TSR2 test flights…where did it fly?

I’ve been doing a bit more reading up, and in the Aeroguide Special TSR2 book on page 33 it mentions:

“Low level sorties down to 200 feet above the Pennines…”

Bet that was some experience for anyone on the ground, having that great big white beastie fly over you at 200ft!! 😀

So, whereabouts in the Pennines did it venture? (Do the Lakes count as the Pennines?).

Whilst in the lakes a few (15ish) years ago, I got talking to a guy who had lived there all his life and even though was local, actually liked the almost constant (well back then anyway) low flying in that area. His father was ex sevices and he recalls seeing the TSR2 (obviously unmistakable) pass through the area accompanied with a “red delta jet, smaller than the TSR2” I can only link that to Boscombe’s Red and White Javelin, now at Duxford, presumably on some sort of calibration mission. The distance was great and vis poor at the time, but I can imagine i.d. ing the TSR2 was easy but a turning Javelin may have been a little more difficult. He and his father knew their ‘planes as they spotted and identified many current types on that day……

I gathered that was the case, but where did it go on the tests flights? Just out over the sea and back again, or circuits around the airfields it was based at?

Were there any low level ‘operational feasibility’ test flights undertaken, or hadn’t the test programme reached that stage when things were canned?

Questions and more questions…sorry!

I have been muging up on the TSR2 for the new Airfix kit and in “TSR2 Phoenix or Folly?” it states that in poor conditions low down the chase planes often had to seek calmer air higher up. So some low level stuff was obviously done although the exact nature of this is not made clear in the book.

Martin

The sad thing is that it missed out on appearing at SBAC Farnborough, which had gone biannual the previous September, it must have been seen as a shakey project by mid ’64 for it not to appear at that years SBAC show, as cancellation was in the first quarter of ’65.

I’ve seen some info somewhere but I can’t remember where off-hand, but I seem to recall that most of the flights were either pretty standard routes from Boscombe (ie- south and back) and out over the Irish Sea in the case of Warton, but I seem to remember that they did take the aircraft on a low level route at some stage on at least one flight. If I spot the info again I’ll pass it on.

Aha a good reason to look out my logbooks. I did see TSR2 with a lightning low over Blackpool, I can remember the very loud noise which got me to rush out of the house !

Flights were usually to and from the operating base (Warton or Boscombe) although some were Warton-Boscombe and vice-versa. As far as I know it never landed anywhere else or even did so much as an overshoot! The records of the test flights weren’t all destroyed – Beamont’s write-ups have been published before.

I gathered that was the case, but where did it go on the tests flights? Just out over the sea and back again, or circuits around the airfields it was based at?

Were there any low level ‘operational feasibility’ test flights undertaken, or hadn’t the test programme reached that stage when things were canned?

Questions and more questions…sorry!

Part of the view from ‘Bee’ is online here http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/oldstuff/2005/bee/bee.htm

I saw the video of the interview at the museum once – a very sincere person, who’s missed!

Flights were usually to and from the operating base (Warton or Boscombe) although some were Warton-Boscombe and vice-versa. As far as I know it never landed anywhere else or even did so much as an overshoot! The records of the test flights weren’t all destroyed – Beamont’s write-ups have been published before.

I read somewhere about speed runs up and down the Irish Sea with the Lightning along as well ?

Flights were usually to and from the operating base (Warton or Boscombe) although some were Warton-Boscombe and vice-versa. As far as I know it never landed anywhere else or even did so much as an overshoot! The records of the test flights weren’t all destroyed – Beamont’s write-ups have been published before.