Borneo Escort - Javelins
 

Apologies if this has already been referenced elsewhere but a quick search showed nothing: 60 Squadron at Butterworth.

Nice little film Buster, thank you. I was a 48 Sqn Hastings Co-Pilot (based at RAF Changi, Singapore) and remember when the 60 Sqn Javelins took to escorting our supply dropping sorties in Borneo. We asked them at Kuching before setting off what would happen if an Indonesian Mustang (their fighter at the time) jumped us while we were dropping to a DZ. Will you shoot it down? "With the Firestreaks we're just as likely to shoot you down!". Oh dear, what should we do then? "how low can you fly?". Well just above the tree canopy if need be. "how slow can you fly?". About a 100kts if we run out some flap. "How tight can you turn?". Pretty tight if we've already run out the flap. "Then do all three together and hope that we can get him before he gets you!". Not the most reassuring briefing I've received but no doubt a fairly realistic one. Mercifully the drops went as tasked and we returned to Kuching with the Javelin in formation on our starboard wingtip for a run in and break on arrival. I've got some pics of it but the site I posted them on for downloading froze my account.

You'll notice the nose high attitude of the Javelin in formation on the Hastings in the video. No doubt the Hastings was going flat out as we were. Nonetheless I remember reporting to my captain that the Jav's pilot was frantically pumping his fist up and down for yet more speed from us.

Chugs, you can upload pics direct from your computer to your post by clicking on the icon just to the right of the smiley face in the post header bar. Hope I'm not telling how to suck eggs.

I love the PPE of the Ground Crew. - Those were the days!

Aaron.

All advice on the sucking of eggs gratefully received Megan, thank you. Things have obviously moved on since I last posted pics on PPRuNe and since I guided Danny42C in the arcane ways of doing it. Mentor turned pupil, a necessary experience to bring one back to earth occasionally. https://www.pprune.org/images/smilies2/eusa_clap.gif So here goes for nothing :-

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That's not an escort, that's close formation flying.

Fascinating film thanks for posting. Anyone able to identify the two aircraft parked by the runway at 1:42??? Look like Sabres..

RAAF CA27 Sabres (CAC built).

I seem to remember being told that the Javelin in question was not actually from 60 Sqn, but I think that 60 Sqn had been greatly augmented from other ones at the time. I think that the shot was taken flying down the Rajang valley on the return to Kuching. Sorry about the size but can't see an option to reduce it more. Here we are just entering the boundary of Kuching airfield for the run in and break :-


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I was one of the aforementioned - swimmers or shorts and flip flops were (non-issue) working dress, although we had to be properly dressed in KD for the one-day visit to Kuching of HRH Prince Philip!
The swimmers were useful and dried quickly after becoming soaked with bodily fluid (perspiration!) after working down an intake, or inside the servicing hatches.
Jungle greens and boots at night for that 'on active service' look, kept out some of the nasty bugs and beasties.
Our relaxed dress code was facilitated by the detachment location, across the runway from the main site, that required transport and a green from ATC to cross the runway.
I've identified myself in a fleeting appearance in the video, during a start-up sequence.
I still have regular contact (pre-lockdown) with a former 60 Squadron colleague from the '64-65 period (and subsequent posting to Lyneham, and I know Fitter2 of this forum from that period.
We had a great relationship with some of the aircrew detachment, particularly the tales from the likes of Fl/Lt Lockhart.

Thanks thought they were Sabres

"XH877 "C" of 64 Squadron was written off 22/6/1965: The aircraft had been directed to investigate an unidentified radar contact, which turned out to be a Borneo Airways C-47 Dakota. The port engine of the Javelin exploded as it passed the Dakota forcing the crew to eject.Per eyewitness report: "Reference the loss of XH877 on the 22nd of June 1965 over Tawau, Sabah, I was stationed at RAF Labuan and can remember reading a signals report on the crash. The pilot had shouted " eject...eject...eject" but the navigator for some unknown reason did not hear him: he was therefore, very surprised when his pilot suddenly and explosively departed! To his credit he soon followed. The report also had a typing error that became the talk of the communications wing, stating that the pilot had "ejaculated..!".
The aircraft crashed 20 miles north-east of Tawau, Sabah, Borneo and the Dakota circled the area until help arrived for the two crew - Flt. Lt. P. J. Hart (pilot), and Flt. Lt. P. E. "Dinger" Dell (navigator). They were picked up by a SAR Whirlwind helicopter, and flown back to Tengah"

via Aviation safety Net

Final pic in the set, this of our break over the Kuching hardstanding. Again, apologies for the size and mods please cull at your discretion if bandwidth is a concern. Ian Allen's Aircraft Spotters Books at the ready? :-

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....fd25e2426e.jpg

Oh, having said that, this is a more reasonable size. No idea why....

Edited to add that the reason for all the various RAF aircraft being there was to prevent/deal with Indonesian incursions during Confrontation. The major threat was in Borneo, the main means of dealing with it being British (including the Ghurkhas) and Commonwealth troops. They were in isolated and potentially vulnerable encampments dotted along the border and supported by forward RAF/RN helicopter detachments. Our job was dropping to those troops food and POL stocks in the main. If they were under attack that switched to solely 105mm ammo, and the urgent need for it getting to them was then clear.

I'll kick off with: Twin Pin, Canberra Valetta x 2, Belvedere. Adding in the coaming; Hastings!!

Give the man a washing machine! At the start the twin pins turned up unpainted and shiny. A quick coat of paint had to be applied as they operated from short airstrips hacked out of the jungle and would be clearly seen by marauding Indonesian aircraft above. The paint used initially appeared to be some form of emulsion, as the frequent rain washed most of it off in time. The one parked seems to have had a more appropriate application by then. The Belvedere guys always started up unstrapped and side windows wide open ready to evacuate if needed, as Avpin was used. If that caused a fire it was directly behind them, resulting in the entire cockpit falling off the aircraft if the fire was not rapidly extinguished. Not too unlike the starting up of the WWII Napier Sabre engined Hawker Typhoons...though that engine was capable of doing all that on its own without any additional help.

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I love the PPE of the Ground Crew. - Those were the days!

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Some of them were wearing shoes and socks - as Null Orifice has said, flipflops were de rigeur during the day, although a bit of caution needed when topping up Avpin.

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Initially the detachment occupied two tents by the PSP readiness pan, and returning aircraft had to be lined up and backed onto the pan with the David Brown; later in '64 the South pan opposite the main airport one was extended and a couple of Basha huts put up for us. Fresh pineapples picked from the adjacent farmers field were welcome until a security fence was put up round the airfield. After XH874 suffered an Avpin explosion on startup and was written off at Kuching, its ventral tank and a drop tank were cannibalised to make an excellent outrigger canoe we sailed around Bau Lake on day trips up country. Trips down Kuching river to the beach were also popular - it wasn't all work. Happy days

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Fitter2
Hello Peter, Nice pic of you and some of the lads cruising down the river. I'm still in contact with Dave B (to your left) and remember Chips and 'Percy' .
Don't recognise the chap behind though.
Best wishes and stay safe!
Dave C

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f25bb70e35.jpg
Main operating base of the mighty Borneo Jet Force - alias 60 Squadron detachment pictured in early-mid 1964. The PSP access road was a particular hazard, when wet, to us flip-flop wearing ground crew.
The new concrete ORP was in use but the older PSP platform mentioned by Fitter2 can be seen in its later guise as a ground equipment parking area.

that’s about 1,000 nm! Not exactly picking up and dropping off. I’m assuming dropped at an airport and flown FW back.

Chugalug2 those images are wonderful: thank you :ok:

The PPRuNe upload sorts out the image size onscreen so don't worry about that; but if the file size is too large then the image won't get uploaded anyway. If that happens the only solution is to save the image on your confuser in a reduced size, generally I've found that about 1.5mb is as much as will get through.

I was fire officer at Seletar in 1967 and the resident squadron of Belvederes (no 66) were a constant worry. The year before one had burned out on the pan after a start up fire on the occasion of the annual AOCs inspection. I also remember reading an accident report on another one where the fire had been successfully put out by the groundcrew. The section on casualties read "Fatalities - nil, Injuries - one - pilot broke his ankle jumping out of aircraft!"