Nimrod retirement today – please add pictures

We had been treated to a meal during the transit to the exercise area of curried chicken. I unlike my 2 fellow passengers managed to hold on to my meal during the exercise (very low over rough seas in a severe gale)

That has jogged a warm memory of mine. In the early 1990s an aircrew friend of mine arranged for us both to go on a short detachment to Keflavik from Kinloss. On the transit, our mission was changed to an ‘Ops’ flight, and we were diverted to look for a Russki sub. At the time, I was told I was the only civilian to have flown on such a mission.
The cloud base dictated that the pilot kept the aircraft at around 200 feet, above a sever gale, and the highest sea state the crew had ever seen. The rougher it got, the more I enjoyed it, and to keep me out of the way, my friend found me a spot near the toilet, where I could ‘keep a look out for a periscope’. My intercom was taken away from me, so I couldn’t hear what the crew were saying to each other – my security clearance only covered me to ‘Top Secret’ (!).
My mate rustled me up a couple of bacon butties, and I was a happy bunny standing there munching on these while scouring the Norwegian Sea for Commies, flying boot firmly wedged against the opposite wall.
Anyway, I upset all the guys in the back, who were already going green with the very tight manoeuvres and severe turbulence, when they started to smell my bacon wafting back through the fuselage!
Later in the detachment my mate and I unintentionally upset the crew even more. One evening in the base ‘Marines Bar’, the crew had finished another mission, and were sitting drinking at a table, ogling four flirty Icelandic women on another table. When we realised that the crew weren’t actually going to anything about it, we both got up, and started chatting to these ladies. Imagine the look on the crew’s faces when we left the bar arm in arm with all four women! The bartender, a big black guy, said “How the hell did you manage that – I’ve been here three years and never got me any tail!”.
Just to crown the whole episode, two of the ladies drove us back to the base the next morning, and dropped us off at our billet exactly the same time as the crew were emerging to be picked up for their next mission! Some very bad language and veiled threats were uttered.
The story circulated around Kinloss for quite a while after that…

On one particular Nimrod flight that I remember vividly we departed SM mid afternoon on a sortie that involved simulated attacks on an imaginary submarine somewhere in the Western Approaches. This also involved some evasive manoeuvres from imaginary missiles fired from the imaginary submarine.

We where luck as Air Cadets to get a 5 hour sortie in a Nimrod from St Mawgan which started with a quick skim of the Southern Irish coast, followed by some photo runs on some russian ships ( a ‘ fishing ‘ ship and a large support vessel of some kind) and then after our lunch, we where also subjected to countless simulated attacks and, as I can still hear the pilots voice now in my head ” roll outs”.
There where 5 or 6 very ill cadets on that flight!:rolleyes:

Thirty odd years ago, during my first ride in a Nimrod from SM, we headed down to St Austel Bay, where we crept up on a fleet of small boats, each with two or three sea anglers in deep concentration in the back of each one. Coming in quietly at low level on their blindside, they never saw us until we were directly over them, when full aircraft power was applied. I can only imagine their thoughts towards us after they climbed back into their boats!

Someone might know whether this was standard practice or just a particular crew’s way of having fun!

Regards……….Paul

I think it was Jed who got the Dutch Dunking. The last few Neptune visits happened during my first tour at Kinloss,no luck with a flight, I heard they were a better aircraft crew comfort wise compared to Shacks.

I found that the crews of Nimrods were a special team with a great sense of humour, many of the customs have not changed since WW2,heres hoping the few left keep the traditions alive.

I thought his name was Colin However, long time ago………….

And yes, I had a flight in a Dutch Neptune.

hi scotavia,
likewise with mine,not so much the height but his position.the pilot swore blind that he was out over the estuary,well the picture looks different but who cares it was a great pass.

I have one like that of a Nimrod over Brodie castle ,when the pilot saw it he was a bit shocked that he was that low !

Walked up pass the memorial hundreds of times, never seen anything like that! Great photo.

Thanks lima1,it was one of those days when i was in the right area at the right time with my camera(cheap b+w film loaded) .those sort of days don`t happen too often even though i take my camera everywhere i go now

Actually food is a very important part of the memory of the Nimrod, the bomb bay often being joked as being the ‘crumb tray’.
One of the flights I went on, I eat a cheese pasty before take off, and was eating up a lamb casserole on descent to land – and I was forced to do it you understand!

For many years I was a member of the Royal Observer Corp and one of our perks being the occasional flight from Culdrose on a Jetstream or St Mawgan on a Nimrod.

On one particular Nimrod flight that I remember vividly we departed SM mid afternoon on a sortie that involved simulated attacks on an imaginary submarine somewhere in the Western Approaches. This also involved some evasive manoeuvres from imaginary missiles fired from the imaginary submarine.

We had been treated to a meal during the transit to the exercise area of curried chicken. I unlike my 2 fellow passengers managed to hold on to my meal during the exercise (very low over rough seas in a severe gale).

My reward on the return leg was a fresh jam and cream sponge which my fellow passengers declined to share and I eagerly demolished.

The crunch came that on our return we became subjected to 3 approaches and overshoots at night in which I believe the pilot took great pleasure in throwing the Nimrod around like a fighter.

We finally landed on 13 and left the runway at the 31 threshold. Between there and Treloy my chicken curry, fresh cream sponge (In paper bag), and I parted company much to the amusement of my fellow passengers.

I will miss the Nimrod (but certainly not flying on her).

Walked up pass the memorial hundreds of times, never seen anything like that! Great photo.

thanks pagen,yes the sciliies.had a few frames left in the camera on the way home.
the following two pics of the nimrod with bomb bay open are at padstow,the people in the picture didn`t realise it was coming,cor they didn`t arf jump

Nice pics Dogman, looks like Round Island lighthouse, Scillies?

I think it was Jed who got the Dutch Dunking. The last few Neptune visits happened during my first tour at Kinloss,no luck with a flight, I heard they were a better aircraft crew comfort wise compared to Shacks.

I found that the crews of Nimrods were a special team with a great sense of humour, many of the customs have not changed since WW2,heres hoping the few left keep the traditions alive.

I was also impressed with the in flight hot meals on Nimrod flights, in contrast my German Atlantic flight was an introduction to cold German sausages and pickled cabbage.At least I got back to Kinloss in the aircraft, a fellow air traffic assistant took a flight on a Dutch Atlantic and ended up being rescued off the wing before it sank off the Mull of Kintyre.

I was on the same detachment to Machrihanish!

TG9 here too.

I had the fun of a flight in a Dutch Neptune from St Mawgan. 7 hours 15 at low level over the sea.

Great Fun

I dont think that you will see any Hercules going to musems as they are flown into Marshall at Cambridge and stripped of all usefull spares and the hulk sold for scrap which is cut up on sight many fly in but not all leave

just a few from me.i look back and kick myself for not taking more photos

Once a Nimrod had been cut and shut into an AEW it was virtually impossible to turn it back into a MR2. When we found out the AEW Nimrod programme had been terminated, we phoned OC 236 and suggested they take a couple on as ‘circuit bashers’, thus saving airframe hours and pounding on a operational Nimrod. It seemed a good idea at the time, but on reflection I think the 2 airframes flew with different characteristics therefore it nullified their usefulness.

……….as history shows – it didn’t happen.

I flew in a Dutch P-3 (only soup and bread served aboard that!) and a CAF CP-140, the P-3 even retained the baby bottle wamer from its civil L-188 Electra days!

I was invited on board one of the last (IIRC) CF Argus visits to Kinloss – the crew dragged out a huge sack of the biggest reddest tastiest apples I had ever seen. I sort of got the feeling kids must have had during the war when the Americans handed out candy etc!

Was invited to fly their last sortie a couple of nights later but couldn’t. A lass from the tower got the trip and on their return was sat in the nose as they did a low level pass over the airfield…

Of all the prop job maritime a/c I saw while at Kinloss I have to say the Atlantic/Atlantique was a favourite…

Ah, possibly August ’89 then, I have pics of the 115 Sqn Andover aswel:)
I remember getting Chipmunk flights from the eastern buildings near that water tower, seemed to remember it even had its own little canteen – is this in the right thread?:o

XV231 landing on 31 in August 1988, interesting that some Nimrods didn’t receive probes until quite late on in service

Pretty sure that St Mawgan was shut for Nimrods from April 1988 for nearly 12 months whilst the runway was re-layed, eastern 4,500′ first (allowing Brymon to use other half) then western 4,500′ bit during the second 6 months.

The dayglo boards in the picture were a reference used by the military calibration andovers of 115 squadron shortly before their demise in 93.

The water tower in the background (East Dispersal) was often used for eating
ones packed lunch, commanding a good view of the airfield.

Baz

How dare you say such a thing? 🙁

What’s a Proctor? :diablo:

If you are talking about a Mk4/5 Proctor – another ugly aeroplane, however a Mk1-3 quite sweet.