Lightning beat up of RAFC graduation parade
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Lightning beat up of RAFC graduation parade
Good Morning.
i know that there was a well remembered low flypast by an F4 with hats blown off etc. I am now hearing about an alleged 50ft flypast on one engine and supersonic (?) by a Lightning! I doubt any such event occurred - does anyone know differently, please?
i know that there was a well remembered low flypast by an F4 with hats blown off etc. I am now hearing about an alleged 50ft flypast on one engine and supersonic (?) by a Lightning! I doubt any such event occurred - does anyone know differently, please?
Surely any pilot with an engine out who's not on his way to a diversion airfield is a moron? Surely any pilot who presses on with a flypast of the public under such conditions is a criminal? So no, not too likely, I'm thinking.
CG
CG
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What he said!
The scenario is beyond stupid.
The scenario is beyond stupid.
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Why would a Lightning with one engine out be on its way to a diversion? To fly on one engine was a recognized way to save fuel when flying at low level.
I agree though that such an event is unlikely to have taken place.
I agree though that such an event is unlikely to have taken place.
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Thus cancelling out the hypothetical “50ft and supersonic” ... ??? Those last 2 parameters (certainly the second) seem incredible. The latter would have caused so much damage that a CM would have been inevitable. The former? Well, it was different in those days, but even so!
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
I’ve had one over my head below 50ft transonic........
Sometime in 1984 at Staxton Wold and the mayoress of Scarborough was paying a visit. Sqn Ldr Ops asks if we can arrange a flypast and, as luck would have it, we had a singleton Lightning whose playmate had cancelled. So I asked if he could do a pass in about 15 minutes.
“Who for?”, he asked - “gold chain job from Scarborough”, says I. “OK”,says he.
So I let the boss know, tell him is clear in at his own discretion VFR and I am going off frequency to watch and rush out of R12 down into the grass in the middle of the site.
OC and Sqn Ldr Ops (Taff Leyland) along with mayoress join me and we watch the sky to the east and a dot comes into sight, silent and dropping.
“He’s fast”, I say to Taff. “About 450kts?”, says Taff. “No, fast”, says I.
He dropped over the fence, about 10ft high, at the front of the site with shock waves over the wing and rotated about 50yds in front of use. All of us went flying across the grass from the pressure wave, as did all the dustbins, fire extinguishers and everything else loose on the site - and we lay there watching him do twinkle rolls as he shot skywards.
The mayoress thought it was brilliant......
Sometime in 1984 at Staxton Wold and the mayoress of Scarborough was paying a visit. Sqn Ldr Ops asks if we can arrange a flypast and, as luck would have it, we had a singleton Lightning whose playmate had cancelled. So I asked if he could do a pass in about 15 minutes.
“Who for?”, he asked - “gold chain job from Scarborough”, says I. “OK”,says he.
So I let the boss know, tell him is clear in at his own discretion VFR and I am going off frequency to watch and rush out of R12 down into the grass in the middle of the site.
OC and Sqn Ldr Ops (Taff Leyland) along with mayoress join me and we watch the sky to the east and a dot comes into sight, silent and dropping.
“He’s fast”, I say to Taff. “About 450kts?”, says Taff. “No, fast”, says I.
He dropped over the fence, about 10ft high, at the front of the site with shock waves over the wing and rotated about 50yds in front of use. All of us went flying across the grass from the pressure wave, as did all the dustbins, fire extinguishers and everything else loose on the site - and we lay there watching him do twinkle rolls as he shot skywards.
The mayoress thought it was brilliant......
Last edited by ORAC; 26th May 2018 at 18:41.
ORAC... brilliant, don't mean to be pedantic but it must have been Staxton Wold. I can see the world's oldest operational radar station from my house in Scarborough. Can anyone arrange a repeat performance, it doesn't have to be a Lightning... and let me know...; )
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Reminds me of the TGTBT, but actually true, tale from the early 1960s at Holloman...
In those far distant days, the FAA was actually thinking that supersonic transports might be allowed to boom overland. Part of the research into this was the construction of a movie-set "boom town" at Holloman, where the effects of the boom on people in structures could be assessed. Naturally the FAA wanted the Gentlemen of the Press to witness this, so a trip and briefing was organized and booms were laid down from high altitude.
BOOORRIIING, said the TV folks and snappers. So a flypast was arranged while, indoors, the wrap-up briefing went on.
Whose idea was it to get an F-104 to do the flyby? I mean, it's a fast and slippery airplane, and a hotshot jet pilot concentrating on his altitude might not pay enough attention to the Machmet....
KABOOOM! The snapper from Time captures the jet behind a cloud of plate glass. In the briefing room, a heavy glass ashtray jumps off the table beside the briefer and explodes on the floor.
The FAA still bans commercial supersonic flight, outright, no exceptions.
In those far distant days, the FAA was actually thinking that supersonic transports might be allowed to boom overland. Part of the research into this was the construction of a movie-set "boom town" at Holloman, where the effects of the boom on people in structures could be assessed. Naturally the FAA wanted the Gentlemen of the Press to witness this, so a trip and briefing was organized and booms were laid down from high altitude.
BOOORRIIING, said the TV folks and snappers. So a flypast was arranged while, indoors, the wrap-up briefing went on.
Whose idea was it to get an F-104 to do the flyby? I mean, it's a fast and slippery airplane, and a hotshot jet pilot concentrating on his altitude might not pay enough attention to the Machmet....
KABOOOM! The snapper from Time captures the jet behind a cloud of plate glass. In the briefing room, a heavy glass ashtray jumps off the table beside the briefer and explodes on the floor.
The FAA still bans commercial supersonic flight, outright, no exceptions.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
George, there was a Thud trial, same period, to investigate sonic booms as a kill or disabling mechanism. It was determined that it would need an overbought at 5 feet to be fully effective. Against standing troops it would have been lethal 
but at some risk to the little pinky in the Thud.
but at some risk to the little pinky in the Thud.
SOF
George, there was a Thud trial, same period, to investigate sonic booms as a kill or disabling mechanism. It was determined that it would need an overbought at 5 feet to be fully effective. Against standing troops it would have been lethal but at some risk to the little pinky in the Thud.
but at some risk to the little pinky in the Thud.
In 1973/4, I was doing my post-University Officer Training at RAFC. Weather, serviceability and other factors had delayed training, so a lot of people were rather dispirited by the whole Towers nause.
So 'they' decided that some motivation was needed and arranged for a Lightning to come over for a practice diversion. I well recall how it did so and the impressive hot streak burner light up as it went around ('overshot' in those days), accelerated to warp several and disappeared upwards....
A Vulcan was also asked to make an appearance; I was peering out of the College Hall ante room window and saw this smoke belching monster climbing at a very impressive angle before a wingover directly over the College. I gather that the grown ups weren't very happy about that and Words Were Had. But to us it looked great!
Whereas nowadays all you're likely to see at Towers is a Plastic Pig or perhaps a toy bizjet..
So 'they' decided that some motivation was needed and arranged for a Lightning to come over for a practice diversion. I well recall how it did so and the impressive hot streak burner light up as it went around ('overshot' in those days), accelerated to warp several and disappeared upwards....
A Vulcan was also asked to make an appearance; I was peering out of the College Hall ante room window and saw this smoke belching monster climbing at a very impressive angle before a wingover directly over the College. I gather that the grown ups weren't very happy about that and Words Were Had. But to us it looked great!
Whereas nowadays all you're likely to see at Towers is a Plastic Pig or perhaps a toy bizjet..
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There was an incident at Fawlty Towers in the early Lighting days, a pilot (BJ) was accused of blowing out some windows in the tower. At the subsequent grilling the only witness for the prosecution was a retired Wg Cdr who I believe was the college librarian. It turned out he didn't see the deed, only heard it, case dismissed.
ORAC - more successful than farewell flypast for OC Ops (John...., last Branch Officer wg cdr) at Neat in about 85, when the Lightning called he was pulling up between the towers - trouble was it was Bacton gas terminal, not Neatishead.
George, there was a Thud trial, same period, to investigate sonic booms as a kill or disabling mechanism. It was determined that it would need an overbought at 5 feet to be fully effective. Against standing troops it would have been lethal but at some risk to the little pinky in the Thud.
but at some risk to the little pinky in the Thud.Join Date: Jun 2011
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No 92 or 93 IOT (1986) Graduation Parade had a Lightning flypast . It passed over the parade East to West then pulled a 270 and headed straight for CHOM. As the support sqn we were able to brace slightly by moving the left foot forward. Of course the gathered multitude had no idea what was going on behind them and the first they knew was went the aircraft went vertical right above their heads and disappeared out of sight. A number of seats needed to be dried out after the parade.
I’ve had one over my head below 50ft transonic........
Sometime in 1984 at Staxton Wold and the mayoress of Scarborough was paying a visit. Sqn Ldr Ops asks if we can arrange a flypast and, as luck would have it, we had a singleton Lightning whose playmate had cancelled. So I asked if he could do a pass in about 15 minutes.
“Who for?”, he asked - “gold chain job from Scarborough”, says I. “OK”,says he.
So I let the boss know, tell him is clear in at his own discretion VFR and I am going off frequency to watch and rush out of R12 down into the grass in the middle of the site.
OC and Sqn Ldr Ops (Taff Leyland) along with mayoress join me and we watch the sky to the east and a dot comes into sight, silent and dropping.
“He’s fast”, I say to Taff. “About 450kts?”, says Taff. “No, fast”, says I.
He dropped over the fence, about 10ft high, at the front of the site with shock waves over the wing and rotated about 50yds in front of use. All of us went flying across the grass from the pressure wave, as did all the dustbins, fire extinguishers and everything else loose on the site - and we lay there watching him do twinkle rolls as he shot skywards.
The mayoress thought it was brilliant......
Sometime in 1984 at Staxton Wold and the mayoress of Scarborough was paying a visit. Sqn Ldr Ops asks if we can arrange a flypast and, as luck would have it, we had a singleton Lightning whose playmate had cancelled. So I asked if he could do a pass in about 15 minutes.
“Who for?”, he asked - “gold chain job from Scarborough”, says I. “OK”,says he.
So I let the boss know, tell him is clear in at his own discretion VFR and I am going off frequency to watch and rush out of R12 down into the grass in the middle of the site.
OC and Sqn Ldr Ops (Taff Leyland) along with mayoress join me and we watch the sky to the east and a dot comes into sight, silent and dropping.
“He’s fast”, I say to Taff. “About 450kts?”, says Taff. “No, fast”, says I.
He dropped over the fence, about 10ft high, at the front of the site with shock waves over the wing and rotated about 50yds in front of use. All of us went flying across the grass from the pressure wave, as did all the dustbins, fire extinguishers and everything else loose on the site - and we lay there watching him do twinkle rolls as he shot skywards.
The mayoress thought it was brilliant......
Mmmm - I'm nursing a semi
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93IOT had the Lightning flypast. Fast, loud & awesome of course. Returned & went ballistic as slow marched into the Rotunda with the domed tower amplifying the lung shaker. Ecstasy lol.