Transport Command 1961
My earliest recollection of flying, actually my second ever flight, was an Argosy from khormaksar to Mombasa. I vaguely recall being allowed to look thru an observation window which i think may have been under the nose/cockpit area in an access panel/door ? The view was of pyramids along the Nile in Sudan. It seemed we had to fly a rather odd route due to diplomatic clearances (lack of) from countries who had the nerve to object to our colonial policies. How very dare they !
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Anglian.
The route to Mombasa was over Somalia Ethiopia and Kenya from Khormaksar. Without dip clearance it was mostly out over the Indian Ocean. I never went to Mombasa by way of Sudan.
The route to Mombasa was over Somalia Ethiopia and Kenya from Khormaksar. Without dip clearance it was mostly out over the Indian Ocean. I never went to Mombasa by way of Sudan.
Edit: If we flew over Ethiopia, then that would most probably be where the pyramids were. Ethiopia is the land of Kush. Incidentally, Sudan has many more pyramids than Egypt, from the Nubian Dynasty.
Last edited by AnglianAV8R; 29th Oct 2019 at 19:25.
I believe the name Whispering Giant came about after a demo flypast, possibly at Farnborough where the run in was made a high power then for the flypast of the crowd they reduced to flight idle so it would sound very quiet!
Whispering Giant
When I was on 99 Sqn (1959 - 1963) we initially titled our Britannia's 'Whimpering Giants' because of the engine troubles suffered at the beginning of their service. ISTR mods were made by Bristol to the engines and afterwards the modded engines were relatively trouble free.
When I was on 99 Sqn (1959 - 1963) we initially titled our Britannia's 'Whimpering Giants' because of the engine troubles suffered at the beginning of their service. ISTR mods were made by Bristol to the engines and afterwards the modded engines were relatively trouble free.
1961 - the year my dad finished his final flying tour, as 2i/c of the Transport Command Examining Unit at RAF Benson. I shall be sending him the linky - he still enjoys Silver Surfing t'interweb at 96 (even if he will have to turn the sound way past 11 - years of flying the North Star on exchange with the RCAF did for his hearing. Something to do with the propellers being exactly in line with the cockpit, he thinks).
T&B -- props could well be your dad's downfall. When visiting New Zealand in 2001 I was invited to an aircrew reunion at which no participant was under 77 and many were deaf. The latter were ex-Catalina pilots who explained they had spent hundreds of hours only a few feet below the prop tips -- plus the pair of Twin Wasps which drove them. The reunion chit-chat was almost as noisy despite their hearing aids ... I felt privileged to meet such a wonderful bunch of people.
Prop noise and the Britannia brings to mind my only flight in one. Sept '67 Coningsby to Akrotiri on 6 Sqdn's first Phantom MPC. Found myself allocated a seat in line with a blanked-out window...
Mind you, the flight out was considerably quieter and more comfortable than the Herc flight back.
Pardon?
Mind you, the flight out was considerably quieter and more comfortable than the Herc flight back.
Pardon?
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My earliest recollection of flying, actually my second ever flight, was an Argosy from khormaksar to Mombasa. I vaguely recall being allowed to look thru an observation window which i think may have been under the nose/cockpit area in an access panel/door ? The view was of pyramids along the Nile in Sudan. It seemed we had to fly a rather odd route due to diplomatic clearances (lack of) from countries who had the nerve to object to our colonial policies. How very dare they !
On 99 Entry RAFC Cranwell, we had 2 trips to Germany in 1968/69; one was a week with BAOR and the other was for King Rock '69.
First trip - out by Britannia, back by Comet 4
Second trip - out by VC10, back by Belfast
The variety of Air Support Command in those days! All legs were very comfortable and infinitely better than being stuck in the bowels of an Albert.
First trip - out by Britannia, back by Comet 4
Second trip - out by VC10, back by Belfast
The variety of Air Support Command in those days! All legs were very comfortable and infinitely better than being stuck in the bowels of an Albert.
As a Rockape I went out to Laarbruch by Britt to take part in the Nijmegen marches. I remember going up front when the aircraft was on the ground and thinking "this has got to be a better job than charging around Catterick Moors getting soaking wet and freezing", and I think I can date my decision to apply for nav training to that occasion. Never got onto Britts though, although I had several longer trips in them including in a British Eagle trooping flight from Heathrow to Paya Lebar, Singapore via Kuwait and Columbo. Just over 24 hours as I recall.
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TTN ... yes, my posting to Tengah also involved an endless day by British Eagle, albeit with slightly different routing. Only comfort was being sat next to a nurse being posted there too!
Now, I have a Britannia recollection as an ATCO, that the prop/ground clearance was so limited we had to remove taxiway snow-flags. 10” springs to mind.
1. Am I now old and stupid? or 2. Was that the case?
Now, I have a Britannia recollection as an ATCO, that the prop/ground clearance was so limited we had to remove taxiway snow-flags. 10” springs to mind.
1. Am I now old and stupid? or 2. Was that the case?
11:30: "The island is six and a half miles long and ten miles wide"; be still, my inner pedant! 
Re Post #3, at 3:50, that was a Canadian Navigator. In the 80s/90s 47 Sqn always had one on exchange, but I have no idea to which Sqn this one would have belonged.
Re Post #3, at 3:50, that was a Canadian Navigator. In the 80s/90s 47 Sqn always had one on exchange, but I have no idea to which Sqn this one would have belonged.
Last edited by Vasco Sodcat; 1st Nov 2019 at 16:09. Reason: Clarity
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Britannia props
Yes indeed MPN11, the Brit's props did run rather close to the ground, rendering them prone to slight damage from pebbles or other objects. Such damage could usually be dressed out without problem, but loose grass clippings were another matter being quite a nuisance during the mowing season. Stirred up by the props and subsequently ingested they often found their way into the compressor blow-off valves, causing these to stick open - resulting in a considerable drop below the required torque reading when the affected engine(s) were powered up immediately prior to takeoff, with consequent abandonment of that flight.
All in all the Brit was a pleasant aircraft, if somewhat over-complex in the systems department (especially electrical); having said which, during six years on type the electronic throttle control never gave me a moment's grief!
All in all the Brit was a pleasant aircraft, if somewhat over-complex in the systems department (especially electrical); having said which, during six years on type the electronic throttle control never gave me a moment's grief!
TTN ... yes, my posting to Tengah also involved an endless day by British Eagle, albeit with slightly different routing. Only comfort was being sat next to a nurse being posted there too!
Now, I have a Britannia recollection as an ATCO, that the prop/ground clearance was so limited we had to remove taxiway snow-flags. 10” springs to mind.
1. Am I now old and stupid? or 2. Was that the case?
Now, I have a Britannia recollection as an ATCO, that the prop/ground clearance was so limited we had to remove taxiway snow-flags. 10” springs to mind.
1. Am I now old and stupid? or 2. Was that the case?
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Yes indeed MPN11, the Brit's props did run rather close to the ground, rendering them prone to slight damage from pebbles or other objects. Such damage could usually be dressed out without problem, but loose grass clippings were another matter being quite a nuisance during the mowing season. ....
