RAF Careers Vulcan / Victor Films 1970's?
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RAF Careers Vulcan / Victor Films 1970's?
Afternoon All
Back in the 1970's I went to one of the airshows at RAF Waddington. Where in one of the tech bays they were showing Where The Big Birds Fly, about a Vulcan and it's crew operating out of Waddington in Goose Bay Canada. I know of Flight 618 about a Vulcan flying out of Waddington to Cyprus, and 617 The Last Days of Vulcan Squadron. Does anyone know of any other films from that era about the Vulcan or Victor.
Cheers ( Vulcan Nut!! )
Glider 90
Back in the 1970's I went to one of the airshows at RAF Waddington. Where in one of the tech bays they were showing Where The Big Birds Fly, about a Vulcan and it's crew operating out of Waddington in Goose Bay Canada. I know of Flight 618 about a Vulcan flying out of Waddington to Cyprus, and 617 The Last Days of Vulcan Squadron. Does anyone know of any other films from that era about the Vulcan or Victor.
Cheers ( Vulcan Nut!! )
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Delta8-3. Thirty minute film shot by United Artists at Waddington in early 1960 which follows a Vulcan crew through training - lots of shots of White Vulcans of 230 OCU and 83 Sqn. Probably used as a "B" feature at the time. Its available on an RAF "collection" DVD and most likely on U-Tube.
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Classic British Jets includes all three V bombers:
You can also buy and download Pilot's Notes and Service Manuals:
HANDLEY PAGE VICTOR - Flight Manuals
There are also the RAF - Unseen Film series:
How much these are similar to Wensleydale's DVD I don't know. The 1964-60 one contains a clip about servicing a Vulcan, and the 1960-61 has a Vulcan at Waddington, XA-911, with the training of a new crew (Just checked this and I think it is the same as Wensleydale's). There's also a Valiant flight over Africa which includes inflight refuelling.
There's also 'Look at Life Vol 2: Military:
This has one nine minute film of our nuclear deterrents and shows a Victor scramble and a Vulcan take off and landing, along with a bit about the Thor missile.
You can also buy and download Pilot's Notes and Service Manuals:
HANDLEY PAGE VICTOR - Flight Manuals
There are also the RAF - Unseen Film series:
How much these are similar to Wensleydale's DVD I don't know. The 1964-60 one contains a clip about servicing a Vulcan, and the 1960-61 has a Vulcan at Waddington, XA-911, with the training of a new crew (Just checked this and I think it is the same as Wensleydale's). There's also a Valiant flight over Africa which includes inflight refuelling.
There's also 'Look at Life Vol 2: Military:
This has one nine minute film of our nuclear deterrents and shows a Victor scramble and a Vulcan take off and landing, along with a bit about the Thor missile.
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Looking at the picture of the QRA car.....this excerpt is from "Vulcan Boys" .....QRA at its finest.
Practice call-outs by day and night were a regular feature of life on QRA, providing brief moments of excitement during an otherwise dull period of duty. A service vehicle, often of humble origins, provided transport for a Vulcan crew sitting alert on QRA to its nuclear armed aircraft on alpha dispersal. During my time at Waddington the QRA wagons were changed or upgraded a number of times. The requirements were modest: it had to start without difficulty, accommodate a Vulcan crew of five with all their flying kit, sport a flashing blue light to distinguish it from more mundane road traffic and be capable of covering the short distances to the waiting aircraft. A number of vehicles were assigned to QRA crews, the most memorable of which was an ancient mini-van known as the Morris J2.
What the J2 lacked in elegance it more than made up for in temperament. The J2 could have been British Leyland’s answer to the ubiquitous VW camper van but for two small flaws; firstly, the woefully undersized engine was notoriously reluctant to start, even in a summer heatwave it could be coaxed into life only with difficulty; in cold wet weather it was a toss-up whether the starter motor or the battery would give up the unequal struggle first, leaving the frustrated crew no option but run for the aircraft as best they could. The second trifling imperfection lay with the J2’s column mounted gear change. These vehicles endured a hard life in the sometimes uncaring hands of RAF drivers and the older the vehicle became, the more imprecise was the selection of its 3 forward gears. As the linkage became worn, first and second gears would become increasingly difficult to engage, leaving the driver with the option of either kangarooing uncertainly forward in third or ignominiously in reverse. I have an enduring memory of a particular QRA exercise which required us to board the aircraft, start up and taxi to the runway threshold, as close as we ever got to a practise scramble. As we ran out of the QRA hut, I caught sight of 50 Squadron’s van lurching towards the dispersal in a cloud of blue smoke and a series of hesitant leaps. As we drove off in pursuit, I noticed 101 Squadron’s van motionless in its parking slot, its blue light flashing in anticipation, and anxious faces peering out of the windows: eventually it must have coughed into life because soon afterwards we were treated to the bizarre spectacle of their J2 accelerating away rapidly in reverse, weaving an uncertain path backwards to the waiting aircraft.
Practice call-outs by day and night were a regular feature of life on QRA, providing brief moments of excitement during an otherwise dull period of duty. A service vehicle, often of humble origins, provided transport for a Vulcan crew sitting alert on QRA to its nuclear armed aircraft on alpha dispersal. During my time at Waddington the QRA wagons were changed or upgraded a number of times. The requirements were modest: it had to start without difficulty, accommodate a Vulcan crew of five with all their flying kit, sport a flashing blue light to distinguish it from more mundane road traffic and be capable of covering the short distances to the waiting aircraft. A number of vehicles were assigned to QRA crews, the most memorable of which was an ancient mini-van known as the Morris J2.
What the J2 lacked in elegance it more than made up for in temperament. The J2 could have been British Leyland’s answer to the ubiquitous VW camper van but for two small flaws; firstly, the woefully undersized engine was notoriously reluctant to start, even in a summer heatwave it could be coaxed into life only with difficulty; in cold wet weather it was a toss-up whether the starter motor or the battery would give up the unequal struggle first, leaving the frustrated crew no option but run for the aircraft as best they could. The second trifling imperfection lay with the J2’s column mounted gear change. These vehicles endured a hard life in the sometimes uncaring hands of RAF drivers and the older the vehicle became, the more imprecise was the selection of its 3 forward gears. As the linkage became worn, first and second gears would become increasingly difficult to engage, leaving the driver with the option of either kangarooing uncertainly forward in third or ignominiously in reverse. I have an enduring memory of a particular QRA exercise which required us to board the aircraft, start up and taxi to the runway threshold, as close as we ever got to a practise scramble. As we ran out of the QRA hut, I caught sight of 50 Squadron’s van lurching towards the dispersal in a cloud of blue smoke and a series of hesitant leaps. As we drove off in pursuit, I noticed 101 Squadron’s van motionless in its parking slot, its blue light flashing in anticipation, and anxious faces peering out of the windows: eventually it must have coughed into life because soon afterwards we were treated to the bizarre spectacle of their J2 accelerating away rapidly in reverse, weaving an uncertain path backwards to the waiting aircraft.
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Ah, Wensleydale, the unloved and unlamented J2. I drove one from Uxbridge to Bisley with a load of 'scrap' carpet for the RAF Clubhouse. Thanks to the shift of CofG, the front tyres were barely gripping the road surface. Ghastly invention!
Although I did engineer a swap with the Waddington Fire Section ... our SWB Landrover for their J2. Much more suited for our needs (i.e. laying out a pile of emergency lighting before night flying) with the rear seats removed, instead of having to tow a damn trailer full of them everywhere. Easier for the WRAF to access and drive as well.
Although I did engineer a swap with the Waddington Fire Section ... our SWB Landrover for their J2. Much more suited for our needs (i.e. laying out a pile of emergency lighting before night flying) with the rear seats removed, instead of having to tow a damn trailer full of them everywhere. Easier for the WRAF to access and drive as well.
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The J2 and the RVT shared the same chassis and working parts. The cry was "Keep stirring - you'll find one in a minute!".
When I did QRA at Waddington in the sixties, the crews arrived from their luxurious accommodations in the Operations Building in standard crew buses driven by WRAF drivers. We would dash out from the ground crew's "Gypsy Caravan" encampment [AKA "Midgeley's Marauders"] and arrive at the aircraft slightly before them.
When I did QRA at Waddington in the sixties, the crews arrived from their luxurious accommodations in the Operations Building in standard crew buses driven by WRAF drivers. We would dash out from the ground crew's "Gypsy Caravan" encampment [AKA "Midgeley's Marauders"] and arrive at the aircraft slightly before them.
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As an aside - here is another small snippet from Vulcan Boys (A useful book for Dining in Night stories etc). Remember the joys of TACEVAL? This was Waddington's first.........
Waddington’s first Taceval began, as most no-notice exercises did, with the Station siren being sounded at four o’clock in the morning. The well promulgated and familiar recall plus aircraft generation procedures swung into action; station personnel, suitably dressed attended to their well-practised drills and aircrew assembled to be paired with an aircraft.
One significant difference between Waddington and other V bomber main bases was that the nuclear weapon storage area lay on the Eastern side of the A15 Lincoln to Sleaford road, separated from the rest of the base by this busy main road. Thus, at the point in the exercise when nuclear weapons were loaded onto an aircraft, the nuclear convoys had to cross the A15 under traffic light control exercised by Air Traffic Control at the other side of the airfield.
Some three hours into the exercise, aircraft generation was well advanced and aircrews were at either 15 minutes’ readiness, combat ready checking aircraft, or in the squadron buildings awaiting allocation. My crew was in the 44 Squadron offices which had a view across to the perimeter track from the hangar to ATC, and we noticed that visibility was beginning to deteriorate. I decided to walk across to operations for a few moments and left the squadron. When I entered the front hall of the operations block, which was empty, I noticed an official publication lying unattended on a table. The document was entitled “Waddington Taceval – Incident List” and classified “Taceval Team Eyes Only”. I retrieved the book, entered ops, and asked to see the Station Commander who was in the Control Centre, known as “The Bridge”: I was admitted and offered the book to the Station Commander for safe keeping which he accepted. I then returned to the Squadron but on the way noticed that visibility was now down to about half a mile. Shortly thereafter the order came to cease further weapon loading.
At this point, it should be explained that a weapons convoy consisted of a police Landrover with armed escort; a weapons trailer drawn by a tractor followed by a second Landrover, also with armed escort. I must also add that the Station Commander’s wife owned a horse and donkey, which were stabled on the south side of the airfield. The route from the Station Commander’s house to the stables was across the road between married quarters and station via the guardroom, straight between the hangers to the perimeter track which was then followed along the waterfront, past the Ops building and continuing clockwise over the runway threshold and then via the point where the weapons convoys crossed the A15. The station commander’s wife drove a grey VW Beetle.
Within a few minutes, visibility had dropped to less than 100 metres. Looking out of the Squadron offices we could just see the peritrack but nothing more. To our surprize we then saw a weapons convoy pass the offices consisting of a lead Landrover, a weapons tractor and trailer, a grey VW Beetle and a second Landrover with the escort climbing out and advancing upon the Beetle with weapons drawn. The Station Commander’s wife was arrested and taken to the guardroom. She was a feisty lady with something of a fierce reputation.
The NCO in charge of the guardroom reported the incident up the chain of command and OC Ops informed the Station Commander who consulted his newly acquired incident list! He sent word back down the line to continue treating the incident as part of the exercise. Not long elapsed before the NCO in charge of the guardroom again raised the issue with higher authority as the prisoner was demanding to speak to the station commander in person, and would not take “no” for an answer. Eventually, OC Security Squadron, having secured the nuclear weapon problem, attained access to the Station Commander and pleaded for his wife’s release as it was causing more problems for his squadron than the rest of the exercise put together. The Station Commander approved her release after some two hours of custody. He was an extremely brave man!
Waddington’s first Taceval began, as most no-notice exercises did, with the Station siren being sounded at four o’clock in the morning. The well promulgated and familiar recall plus aircraft generation procedures swung into action; station personnel, suitably dressed attended to their well-practised drills and aircrew assembled to be paired with an aircraft.
One significant difference between Waddington and other V bomber main bases was that the nuclear weapon storage area lay on the Eastern side of the A15 Lincoln to Sleaford road, separated from the rest of the base by this busy main road. Thus, at the point in the exercise when nuclear weapons were loaded onto an aircraft, the nuclear convoys had to cross the A15 under traffic light control exercised by Air Traffic Control at the other side of the airfield.
Some three hours into the exercise, aircraft generation was well advanced and aircrews were at either 15 minutes’ readiness, combat ready checking aircraft, or in the squadron buildings awaiting allocation. My crew was in the 44 Squadron offices which had a view across to the perimeter track from the hangar to ATC, and we noticed that visibility was beginning to deteriorate. I decided to walk across to operations for a few moments and left the squadron. When I entered the front hall of the operations block, which was empty, I noticed an official publication lying unattended on a table. The document was entitled “Waddington Taceval – Incident List” and classified “Taceval Team Eyes Only”. I retrieved the book, entered ops, and asked to see the Station Commander who was in the Control Centre, known as “The Bridge”: I was admitted and offered the book to the Station Commander for safe keeping which he accepted. I then returned to the Squadron but on the way noticed that visibility was now down to about half a mile. Shortly thereafter the order came to cease further weapon loading.
At this point, it should be explained that a weapons convoy consisted of a police Landrover with armed escort; a weapons trailer drawn by a tractor followed by a second Landrover, also with armed escort. I must also add that the Station Commander’s wife owned a horse and donkey, which were stabled on the south side of the airfield. The route from the Station Commander’s house to the stables was across the road between married quarters and station via the guardroom, straight between the hangers to the perimeter track which was then followed along the waterfront, past the Ops building and continuing clockwise over the runway threshold and then via the point where the weapons convoys crossed the A15. The station commander’s wife drove a grey VW Beetle.
Within a few minutes, visibility had dropped to less than 100 metres. Looking out of the Squadron offices we could just see the peritrack but nothing more. To our surprize we then saw a weapons convoy pass the offices consisting of a lead Landrover, a weapons tractor and trailer, a grey VW Beetle and a second Landrover with the escort climbing out and advancing upon the Beetle with weapons drawn. The Station Commander’s wife was arrested and taken to the guardroom. She was a feisty lady with something of a fierce reputation.
The NCO in charge of the guardroom reported the incident up the chain of command and OC Ops informed the Station Commander who consulted his newly acquired incident list! He sent word back down the line to continue treating the incident as part of the exercise. Not long elapsed before the NCO in charge of the guardroom again raised the issue with higher authority as the prisoner was demanding to speak to the station commander in person, and would not take “no” for an answer. Eventually, OC Security Squadron, having secured the nuclear weapon problem, attained access to the Station Commander and pleaded for his wife’s release as it was causing more problems for his squadron than the rest of the exercise put together. The Station Commander approved her release after some two hours of custody. He was an extremely brave man!
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What's the film in the bomb bay of the Cosford Vulcan that plays all day.
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Wensleydale, your #10. Indeed the "Fog of War" ... i had a similar scenario in the early 80s at Waddington.
Exercise under way, Wing generating energetically, and the Stn Cdr is safe in the Ops Bunker. Just one snag ... dense fog descended, the type that only Lincolnshire seems able to produce. So, the convoys start moving from the ESA, and of course once moving they must NOT be stopped. But where are they? I ended up, on Storno on the Police channel, doing a distorted version of Local ATC with calls like "Have you passed the PAR yet?", and "The next convoy clear to leave the ESA.".
The Stn Cdr called me and asked why things were going so slowly. I gave him an informal summary of the weather conditions ... nobody can see ANYTHING out there!
Exercise under way, Wing generating energetically, and the Stn Cdr is safe in the Ops Bunker. Just one snag ... dense fog descended, the type that only Lincolnshire seems able to produce. So, the convoys start moving from the ESA, and of course once moving they must NOT be stopped. But where are they? I ended up, on Storno on the Police channel, doing a distorted version of Local ATC with calls like "Have you passed the PAR yet?", and "The next convoy clear to leave the ESA.".
The Stn Cdr called me and asked why things were going so slowly. I gave him an informal summary of the weather conditions ... nobody can see ANYTHING out there!
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As I stated in the posts above - they were excerpts, taken from the book "Vulcan Boys" and not mine. The book gives the names of the people involved, but I chose not to include that information here in accordance with PPrunE rules. (I wasn't even a Vulcan chap).
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The Morris J2 in Minibus or RVT guise, could provide a separate thread with 'war stories' for a decade or two.
I had 4 years 'experience' of fighting the RVT beasts at Marham.
The dreaded gearshift often gave the driver only the odd or even numbered gears, refusing to shift in the opposite direction. If it wouldn't shift into the 2nd and 4th, it also meant no reverse! If this was the case, a warning was usually left on the steering wheel, indicating that one shouldn't park nose up to a wall.
I had 4 years 'experience' of fighting the RVT beasts at Marham.
The dreaded gearshift often gave the driver only the odd or even numbered gears, refusing to shift in the opposite direction. If it wouldn't shift into the 2nd and 4th, it also meant no reverse! If this was the case, a warning was usually left on the steering wheel, indicating that one shouldn't park nose up to a wall.