NickB

I believe that pic was taken from a Harrier, but stand to be corrected.
I've also heard it said that Mike Thompson was piloting the Lightning, but heard others say that isn't correct...


It was indeed taken by a Harrier, and I was flying it. MoD wanted a shot of a Lightning from head on in a vertical climb over the middle of Binbrook for a recruiting poster.

R Cooke esq., rolled up at Wittering and we fitted his specially- modded camera–carrying CBLS to a T4. He sat in the back and pushed the bomb button to activate the camera on my call. Obviously he couldn’t see anything of what was going on behind us.

The Lightning pilot was Mike Thompson and he had to tuck in very close under my tail as we ran in at 400kt and pulled up over the airfield.

After viewing the shots from the first sortie, Richard said he needed the Lightning closer to the lens!

I had a quiet chat with Mike and we reflew the profile - I could feel the Lightning on the stick all the way through the manoeuvre.

Mike said he had been “pretty close” during the pull-up. I didn’t want to know how close exactly!

All the best,

ExMudmover

Ah, the wonder of the InterWeb in general and PPRUNE in particular! I had considered asking here if anyone might happen to know any details of how Richard Cooke obtained his signature "head-on" shots (perhaps the best-known of which is the rocket-firing Harrier). No need for that, however, as I had only to wait a couple of days for xMM to authoritatively address the issue!

Interesting choice of camera ship to get that Lightning shot (to the uninitiated like myself). The Harrier had many strengths as a jet and weapons platform but I never imagined vertical climbs to be a particular strength?


Could you maybe enlighten me exMM? (Weapons delivery profile maybe?)

I believe that at that time Mike was the Lightning display pilot

That would make it 1983 then. (obviously before Aug 26 of course :()

Treble one

I made an error in my original post. The run-in speed was a lot higher than 400kt, probably nearer 500. Remember also the Harrier had a high thrust to weight ratio , (even the T4), so a vertical climb was no big deal.

Regards

ExMudmover

Not the best taste that Geeram.

Why?
It's obvious what, GeeRam is referring to, it's also quite clear that no offence or bad 'taste' was intended or meant, stop looking for ill intent where there is none!

-RP

Yes RP and Geeram fair enough.
Just me briefly being a slapped arse .

Thanks Ex MM.


I confess that I thought the Harrier was a much heavier aircraft than it actually is (just done a little bit of research).


All the best
TO

Similar shot of XS422 in 'test pilot' series over boscombe. big camera on centreline of hawk for this.

Surely the whole point of the Harrier was that thrust exceeded weight (except when taking off with a full load of bombs). The drag from the large intake did limit max speed though.

But it still lost in the helo vs Harrier time to height from "brakes off" bet.....

But did the helo actually release the brakes?

There was also a great shot from a 1980s TV programme (series?) related to RAF Germany that started with the camera in a high hover over a Phantom stationary at the threshold.

The Phantom began its takeoff roll, and the camera followed - I assumed a helicopter, and that the F-4 would soon accelerate out of the frame.

Not a bit of it - the camera followed in a tight shot into the climb-out.

Clearly a 2 seat Harrier; anybody else remember that, or even better remember the programme - or even even better have a link to the shot on YouTube? :D

I think the TV programme would have been an episode of the documentary series Man Alive on BBC which was done at Wildenrath in 1980. I spoke with Graham Clarke a few years ago who had to fly the reporter, Jack Pizzey, who completed his piece to camera between retches!

It is also mentioned in David Gledhill's book The Phantom in Focus and according to him it was a Gazelle helicopter that was used for the take off sequence. Have had a look for it on Youtube but without success.

Monsun - this must have been the programme.

Man Alive: Phantom - BBC Two England - 1 May 1982 - BBC Genome

and a bit more from BEagle here:

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...natonwide.html

I think the clip you wanted is here:

Wildenrath Phantoms Video by DeeGee | Photobucket

and a few other similar clips here:

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/DeeG...?sort=3&page=1

:p

As I understand no - the bet was that the helo would call brakes off, but The rules didn't insist they had to be released before either started their climb.......

Thanks, Wokkafans and Monsun!

And many thanks to Wokkafans from me as well!