun Corps.
He joined the RAF at the beginning of WW2 as a plt off and became an air gunner due to his MG experience. His 44 Sqn Hampden was shot down on his first mission, and "Pop" became a POW. He was sent to Stalag Luft III and took part in the Great Escape although he believed that his age contributed to his escape from execution by the Gestapo after he was recaptured.
His biography is an interesting read...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-War-E...o+Great+Escape
He joined the RAF at the beginning of WW2 as a plt off and became an air gunner due to his MG experience. His 44 Sqn Hampden was shot down on his first mission, and "Pop" became a POW. He was sent to Stalag Luft III and took part in the Great Escape although he believed that his age contributed to his escape from execution by the Gestapo after he was recaptured.
His biography is an interesting read...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-War-E...o+Great+Escape
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
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Some years ago I visited a war memorial cemetery in Berlin as part of a short RAF detachment. I found it very sad and sobering to realise that noted that at the age of 35 I was much older than most of the allied aircrew interred there and old enough to be the father of some of them.
I'm not saying how many years ago it was, but it was before the wall came down...and I'm still flying for a living... thankfully not on FJ.
I'm not saying how many years ago it was, but it was before the wall came down...and I'm still flying for a living... thankfully not on FJ.