Some of our drivers were told “no cbs and no mobile phones” today; How can these cause a safety issue? Surely a cb can’t interfere with the control tower? I fully understand why not in the armoury… And if mobiles are not to be used, then why put a contact number on the sheet with ring …for an ■■■■■■"?
Squadron Leader toby1234abc VC DFC DFM 10M SWIMMING CERTIFICATE CYCLING PROFICIENCY:
Did you see the VC10 fleet?
All the surviving ones were there on Monday; About 5 or 6 I think now, and supposed to be all retired by the end of the year. The Voyager’s there too but still undergoing trials.
Meant to be a replacement to the Hercules due aswell; The A400?
heres a great story I heard a while ago about an old aircraft made me grin, sorry if you’ve seen it before
'The US military had this huge generator they needed to get to an airfield site they were planning in the south. This was a remote area, and aside from a few pockets of US troops, it was completely under bandit control. There was no fuel available for miles around the landing spot, and none of the outfits we approached would touch it with a bargepole. They all kept saying, “We’ll never get out again, how can we take off from an unprepared airfield with no fuel?”
'The job was priced at between sixty thousand and seventy thousand dollars, but one day there’s a phone call from these Russian guys. They said, “We’ll do it, but it’ll cost you two million dollars, in advance.” The Americans didn’t really have a choice by this stage, so they paid. And sure enough, right on time, this ex-Soviet air force crew flew in, with the generator, in this battered old Il-76, unloaded the generator, then sat down for a leisurely smoke.
'Just as all the Americans were wondering how on earth they were going to fly out again, there’s a cloud of dust and up clatters this old minibus driven by some Afghan bloke - and these airmen just get in and drive off. The Yanks were all going, “Hey, how will you get the plane back?” And the crew just said, “We won’t. It’s an old one - we only bought it for this job, and we’re ditching it here.” Half a million dollars it cost them, and they held it together with string just long enough to land, then cleared off one and a half million dollars in profit and left it to rust. It’s still there.
‘Everyone just applauded them - the US guys in command, us, and charterers the world over. Not just for the flying, but for the incredibly sharp business mind that could hatch this. It was truly beautiful.’
A similar thing regarding the B52 at the American Air Museum at Duxford; Made up of different scrapped B52s in the US desert somewhere and flown over. It can’t take off again apparently as Duxfords’ runway is too short.
There’s a story concerning an American plane (the one that had jets and turboprops) that landed at the disused airfield at Enstone when the pilot mistook it for USAF Upper Heyford. It was stripped out and only just managed to take off.
When I worked for Cotswold Recovery I got most jobs on the base, mostly as I lived in the quarters and had a pass, but also as you say the other guys had used too many passes and were not aloud on site.
Strange rule, also used to get escorted out then left to find my own way back!
CB’s can and do give massive interference and phones have cameras!
Is the Bowling alley still at Brize? Manager was John Toogood, grand chap!
I think the alley is. The dry ski slope is gone and a new medical centre being built there instead.
toby1234abc:
‘… MP`s with snow drop hats …’
They’re the RAFP - or ‘Brains on Chains’ (meaning the dim herbert at the taller end of a dog-lead).
Muckaway:
‘… drivers were told “no cbs and no mobile phones” … How can these cause a safety issue? … why put a contact number on the sheet … for an ■■■■■■…?’
Because they’re generally not overly blessed with grey matter and couldn’t catch a cold?
P.S. I’ve never forgotten learning about Lord Mountabatten’s assassination on a fuzzy telly one beautiful (albeit hung-over) August Bank Holiday whilst holed-up inside the Brize departure ‘lounge’ en-route to somewhere lovely in 1979 (lounge? Ha!).
The plane (a MoD chartered, B’ Cal’ B-707) ‘lost’ an engine over India so we diverted into Singapore: Bugger.
Muckaway:
There’s a story concerning an American plane (the one that had jets and turboprops) that landed at the disused airfield at Enstone when the pilot mistook it for USAF Upper Heyford. It was stripped out and only just managed to take off.
I was at Wittering in 90 whe GW1 kicked off.
We were loading ammo on V.C 10’s to fly to the Gulf.
We used to load them, fuel them and then push them right back up against the hedge next to the A47.
They had traffic lights at that end to close the road and they used to put a rolling roadblock in at the A1 just in case he needed to go through the headge and execute a 90 degree left turn to go north boubnd 
.
VC 10 was the fastest passenger jet apart from Concore at one point.
Some of the Tristars were third hand
TWA sold them to B.A. who then sold them to the RAF.
The old RAF Abindon used to be full off stripped out Tristars and V.C.10 in B.A. colours
Muckaway:
‘…an American plane (the one that had jets and turboprops)…’
The core of a turboprop is a ‘jet’ - it has become less funkily referred to as a ‘turbo’ bit within an overall engine description these days, eg, turbo-jet, turbo-prop or turbo-fan.
They differ in the way energy from burnt elements are harnessed for what’s wanted, eg, for a train, boat, electricity generation or a fixed/rotary wing (helicopter) aircraft, etc.
The rudiments of ‘jet’ development was by Sir Frank Whittle and World War 2 with Rolls Royce and Sir Stanley ■■■■■■ honing much of what today are industrial norms.
In post war years Labour governments pro-actively gave away (to ‘enemies’?) or otherwise pulled the plug on what was once a vast lead that Britain had with this technology in the world. Thus their legacy is, at best, consistently & unpatrioticly dismal. Yawn - sorry.
Soldier z:
‘…VC 10 was the fastest passenger jet apart from Concord at one point…’
The VC10 is currently the world’s fasted passenger plane (Boeing Dreamliner pending?) - but is very noisy & thirsty in being so. Sorry - again.
And if you want a few more boring jet facts, the big green shed (that was?) at the side of the A50 near Dove park (used to be in front of the turning for Edgar Bentley’s haulage yard) was where the first ever jet engines were run up and tested in secret. Rather than test them near the RR works in derby they though this may be sufficiently far away to not be under observation by spies. I’m told that some of the locals who came to find out what the hell the noise was about were shot, some fatally although I have never been able to find any material to confirm or deny this although there is documentation referring to people who went missing without trace around this time.
Yawn over…
Anyone know if one of the VC10s are being preserved? Travesty if not given all the money wasted on “saving art for the nation”…
Doubt any VC10’s will get preserved, MOD not interested in funding something like that. Restoring the Vulcan had to be financed privately not even the National Lottery would give a penny towards that project. The first TriStar to be scrapped has began although it wasn’t planned, it went into Marshalls of Cambridge for a glass cockpit upgrade, it didn’t go as expected so rather than putting it back to it’s original state they decided to scrap it.
The MOD could give one to Duxford, it’d be a good contrast with their BOAC one…and the TSR2 
After watching bomber boys on tv, it amazed me that there are only 2 lancaster bombers left…in the world.
DoYouMeanMe?:
‘… the first ever jet engines were run up and tested in secret. Rather than test them near the RR works in Derby they…’
…were researched & developed initially in Lutterworth & further advanced at Barnoldswick - Derby becoming involved in jet turbine work years later.
skids:
‘…there are only 2 lancaster bombers left…’
Airworthy, sure, though Hendon museum has a non-flying exhibit to see for free - that I last saw two years ago after being a prosecution witness at Hendon Court where a muppet cut up me & dinked a car from a bus lane.
There’s one also at East Kirkby; Saw it on Most Haunted a few years back. Heard the other day that 47 Air Despatch are bringing their Dakota from Lyneham to display it at Brize.
Muckaway:
There’s one also at East Kirkby; Saw it on Most Haunted a few years back. Heard the other day that 47 Air Despatch are bringing their Dakota from Lyneham to display it at Brize.
The one at East Kirkby MAY be airworthy in the future as the brother’s have put feelers out for new engines etc so are presumably hoping for the green light.
Pete.
When I was a kid we used to fly fron Bushey to Freetown in Dacotas. We had to stop twice for fuel - once in Gibraltar, and again at some oasis in the desert.
skids:
After watching bomber boys on tv, it amazed me that there are only 2 lancaster bombers left…in the world.
Which brings back happy memories of when my big sis was stationed at Conningsby during the early 80’s. Me and big bro spent every possible weekend dossing down at her house and gazing misty-eyed at the Memorial Flight 
.
Some years after, me and my ex were in the area one weekend in the caravan and had a walk into the local village. As it was past opening time, we partook of a vessel of ale and sat outside. The hostelry was adorned with birthday banners and loads of folk, obviously family, were about, mostly looking at their watches and looking up at the sky. I realised something special was afoot when I heard the unmistakable sound of four V12 Merlins. Turned out it was the pub landlords’ dad’s 80th birthday and as he’d been on aircrew during WW2, they’d arranged a flypast by the Lancaster. Talk about right place, right time, it’s one of those priceless memories.
My nephew Craig, now 25 year old, is in the RAF, has been since he was 18. At his passing-out parade, a very high-ranking officer spoke to him and asked if there was any family connection. He introduced his mother who told of her time at Conningsby. Officer admitted to being very jealous as he’d always wanted to fly in the Lancaster. His face was a picture when my sis said she had, and so had Craig!! “How is that possible?” he asks. Confession time for big sis - she blagged her way on a test flight when she was three months pregnant 