Jet Jockeys
 

Thanks to a well-known on-line website, I've just received a copy of Peter Caygill's book Jet Jockeys.

An excellent account, with plenty of very welcome technical detail, of flying the RAF's early jets - Meteor, Vampire, Venom, Sabre, Swift, Hunter and Javelin. I think that it's out of print now, but the copy I managed to obtain is virtually brand-new.

Not just a good account of flying those early aircraft, but a fascinating insight into a very different RAF...

Meteor QFIs were lucky to have survived such times!

BEagle thanks - mine is on its way

I,too, can highly recommend Jet Jockeys. As we once were.........:{

Thanks from me too, BEagle, just ordered mine.

CJ

Well spotted, BEags, mine is also on the way . . . Thanks. :ok::ok:

I too have ordered a [second hand] copy (for a tad under £60 less than the new list price) as my father flew 5 of the 7 aircraft that BEagle mentioned and he never really talks about it. Mind you, I suppose I've never really asked!

"Jet Jockeys"
 

My copy came via that certain web site from a library in the North(ish) of England, hard back and practically brand new at a fraction of the new price (and delivered within 24 hrs"). It is now hidden away in a suitcase in readiness for next weeks holiday.

So thanks for the heads up:D

Cliver029

One thing which I found very interesting was the amount of high-level flying up in 40s which went on back in RAFG in the 1950s.

So different to the "schneebling in the weedisphere" of the 1970s.

I was suprised at the capabilities of the Venom compared with the Sabre - and particularly the rather underwhelming Swift!

It must have been very exciting to have been in the RAF of about 1953-6...

It wasn't just in RAFG, there was a fair amount of high level flying taking place in UK as well.

Very true on occasion, Beags, I still think the best birthday present I ever got was on my 20th from my Flight Commander at Pembrey; he authorised me for my first Hunter trip (a Mk 1, so no dual).

For Beagle
 

Just one more to thank you for the "heads up" (as "one" says these days): my copy - the last of the seller's stock) is due in a day or two. Together with 3 books on Confrontation, just delivered, I think I'm well set for early autumn reading, learning and inwardly digesting things I never knew when I was "involved"!
JP

Meteor link
 

Re: link number 241 (Old Duffer) - have just found this thread and as an ex A2 QFI and Meteor jockey from 1950 to 1956 (Mks.4,7,8,12,14) am interested in the Cummings book but the "Tiscali" link does not work for me. Incidentally, I met Nick Carver at the "Hunter Meet" at Kemble in July 2001 and we swapped some lines about our experiences. Can't find the Cummings books over here in the colonies - can anyone help???
Edit: of course, it was Nick Carter that I met in 2001 (excuses - I'm getting on!!!)

Meteor Books
 

Babil,

See your PMs, the books you want are listed and are available.

O-D

high altitude training
 

"One thing which I found very interesting was the amount of high-level flying up in 40s which went on back in RAFG in the 1950s."

Beags, we were doing it in the 60s too: as a JP QFI in the 60s I remember syllabus High Level sorties involving climb to 35,000 ft for GH - in the unpressurised JP4.

On my DF/GA Hunter course at Chiv in 1970 we were still practising High Level Battle at 40 grand/0.9 Mach. Made your eyes water if you tried to use flap to cut the corrners!

I think I only ever went that high once in a Hunter - to do a boom run in a Valley GT6.

We were told that if you used flap above M0.9, the elevators would jackstall and you wouldn't be able to recover until you raised the flaps again...:eek: We never bothered using the follow-up tailplane system either.

Drove back from British North Humberside today along the A15 to Lincoln, then the A46 Fosse Way to the M1 - I see that at last the road is being dualled all the way from Newark to the M1 at Leicester. But a it's a pity to see that the Officers Mess at Syerston seems to have disappeared under part of the new junction at Flintham.

Back in the late '60s on that you route you would have seen RAF aircraft at Scampton, Swinderby, Syerston and Newton. But apart from Air Cadet gliding at Swinderby, sadly they're all gone now.....:uhoh:

We used to do a number of high level navexes with tops at FL390, heating was adequate but of course only pressurised to 25k, no bang seat, and a standard H-mask.

One trip we did was a Gee-Homing where we would tune in the Gee Mk 3 and instruct the pilot with left-hand down a bit, right-hand down abit keeping the strobes lined up. The first two legs were fine with near straight hyperbolic lines. The third leg was very sporty with the curve increasing down the track. The secret, not always told to the studes, was to stay inside the curve. If you drifted outside it was near impossible to get back as you needed more than 60 AOB at 370.

Aeros were not allowed in the NF14(T) so we didn't do any. Oddly the aircraft was able to climb and dive in a circle and indeed go inverted but we never did loops and rolls (honest :))

Pontius Navigator: The 11,12, &14 that I flew were all pressurised, do you know why it was removed on the 14 you talk of ?

Henry, you're right, sorry but it was 48 years ago. Yes it was pressurised to 25k.

Thanks for the kind words on Jet Jockeys, hope you all enjoyed it. It seems ages since I did that one.

If anyone is interested I have a new book out called Meteor from the Cockpit which is a much expanded version of what appears in Jet Jockeys and is published by Pen and Sword.

Peter