Beefix:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h269/wub_01/canb.jpg

They were certainly known as Rushton winches on the TT18 Canberras of 7 Sqn at St Mawgan.. They didn't always deploy a Rushton target, sometimes a sleeved target for daytime gunnery practice was used.

Photo taken by me in 1972

On my ground tour we controlled Alconbury arr & dep from Wyton.
Then, just to make a mix of types and speeds a little more interesting we had a UAS summer camp with solo studes fluttering around and getting in the way.

... and Ulster, Midland, London, Cotswold, Scottish ;)

I'm sure I'm missing somebody ... that's only 11, and I'm sure there were 12 when I was managing MATO ASIs and Unit SOPs.

Brize?
 

Was Brize a Centre back in those days MPN11?

1ACC would have been No 1 Air Control Centre (deployable CRC in simple terms). Still in existence and deployed on Ops, though not in the UK. They do have a UK capability though and presumably did back then?

Interesting programme, but as far as the QRA(I) segment was concerned, there was a much better stab at it made by Sky TV last year - still around on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hijzP1zzLI

Having just had a quick re-visit to the Sky video, I am not sure that there weren't some bits borrowed from it for this programme.

A couple of years ago there was a R-44 pilot who decided to some hover training about a mile and a half from the threshold of RWY16 at YMML (the active) in the middle of the midday gaggle. All arrivals and departures cancelled for 30 min as desperate attempts were made to contact the pilot. Eventually Cpt Doofus realised the error of his ways, and promptly switched off his transponder and high-tailed it for a secondary aerodrome to the south. Unfortunately he obviously wasn't aware of the capabilities of primary radar, and subsequent enquiries discovered that there only one R-44 of that particular colour at said aerodrome.

I don't think the patterns were cleared until well after the evening peak died off. He would have cost the industry millions that day :ugh:

Well, schoolboy error there ... MRD weren't allowed to control traffic above FL245. That privilege was reserved to NRD/ERD in that area!

I'd never heard it referred to as LAZI before! Anyway, it may have had the kit but it didn't quite have the 'attitude' of NRD and ERD - they could be as bad as MRD in some ways, with remarks like "I haven't got a flight plan for that". As I once said, "I don't care, there's the radar return and that's the aircraft. Now take the bloody handover!"

Dutch Mil was, of course, bread and butter for those of us working the FIR boundary.

1ACC [then at Wattisham] did occasionally control the Lightnings out of Wattisham and Colishall, presumably to keep their staff in practice. It was a fairly infrequent occurrence, though.

Oxford Radar/Cotswold Radar was aways an odd one. Yes, it operated from within the Brize approach room, and was largely concerned with Lower Airspace traffic [and a bit of CAC]. But it was a MATO Unit ... while the rest of ATC was a STC unit :)


BTW ... have you ATC chaps found This Website yet?

Flying Phantoms out of RAF Lakenheath in the 72-75 time frame I found the British ATC chaps to very proficient and professional. I especially remember returning from deployments at Aviano Italy and feeling like I was in good (better?) hands after the transfer from the French ATC to London Mil. :D

Thank you, Bevo ... that could have been me at either London or Eastern ;)

"Cleared to the Lakenheath fix, decent and report level FL180, expect penetration on arrival, base weather <blah blah blah>"

PS: I was the Staff Officer who persuaded USAF and others to use the Colour Code for weather, saving a lot of RT time ;)

PPS: I used to visit LK [and UH, and BW/WB] regularly to lecture at the Instrument School Indoctrination for new USAF pilots in the UK. Indeed, I still have copies of the presentation slides!

PPPS: I have a former USN pilot buddy in VA, who regularly flew from Rota to ML around that time. We reckon we spoke often before we met in a neighbourhood bar a few decades later ... and I will be seeing him there again in a couple of weeks ;)

MPN11 the world is sure a smaller place with the internet. It is interesting that we could easily have conversed many years ago. :D Thanks.

Caught up with this last night; quite impressed, though the one bit that rankled (apart from the flight-lootenant voiceover) was the typical spotter and his mum.:rolleyes:

Kudos to the SAR crew. With all the comments I have heard about civilian crews not being as committed as the RAF/RN teams, I shall be happy to mention this programme to the next plonker who speaks that in my presence.

Martin, typical spotters pay taxes and attend air shows where funds are raised for service charities.

Apart from my [corporate/RAF] trips to Farnborough, I only know the [free] Jersey Air Display, where we did pay a substantial sum one year to dine and view in the VIP enclave.

I recall to my horror being rather under the affluence of inkahol, and being rather 'inappropriate' to AM Dusty Miller :(

Proceeds to RAFA ;)

Airpolice, my point was simply that Martin expressed irritation at 'spotters' being included in the programme. Spotters are citizens of the country that the RAF exists to defend. I write as someone who served inthe RAF and who enjoys photographing aircraft.

Martin - I think you'll find that the Captain, winch operator and winch wench are all ex-RAF, don't know about the co-jo as he/she wasn't shown.

The level of professionalism is the reason so many from RAF/RN were taken on by Bristow.

What Wub said

Not at all, Wub. Having spent many an hour outside fences myself I often class myself as a spotter. What rankled was the way that they were portrayed: look, the saddo with his mum.

What price the anonymous individuals who spend hours a a day using Internet forums and chat rooms? How can you get a sun tan doing that? ;)

Martin, ok, wires crossed, apologies.

To me it was more the way they portrayed the spotter, it was all "lives with his mum and can't get a girlfriend" kind of thing, bit unfair to say the least.
SAR bit was proper scary though, bit like the RNLI series the other week, makes you appreciate even more what they do.

My thoughts too BEags: weird. Great prog though!