How capable was the Shackleton for ASW?
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: N. Spain
Age: 79
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One late Friday afternoon, the beer call on 8 Sqn was interrupted by a large crash from the hangar. The groundcrew had tried to tow one of the Shackletons out of the hangar but forgot to release the parking brake. They succeeded in pulling off the tailwheel (where the towing arm attached) and dropped the aircraft on its bomb doors (which were open) and tail fins. There was a search around gate guards and museums for the spares.
Can this be true?
An even better one was a minor taxying accident at Kinloss before the move to Lossie - a wing tip was put into the nose of another Shackleton. Now wing tips are/were interchangeable, unfortunately no spare wing tips had been retained. However, on the other side of the runway was the fire dump, with a Mk 1 Shack waiting for the end. Over the weekend it lost a wing tip, the damaged one disappeared and the gash in the nose of the other one had a bit of BDR and paint, and on the Monday morning all were serviceable.
Now back to ASW.
Now back to ASW.
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: North of Watford, South of Watford Gap
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Wasn't the Gate Guard at Scampton in the early '70s 'S' for Sugar (now at Hendon)?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
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Memories are fading but I never forgot this.
In May 67 we went "Westabout" 201sqdn - 2 x Mk3 Ph3's, and having flown across the USA and beyond, we were approaching Honolulu. Our call sign (I think) was "Shackair" something or other, and the ATC controller identified us and asked, Are you an em kay one or an em kay 2?
I always remember the pride in the skippers voice as he answered "We are an MK3!
In May 67 we went "Westabout" 201sqdn - 2 x Mk3 Ph3's, and having flown across the USA and beyond, we were approaching Honolulu. Our call sign (I think) was "Shackair" something or other, and the ATC controller identified us and asked, Are you an em kay one or an em kay 2?
I always remember the pride in the skippers voice as he answered "We are an MK3!
Re :Crashing sounds. I did as a kid (c.1954) witness a Mk2 that had been droning around for hours locally make a spectacular arrival at St.Eval. Something like this .U/c failed to retract due to a cocked tailwheel.After several non-successful cycling efforts, decision then made to burn off fuel down to landing weight.
Nice landing. I didn't know at the time but Haraka Snr. was following down the runway in a land rover,( a.k.a a Trabant PPruNe ?
).
Shackleton hands will well know what happened next.........
Since u/c was still selected "up" ( Oh Dear!)as the cocked tailwheel touched "terra firma" it kicked straight-Shackleton still doing a fair clip. So up come the main wheels and down goes the aeroplane on to its bellly. I do remember well the noise and the sparks!
I gather a later solution involved a crew member and a long pole............
Nice landing. I didn't know at the time but Haraka Snr. was following down the runway in a land rover,( a.k.a a Trabant PPruNe ?
).Shackleton hands will well know what happened next.........
Since u/c was still selected "up" ( Oh Dear!)as the cocked tailwheel touched "terra firma" it kicked straight-Shackleton still doing a fair clip. So up come the main wheels and down goes the aeroplane on to its bellly. I do remember well the noise and the sparks!
I gather a later solution involved a crew member and a long pole............
Last edited by Haraka; 5th Apr 2018 at 08:47.
You mean like this?
]
My tailwheel did not kick straight on landing (a real smoothie) but at least the u/c was not selected UP. And even on the centre line:
]
]
My tailwheel did not kick straight on landing (a real smoothie) but at least the u/c was not selected UP. And even on the centre line:
]
Last edited by Shackman; 5th Apr 2018 at 15:30.
Haraka, KB and CBs' tales of their Shacklebomber times were always of great interest to us as ULAS students!
The range of experience amongst our QFIs was quite something; sadly that isn't the case these days
.
Off to WW again this Saturday, will raise a cup of coffee (I'm driving) to our memories of those days!
The range of experience amongst our QFIs was quite something; sadly that isn't the case these days
.Off to WW again this Saturday, will raise a cup of coffee (I'm driving) to our memories of those days!
BEAGS: It was only when we got out into the Service at large that we apppreciated just what these guys had given us:
Even: " He's zooming along in his PR9 ,having a PHENOMENAL time!!! "
This"superfit"guy was conned into believing that I was a Southern U.K.Squash Chanpion ."Who would always deny it"
Yeah ,Thanks Guys.
Even: " He's zooming along in his PR9 ,having a PHENOMENAL time!!! "
This"superfit"guy was conned into believing that I was a Southern U.K.Squash Chanpion ."Who would always deny it"
Yeah ,Thanks Guys.
Actually he was "Creamin' along in his PR9, having a fee-no-meenal time!".
Caught up with him again at Chivenor on the Hawk some 15 years later and he didn't look a day older!
From memory, our QFIs had flown the Belvedere, Beverley, Canberra B(I)8, Canberra PR9, Hunter, Seafire, Shackleton, Victor - as well as various Training Command aircraft from Tiger Moth to Vampire T11 to Varsity.
Their tales of Shacklebomber times were rather more interesting than most. Although one did admit that the reason he'd been posted to Chipmunks was after having slept through a V-force alert when his wife hadn't woken him up - and when he went into work the next day he found that all the aircraft had deployed to their Strike Force Dispersal aerodromes....
Caught up with him again at Chivenor on the Hawk some 15 years later and he didn't look a day older!
From memory, our QFIs had flown the Belvedere, Beverley, Canberra B(I)8, Canberra PR9, Hunter, Seafire, Shackleton, Victor - as well as various Training Command aircraft from Tiger Moth to Vampire T11 to Varsity.
Their tales of Shacklebomber times were rather more interesting than most. Although one did admit that the reason he'd been posted to Chipmunks was after having slept through a V-force alert when his wife hadn't woken him up - and when he went into work the next day he found that all the aircraft had deployed to their Strike Force Dispersal aerodromes....
Last edited by BEagle; 5th Apr 2018 at 21:40.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Bombing?
I did 3 or 4 famil trips over the years and recall filling in the transit hours by bombing the North Sea ferries. One person in the nose giving the “Now, now, NOW” countdown, another dropping a raw egg down the chute and another doing the scoring.
Not sure if we ever hit anything, but it must have confused the passengers.....
I did 3 or 4 famil trips over the years and recall filling in the transit hours by bombing the North Sea ferries. One person in the nose giving the “Now, now, NOW” countdown, another dropping a raw egg down the chute and another doing the scoring.
Not sure if we ever hit anything, but it must have confused the passengers.....
Pilot Bombing - 100ft, 160 kts - all part of monthly training, using 8½ lb break up bombs dropped in pairs 100 ft apart to simulate a stick of depth charges. Used against a towed target (usually by marine craft), with a lookout in the tail to give you a score; ideally 50/50 zero line - a straddle - but anything within (IIRC) 80/20 and 15, as the 'kill' radius of the standard DC was not very large. It was also part of your annual cat exam - no misses allowed. Add in a burst from the 20mm Hispanos in the nose and it got quite exciting!!
Nav Bombing - 500ft, 160 kts, 1 bomb against stationary target such as radar buoy or marker marine/flame float, simulating a torpedo drop on to a datum. All done day or night, night with the added excitement of flares firing on the run in and photo-flashes (nasty things) going off afterwards.
Nav Bombing - 500ft, 160 kts, 1 bomb against stationary target such as radar buoy or marker marine/flame float, simulating a torpedo drop on to a datum. All done day or night, night with the added excitement of flares firing on the run in and photo-flashes (nasty things) going off afterwards.
Tail wheels
When I was on 204 at Ballykelly in 66/7?, we were delivered of 2 Mk 2 phase 3 Shacks. During the compass swing outside the Sqn buildings, the driver of the tug pulled the tailwheel off one of the new Shacks. So it could easily happened in Lossie as well.
and hecopleter were words of their time after a couple of mis-prints in AP129.
"delete hicopleter, insert heciplopter"
"They" did get it right the next time.
Sorry - some of us are showing our age!