More 4 TV:-Engineering Britains Superweapons

although not got round to watching it yet, it looks to me like the same film as a CH4 doc called BRITAINS COLD WAR SUPERWEAPONS that aired a couple of years ago. But this time there has been no editing, as i beleive the original doc before CH4 edited to fit a time slot was three hours long…..i may be wrong though!!

4-Minute Warning

The NATO Civil Defence Committee used to meet twice a year. Interminable squabblings over the precise wording of STANAGs, etc, – many will know the scene. The meteorology for the major annual exercise was decided upon (why I was there!). The Winter Meeting was always hosted by the UK (assorted Danes, Noggies, Cloggies, etc, would fight over which weekend it should be depending on which of the UK soccer team(s) they supported was playing in London!!). And whether there were sales in Bond Street that the delegations’ Sunray’s Moonbeams could attend. The Summer Meeting was usually hosted by one of the European countries in rotation.
One year we were in France. As part of the Host Nation social events the French organised a visit to Moet & Chandon at Epernay. Absolutely superb lunch in the M & C boardroom. Then a visit to The Underground Cellars. 20-million bottles of champagne! One of the UK delegation (who’s name escapes me!) opined that this was the best place in the world to be in when the 4-minute warning siren went! There were, I seem to remember, nods of approval from all!!
And you thought delivering A Bucket Of Sunshine was difficult!
Resmoroh

A very interesting, if somewhat superficial programme. Not particularly well titled as there was very little about the ‘engineering’. Still worth the watch (and re-watch!)
For anyone who missed it or wants to see it again: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/engineering-britains-superweapons/4od#2929720

It was good to see that the majority of the interior footage on the Vulcan (apart from archive film) was filmed inside XM594 at Newark Air Museum.

Regards,

John.

😮 Originally filmed and aired back in 2003!

Thanks for the heads up!!

It was good to see that the majority of the interior footage on the Vulcan (apart from archive film) was filmed inside XM594 at Newark Air Museum.

Regards,

John.

Sensible discussions without childish comments are pretty satisfying…

Fascinating reply Res, why weren’t you invited to take part in the programme, or were you lurking off shot somewhere.

Does anything satisfy your obvious inadequacies in life Chox.

Sound travels faster than Light

Very enjoyable!

Apart from the portrayal of nuclear explosions -with the superimposed sound -so that the sound arrived before the light. I know I am a chemist not a physicist – but light I recall is just a tad faster !

And further to last night’s programme, they didn’t tell you that if the Valiants were required to go off and “do the bizz” in winter then they had problems.
In certain Met conditions (can’t remember, but I think temp less than 3 C and Relative Humidity above 95%) they got engine intake icing. Dodgy.
The cure was the bleed off some of the engine exhaust gases and feed ’em back into the front to keep the intakes/swirl-vanes/bleed-valves, (or whatever), etc, etc, clear of ice.
This reduced the thrust. Full fuel-load and a Bucket Of Instant Sunshine in those conditions and you failed to become airborne. Even Met Men can appreciate that!! Those of you who know the Wittering runway will know that if your undercart is strong enough you can get nearly airborne halfway down and then “bounce” the a/c into the air (VTOLs need not reply!).
And then there were the Rocket Assisted Take-Offs trials. Burning rockets scattered over much of the very valuable farming land to the west of Wittering. Senior Officers running around shouting “Somebody do something”!!

Oxcart,
See the problem?!!!

HTH (but I know it don’t!)
Resmoroh

Pete,
The sight of Staish, running down the Ops Block corridor in the Cuban crisis, dressed in his Best Blue (but with his pyjama trousers sticking out of the bottom of his Best Blue trousers) is one that I shall not easily forget. I, too, considered building a nuke-proof shelter but it was only when I got on the Home Office Civil Defence Committee that I realised that the 4-Minute Warning really meant that you could have just one , slowly savoured, glass of that very expensive Red Screech you’d been saving before you became vapourised made the whole thing nugatory!

And Oxcart,
No, I am not considering writing a book. There are bits of any such putative tome that would cause many (who knew what was actually going on at the time!) to fall about immoderately. However, I am now of advanced years and I simply can’t be bothered with all the legal niff-naff and trivia that might result from any such publication. Interminable arguments from retired Very Senior Officers saying “I never said/did that”, and retired Very Junior NCOs saying “Yes, he bloody did!”. You may get the scene!!!!
After the next prog, however, I may be persuaded to put one or two facts down on paper/email. They will have limited circulation!

And Chox,
They (the “Ubendum Wemendum” brigade) still – like good engineers – hit V-Bombers with bigger and better ‘ammers. The Valiants leaked like sieves. The Engineers tried their hardest to cure the leaks, but to no avail. They simply put 40-gall oil drums under the worst leaks to catch the drips ‘cos PSA were complaining that the jet fuel was eating the hardstandings away! Good thing for us Met Men. We had to keep The Bare Earth Patch clear of vegetation – but without digging it up. A surreptitiously purloined pint (in the middle of the night) from one of these drip cans, and poured over the Bare Earth Patch ensured that nothing ever grew there. What it might have done for the Met readings is not known!

And Oxcart,
You can see the problems!

HTH
Resmoroh

Some nice footage certainly. My only disappointment was the lack of any detail concerning the “engineering” of these aircraft (which seemed a bit odd considering the programme’s title), the strange implication that the Vulcan was somehow based on the design of the Komet, and the implication (which was even stated as such at one point) that the Victor was “the most flexible aircraft” which of course is patently wrong. Would have been nice to have set the designs in their proper context too, explaining the absurdities of the 707 programme and of course the Sperrin which wasn’t even mentioned. Bit lazy in terms of the information, but definitely worth watching for the nostalgic images!

Tell me you are writing a book, Resmoroh!!

Nice reply Resmorah, I have some wonderful video footage of the last celebratory Station flight of the Victors from Marham.
I grew up in the knowledge what would happen when the 4 minute warning was given and these poor sods had to take to the air knowing that their families would be incinerated. I recall the exciting displays of the aircrews at the BoB displays at Waddington and Finningley, showing their skills at leaping into those Vulcans within minutes. Terrifying when you think of it, my old man built a fall out shelter in the bathroom during the Cuban Missile crisis.

Oxcart/Pete,
Took me back a few years! Many of the Valiant archive shots from Wittering showed some fresh-faced youths (now revered gentlemen!) that I used to go and play Station rugby with!!
Modern politicians give out all sorts of guff, but in those days they didn’t tell The Masses what was really happening. It was only if you worked on a V-Bomber Station that you knew that Mutually Assured Destruction meant precisely that!
What is more strange is that I was involved with the V-Force in its early days, and also involved during the Black Buck missions! Same like the Victor guy who went in to say farewell to the Staish at Marham and was asked if he was still fit. On replying in the affirmative was told “Oh good, we need a Co for Op CORPORATE. Go and draw some kit!!”
Resmoroh

I did a HU last week on it!- fascinating programme!:)