Havequick2
 

The Hawk rear seater you refer to was Wedge who was a fighter controller at Neat. Good bloke.

Jaguar Pilt, believe it or not, but it is possible to buy a CD of the late Singing Postman's songs..... Just google 'The Singing Postman'.

I imagine that 'Sound Barrier' is the one to which you refer?

And, errm, how did you come to own a vinyl LP of his songs?? :eek:

BEagle,

And, errm, how did you come to own a vinyl LP of his songs?? :eek:

Check my age BEagle - when I was at Wattisham even the pocket calculator had not been invented! AI23B Lightning radar was real state-of-the-art....

The LP was indeed titled "Sound Barrier"

JP

It wasn't so much the vinyl LP, but the content of the LP which I was querying!

Never thought I'd post on this thread. But one of my earliest guano immersions happened there as a 19 year old APO, post LUAS summer camp '71. We'd been there a month and had witnessed and joined in all the front line Mess life (piano burning of a newly presented Steinway I particularly remember). I stayed on for a couple of days after the UAS departed and happened to be present in the bar during a serious Kokinelli party (there was a bath full of the stuff in the corner of the bar); one of 56, 29, or 111 Sqns had just returned from the med. It ended with the obligatory chorus of "WHO OWNS THIS PLACE ANYWAY" followed by "TREBLE ONE" whilst hurling the glasses at the fireplace. On one of these toasts, a couple of bottles also got hurled, puncturing holes (one neat, one not so neat) in the panelled fireplace surrounds. Anyway, I departed the next day. Weeks later back at Woodvale at the start of the next term, I was hauled in front of the LUAS boss (Spoons) to be reprimanded for being the ringleader (according to those present)!! Me!! A 19 year old APO!! Thanks Treble One, it cost me £75

How nice to have a thread about how things used to be instead of how awful they are now. Never served at Wattisham, but not too different from Horsham, Sylt, Swinderby, Akrotiri, Conningsby etc in those days, so excuse me butting in. But I did know people there, and visited now and again. Specially the chap who rhymes with Pony Dark, ex Stn Cdr, who was Wing Wps O at Conningsby when I was OC car parks and visits (some sort of sqn ldr ops) there in early Phantom days. He was allowed to fly one, me only a couple of back seat rides! Great chap, last saw him a couple of years ago at a 70th birthday party for a mutual friend from those days. We were all bemoaning our various disabilities and lack of abilities, he said he was OK, could 'still pi$$ over a mini'! Wish I could.

My last visit was in 74 with the Rothmans team, no doubt for an Air Show of some kind. I was No3 in a stream landing, and had the ignominy of having to go round again because of slipstream! In a Pitts, on 3000 yard of concrete or so, never lived it down; still haven't when I think about it.

Happy days.

BEgle,

WTFO content....?

JP

JP - FIIQ!! I only meant "Why on earth would a Lightning driver have a copy of an LP by The Singing Postman".....

Perhaps it was a present?

Ave ye got a loight, boy?

6Z3, you the ringleader for misdeeds in the pub? Oh no, Dear me, no....!!

Mind you, I do remember you being a rather delicate shade of green and swaying gently on some mandatory church parade one Saturday (yes, Saturday) morning - complete with tell-tale oxygen mask black marks on your face......

I think that was the day after the infamous 'stuck Tx' recording of you and C*l*n W**d* was played at Happy Hour?

Landing to Happy Hour to bed to parade with no food, only beer. Respect, me old!

Was there in late 60's- early 70's when Trebble one plus that other outfit - X X followed by one X and also TFF were in situ.
Lived in a beautiful little village in a chocolate box lid cottage but all the locals referred to Wattisham as "Ringshall Aerodrome". Very noisy at times but seem to remember sometime in late 71 or early 72 when a young Pilot Officer during an attempted take off late Friday one morning managed to bounce his Lightning along the runway. I believe the locals presented the O's mess with barrel of beer as the airfield was shut for a short period whilst the runway was resurfaced. I suppose as well as enjoying a couple of weeks peace and quiet they were happy that no ventral tanks were going to land in Stowmarket school playground. The little cottage was old shortly after we left and we were horrifed to see it on sale for 19,500 - ridiculous price we all thought. By the way to be pedantic it was not Death and sons it was D'Eath and they were joiners, carpenters and builders as well as undertakers.

Headstone,

I must know you...
I was XX plus another X.
Are you listed on www.lightningpilots.com

JP

Jaguar Pilot? JP, how can you use such a name when you spent your formative years flying the best a/c the RAF has had in the last 50 years? I suppose after QFIing you were sufficiently slowed down to fly a bomber so that's a bit of an excuse.
How are you, heard at the Lightning 50th that you hadn't been too well so hope everythings OK.
Have to agree that De'aths wasn't just an undertakers although I lived in Nedging Tye and could have sworn that De'aths were in Bideston. As for the 2 Sqns there at the time, at least XXX didn't have a certain young officer as a jp whose name I cannot mention even now for reasons of severe financial penalty in the bar.
And as for dropping tanks on Stowmarket, at least when I dropped mine it fell in open countryside. Indeed, the ventral was supposed to fly like a lifting body and descended relatively gently to the ground, mine was completely intact despite falling a few miles.

Audax,

I am Jaguar Pilot because I flew it for seven years and made almost 2000 hours on type. The Frightening was a lot of fun but in five years I only filled two logbook pages.

Apart from the fact the the F3 had no guns and the Jaguar had two.....

JP

PS - check you PMs.

I'm sure Death and Sons was in Bildeston!

By the way, the F3 has a gun: a 27mm Mauser.

Wrong F3, JP was talking about an all British fighter aircraft.

So Jaguar Pilot you have been found out at last!! Not more than 2 pages of trips on the Lightning and only the Mk3!! And I dont see your name on the list of people attending Jaguar fold up weekend yet!!!???? Is it still a bit too far for you to drive at your age?


Now retiring to the bunker with my flack jacket and tin hat!!

Guten tag Newt.

Can't make that trip I'm afraid.
You are correct in that I can't drive very far. Three arterial bypasses in the old leg and and one blood clot. Unable to sit around for very long.

Enjoy your fishing.

JP

Jag Pilot and K3K3.....you are right, I was thinking of the Tonka and not the F3 Lightning.

Wattisham Hawk Crash
 

Hawk XX293 Crash at RAF Wattisham 17 April 1985

Somewhat late in the day but......
My warrant officer (WO Brian Codd) and I were first at the crash scene. We were driving around the 56Sqn HAS site in our black mini van, in the early afternoon I think. Actually, he was giving me a driving lesson. We had become used to the visiting Hawks in the circuit, but suddenly there was a "boom". Without even looking out of the window, Brian said "that's a bang seat". We stopped, and looking up we saw a parachute deployed in the direction of 74 Sgn HAS site. We kept looking at the Hawk and waited for another parachute, but it never came. The Hawk continued in a shallow descent and crashed not far from the HAS site. We radioed to Eng Control to RV with us at the crash gate on Nedging Road with the keys, and then drove to the crash site, which to the best of my recollection was a cottage on the left side of Nedging Road, driving away from the airfield..

The Hawk had ploughed through the thatched roof at a very shallow angle with a slight left bank. The fuselage and left wing had impacted the roof, while the starboard wingtip left a very neat slice in the brick chimney stack (I have photos of the aftermath later in the evening). Fuel had ignited the thatch. The wingless fuselage had tumbled to a halt about 2-300 yds beyond in a level field leaving a trail of burning thatch. At the scene there was thatch all over the place. The Hawk had severed low tension power lines which lay across the road making approach a little dodgy. The only person in the house at the time was a woman who had been was washing clothes in the rear. She was standing in front of the house frantically calling for her dog, which had been with her but had ran away barking in panic. As she confirmed there was no-on else in the house, we did not enter it. A few minutes later fire vehicles arrived and confirmed that there had been only one crew, which was a relief as we looked at the smouldering fuselage in the field, still identifiable as a red and white Hawk.

As reported, the student pilot had not locked his canopy. He did not notice this until after climb out and trimmed for circuit. He opted to eject, arguably prematurely due to his lack of experience. His supervisors were also disciplined as he should not have flown solo (the inquiry found).

It could have been a lot worse. I recall it was a lovely early spring day, the first warm day of the year . The woman told me that the family had been restoring the cottage while they lived in a caravan on the front drive. Through the winter her children would play in the thatched loft during wet weather. That day was the first day they had played outside. If the children had been in the roof space they would certainly have been killed.

Probably not of much interest but there was a previous incident of a pilotless aircraft in circuit at Wattisham. That one was a Hunter which did a wider circuit taking in Ipswich and I think the year was 1957 or 8. It eventually crashed ISTR on the outskirts of Ipswich. I was there at the time on Battle Flight with Meteor night fighters from West Malling and initially fast asleep until pulled out of bed to see the spectacle.