U2 @ Akrotiri
 

After rushing over to Akrotiri to see the Arrers practising, I witnessed a Nimrod landing, followed 10 minutes later by a black U2...:ok:

Without endangering (inter-)national security, are the U2s regular visitors, or did I just get lucky to see one?:8

I did miss the Reds though, only managed to see 'em doing their stuff from a distance:{

Andy

They quite ofte........Aaaaaggggghhhhh Black Omega Syndrome

No, U2's NEVER visit Cyprus...... what you saw was a weather balloon. A very modern one, to be sure, but a Weather Balloon.

Advo

SSSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!
it's top secret!!!

There was never one there during my tour.

Damned loud noise early in the morning though :confused:

Aaaah, so they're common as muck then:hmm: wondered why no-one else looked interested;) Have to try and get a better pic next time then:E

Thanks for the link- interesting stuff!

just remember..... I didn't tell you.... ok?












oooh look, there's someone at the do..........

No U2 for a while until they replace the guitars that were auctioned last week.:O

Many a cracking night spent in the Triple A but as most have said, no U2's at all, what-so-ever, no-way-no-how, fly out of Akrotiri regularly.

Oh and getting a ride in the Impreza down the Akrotiri runway doesn't happen either.;)

Seem to recall a `weather balloon` having a mishap on landing/taking off some years ago causing abit of damage to RAF property

Not only damage to property but also killed six people (weather balloon pilot, senior met officer and 4 locally employed civilians).:(

Believe the pilot was called Al Henderson, an American who had previously played rugby for Akrotiri Flamingos.

The day previous to the accident, the Daily Telegraph had printed an article saying that the British Government denied that a U2 was stationed at Akrotiri. Mind the one that took off in the morning wasn't usually the one that returned at night but my american mates on Olive Harvest would never back that up.

Regular pilots at the time had just been cleared to go off SBA and had an accident, rolled car, killing one school teacher, and were in hospital.

Replacement pilot tried the spiral climb over quarters trick - hoofed it left on rotation and stalled/side slipped into the ground. Impacted beside the tower and two underwing tanks went on into the Ops block. Explosion took out the bottom of the tower and all comms, but the guys in local were OK.

IIRC someone (rock ape?) got a medal for fast thinking and driving a vehicle through the rear wall of the Ops block to let those trapped inside out.

The seat was left tarpaulined for a couple of days until they flew in a specialist to safe it.

Luckiest guys were a Vulcan crew who had also had a car crash the previous day. They were at TPMH, otherwise they would have been in Ops briefing.
.

There were never, ever, any U-2s at Akrotiri during the 70's either, and nor did one crash into the Ops building....

U2 at Akrotiri? Don't care for their music much

I'm sure you guys are absolutely correct, and no such Harvest of Olives ever operated there.

I just want to know who all the guys were that used to wear those T-shirts saying: "If we're not really here, then where the f@*k are we?"

I never saw one at Akrotiri. But then, I have never been to Akrotiri.

I thought there were no U-2s around anymore, just TR-1s ??????

And the Lady's Mile Motor-Glider Club wasn't there in 1970 either, so that game of tactical baseball (down a tinny at each base) must have been a bad dream.:suspect:

It's a U2-S, I believe. At least it looked like one, when I was (!) sat in the passenger seat of a BMW chasing it down the runway!

That tubey food is gopping!

Where can you get tickets? :=

All TR-1s were redesignated U-2Rs back in the early 90s. All U-2s now in USAF service are the re-engined/updated S models from those R airframes.

SIGINT stuff...

http://jya.com/usic08.htm :eek:

what happened to the bemar?

Never saw a U-2. Only yanks I saw were all wearing Hawaiian shirts in the Mess. Come to think of it, it was always on a Friday too.

U2
 

And I can reliably inform everyone, that no U2 ever flew from RAF Watton. This was confirmed at the time by a broadcast by the PM in which he confirmed in parliament, that no U2 has ever flown from a RAF base. I didn't hear all of the broadcast, because that night, there was a lot of noise on the runway.:E

"This was confirmed at the time by a broadcast by the PM in which he confirmed in parliament, that no U2 has ever flown from a RAF base." from Luke......
What about Sculthorpe in the late 80/early 90's? And Marham? Bentwaters? Along with F-117A's? Those were the days. :)
Aviate 1138

Weather balloons
 

I can confirm that there were absolutely no, non, ziltch U2's at Akrotiri in the '80's when we visited often and regular.

Did see the all-black weather balloons a lot though. Seem to remember a veryyy nice V8 engined pick-up used for chase back then.

Strangest thing I ever did see in aviation in about '87. A weather balloon doing circuits and bumps. All morning. Not the usual noise at 0-early o'clock. One of the guys took some great pics of the weather balloon. Never saw the prints though.
And besides, if there were U2's based there and not weather balloons, we wouldn't have been allowed to take pictures of them, would we?

What was that? Not supposed to take pi....... Oh. Damn.

Also remember the 'T' shirts.

camlobe

U2
 

From the London Gazette:
The QUEEN has been graciously pleased to approve the
following awards:
Queen's Gallantry Medal
Flight Lieutenant Bernard John Michael LIMB (506099), Royal Air Force.
Flight Lieutenant Bernard John Michael Limb has served as an Operations Officer at Royal Air Force Akrotiri since July 1977. On 7th December 1977, an aircraft of the United States Air Force crashed onto the station operations complex spreading burning fuel and debris over a large area. Flight Lieutenant Limb was in the operations compound when the crash occurred and was injured, his head and legs being burned. His clothing caught fire and he also
suffered a deep gash on the leg. Ignoring his own injuries, his first thoughts were for the safety of the two operations clerks, Senior Aircraftwoman Battye and Senior Aircraftman Watt, whom he knew to be in the burning operations room at the time of the crash. He ran along the building's rear corridor to the security door at the back of the operations room and called to the clerks. Finding that they were both alive but trapped, he instructed them to lie on the floor breathing fresh air under the door whilst he tried to release them. Flight Lieutenant Limb then entered the adjoining briefing room and tried to climb through the projection hatch, approximately 9 feet above floor level, to reach the operations room. He was, however, driven back by the heat and fell to the floor, injuring his ankle. He then summoned assistance, instructing his helpers to try to gain access through the side walls of the building Only when this work was in progress did he allow himself to be taken away for medical attention. Flight Lieutenant Limb displayed remarkable resourcefulness and courage in attempting to rescue the trapped personnel despite his own shock and injuries and with complete disregard for his own safety.
Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct
E8115645 Senior Aircraftman Michael George WATT, Royal Air Force.
For courage and gallantry of a very high order displayed when he and a companion were trapped inside a burning building following an aircraft crash.

They used to spend hours doing PFLs at RAE Bedford, usualy a twin seater.

Akronelli
 

Whilst detached to the island in the sun, in early '75 on Ex Forearm, I once spent a cracking Saturday afternoon being shown around a weather balloon by one of the weather balloon pilots. Can't remember his name but he had two mates who sat in the bar, drinking coke and looking very intimidating.
We had spent a convivial lunchtime in the mess (O club)and I recall sitting in the seat of this weather balloon thinking "what am I doing in one of these with a brandy sour in my hand and about 15 more inside me?"
Turns out that weather balloons have control columns identical to the C-130! Odd that :ok:

Happy Days

3P

So they do! Well close.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ragonlady2.jpg

Must be what a Vigilant looks like when it grows up :-)

These posts bring back memories some not so good. I was on duty at TPMH as Hospital Duty NCO when Al Henderson, the pilot, was brought in and we had to place him in the mortuary. I didn't know him personally but some of my friends were his personal friends. A very sad day, he was a great guy. The Met man was severely burned and despite surviving for two or three days unfortunately died.

In typical RAF humour at the time, everyone was very jealous of SAC Watt getting an award. Rumour has it he protected SACW Gill Battye from the flames by lying next to her. Gill Battye was ultra gorgeous. I hope you are all right Gill, like everyone else at the time at Akrotiri, you were a good sport.

Now I'm going to give away my ultra secret PPrune identity (like I didn't when I posted my picture in that forum DOH!) :ouch: I was (am?) that SAC Watt, retired from the RAF after 25 years having reached Flt Sgt Air Traffic Controller, now working for NATS.
It is indeed true that my award was for shielding Gill (read lying on top of her) from all the burning debris falling on us from roof level and the heat of the flames coming down the stairs toward us. What could anyone be jealous of there ;) AFAIK she married one of the Americal officers who was not there and now lives in the US of A.

I raise my hat to the Regiment guys who carried a landrover up the stairs into the foyer and drove it through the wall to get us out (we'd been trapped for 25 minutes by then). Thanks to DON T and all the medical staff who looked after us so well, particularly as I couldn't use my hands for a while.

BD

'Morning Mr Watt, and well done! What's this -

Brilliant stuff - how much more can you tell us? Air transportable model surely.

LOL!! It was 1977 so yes it was yea olde skinny rover. Gill and I were working in the Operations room (Bernie Limb QGM had gone out for a pee) when the fireball came through the front and trapped us inside. We retreated into a little room at the back but it had a 1/2 inch steel security door which was locked (you'll find special catches fitted to enable you to release such doors now). I couldn't get the key, I tried but it was in the other room which was pitch black by now and filled with smoke. So we lay on the floor breathing through the gap (and persuading the firemen to stop spaying water as it was closing the gap) waiting to get out. I dunno what plan was being hatched but the Regiment guys solved it in a very practical manner :ok: Although the MTO threatened to charge the driver with damaging a vehicle afterwards :*

BD

Good to hear you are keeping well BD.

Going slightly off track, one of the pilots who was injured in the car crash that necessitated the replacement pilot, underwent an operation at TPMH. The US Gonernment insisted that an american was present during the operation and while he came round from the anaesthetic. They thought he might spill the beans or something worse about the U2.:ugh:

Aviate1138,
What about them?
The PM in question was MacMillan and the date was 1963!:}
Get a grip laddie!

Nice to see Bernie Limb got a mention - nice guy and well deserved. I was there at the time. The RAF Regt guy in fact was an off-duty RAF Fireman but they too wore the Regt flash. He commandeered a landrover and rammed the Ops building I seem to recall.