RAF Memories

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Re: RAF Memories

#61 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:50 pm

Come on Ian, give 😀

Anyway it is probably Portuguese or Polish now.

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Re: RAF Memories

#62 Post by ian16th » Fri Apr 12, 2019 10:09 pm

Pontius Navigator wrote:
Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:50 pm
Come on Ian, give 😀

Anyway it is probably Portuguese or Polish now.
I honestly cannot remember its name. I tried to recollect it when I posted the previous.

What I do remember is Boston Gliderdrome! The dance hall, a genuine den of inequity.
But they used to get all of the top Jazz Bands there.
I understand it was burnt down.

Another rather sedate place was the Lea Gate Inn, within walking distance of the camp.
I remember having a very generous Ham & Eggs there for 3/6.
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Re: RAF Memories

#63 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Fri Apr 12, 2019 10:23 pm

The Lea Gate and the Blue Bell were generally the Officers' pubs in my time, late 80s to early 90s. I lived on a narrowboat at Dogdyke for four months, as a favour for the SMO who was doing a Falklands stint. The Packet at Dogdyke was a cross between The League of Gentlemen and Lock,Stock,and Two Smoking Barrels. Overheard:
"Harry been in?
"He's in Lincoln jail"
"I thought he got out last Tuesday"
"He did"

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Re: RAF Memories

#64 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sat Apr 13, 2019 7:41 am

Between Ian and Fox, the station was awarded the Freedom of Boston. A great excuse for free drinks for some 😊 and a parade for others 😐

Anyway, in the initial granting of the Freedom the mayor said he wished there was some that they could do that was more than symbolic value.

Phil Largeson, OC 12, spotted an opportunity and said "how about honorary membership of the Pineapple Club.". He had spotted that the owner was in the mayor's line of sight . Result!

Remember Marti Kane singing there.

This lasted for a year or so until the station went in to care and maintenance and the owner quickly changed its name.

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Re: RAF Memories

#65 Post by ian16th » Sat Apr 13, 2019 10:23 am

Fox3WheresMyBanana wrote:
Fri Apr 12, 2019 10:23 pm
I lived on a narrowboat at Dogdyke for four months,
Ah Dogdyke!

A victim of Beeching's Axe.

I used to get off the train their at oh dark 30, on a Monday morning, and walk across the airfield to the billets.
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Re: RAF Memories

#66 Post by ian16th » Sat Apr 13, 2019 11:41 am

Seeing as Coningsby seems to be top of the pops on this thread, let me mention my most exiting day while I was there.

It was 15th April 1957, the day this happened.

I was at work in the Radar Bay when the fire alarm went off. This at a time when we had a lot of 'tests' which were a nuisance.
As the only NCO there, calls out, 'Switch Off and get outside!' And leading the way, I picked up an extinguisher, by chance it happened to be one of the foam variety.
To exit the section, we had to enter the hanger and then exit via the fire doors. The main hanger doors were open and on entering the hanger I saw smoke pouring out of the main door of the next hanger.
Uttering something like 'king Hell it is a real fire', we all run to the scene.
In the next hanger is a B2 Canberra well alight. In an exercise of futility I emptied the foam extinguisher on the fire and just then the Fire Section turned up.
We were then roped in to get the other a/c out of the hanger and away from danger. These included another B2 that was up on jacks, with its main wheels off. The wheels were fitted and the jacks lowered, and the a/c manhandled out of the hanger, in a manner that would have done credit to a F1 pit team! The a/c of Station Flight were also there and disposed of. The Anson pushed out and a couple of Chippies were virtually thrown out!
When we now became spectators to the real problem, the a/c on fire.
The Fire Section had a foam creator operating and one Cpl 'Paddy' Murphy was on his back under the a/c directing the foam into the rear hatch. Unfortunately the spare starter cartridges were stowed there. They should have been removed before the a/c was put in the hanger. These spare cartridges went up and the fire went totally out of control and Paddy was dragged out just before the a/c fell into two pieces.
As the report says, Paddy was awarded a GM for his efforts.

The only time of my service that I witnessed a Gallantry Medal being earned.
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Re: RAF Memories

#67 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Sat Apr 13, 2019 12:18 pm

Exciting stuff:
Only real fire whilst I was at Coningsby involved the alarm going off about 5 minutes after the weekly test. Everyone thought it was a retest, and ignored it. Most of a barrack block was damaged, though fortunately with nobody in it at 0830 hrs. I have always used this when giving fire briefings, to emphasise that all alarms must be treated as real.
I have heard the Crash Alarm go off twice. The first was at Valley, when it went off for about half a second. A Hawk went sideways off the runway on landing, the stude opted not to stick around, a good decision as it dug one wheel in as it left the runway and started cartwheeling. The ATC chap reached for the Crash Alarm button, but his subconscious had worked out the flaming wreckage was headed straight for the tower, and started his legs moving rapidly in the other direction. The result was the briefest touch on the button, which didn't latch in, before the rest of him followed in the direction of the stairwell. The wreck stopped about 20 foot short of the tower. We were having our helmets refitted on 3 Sqn at the time before starting flying, so had a fine view. Serious stuff, fast jet flying, we all thought.
The second was at Coningsby, during my first 5 minutes as Station Flight Safety Officer, whilst I was walking across the apron to BBMF to reopen a Hurricane Accident Inquiry that I had just been handed the signal for. First one then the other reheat quite audibly blew out on a Tornado that had just got airborne. Crash State One was announced over the Tannoy. God hates me, I thought. Fortunately, they got one relit.

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Re: RAF Memories

#68 Post by izod tester » Sat Apr 13, 2019 1:39 pm

Coningsby 1976, Binbrook Lightnings were there on bolthole and there was a NATO exercise which involved Belgian Mirages refuelling at Coningsby after simulated attacks somewhere else. It was noticed that all of the Lightnings were RTB and landing with a degree of urgency and it was notified that this was because one of the Belgian Mirages could not get his nosewheel down and was going to do a nosewheel up landing. Landing was performed in front of a large crowd of Coningsby personnel who all though it would be a good way of avoiding becoming a member of any subsequent inquiry. Mirage performed a flawless landing holding the nose off whilst the speed bled off and finally putting the nose down and coming to a safe rest. The canopy opened, the pilot undid his straps and then sat there with his head down in the cockpit making sure every thing was switched off. At that point, the crash crew arrived at the scene and filled the cockpit with foam.

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Re: RAF Memories

#69 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sat Apr 13, 2019 2:54 pm

Izod, nose wheels were always good for a laugh.

In '64 the extremely popular station commander 🤓 was trying to jolt the Vulgar nose wheel down with dozens of spectators.

One, Joe L'estrange, was ruminating, should he go and get his camera. But if he did then the staish would land safely. And then he didn't have any film in the camera.

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Re: RAF Memories

#70 Post by ian16th » Sat Apr 13, 2019 3:19 pm

I witnessed a Javelin land at Marham with the port leg stuck up.

Very well flown, holding the wing up till the a/c seemed to be travelling very slowly, but eventually the wing dropped and as it touched the runway, the a/c started spinning around with lots of sparks.
It eventually stopped very close to our dispersal and the 2 crew got out and ran up and off the starboard wing in full flying kit, like a scene from a Looney Tues Cartoon!

The Fire Section had been warned and were on site immediately, so they prevented any fire problems.
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Re: RAF Memories

#71 Post by Sisemen » Sun Apr 14, 2019 5:55 am

I was walking down the peri-track in front of the Finningley “8” between electronics and BCDU HQ when this happened.
4778CBCA-2C48-41E6-BA23-71B14EE019A8.jpeg
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0642F042-7E80-4F27-B83C-4A70B475368B.jpeg
0642F042-7E80-4F27-B83C-4A70B475368B.jpeg (60.09 KiB) Viewed 874 times

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Re: RAF Memories

#72 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Apr 14, 2019 7:30 am

Did it buff out?

I think these first man out was Kim Bunting. He was the plotted and normally these last rear crew too leave. Between the bang seats, boot on the fuel console, boot on the copilot, and out.

Look at that truck H: I had forgotten Home Command.

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Re: RAF Memories

#73 Post by ian16th » Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:04 am

Pontius Navigator wrote:
Sun Apr 14, 2019 7:30 am
Look at that truck H: I had forgotten Home Command.
Isn't it an 'M', Maintenance Command?
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Re: RAF Memories

#74 Post by Pontius Navigator » Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:05 am

Ian, you are probably right, I knew Maintenance but thought it might have been H.

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Re: RAF Memories

#75 Post by 4mastacker » Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:23 am

Good to see the intake blanks are fitted - can't have FOD doing any damage; t'would knacker the jet!
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Re: RAF Memories

#76 Post by ian16th » Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:51 am

4mastacker wrote:
Sun Apr 14, 2019 8:23 am
Good to see the intake blanks are fitted - can't have FOD doing any damage; t'would knacker the jet!
On Valiant's we called them 'bungs'.
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Re: RAF Memories

#77 Post by admin » Sun Apr 14, 2019 9:08 am

We have few rules on Ops-normal, but causing extreme distress to the Admin by displaying images of broken Vulcans comes very close to instant dismissal with extreme prejudice.

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Re: RAF Memories

#78 Post by Sisemen » Sun Apr 14, 2019 9:13 am

Bugger orf Alison. I'm a rebel :))

The luckiest guy on that one was the crew chief. As the aircraft started to settle on its haunches he ran forward only to be met with the aircraft now falling on top of him as the back broke. He eventually was saved by the delta shape as he ran out sideways. While that was happening the canopy blew off and sailed into the air as the crew vaulted over the windscreen and slid down the nose and the refuelling probe and legged it towards the armoury. I just stood there gobsmacked not knowing what to do.

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Re: RAF Memories

#79 Post by Ex-Ascot » Sun Apr 14, 2019 9:14 am

BZN, 5th November the rocks were setting up the station bonfire so the Stn Cdr could just press a button to start it. They got the wires crossed. Tannoy: 'Fire, fire, fire at
......... er, the station bonfire'. Apparently they had a heck of a job getting it going again that evening after the fire section had finished with it.
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Re: RAF Memories

#80 Post by Krystal n Chips » Sun Apr 14, 2019 9:32 am

Crash alarms...for real.

Sadly, the first was at Valley when two Hunters had a mid-air and the bits landed on the public caravan site with several fatalities..this happened at the morning break on a nice day so we were al sat outside Gaydon hangar and watched the horror unfold....the ATCO who pressed the button was clearly in shock and barely audible.....the "lighter " side, so to speak.....one of the fire engines, driven by a fireman who was also a local taxi driver, left the airfield by the crash gate on the road by the railway bridge, a favourite spot for tourists and spotters alike and with some large warning signs.....said fire engine simply demolished the gate and the resulting chunks continued into the parked vehicles....thus negating any claims of which there were a few we heard.

Bruggen..the infamous "gear up, flaps up, wings up.....ooops !. time to leave " take off....being a bit short of lift, said F-4 duly returned to earth near Hill 60 ( unfortunately it missed the golf course ) Enter 431, somewhat disgruntled because the bits were on base so no nice few days away on rate 1's....however, the reg. was XV 431....cue the arrival of the fearless team who decided their priority was to cut off the bit of fuselage with the reg.on for our crew room !.....several of 31's "management " were heard to express their " somewhat intense" disapproval at this point but were unable to subsequently trace where this bit of wreckage mysteriously vanished to.....4 shed on the MU had many secrets within it's walls at times...including sun loungers....and even some bits of aircraft from time to time awaiting repair.

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