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F14 intercepts Space Shuttle, ah no it’s a Vulcan

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F14 intercepts Space Shuttle, ah no it’s a Vulcan

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Old 14th Dec 2020, 20:42
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Originally Posted by Airbubba
I saw a Shackleton in Gibraltar in the 1970s and asked if it was a Lincoln.
Not far off really.
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Old 14th Dec 2020, 23:20
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Thanks JTO, only affiliation with the A-3 was our swim/water survival instructor at basic, rode through a ditching in one after a hook/wire fail or cold cat, forget which. Nothing like having a guy teach who has been there.
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Old 15th Dec 2020, 01:30
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Would the Vulcan really have had no idea that the F-14s were intercepting?
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Old 15th Dec 2020, 09:31
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Very unlikely to have picked them up visually given the size of the windows. Electronic detection would have depended on what was fitted / serviceable and being monitored. If they were simply on a transit they may well not have been paying too much attention.
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Old 15th Dec 2020, 10:18
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The mention of the Vulcan pilot eating an egg sandwich reminded me of a 1970's incident report of an RAF Phantom pilot or navigator, who was about to eat a cheese sandwich when it spontaneously combusted as a result of its proximity to the oxygen flow from his face mask.
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Old 15th Dec 2020, 12:25
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Originally Posted by Just This Once...
Presumably the size - 'The Whale' was not your typical wing-pod receiver.

I think it was the last USN carrier aircraft fitted with twin turreted hand-warmers:

<img redacted>

Deleted in later versions in favour of a small coffee pot and/or ECM system.
Wasn't the Skywarrior nicknamed 'All 3 Dead' by crews, in reference to the original A3D designation and the lack of ejection seats, especially when compared to its' cousin the B-66 Destroyer?
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Old 15th Dec 2020, 12:33
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Vulcan passive warning

Back in the early/mid 70s I recall being claimed as a kill by an F14 at 90 miles range on the nose. We were at FL430 doing a bit of boring MRR on Ex Dawn Patrol)?) out of Malta. Some AI radars we could not hear when in particular modes, and I certainly did not hear that one coming.
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Old 15th Dec 2020, 12:34
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I have read of a case involving a Vulcan & UFO in the Bay Of Biscay 1970's. In which they saw the object through the cockpit window, and the nav had picked it up on his radar & the crew filed a report.

Last edited by Boeing Jet; 15th Dec 2020 at 13:23.
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Old 15th Dec 2020, 15:59
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The Secret Files The Unidentified
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Old 15th Dec 2020, 22:38
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During the late 1970s, as part of my OCU course on the Puma helicopter, we did a Germany “trainer” flight. My instructor booked us into the US Army helicopter base at Heidelberg for a night stop because he had friends there. As we ground taxied in, it seemed that almost half the base personnel came out to watch us. We were very impressed with such hospitality until we discovered that most of them thought we were flying a defecting Warsaw Pact “Hip” helicopter.....

At that time, there were no Pumas based in West Germany and there is a vague resemblance, I suppose. I wouldn’t have fancied our chances in the event of the Cold War going “hot”; we’d have been shot at by both sides!

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Old 16th Dec 2020, 00:09
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Originally Posted by Shackman
Not for the first time. landing at Souda Bay in '72 we were described by a couple of USAF aircraft behind as a Liberator, and again in '75 on the way into Mildenhall. Recognition never seemed to be their (US) strongpoint - even in a Chinook we were described as hostile on one occasion.
The armour identification skills of their pilots are equally dubious as many friendly crews have found out to their cost.
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Old 16th Dec 2020, 02:48
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The mention of the Vulcan pilot eating an egg sandwich reminded me of a 1970's incident report of an RAF Phantom pilot or navigator, who was about to eat a cheese sandwich when it spontaneously combusted as a result of its proximity to the oxygen flow from his face mask.
Is this a variation of the Urban Myth of the Sabre pilot on climbout, whose moustache caught on fire when the oxy made it to 100%? He had eaten a peanut butter sandwich before taking off.
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Old 16th Dec 2020, 06:40
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Originally Posted by Lookleft
Would the Vulcan really have had no idea that the F-14s were intercepting?
It was during the lunch break evidently.

FB
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Old 16th Dec 2020, 15:59
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Well, that was a great interview
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Old 16th Dec 2020, 21:02
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Originally Posted by ShyTorque
During the late 1970s, as part of my OCU course on the Puma helicopter, we did a Germany “trainer” flight. My instructor booked us into the US Army helicopter base at Heidelberg for a night stop because he had friends there. As we ground taxied in, it seemed that almost half the base personnel came out to watch us. We were very impressed with such hospitality until we discovered that most of them thought we were flying a defecting Warsaw Pact “Hip” helicopter.....

At that time, there were no Pumas based in West Germany and there is a vague resemblance, I suppose. I wouldn’t have fancied our chances in the event of the Cold War going “hot”; we’d have been shot at by both sides!
And having some Colonials laughing at our Wessex and pointing out they had them in Vietnam, I replied erm... and those? pointing at their Chinook behind them.
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Old 16th Dec 2020, 21:41
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28 San over Tarawa Class, HMS Tamar

Originally Posted by NutLoose
And having some Colonials laughing at our Wessex and pointing out they had them in Vietnam, I replied erm... and those? pointing at their Chinook behind them.
Went to visit SK in Jan 94 with my best mate (who ended going in and retiring as a Wing Commander end of last year) on holiday to see family in HK. Anyhow picked up a copy of the last ever Gai Lung, base magazine. The front cover showed one of the Tarawa class LHD in dock at HMS Tamar on a visit with 28 Sqn mount flying over it as welcome. Flight deck full of Post Desert Storm Battle grey Air Combat Element (CH-46E Phrogs, AV-8B Harrier II, AH-1W SuperCobra/UH-1N and CH-53E Super Stallion).

28 Sqn crews laughingly said the Flying Leathernecks thought they thought they were in a time warp looking at the Wessex thinking of their generation before flying the UH-34D Seahorse from Da Nang 2 and half decades earlier...

cheers

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Old 16th Dec 2020, 21:44
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Originally Posted by Jump Complete
No, he was the other one! The clip shown above is part of a long interview where he goes into more detail about the film and other parts of his career. One thing he mentions was that they wanted the F14s to have the wings swept (cos it looks cool) flying behind the T6s, acting as Zeros, which obviously wasn’t going to work!
Filming on the Nimitz was cut short as the carrier had to sail at speed to the Arabian Gulf response to the Iranian hostage situation / Eagle Claw as I recall. The opening scene was at NAS Key West with the pair of F-14A lift off and when the SH-3D touched down to resemble NAS Barbers Point. There was filming also at Pearl with Tydeman Industries limo with Martin Sheens character inside entering the base.

The A-7E emergency was actually a real incident as they were filming and kept the scene in...

cheers


cheers
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Old 17th Dec 2020, 07:58
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I have now watched the full two hour interview, and there are some great stories and advice in there -not only for aviation.
(cannot provide a link here but it's in the same channel as you probably already know)
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Old 17th Dec 2020, 10:59
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Do interceptors sometimes fly close to their stalling speed? Yes. Sometimes the target is more manoevrable at those speeds than the Interceptor. I recall a Lightning was lost in the 70s whilst shadowing a Shackleton posing as a defector duringm a Taceval. The Lightning was eventually found with the canopy open and the ejector seat on board but the pilot (a US exchnge officer) was never found.

Last edited by olddog; 17th Dec 2020 at 11:01. Reason: add info
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Old 17th Dec 2020, 15:38
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Originally Posted by olddog
Do interceptors sometimes fly close to their stalling speed? Yes. Sometimes the target is more manoevrable at those speeds than the Interceptor. I recall a Lightning was lost in the 70s whilst shadowing a Shackleton posing as a defector duringm a Taceval. The Lightning was eventually found with the canopy open and the ejector seat on board but the pilot (a US exchnge officer) was never found.
Would that be Captain Schaefer? back in September 1970? The story widely reported was that he had gone up to chase down a UFO. His aircraft was later seen floating on the surface of the North Sea and was spotted by the Shackleton, initially they saw him getting out of the cockpit but he had disappeared on the second pass.

FB

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