Happy 50th Birthday Bulldog XX553, ULAS '07' and welcome Bulldog XX552, ULAS '08'

[ABL262]

Many of you may remember Bulldog XX553's 40th birthday thread.

Happy 40th Birthday Bulldog XX553, ULAS '07'

Thank you again to all those who contributed memorable stories and photos of this wonderful aircraft which I was fortunate to fly as a Cadet Pilot at ULAS in the mid-80s and now have the good fortune to own. You'll be pleased to know that the old girl is still going strong on the occasion of her 50th birthday and continues to perform her elementary flying training role admirably. Despite my rather raggedy-arsed pilot skills and monotonous tales of derring-do from my ULAS days, XX553 has thrilled many over the years and even inspired son #1 to pursue a career in military aviation. On current form, XX553 is very likely to outlive her owner!

The BIG NEWS is that XX553 has now been joined in the hangar by XX552, ULAS '08', which I found last year, looking rather the worse for wear, languishing in a field in South Carolina. Upon discovering XX552 also featured prominently in my ULAS logbook, I had an "I have to have her" moment and bought her (you know how it goes). And so began a mini-adventure where me and son #3 travelled to Charleston, disassembled XX552 in the sweltering heat, and transported her by road to her new home in California where she has become my retirement restoration project.

As the proud owner of two Bulldogs from ULAS of the mid-1980s, it got me thinking about how many of the other aircraft may have survived. I was astonished to discover that of the 10 Bulldogs on strength at ULAS between 1984 and 1986 - XX524, 535, 544, 545, 546, 547, 548, 552, 553, 554 - eight are still listed as active on civilian registers in the UK, US, Canada, France, and Spain. It would have been nine if XX554 hadn't been flown into a hedge at the end of a farm strip a few years ago. Still, eight-out-of-ten is not bad for fifty year old ex-military aircraft and, while perhaps not in the same league as the Buff or Herc, the Scottish Aviation Bulldog is well on the way to achieving cult status.

Now my decennial request for help … I would like to collect some historical background on Bulldog XX552 and her time with ULAS. XX552 is another one of those more fortunate Bulldogs which saw unbroken service with one UAS from 6th December 1973 until her last flight with the RAF in 2001. So, once again, I am appealing to all former ULAS students, instructors, ground crew, staff, etc, to send me any photos, anecdotes, and memorable log book entries concerning Bulldog XX552 and, of course, XX553 if you have more to add.

As a memory jogger, and to bring on a bout of late mid-life crisis among Pprune readers, I present ULAS during summer camp 1985 at RAF St Mawgan:



What a motley crew we were ... but the happiest of memories for all I'm sure.

Thanks all in advance for your contributions.

ABL262

[NutLoose]

Here is a start to your quest.

https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/search?code_number=xx522&date_taken=&information=&tag_fields =%5B%22code_number%22%5D


https://www.caa.co.uk/aircraft-register/g-info/search-g-info/

[Red Line Entry]

Wow, that photo brings back memories - Steve Heppenstall, Mike Blee, Julian Francis, Ian Long, Damien Wyatt, Jon Stockings, Greg Hammond, to name but a few.

Happy days indeed…

[BEagle]

I note from my logbook that I flew both XX552 and XX553 on my birthday in 1992! In XX552 I did an hour of Staff Continuation Training which included Hi Rot spinning and low level GH with that old villain Bradders. In XX553 I did a less exciting hour of IF as safety pilot to 'Cool Col.'. Third and final trip of the day was in XX548 - an EEs trip which included 10 min of night flying.

Such happy days at Abingdon and Benson!!

[India Four Two]

Dear ABL,

You really know how to make a chap feel old! When I started flying with UBAS, the first flight of the Bulldog prototype (1969) was two years away and it was eight years until Bulldogs replaced Chipmunks!

You can make me feel better by giving me a ride next time I'm in California.

PS Looking at your group photo, do I detect eight instructors? That seems like a lot. How many aircraft and how many students?

[BEagle]

31 years ago today I flew my first Bulldog trip on returning to ULAS after a few months flying the VC10K in Gulf War 1 - it was in XX552!

[longer ron]

Hi ABL
Firstly well done for rescuing the old girl
Just checked my old log book and looks like i flew in 552 Abn - St Mawgan - Abn (overnight stay) in April '82 with an ex Truckie instructor - he very kindly let me do much of the flying - lovely trip there and back in gorgeous weather with fluffy Cu's.
We were checking out facilities/accomodation for the upcoming summer camp (honest !),I say 'looks like' as I usually just put the fleet number in log book - I have it marked as 08.
The only pic I have of the old girl was taken just a few weeks before I got promoted to 'Mr' - sorry to ruin the shot - taken Feb 1983 at Abingdon.

[ABL262]

Thanks everybody for your fantastic stories about XX552.

LR, no shame in a jolly to the Cornish Riviera! In my day, summer camp used to alternate between RAF St Mawgan and RAF Leeming - no prizes for guessing which one we preferred for our two week stay, although, in fairness, nights out to York were always fun. Many thanks also for your photo of XX552 in her prime and in her "rightful" setting at RAF Abingdon. At the risk of causing your heart to sink, I thought you might like to see a photo of XX552 today in her new home in California awaiting quite a lot of TLC.



The zinc chromate airframe has held up remarkably well after being exposed to the elements in South Carolina, but the 1994 vintage Marshall's paint job is heavily weathered. Also, I suspect I will find corrosion in the engine and around the prop hub, but, hey, restoring her while spending the kids' inheritance is at least half the fun.

Beags, your recollections of ULAS are priceless as always. First flight back at ULAS after GW1 is definitely going in the aircraft's archive book. Thank you.

India42, you are welcome to visit anytime. In the mid-1980s, ULAS had a fleet of 10 Bulldogs while our next door neighbors, Oxford University Air Squadron, had a further four aircraft, all based at RAF Abingdon. Looking through my logbook, I would estimate we had 7-8 full-time QFIs on the squadron at any one time for around 90-100 students. During term-time, peak flying days were Wednesdays and weekends when there could be upwards of five Bulldogs on the ULAS line if the weather was clear. If memory serves me correctly (and recalling the squadron mugs left in the kitchen at the end of the day), I would say there were typically 15-20 students per day at RAF Abingdon on peak days. Slots were at a premium so you had to book a couple of weeks in advance and take your chances on the weather. Flying training was more intensive during Easter and Summer camps which could accommodate 25-30 students and you could commit to a week at a time, two weeks in the case of Summer camp. I don't ever recall a shortage of aircraft or QFIs. Weather was the limiting factor. Two days in Abingdon per flying hour during term time was typical. However, life in the officer's mess back then was infinitely preferable to my student digs near the Hogarth roundabout and maintained my sanity while studying engineering at Impossible College. The camps were where you could really "fill yer boots" flying, especially if there was a CFS visit coming up.

Keep those stories and photos coming!

Many thanks,

ABL262

[NutLoose]

it always amazes me that they were not a bigger seller and never took on the likes of Piper or Cessna in the market place, or even Robin for that matter.

[N.HEALD]

Bulldog XX614 is alive and well based at Exeter now following a very expensive bare metal restoration by the previous owner. I flew her down from Gloucester to Exeter for the current owner when he first bought her - a delightful aircraft

[NutLoose]

Does it still have the green cross for the first aid kit on the side? That if I remember came about when it was pointed out that you were forbidden to fire on aircraft carrying the Red Cross markings and as it being military they should not really be carrying them, so they were all changed to green to get around it.

The red cross, red crescent and red crystal are symbols of protection.

International law protects the people who wear them, and the buildings and transport which display them.

These people aren’t part of a conflict – they’re simply there to help anyone who needs it.

The emblems are not religious symbols.

https://www.redcross.org.uk/about-us...ict/the-emblem

[meleagertoo]

Originally Posted by NutLoose

it always amazes me that they were not a bigger seller and never took on the likes of Piper or Cessna in the market place, or even Robin for that matter.

I think that was because they were so over-engineered and mnufactured in such an uneconomic scale their cost was massively prohibitive. I daresy, beiig British, any marketing was pretty poor too.
Were new Bulldogs ever offered for private/civil use?

[Shaft109]

I just had a look at the link for GDAWG and never recall seeing a Bulldog at Barton at that time so must've been tucked away well

With regard to the rescued Bulldog you've got there will it be a flyer? How do you resurrect the logbook / engineering trail?

[ABL262]

Thanks again everybody for your questions and comments.

Nutloose, yes, the RAF Bulldogs have the green cross marker for the first aid kit on the starboard side just behind the canopy. The UASs did have a cold war role as airborne observers assisting with the defence of critical UK infrastructure. We were told we would be in the right seat with binoculars providing information to security forces on the ground. I suppose the thinking was that if the Soviets rolled into West Germany, they would activate their sleeper cells to wreak havoc across Europe. Frankly, I could never hold binoculars stable enough to see much of any use on the ground while a low and slow Bulldog would have been easy prey to small arms fire.

Regarding your question about civilian versions to compete with Cessna and Piper, the Bulldog was derived from the Beagle Pup which was an attempt by Beagle Aircraft to compete in the civilian market. Although the Pup was a highly capable aircraft (with a loyal following today), I believe Beagle saw their future with the Bulldog which was developed as a military trainer for the Swedish air force. Beagle was acquired by Scottish Aviation who, in turn, combined with BAe by which time the focus was firmly on the military market. The Bulldog airframe is heavy and rugged - designed for +6g to -3g, inverted flight, rough field landings, etc - and is ideally suited to four/five military instructional flights a day. However, the same virtues make the Bulldog less suited to civilian touring in terms of comfort, useable load, endurance, etc.

Meleagertoo, there was one Bulldog which was custom built for the British Ambassador to Venezuela and delivered to Caracas in the late 1970s. I saw photos of it years ago which included a rich leather interior and autopilot. Probably a different experience to a sweaty climb to height for spins, trussed up in a Mk 43 parachute and Mk3C bone dome!

Shaft109, when MOD disposed of their RAF Bulldogs, all maintenance log cards and the most recent volume of F700s were included with each aircraft. When the aircraft were put on the civilian register in the UK, these documents formed part of the "new" logbooks. Although not a requirement in the US under the Experimental Exhibition category, most Bulldog owners have retained the original MOD documents. I received complete MOD and civilian log books with XX552 and XX553. "Will it (XX552) be a flyer?" - my gut instinct says "Yes", but it will be a labour of love (a.k.a. lots of time and quite a bit of money) and I will have to trust that the project will not exceed life expectancy.

Red Line Entry, great name recall and immense thanks for helping me fill in a few ULAS blanks from the past. I thought you might appreciate another which I believe is 1985 Easter camp at RAF Abingdon. I seem to recall it was combined with a survival exercise.


Keep those stories and photos coming!

Many thanks,

ABL262

[Ken Scott]

I only flew 552 a couple of times on ULAS, an early pre-solo circuit detail with Neil Pearson and a Nav intro with Pastle.

XX614 I flew 5 times whilst on the CFS cse in 1995, she seems to have gone by the time I returned there on the staff in 1998 as she makes no appearance in my logbook.

[Red Line Entry]

ABL262,

Yes, I do emember that camp (I'm 5th iin from the left in the middle row). I also remember the survival exercise where we were given a parachute and had to make a teepee for 8 (or so) of us to sleep in overnight. We all started off around the outside but I remember waking up at about 0300, freezing cold, and we were all in the middle cuddling anything or anyone who was warm!!

Cheers,

RLE (aka ABL246)

[Evalu8ter]

Ah, the dusty old log book reveals a dual and solo sector recce with Beags in 552 in May 91, and plenty of fun stuff (spinning & aeros) with 'Cool Col' in 553. Flown both solo as well - so a minor miracle that either survives…Like the Gazelle, the Bulldog was just a perfect confection of an aircraft for its task, and what a thrill as a student to be given the keys for an hour and told to 'go off, have fun, do loads of aeros - but absolutely no dogfighting near Didcot….'. Well, in fairness, the latter was more like 'don't get CAUGHT dogfighting near Dicot…'. ULAS, Bulldogs, Abingdon were some very, very happy times….and friendships formed that endure to this very day. Had lunch with the Senior Student from my first year only a couple of weeks ago.

[NutLoose]

You may be interested, Malta's museum has just taken delivery of one.

https://www.scramble.nl/military-new...erved-in-malta

On 6 November 2023, the Malta Aviation Museum Foundation welcomed a Scottish Aviation Bulldog T1 aircraft received by the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) Airwing as a permanent loan where it should join other AFM Assets on display. The loan symbolises the decades-long partnership and friendship between these two organisations.

The Bulldog is an aircraft designed for two occupants seated side by side, with the option for a third seat. The prototype flew already on 19 May 1969 from Shoreham Airport (UK). Besides Sweden, the largest customer was the Royal Air Force (RAF), which placed an order for 130 Bulldogs in 1972. It was used by the RAF as a basic trainer, in particular as the standard aircraft of the University Air Squadrons and, later, Air Experience Flights, providing flying training.

The Bulldog T1 donated to the museum bears the military registration AS0021 (construction number 345) and it is one of four aircraft that arrived in Malta on 10 February 2000. When the Cessna O-1 Bird Dogs were withdrawn from use, the AFM was searching for a new training aircraft which resulted in the donation by the RAF of five Bulldogs. Four where delivered in 2000 and the last one in 2001.

This specific Bulldog was previously operated by the RAF as XX696 with the Central Flying School, 3 Flying Training Squadron and Liverpool University Air Squadron. It was initially registered 9H-ADR in Malta under civil aviation regulations until 1 May 2000, when it was designated with the military serial AS0021. The Bulldog was primarily used by the AFM Air Wing for coast patrol operations, although it was also utilised as a basic trainer.

Film.

You Tube

https://www.horizon.mt/2023/11/07/vi...iation-museum/

[BEagle]

Doggers over didders

Well, in fairness, the latter was more like 'don't get CAUGHT dogfighting near Didcot…'.

The weather during CFS week at Benson in (I think) 1992, was pretty good - certainly Phase 5!

One day most of the last sorties of the day were student solos, with the strict warning that they had to land by 17:00 or the civvy engineers would invoke overtime payment rules. All was going well and there was but one dual sortie airborne too, which happened to be with a CFS 'trapper'. At around 16:45, chum Trev and I were monitoring the radio in our office checking that the solos were on their way back. But Approach announce to a couple of them to "Hold off, the circuit is full!".

Trev and I looked at each other and said "What do you reckon?". After 5 or so minutes the final 2 were cleared to join...

When they came into the Ops Room, Trev simply said "All right - which one of you started it?". They fell for this and there was a bit of "Well sir, he turned in on me.....". We thought nothing more of it until the CFS chap appeared and asked "Who was authorised for formation on the last wave?". Err, no-one actually! "I thought not, tell them that there is a code...well no, actually there isn't. Just give them a bit of firm advice please chaps!".

We thought that would be that, but it got to the ears of the Boss (not 'Boss Hog', his successor) who was within a whisker of booting them off the squadron. So Trev and I went in to see him and told him that they were about the only 2 students of that year with any real fighter pilot promise and to bin them would be a travesty. Fortunately he accepted our views and they both did very well in future years!

All's well that ends well!

[ABL262]

Many, many thanks for your recollections of ULAS Bulldogs XX552 and XX553, and your questions and comments.

RLE, ha, yes! Thanks for reminding me of the parachute teepee survival exercise. Later in life, I had a similar experience in the desert where we were instructed to form a heap of bodies in the middle of the shelter to ward off the sub-zero overnight temperatures. Going to the khazi (a.k.a. hole in the ground) early the following morning gave new meaning to the expression "holy crap!"

Evalu8ter/Beags, sadly no solo dogfighting over Didcot in my day either. Plenty of dual tail chasing at the end of a trip, though, for those studes who didn't have to reach for the sick bag. I think the instructors would arrange to "meet" over the power station on their way back to Abingdon. Talking of tail chasing, I was on an IF trip in XX548 with my regular instructor, the "Reverend", climbing up through cloud. As we broke the cloud tops, we saw smoke trails in the distance to our right and then ... whoosh ... two tail chasing F111s crossed our nose. There was that calm, droll "I have control" and the Reverend executed an abrupt emergency break to avoid their wake turbulence. Irate protests to Upper Heyford and Lakenheath went unanswered as I recall.

Nutloose, many thanks for the article and video. Thanks to your research, I discovered that XX547, ULAS '05', also entered service with the Armed Forces of Malta as AS0124 in 2001. The AFM donated the aircraft to the Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology in 2020 as a ground instructional airframe for their aircraft maintenance program. So another happy ending for a ULAS Bulldog from the mid-1980s fleet. That makes nine-out-of-ten still in "service".