Memories of RAFG
Avoid imitations
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Either way, the N German Plain was far from fun for forecasting for low flying. I still bear the scars.
Having just finished David Herrick's Cold War Fast-Jet Nav I am surprised Laarbruch's infamous toga party has not been mentioned in this thread. Please could we have a description from a partygoer?!
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A word of explanation regarding the Standard Area Forecast.
This was produced by the Duty Senior Met man [there were no senior women at that time] in the semi-basement in JHQ. Early each morning the FBS broadcast it at dictation speed, often mangled in the process. It was primarily for AAC use when flying from the many unsupported airfields/ strips/ garrisons/ green fields in N Germany.
In my 3 years I never ever had any feedback. Ever. Thus my faith in accuracy was low.
However, we had the Clutch plus Gutersloh plus Detmold also forecasting for all and any that asked for such, and these did get feedback, especially if their gen was crap.
Detmold in particular, supporting the AAC, had a great deal of contact with army customers and provided a service far better than I could provide from my hole in the ground.
In retrospect it would have made more sense for Detmold to write the Standard Area when manned, and JHQ to take over at weekends.
As drawdown got under way, I believe that Bruggen took over the 7/24 watch for the Standard Area. Either way, the N German Plain was far from fun for forecasting for low flying. I still bear the scars.
This was produced by the Duty Senior Met man [there were no senior women at that time] in the semi-basement in JHQ. Early each morning the FBS broadcast it at dictation speed, often mangled in the process. It was primarily for AAC use when flying from the many unsupported airfields/ strips/ garrisons/ green fields in N Germany.
In my 3 years I never ever had any feedback. Ever. Thus my faith in accuracy was low.
However, we had the Clutch plus Gutersloh plus Detmold also forecasting for all and any that asked for such, and these did get feedback, especially if their gen was crap.
Detmold in particular, supporting the AAC, had a great deal of contact with army customers and provided a service far better than I could provide from my hole in the ground.
In retrospect it would have made more sense for Detmold to write the Standard Area when manned, and JHQ to take over at weekends.
As drawdown got under way, I believe that Bruggen took over the 7/24 watch for the Standard Area. Either way, the N German Plain was far from fun for forecasting for low flying. I still bear the scars.
Nutloose: appalling statistics.
If readers will indulge a slight historical digression?
Met., like aviation, was in its infancy in 1940. Flyers avoided bad weather [very sensibly] when they could, and in-cloud physical research was minimal. Like the RAF, the Met Office had huge wartime expansion and perforce had to recruit many staff without relevant experience: geographers, physicists, schoolies etc.
Ernest Gann's Fate is the Hunter gives a flavour of wartime flying and poor or non-existent forecasting.
When I joined in 1955 the Office was well into contraction, down from 5000 to about 3000 staff [from memory] and we youngsters with either relevant degrees or three very relevant A Levels could see that the previous generation were a mixed bunch, with too many too senior for their ability.
Unseen by aviation, there was a massive and successful investment in research in my formative years; the old-school were weeded out, in-house teaching improved enormously; the Met. Research Flight [flown by RAF] provided detailed knowledge for some brilliant physicists to study, and a host of empirical aids for the man at the bench were produced.
Those old enough to remember will recall the inability to forecast beyond 24 hours, if that ............... contrast now, when successive generations of super-computers [and super scientists, world-beaters] inspire belief in a forecast for beyond five days.
Even in the war years, the presence of a Met Office on a RAF station was usually seen as an asset: it needed to be, because the total cost ended up as a Defence item in the budget.
No weather forecaster I ever met took the job lightly ....... the job was regarded as too serious a burden for anyone younger than 23 years, and any loss of aircraft or aircrew on "our forecast" was a grievous body blow.
"Whem I'm right no-one remembers, when I'm wrong, no-one forgets"
If readers will indulge a slight historical digression?
Met., like aviation, was in its infancy in 1940. Flyers avoided bad weather [very sensibly] when they could, and in-cloud physical research was minimal. Like the RAF, the Met Office had huge wartime expansion and perforce had to recruit many staff without relevant experience: geographers, physicists, schoolies etc.
Ernest Gann's Fate is the Hunter gives a flavour of wartime flying and poor or non-existent forecasting.
When I joined in 1955 the Office was well into contraction, down from 5000 to about 3000 staff [from memory] and we youngsters with either relevant degrees or three very relevant A Levels could see that the previous generation were a mixed bunch, with too many too senior for their ability.
Unseen by aviation, there was a massive and successful investment in research in my formative years; the old-school were weeded out, in-house teaching improved enormously; the Met. Research Flight [flown by RAF] provided detailed knowledge for some brilliant physicists to study, and a host of empirical aids for the man at the bench were produced.
Those old enough to remember will recall the inability to forecast beyond 24 hours, if that ............... contrast now, when successive generations of super-computers [and super scientists, world-beaters] inspire belief in a forecast for beyond five days.
Even in the war years, the presence of a Met Office on a RAF station was usually seen as an asset: it needed to be, because the total cost ended up as a Defence item in the budget.
No weather forecaster I ever met took the job lightly ....... the job was regarded as too serious a burden for anyone younger than 23 years, and any loss of aircraft or aircrew on "our forecast" was a grievous body blow.
"Whem I'm right no-one remembers, when I'm wrong, no-one forgets"
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I had my first flight in a NF 11. It was the morning weather check prior to air to air gunnery practice and it was customary to give a young 'erk' a trip ( no nav. needed). I remember taking off in thick clag and experiencing a bumpy climb as I clutched the honk bag. Then suddenly we broke into brilliant sunshine and I was captivated by the scene. You never forget your first time!
Gunnery practice went ahead so I presume Met. couldn't tell the height of the cloud tops, hence the weather check.
Gunnery practice went ahead so I presume Met. couldn't tell the height of the cloud tops, hence the weather check.
I am no met expert. Far from it.
But it made a deep impression on me when I read many years ago about Gp Capt James Stagg's team during the run up to D-Day, and in particular the last minute (4th June a.m.) recommendation to postpone and then prepare for a narrow weather window for the 6th June.
When thinking about D-Day since, I've often pondered about the high pressure (sorry) they must have been under and the relief they must have felt when first the bad weather on the 5th and then the window on the 6th duly appeared.
The Weather Forecast That Saved D-Day - History in the Headlines
But it made a deep impression on me when I read many years ago about Gp Capt James Stagg's team during the run up to D-Day, and in particular the last minute (4th June a.m.) recommendation to postpone and then prepare for a narrow weather window for the 6th June.
When thinking about D-Day since, I've often pondered about the high pressure (sorry) they must have been under and the relief they must have felt when first the bad weather on the 5th and then the window on the 6th duly appeared.
The Weather Forecast That Saved D-Day - History in the Headlines
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Met Office, El Adem, 1959, en route south: "Upper winds - would you like the seasonal mean, or the winds found by a Valiant yesterday". Can't remember which we used.
Apologies for the thread-drift.
Apologies for the thread-drift.
I am no met expert. Far from it.
My problem entirely.
And I loved the menu choice at El Adem.
My problem entirely.
And I loved the menu choice at El Adem.
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The met were not blamed indeed there was nothing to indicate there was going to be any problems.
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Talking of bus markings making it easy for the enemy, I remember as a RAFG dependent in the late 1980s being transported on a families outing aboard an olive green bus with a stonking great big British flag painted on the side, right at the height of the IRA campaign against BFG. Didn't seem like a good idea at the time, even to this (then) 12-year old...
During my time in the Commcen at JHQ our exercises involved leaping into our Mobile Commcen vehicles (Leyland Octopus trucks full of teleprinters, transmitters and other paraphernalia) and roaring through sleepy villages to our "Top Secret" location in the Eifel Mountains. It always seemed a bit strange that, in the middle of the forest, attached to a tree, were a couple of Deutche Bundespost telephone junction boxes so that we could conveniently connect to the phone system. I wonder how long it would take for the Russkies to figure out the location of that remote site.
We arrived as a family of six for our second tour in BFG in the summer of 1978, with the IRA well into an indiscriminate bombing campaign.
As no MQ was available [funny old thing] we had perforce to stay in Cassells' House, very near the JHQ NAAFI. Outside sat our brand new shiny car, a VX 2300 Estate.
We had only been in residence a few nights when the mother of all car bombs was discovered 100 yards away in the NAAFI car park. I never found out if it was discovered as a result of a partial detonation, or as a result of belated efficiency by the security people.
Either way, Cassells was evacuated as an emergency to ? Salmond ? House, and in the panic some sh1t damaged our car sitting peacefully at rest.
I think we missed the usual nasi goreng for dinner, but Salmond riustled up some grub. After the bomb was made safe, we were allowed back to Cassells. "The cheese and crackers are still out, but the crackers have gone soft!" ...... my youngest.
Regarding the MQ, we were gazumped for the first allocated one, but the gazumper did us a favour because we clicked for Portadown Way, surely the best and friendliest street [a close, in fact] on the patch.
As no MQ was available [funny old thing] we had perforce to stay in Cassells' House, very near the JHQ NAAFI. Outside sat our brand new shiny car, a VX 2300 Estate.
We had only been in residence a few nights when the mother of all car bombs was discovered 100 yards away in the NAAFI car park. I never found out if it was discovered as a result of a partial detonation, or as a result of belated efficiency by the security people.
Either way, Cassells was evacuated as an emergency to ? Salmond ? House, and in the panic some sh1t damaged our car sitting peacefully at rest.
I think we missed the usual nasi goreng for dinner, but Salmond riustled up some grub. After the bomb was made safe, we were allowed back to Cassells. "The cheese and crackers are still out, but the crackers have gone soft!" ...... my youngest.
Regarding the MQ, we were gazumped for the first allocated one, but the gazumper did us a favour because we clicked for Portadown Way, surely the best and friendliest street [a close, in fact] on the patch.
PIRA changed the way of life in RAFG - I remember all the vehicle searches and issues of Torches and mirrors to all families...I still have a Torch in my Study...
The sight of front doors opening and guys doing underbody searches was quite commonplace for quite a while,
The sight of front doors opening and guys doing underbody searches was quite commonplace for quite a while,
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I think we missed the usual nasi goreng for dinner, but Salmond riustled up some grub. After the bomb was made safe, we were allowed back to Cassells. "The cheese and crackers are still out, but the crackers have gone soft!" ......
Bomb threat at the Leuchars Airshow accomodation (at the Uni) during breakfast, everyone evacuated and leave in an orderly fashion, I pick up my tray with my breakfast on it and walk out to eat it sitting on the grass, the rest of the visiting pilots / crews look on envious and comment" why didn't I do that" as they can see the breakfast they will never eat getting cold on the tables... mine was delicious.
And Night Sun with a massive searchlight peering into every crook and nanny ................ ............