Buccaneer Tales
 

I am a great fan of the Buccaneer and would love to hear any stories that you would like to share.
It was a great aircraft that certainly showed that it had a few 'aces up its sleeve' during the Gulf conflict. It was a sad day when the last and best Buccaneer Sqn stoped 'doing the business.'
Please help! I eagerly await your replys.

[This message has been edited by Pete208 (edited 05 April 2001).]

237 OCU crewroom mid-70s. Mate is on the phone to a F4 base regarding fighter affiliation training. After listening to the F4 bloke say "Can you keep it below 550 knots please.......below 4g......oh, and please don't use the (jamming) pod" he replies, "Tell you what, fighter puke, why don't you play the bombers and WE'LL play the fighters!!"

A typical Bruce Chapple quote:"You don't look for people to avoid in this thing, you look for people to ram. It's not so much built as quarryed!!"

I think that the last and best Buc Sqn is still doing some business. It sounds like they have an attractive new badge on the way...?

Yes they are still doing business, and I didn't mean to suggest otherwise. Shame about the badge, has this rumour been confirmed and if so what does the new one look like?

[This message has been edited by Pete208 (edited 05 April 2001).]

Unfortunately, it is true. The new one is still in the design process. Whether or not it gets implemented is yet to be discovered.

Lossie, early 90s. Old and bold ex-Bucc pilot converting to the GR1, on one of his first flights over an unusually calm bit of the North Sea. Pilot takes GR1 ever lower and ever faster. Faster and lower. After a few minutes at very low level, the GR1 nav is sweating a fair bit. Later, back at Lossie, Nav says
"I've never been so scared, what were you doing?"
"Oh, you know the Bucc could fly in ground effect at 20 ft or so above the sea - well I was trying to find the same thing on the GR1".
"And?"
"The Tornado doesn't have it".

Honington 1981 Air Day. Big unveiling of Tornado GR1. Tens of thousands turn up to see new addition to RAF inventory perform.

Same tens of thousands of people go home marvelling at 4 ship Bucc airfield attack.

Tornado doesn't get a mention.

I was sitting on the 208 hangar roof and it was VERY low and VERY fast.

Happy days.

I remember reading about the Buccaneer at Red Flag Exercises in Nevada desert in the Eighties I think.. The Americans could not believe how low.. how aggresive and how professional a low level attack could be..

It still remains an impressive aircraft. http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif

I think it was Eagle, we had a light blue chappie from Boscombe Down (IIRC) carrying out trials on the Martell. As the weather got a bit ordinary, the deck pitch got to about 60' around 1 wire, and it was "suggested" the trials be called off.

If you take the tyres off the main wheels and let the oleo's down to flat as possible, the undercarriage doors are still a couple of inches off the deck. If you persist in landing a heavy Bucc on a pitching carrier, just about out of limits, you can scrape the bottom edge of the undercarriage doors on the deck without a problem.

Then there was the steely subbie who collapsed the nosewheel and slid along the deck with no. 3 wire holding him against go around thrust, until a yellow jersey knocked on the canopy and suggested that he might like to throttle back a bit http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/redface.gif

There are quite a few photos of Bucc's on my web site, under photo gallery/navy/buccaneer. If you're interested.

Would love to see the photos as I am sure many others would be. Could you let us know the address please.
Thanks

Pete, check his Profile - the homepage address is in there.

Very nice photographs!

Thanks didn't think to look there, still new to the site I guess.
Well some great stories, what an aircraft. As an engineer I was fortunate to get a 'back seat' trip. I never expected a jet that size to be able to do all the things that it did.
It is a memory that I will never forget

John, how the devil are you? Great to see you on PPRuNe.

Pete208
I assume you have seen my Buccaneer Website?
www.blackburnbuccaneer.co.uk

and DARE I start posting Banana photographs on here AGAIN!! "No..No.. Brooks" I hear.
You decide? I did post a number of my photographs on a recent thread titled LOW LEVELLERS which has probably just fell off the bottom of the page?

As for stories, any of you lot that have offered up a tale care to help out with my 'soon to be released' Buccaneer Tribute CD? Some money going to ben fund blah blah but need plenty of tales of buccaneering. Anyone got the 'bottle' to put pen to paper or shall we just continue to hear the distant tunes of "nah na na nah' in the back of some distant drinking hole now and then when the ale has done it thing and someone remembers that the 'B' word is not a swear word but a word to be proud of! She was, infact OUR LAST 'TRUE' BRITISH BOMBER!
(Please, don't nail me for what must be my most aggressive post of this forum, but it is a tad annoying that very few of the 'few' are 'pitching up' with a few quick, short or long memories of the Buccaneer.

Standing by for insults but I'm ugly enough to take it :)

Kind regards to all,
if anyone does want to help PLEASE mail me at [email protected] or go in via my web site at www.AvCollect.com This project is VERY important.
Andrew Brooks
Snaps

Nice to hear from you again Andy, We have spoken via the internet and I have seen your site many times. Two questions for you:

1. When is there going to be a 208 Sqn badge on your site, they were the last and by no means best Bucc Sqn?

2. When is your CD going to be out, I know you want to get it right, but how far off release is it?

Thanks

Best aircraft I ever flew. Wasn't very good at it, mind and after 200 hours got specially selected for multi turbo props.

Aviation's not been the same since they took bomb bays out of aircraft. Look forward to the CD.

Cowden Range. Early 80's Bannana returning from Germany on Mon after weekend away.

Rolls into tgt 6 rolls bomb bay out falls all crews gear, got a no spot as well!!

...followed on the same range if I recall by some 1369s in transit.

Phew went the officers concerned!

Sorry sorry, just could not let this one pass!
http://members.tripod.co.uk/AvCollec...neer/tain2.jpg
SALUTE TO TAIN
"Cleared in HOT"... "Whoops another one slick, get the binos out"

God, there's some rogues in that shot!

Towards the end of the aircraft's life-cycle one suffered a double HYD failure, never considered possible before so no FRC drills or other advice had been suggested.

Problems: No powered controls, no flaps, no u/c, no airbrakes, no hook. Also no fuel transfer from drop-tanks although this was not realised until later, read on.

A/c was landed flapless and wheels-up at St. Mawgan with a g/speed well over 200 kts! The drop-tanks were kept on to prevent a wing digging in. They were thought to be empty but turned out to contain a lot of fuel due to the transfer problem. Highly spectacular video was recorded of the aircraft trailing sparks down the runway. One drop tank touched tarmac, holed and fuel torched into a large fireball behind the speeding Bucc. That tank emptied, the aircraft rolled until the other tank touched due to weight imbalance. Same again but this time the fireball enveloped the aircraft due to a much lower g/speed.

Fuel and fire all gone, the aircraft clattered to a halt in one piece. The canopy opened and two aircrew (probably wearing brown trousers) ran away up the tarmac at high speed. Fire trucks arrived late due to being at the downwind threshold and not being able to manage 200 kts g/speed!

[This message has been edited by ShyTorque (edited 07 April 2001).]

Chris Kebab,
100% agree, ha! That photograph is in a few toilets I can assure you. Great shot though don't you think? Notice wind speed on the roof!

Shy torque,
Not heard that one, noticed you have edited it also, would you mind telling all or pointing me in the right direction for 'one for the CD?'

Kind regards
Snaps
www.BlackburnBuccaneer.co.uk
www.AvCollect.com

Snapshot,

I don't know an awful lot more but I believe the video was shot by the St. Mawgan flight safety cell. I think it happened in about '92 or '93.

I don't personally have a copy, nor any photos.

The edit was only because I missed a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence!

Another good one was the Bucc that lost its tail in Wales in 1977. Its pilot had pulled 13G in a desperate but successful attempt to miss a Hunter!

Crew safely ejected and finished up in a lake. They amused themselves by seeing how much of the safety equipment they could use before they got fished out.

Another OCU aircraft came back with mud splashes on the underside due to a stude's target fixation on the range whilst delivering a 28lb'er. Close call - the aircraft film of that is probably in an archive somewhere! Or maybe the stude took it with him as he went away never to darken the door again.

ShyT

Visited Brough in 1969 and saw Buccs being built and was gob-smacked at the size of the main spar - carved from solid, by the look of it. I reckoned that the aircraft would last forever, so I was stunned when they were all grounded with cracks back whenever it was. As an F-4 jock in RAFG, the only aircraft that ever flew below us (as in right underneath) were the Buccaneers. I understand, though, that the cockpit was as much an ergonomic mess as the rest of the RAF's inventory. In the 70s a Bucc came off Nordhorn range and was joining up sharpish with his leader. As they got close the nav, with impeccable timing, shouted for a fuel check, so the pilot responded instinctively. I believe that the fuel gauge was somewhere up the pilots armpit with no repeater in the back cockpit....... Fortunately both aircraft survived the collision.

In 69/70 there were some of us at HQ STC and at MOD who thought that an avionic update and new buy of Buccaneers would be better value than what was then called MRCA. This would have left money in the kitty for a decent (ie American) fighter. We were told to belt up and stop rocking the boat in no uncertain terms.

------------------
presto digitate

Love old RT in the middle above.

"I'm not letting 130dB 50' above my head spoil this pose"!

Only joking mate.........

Chris,
I assume your post is regarding my photograph? There are no crew there with initials RT!
If you want to mail me with who you thought it was, I can confirm the rouges.
Regards
Snaps.
www.AvCollect.com

Wasn't there a Dambuster II episode over the Mohne Dam??

You may wish to check out the following site:
For those who love the Bucc!!

http://www.buccaneerclub.co.uk/

Bucc OCU type told me that the brochures for the Bucc S3 were ordered destroyee because the specs made MRCA/Tornado look silly.

Any truth in this. Anyone still got the brochures?

(See picture above)

Oh good God! It's Thrust 2 with wings...

RAF Buchan, 1963. I was waitng to go down the "hole" when 2 buccs came in off the sea, up the access road and UNDER the Type 80. Quite impressive, except the Type 80 was in a little hollow!

If a story is worth telling, then its worth exaggerating - especially you Shy!!!!!Just a small difference in the St Mawgan truth and the story on here.
Low & Slow, sorry to disappoint but, no truth I'm afraid but......
There was a Bucc at Boscombe that was used as a test platform for GR1 avionics and was hidden away after the MRCA came in to service.

Tilt,

Which one and what's your version? I have seen the video and spoken to the pilot of the first tale and was at 237 OCU when the other two happened so I would be interested in the other side of the story(ies).

[This message has been edited by ShyTorque (edited 13 April 2001).]

Snaps,

Ref your shot - my slowly failing eyesight and a partially shagged 7 year old 14" monitor still make that grin look like Ron T's!

Shy,
Don't get me wrong, just a bit of harmless banter about the way none of us can leave a juicy story as is!!!
The St Mawgan jet story:
Wingman told the aircraft concerned that he was venting fluid - assumed it was fuel so rolled the bomb bay to get rid of it. Wasn't fuel, was hyd fluid and rolling door used up the last of it. Flying controls not affected as it was a different system. Flaps available but not gear. Landing speed was about 165. Wing fuel was transferred by air pressure not hyds but no tanks were on the aircraft, the fire on touchdown was from the bomb door fuel tank and was only residual fuel. Canopy was jettisoned on short finals as the crew expected a fire!
So, close to the truth but as I said before: If a story is worth telling......

Snaps,
When is your CD being published - desperate for a copy! I have a few stories and photos if you're interested - e mail under profile.

T & G

[This message has been edited by Tilt&Gain (edited 15 April 2001).]

Tilt,

Well thanks for that! The pilot told me the story the way I posted it so the bullsh*t is all his! Wait till I see him next....

He got a Green Endorsement out of it anyhow.

Shy...
He's coming to work with me soon, I'll give him what for too! We were crewed together for the last few years of the jet - he does like his swinging lampshades doesn't he!

Q. Where do you keep buccaneers?
A. Under your buccin' hat!

Pete208, not ex Fish head are you?

Tilt,

He'd better like swinging wings too, then!

ShyT