RAF Memories

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Fox3WheresMyBanana
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Re: RAF Memories

#41 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:50 pm

For those who haven't suffered the delights of Coningsby, I should point out that "Hill" is a relative term. The highest spot height on the OS map containing Coningsby is 8 feet amsl, which ISTR is on top of the slightly humped bridge in Gipsy Bridge. Hawthorn Hill is a hill if you are an ant. It's why the light in the tower of College Hall Officers Mess is listed in the marine lights list despite being 25 miles inland.
Norfolk is almost as flat, but seems hillier as the RAF had the Earth's curvature increased there so that the Jags at Coltishall could get airborne ;)))

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Re: RAF Memories

#42 Post by ian16th » Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:19 pm

Pontius Navigator wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:25 pm
Mrs PN took her first test in Truro and doing a hill start with duff handbrake did for her.

Her next test was in the Highlands with a notable lack of hills in the test area. :)

As for hills near Coningsby, for assessing a second hand car, a drive round Hawthorn Hill, Scrub Hill and Bunkers Hill and then a hill start on the Witham Bank was good enough. :)
I passed my UK test in Hereford, where the hill start test was on a particular nasty sod of a hill.

Because of this, the local instructors gave emphasis to it in their teaching. I like to think I haven't lost the technique.
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Re: RAF Memories

#43 Post by Sisemen » Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:58 pm

I took one formal lesson in Doncaster, bought a 1953 split screen moggie minor and drove it, unlicensed, unroadworthy, uninsured, un everything, for 6 months between Doncaster and Finningley; took another lesson before my test (‘cos I needed their car for the test) and passed!

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Re: RAF Memories

#44 Post by Krystal n Chips » Thu Apr 11, 2019 3:03 pm

Fox3WheresMyBanana wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:50 pm
For those who haven't suffered the delights of Coningsby, I should point out that "Hill" is a relative term. The highest spot height on the OS map containing Coningsby is 8 feet amsl, which ISTR is on top of the slightly humped bridge in Gipsy Bridge. Hawthorn Hill is a hill if you are an ant. It's why the light in the tower of College Hall Officers Mess is listed in the marine lights list despite being 25 miles inland.
Norfolk is almost as flat, but seems hillier as the RAF had the Earth's curvature increased there so that the Jags at Coltishall could get airborne ;)))
It's kind of you to quantify the topography here because, over on TOP once during a thread about winter driving, alas, the only navigator in the RAF..ever !..regaled us about his experience in snow on...a Fenland Hill ! ..said location remains a mystery to this day.

I was unaware Coningsby offered anything that could be construed as delightful....other than leaving the wind blown / freezing / rain soaked rat hole that is

Another memory..at the dump working on the Lanc c/o 71MU......now that was a labour of love and, after it's first major, the port flap was lovingly rebuilt by moi but, they decided to play at war for a couple of days.....we had a piece of paper saying we was immune etc..cometh the dark of night, tannoy as to Blackout now in force !.....erm, on the domestic bit and blocks, yep. .....a mere few hundred yards down the road.....ramp / line lit up like Blackpool illuminations !

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Re: RAF Memories

#45 Post by 4mastacker » Thu Apr 11, 2019 4:37 pm

Fox3WheresMyBanana wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:50 pm
For those who haven't suffered the delights of Coningsby, I should point out that "Hill" is a relative term. The highest spot height on the OS map containing Coningsby is 8 feet amsl, which ISTR is on top of the slightly humped bridge in Gipsy Bridge. Hawthorn Hill is a hill if you are an ant. It's why the light in the tower of College Hall Officers Mess is listed in the marine lights list despite being 25 miles inland.
Norfolk is almost as flat, but seems hillier as the RAF had the Earth's curvature increased there so that the Jags at Coltishall could get airborne ;)))
..and yet, just a few miles up the road from Coningsby there is Cawkwell Hill on the A153 leading up to Cadwell Park, rises about 70 metres in about 600 metres - not a pleasant drive if there's snow and ice about.

I took my test at Gulag St Athan - a proper nightmare where the Viet Taff only obeyed road signs if they were written in Welsh.
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Re: RAF Memories

#46 Post by ian16th » Thu Apr 11, 2019 4:48 pm

I remember putting a VHF aerial on a hanger roof at Coningsby, if you looked north you could see Lincoln Cathedral, if you looked south you could see Boston Stump!
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Re: RAF Memories

#47 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:01 pm

and if you looked East you could see the Kremlin...on a clear day ;)))

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Re: RAF Memories

#48 Post by izod tester » Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:14 pm

Standing at the front door at our MQ in Thorpe Place looking East, the next high ground was the Urals. My daughter's still reminisce about the noise and sight of Phantoms taking off on a Q scramble at night.

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Re: RAF Memories

#49 Post by om15 » Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:35 pm

In the late summer of 1974 the Turks invaded Cyprus, I was stationed at Akrotiri on the MU, our job was crash and salvage and major repairs, 28 of us total in a small garage sort of place off the beaten track. In between jobs we played volleyball, sometimes for weeks on end.
With the high drama of the invasion, scrambles, tankers, evacuations, Vulcans departing loaded up, Pongos everywhere we thought it best to keep our heads down and adopt a very low profile. We were pretty successful, just carried on playing volley ball, loaded up the fridge with Keo and kept out of sight. Suddenly out of the blue a very ancient WWII RAF BSA motorbike appeared, apparently in times of emergency the MT section were tasked with ensuring all sections had motor transport.
Our WO (Ron) was an ex Halton Apprentice wartime Lancaster Flt Eng, very little impressed him and he ran an informal section, all Christian names and the highest levels of military cynicism , when we enquired what we should do with it he advised "ride the fcuking thing about I suppose", which we did, turned the volley ball pitch into a scrambles track and hammered this old bike about until it fell apart, could still be lying there for all I know.

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Re: RAF Memories

#50 Post by 4mastacker » Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:48 pm

Fox3WheresMyBanana wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:01 pm
and if you looked East you could see the Kremlin...on a clear day ;)))
I thought that was Orfordness. :-$
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Re: RAF Memories

#51 Post by llondel » Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:06 pm

ian16th wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:19 pm
Pontius Navigator wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:25 pm
Mrs PN took her first test in Truro and doing a hill start with duff handbrake did for her.

Her next test was in the Highlands with a notable lack of hills in the test area. :)

As for hills near Coningsby, for assessing a second hand car, a drive round Hawthorn Hill, Scrub Hill and Bunkers Hill and then a hill start on the Witham Bank was good enough. :)
I passed my UK test in Hereford, where the hill start test was on a particular nasty sod of a hill.

Because of this, the local instructors gave emphasis to it in their teaching. I like to think I haven't lost the technique.
Did mine in Bath, Had to do the reverse around the corner, which involved a hill start in reverse up to the junction, then it changed from up to down as the car went round the corner. Once complete, there was a hill start in the forward direction, then at the T-junction at the top of the road there was real bastard of a hill start that I stalled on first time. Second time, engine at about 5000rpm (instructor's car, not mine) as I gently let up the clutch and released the handbrake and we successfully pulled away. Stalling is not a failure provided you keep control of the vehicle. Looking at the map, there was another hill start in there too, seeing as having done the reverse, I had to pull back up to the junction in order to turn right back up the hill to the top. On the plus side, the road for the 3-point turn was almost wide enough to do a U-turn.

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Re: RAF Memories

#52 Post by G-CPTN » Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:12 pm

It's appropriate that the driving test should encompass the sort of 'hazards' that exist in the local area.

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Re: RAF Memories

#53 Post by Krystal n Chips » Fri Apr 12, 2019 6:46 am

G-CPTN wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:12 pm
It's appropriate that the driving test should encompass the sort of 'hazards' that exist in the local area.
True !..which at Valley constituted an eclectic mix of locals, Holyhead and the "delightful " road system, the only set of traffic lights for miles at Valley "X" roads at the A5 given it was far from uncommon for both HGV drivers and locals to simply ignore the red light and trundle straight through plus not getting involved in the exodus once a ferry had docked.

However, to assist in driver training, as Valley was an MDA then, engineers were thoughtfully detailed to spend a week on "duty crew " at night and over the weekend. Valley was decidedly devoid of grown ups at the weekend and Station Flight had their own Land rover......and a very large pan. All was progressing well with my self development driver training until somebody was inconsiderate enough to ask if I actually held a F600 .....although this was sort of overlooked one night when a Shack inconveniently arrived at 00 silly hrs and we had to commute to and from the other side of the airfield for the rest of the night

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Re: RAF Memories

#54 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:26 am

G-CPTN wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:12 pm
It's appropriate that the driving test should encompass the sort of 'hazards' that exist in the local area.
Ah, in Lincolnshire that would include night driving at warp 6 along an arrow straight road to Boston with two right angle bends in the middle and a deep dyke either side.

Failure in the advanced driving test was usually fatal.

An acquaintance was cut up entering a petrol station. The packed car of youths gave him the finger and screeched off as far as the first bend. The funeral was the following week.

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Re: RAF Memories

#55 Post by ian16th » Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:34 am

Pontius Navigator wrote:
Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:26 am
G-CPTN wrote:
Thu Apr 11, 2019 8:12 pm
It's appropriate that the driving test should encompass the sort of 'hazards' that exist in the local area.
Ah, in Lincolnshire that would include night driving at warp 6 along an arrow straight road to Boston with two right angle bends in the middle and a deep dyke either side.
The road to Skegness was good for that!
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Re: RAF Memories

#56 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Fri Apr 12, 2019 11:03 am

I did walk back from a Boston pub to Coningsby one evening, as I had serious doubts that the nominated driver was up to negotiating said bends. Needless to say they did, but it was a very pleasant 3 hour night walk in summer.
There had been a fatal accident during my Basic course at Cranwell where the driver, and everyone else, had had a few.

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Re: RAF Memories

#57 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri Apr 12, 2019 11:35 am

Fox, very shortly after arriving on my first sqn at Coningsby I was slated late in the day to fly as a guest artist on another crew. I had had no opportunity to meet the crew nor plan my part.

I thought the best thing would be to take the regular crewman's nav bag and wing it (that all worked out) but first I had to see him.

Asking around I was told he was at the 'Fort' that den of iniquity Tattershall Market place. And when will he be back? 10pm was the confident reply.

Our Mike S was indeed a creature of habit. Always back by 10/before the bar shut. I never did find out why he wasn't flying :)

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Re: RAF Memories

#58 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Fri Apr 12, 2019 12:11 pm

Some incident the previous day perhaps?
I recall another couple of chaps being given the afternoon off after the "bomber" they intercepted at low level over the Med one hazy morning turned out to be a submarine's conning tower. They don't know how much they missed by, but you wouldn't have needed a very long ruler to measure it. They took the next day off too.

..oh, and I've been racking my brain but can't seem to recall any Lincolnshire pubs that weren't a Den of Iniquity ;)))

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Re: RAF Memories

#59 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri Apr 12, 2019 3:55 pm

Did I claim any?

Abbey Lodge was always at the posh end,

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Re: RAF Memories

#60 Post by ian16th » Fri Apr 12, 2019 6:17 pm

Fox3WheresMyBanana wrote:
Fri Apr 12, 2019 12:11 pm
..oh, and I've been racking my brain but can't seem to recall any Lincolnshire pubs that weren't a Den of Iniquity ;)))
When I was at Coningsby, I once had to visit the Marine Craft Unit in Boston Docks.
The crew introduced us to the best pub in Boston. Used it often on a Saturday night thereafter.
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