Another site with some cool Buccs

http://www.thundercity.com/

I seem to remember one Sqdn Ldr look of horror when after climbing out of his bucc he saw that the bombay door was rotated a full 90 degrees and so virtually on the deck. He had done a couple of fly bys because the door was showing crosshatched for ATC to check the status only be told it was "partially open". I think he maybe would have banged out had he known the truth and not landed.

Mind you if I recall same jockey mught have been wanting to bang out anway after hearing how much fun it was from his navigator.

TTFN
exXVsqn armourer

Is it true the Navigator gave road directions to one of the Bucc pilots over Beruit in the 80's ie 'left at the round about.'

Are there any tales from this deployment?

Nurse,

Check your PM's please.

Brick

"Is it true the Navigator gave road directions to one of the Bucc pilots over Beruit in the 80's ie 'left at the round about.' "

Nothing particularly unusual about that. On one exercise in the '70s over France, I said to the chap at the helm "Take the road left at that church". He did, we hit the target (a road/rail crossing). The only aircraft in the exercise to do so.

That was in a Vulcan.....

Inbound to Target 6 at Tain from Bonar Bridge,matey has a major hydraulics failure on short finals to target,still pickles bomb and then proceeds to imitate a dolphin all the way back to Lossie before finally taking the RHAG and landing safely.One of so many memories of the great Banana jet.

Kuodos to you Mr.Brooks,hope your keeping well,I can still smell the Avtur from those final days.

Not many of the few still flying frontline,although Whizz still regularly keeps us entertained and Stormin Norm harldy lets a day go past without putting us in our place.

Another trick bombing was to get airborne from Oerland in Norway from the westerly runway and drop a bomb on Tarva range directly from take-off. I can't remember how far it was, but you could just make 500 kts by release!

Thin Albert, was the Honington Air Day to which you refer 30 May 81? My logbook shows that we flew a 6 ship for "Airfield Attacks" at Waddington and Honington that day. I seem to remeber that "NA 250 ft agl" was the order of the day, and these were the days when you could launch a 6 ship on a Saturday for other station's open days.

As for the St Mawgan incident, if he had a double hydraulic services failure, he would have lost the mainplane flaps. However, the aileron droop came from the flying control hydraulics and the tailplane flap was electrical. Therefore, I suspect that the landing was 0-25-25.

I do not recall any IFR navigation in Beirut (I Follow Roads), but many of the training sorties terminated in an airfield attack at Akrotiri. It was politely pointed out that if we were calling it an airfield attack, perhaps we would care to fly at such a height that the bombs would work if dropped. Therefore, for attacks after that we climbed to 85 ft (simulated BL755, 0.68 SAFU for those who wonder which weapon). One pilot did score a DH on the line hut when his overflight caused the fan to fall from the ceiling! Unfortunately, the Bucc had the ability to cause damage to buildings, and a similar problem once occurred with the light fittings at West Freugh tower.

One aspect of Op Pulsator in Beirut/Akrotiri was that it was during this time that we first had AIM9Ls and ALE 40 flares fitted to the aircraft. We had little knowledge of how the flares would work so the detachment QWIs decided on a little trial. There were two issues of interest. Firstly, what would happen when you fired the flares at operational heights and secondly what would happen if one fired inadvertently on the ground. The second point was of interest because the safe headings for the AIM9s had a bulk fuel installation about 100 yards behind the aircraft! We took one aircraft with 15 flares and another with a Pave Spike pod to film events. At 550 kts and 50 ft, the flares hit the water after about 1 second, then resurfaced about 2 secs later still burning! Not good for the programme that we were using. However, we held one flare until after we landed, stopped on the runway, had an armourer insert the butt test key then, with a fire truck in attendance, fired the flare. It rolled about 50 ft and stopped, so we were happy; HQ STC were not, but were we bothered?

We were constrained politically to using Paveway II LGBs in Beirut, with the primary mission to take out any artillery firing on our troops in the city. However, the normal toss profile would be ineffective against targets significantly above run in height (as the guns would have been) so we developed a 40 degree dive self designation profile. We obtained 6 bombs for a trial, and a CTTO man was dispatched to oversee events. Akrotiri workshops made 2 large square rafts for targets which were then floated in Episkopi Bay. The bombs were to be dropped "clear range", which included laser safety considerations. The first 2 bombs dropped hit the rafts and sunk them. We had proved the attack worked, and so were denied the request to make 4 more rafts or drop any more bombs. However, we did have a bet with the CTTO man for a bottle of champagne for each bomb that worked, and he dutifully paid up. In today's risk averse culture none of this could happen!

One tail piece on Op Pulsator is that at the time Akrotiri had an outstanding station commander, John Willis, and an equally good OC Ops, Nick Hamilton. Without them, the operation would not have been so successful - or so much fun!

Pulsator
 

Lom

You missed the bit for the chaff trials, or what happens if you forget it is in the airbrakes before joining the circuit. I think that there was also a toilet roll variant but it may be that my brain cells have never recovered.

regards

retard

As is aluded to, the original chaff dispenser in the Bucc was to tape a couple of bundles into the airbrake. It gave just one shot, deployed by blipping the airbrakes momentarily open then closed. No problems until you forgot that you still had the chaff on board and opened the airbrakes on the break to land. No PARs for a few minutes! I do know of one case on a maritime exercise when the chaff was deliberately deployed during a ship flypast. This was quite normal, but in this case parts of the ship had just been repainted. After an upwind release, the chaff drifted gently onto the wet paint, turning the ship into the world's largest radar reflector. The signal from the ship's captain was priceless. Also, on a TLP exercise someone decided to try taping bundles of chaff onto a 1000 lb bomb in the bomb bay, hoping that it would deploy on bomb release. However and not surprisingly, it blossomed as the bomb door was rolled open, entering every nook and cranny on the Bucc. The stories of what happened, such as a continuously rolling bomb door, flashing gear lights, etc. may be somewhat exaggerated, but I believe that there was much hoovering out before it could be flown back to base, and the story goes that it then never flew again.

Op Pulsator:

2 x F-4s escorting 2 x Buccaneer for two separate missions.

Phantoms unarmed, Buccs carrying an AIM-9.

Discuss..........

<<and the story goes that it then never flew again>>

Off topic slightly but there can be some good trials at the end of an aircraft's life. We watched amazed at a Shacklebomber doing 300 kts plus over the Akrotiri salt lake for high speed manual parachute trials.

More recently a Jaguar trial at the upper end of the release envelope 525k and 150 feet. The bombs bounced 500 yards - less than expected but it could have been interesting if they had bounced higher. Seems the measurements had never been done in practice, only theoretical :8

Brickhistory has thrown in another interesting snippet on Pulsator. When we first deployed, the Buccs had AIM9Bs (the AIM9Ls and ALE 40 came into service a couple of months later). For the first two overflight/wave the flag missions, each pair of Buccs was escorted by a pair of RAF F4s. These were very political missions but the rules, including air-to-air rules of engagement (ROE), were determined by the relevant Group, 18 Group for the Buccs and 11 Group for the F4s. 18 Group understood little of the air-to-air scenario and therefore were quite happy for us to carry the AIM9s and use them as required for self defence. 11 Group, being somewhat wiser in such matters, considered the ramifications of flying armed in the same airspace as US, Israeli and Syrian aircraft on what was a non-combat mission, albeit in a war zone. They deemed that the ROE would determine that carrying missiles was not justifiable, and thus the escorts would be unarmed! Not surprisingly, the F4 crews elected to stay off the coast as there was little support that they could give us, and they did not want to be exposed to the surface-to-air threats (ZSU 23-4, SA7, and perhaps SA8 and SA9) unnecessarily. However, when given the chance to beat up a city like that............ Note that if we had been launched on a bombing mission, the F4s would most certainly have been armed.

LOMCEVAK,

Please check your PMs.

Thanks,
Brick

Brick and Lom (re Pulsator)
- And don't forget the 7 Sqn Chinook that took all the press in to the University LS so they could witness 'The first RAF overflight' and then took them all back to Akrotiri afterwards.
But we did bring you back some Beirut Rock - albeit somewhat later!
And for PN's info I also got one Shack up to 330kts S & L doing a noise trial for/at Boscombe Down - and yes it was noisy, but at least we surprised the Harvard that tried to bounce us.

From a J/T’s view.
 

Back to Buccs;

1. As someone who came off his Fitters course and spent months in Honington’s ASF, grinding and polishing Spars. For the next four years of my Tours, there was always the threat of another Friday afternoon STI/PWI to jack the Buccs up from somewhere further out than the Hardpoints (like the wing tips!) and then put a few more tons of fuel in to see if there were any other areas to crack!

2. At 208 Honington, a very experienced Jockey (Jules? springs to mind) walks in to debrief and snags the Control Column for moving when trim is set. The beast is dragged in to the then condemned Hangar and hauled up on jacks; Rigs connected and a power set strapped on; and there it stayed for three days with Fairies and Riggers of four different shifts slaving over it to find that – errmmm - it should move!

3. On setting off for a Detachment to Lossie for TBC ’81: A certain Wg Cdr (Now Air Commode (Ret’d) and Author) and his trusty Pilot Flt Cdr get all their bags stashed into the nice big Pannier in the Bomb Bay and, as they sign up, they move the big Day-Glo Flag in the 700 warning them the Pannier is fitted.
As normal, they are tasked to visit a Range and do a practice run, with the CBLS loaded, on the way North.
A quick blast down the Range with at least one brain in ‘automatic’ for a nanosecond. B/Bay switch flicked and flicked back. But that doesn’t stop it moving.
Result – another loss of concentration and the bombs miss by hundreds of yards – although there is a reported direct hit of Samsonite on the target!
The following evening was a very large Hangar BBQ and Country and Western Band welcoming our US cousins and their new F16’s, and the only Officers underdressed for the occasion were two guys wearing borrowed Tee-shirts and Jeans.
In “The Clifton”; a big picture, showing a Bucc flying low over a Loch with a fisherman waving from his rowboat, is annotated “Carry your bags Sir!”

4. Honington - Line practice was for all the Lox Pots to be placed behind the aircraft line at the end of each day, for collection by the Lox Pot Trolley/Tractor. All goes well until a Pot is run over by a Tractor, crushed, and actually scrapes along the ground for a few yards before the driver’s attention is gained. Practice changes to place the Pots UNDER the rear of the aircraft, in the hope that the driver will see the aircraft first!

Good reading.

Shackman,

I am indebted to the 7 Sqn Chinook pilot (who later ended up in the tp world) who was parked on the stern of the USN ship under whose bows I flew on exiting the city after the flypast! He poured oil on troubled waters, only to have them stirred up again by the USN helo pilot under whom I had flown when around the city!

Rigger,

I was flying the Hunter bounce on the sortie in question when the bags were dropped. As I remember it, the said flight commander's bag stayed in the aircraft; only the boss's were dropped, one of which contained all of the 1369s! There was an attempt to "hush it up", but Honington's Station Commander at the time (who was a fantastic gentleman and pilot) announced it to one and all at a dining in night that evening! I recall that when the squadron arrived back at the end of the detachment, the wives had emblazened the hangar with a banner saying "Tactical Baggage Competition, 2001". Worthy of note was that the other flight commander at the time had dropped his bag on the same range a few months earlier, and it was subsequently washed up in the Humber. Happy days.

Bringing back a few memories. Key West with a Martel hungfired and smoking. I was watching at an angle of 90 degrees on a revetment as the plumbers took out the thermal battery dressed in asbestos clothes and masked, the OAT about 92 degrees and a hundred per cent humidity. Another Martel mishap in Roosevelt Roads but the less said the better.

Pulsator again. The plods recovering the Penn club jukebox from the block after someone had asked the barman how much for the jukebox. 10p he replied, 10p put on the bar and the music machine was rolled out for a party. Also Pulsator supplier admitted to being a virgin in the bar. After a whip round he was taken down town to see a lady of the night. In the following days debrief, it turned out that he only got a blow job and she nicked his wallet. Thanks to whoever pulled me out the bowl of ravioli I passed out in and saved me from drowning.

regards

retard

That Beirut experience, possibly the most memorable time of my career.
.
Imagine the Pen Club
.
12/208 Sqn Buccs
56 Sqn Phantoms
100 Sqn Canberras
7/18 Sqn Chinooks
Navy Seakings
2 Para
34 Sqn RAF Regiment
.
All of them on the piss, and trying to out do each other. I remember the Bucc groundcrew nicking the jukebox (Didn't it end up on the roof of the block?). And I remember the practice airfield attacks as I used to be part of the Tatty Ton Banner Party. (Thanks for the chaff remnants, by the way)
.
I was part of a 'flying wedge' composed of 12/208/100 Sqn groundcrew that took out 56 Sqn groundcrew. I still bump into people who claim they were there, a bit like claiming to have gone to school with John Lennon.
.
Nostalgia is not what it used to be.

SPHLC

As tatty ton, you would have missed the coincidental tour of 56 and the Bucc det in the Keo brewery, We met in the hospitality lounge and made so much noise thatt a board meeting was disrupted and we were all thrown out.

regards

retard

I think that it was 43 Squadron who provided the F4s when we first deployed on Pulsator, and that 56 replaced them in the December.