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keithmac

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January 8, 2003 at 11:56 pm in reply to: 2003 – It's the 40th Anniversary of my first engine run. #2096239

keithmac
Participant

RE: Keith McKenzie

Hi Steve, The Pembroke shot was taken in 1974. You’ll probably remember that you needed about 6 hands to start a Pembroke, fuel primer, booster coil, mag switches, throttle and starter button all at the same time!! We carried on with the Pembrokes until 1976 by which time the engines and the systems were getting a bit tired of being started, run for 15 mins or so, then shut down. I took the last Piston engine entry through the school for ground runs one cold february morning and had six engine start fires in the space of 20 minutes, so perhaps it was time to call it a day anyway!! But I still have fond memories of the beast.

KeithMac

January 8, 2003 at 10:55 pm in reply to: Scottish #2096242

keithmac
Participant

RE: Scottish

Hello my Bonnie Boy’s! Alastair has it right, I’m in Burghead, slap in the middle between Lossiemouth and Kinloss, it’s Tornado’s on my right and Nimrods on my left, plus everything else that uses Tain Range to the front. Blue skies, and a nice beach. For us it’s not new year till Saturday, when we burn the Clavie and celebrate our Pict past. I’ll not be recovered for a few days!

KeithMac
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January 7, 2003 at 11:48 pm in reply to: 2003 – It's the 40th Anniversary of my first engine run. #2096415

keithmac
Participant

RE: Keith McKenzie

Two pictures from my St Athan day’s (2nd time around), firstly for Steve, one of the Pembrokes you may have run! and for Alastair an official piccie of me when I was doing the JU-88 restoration (not in my best uniform of course!!)

KeithMac
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January 4, 2003 at 10:13 am in reply to: 2003 – It's the 40th Anniversary of my first engine run. #2097030

keithmac
Participant

RE: 2003 – It’s the 40th Anniversary of my first engine run.

Sorry Kev35, I should have said – yes it’s the good old Provost T.1, it had an Alvis Leonides 9 Cylinder radial engine which was the basic piston engine used for training in those days. It was still in use until the RAF decided to stop training all engine men on piston engines in 1976. After that they were only trained on Jets. Anyone posted onto piston aircraft after that did special pre employment training.

Keithmac

January 3, 2003 at 10:53 pm in reply to: Any JP fan's? – help needed to identify 2 aircraft #2097105

keithmac
Participant

RE: Any JP fan’s? – help needed to identify 2 aircraft

Thank’s Gent’s that’s tidied that up quite nicely.

January 3, 2003 at 7:40 pm in reply to: Time For A Lockheed Electra Junior ? #2097137

keithmac
Participant

RE: Time For A Lockheed Electra Junior ?

Would’nt it be nice if the BBMF took it over in airworthy condition and kept it flying! Ahh, but we can all dream!

KeithMac

December 19, 2002 at 9:38 pm in reply to: Bowsers #2098256

keithmac
Participant

RE: Bowsers

Hi Chaps – I’ve been in my photo archive again. Here is a shot of an AEC Mammoth refuelling chipmunks at Eastleigh way back in 1964. Just to the right behind the Mammoth is a Leyland “Hippo”, a slightly larger capacity Bowser. If you look carefully between the Chipmunks and the “Mammoth” there are a couple of Bowsers of similar design to the ones that David shot. By the 60’s all refuelling bowsers were vehicle mounted, the ones in the background were Oil Bowsers full of OMD.370 for filling things like Beverleys, Shackletons and Hastings. The saying was you only needed a navigator outbound, you just followed the oil slick home! I’d date the bowsers in Davids photo at late 40’s to late 50’s, certainly no newer.

KeithMac
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December 18, 2002 at 9:15 pm in reply to: RAF Flying Review Magazines (2002 Zombie! A new record?) #2098377

keithmac
Participant

RE: RAF Flying Review Magazines

Snapper, I’ve been digging in my library. Do you have a copy of “Fighting Church Fenton” by P.D.Mason? In it there are a couple of articles about 609 including an intelligence combat report dated 8 May 1941. The ISBN No.is 0 9513645 0 2.

KeithMac

December 18, 2002 at 9:04 pm in reply to: RAF Flying Review Magazines (2002 Zombie! A new record?) #2098404

keithmac
Participant

RE: RAF Flying Review Magazines

Hi Snapper – This brings back memories. When I was a wee ATC Cadet, RAF Flying Review was standard issue to ATC Sqns, along with the Recognition Journal. Every squadron had cupboards full of the things. Have you tried contacting the ATC Squadrons in your area? Perhaps there is a squadron with a library going back that far or even further.

KeithMac

December 13, 2002 at 7:40 pm in reply to: MK IX Spitfire handling #2098746

keithmac
Participant

RE: MK IX Spitfire handling

Hi Dezz. The engine had a two speed supercharger with “M” and “S” ratio gears. “M” was medium supercharging and was used at low altitude. At higher altitude you switched to “S” (supercharge) ratio. Engaging the “S” gear on the ground to test it took more power to drive it than you gained in boost, so the RPM fell, and a red light illuminated to tell you that you’ve got it wrong! The check was just to confirm that the gear change was working.

KeithMac

December 13, 2002 at 7:11 pm in reply to: MK IX Spitfire handling #2098761

keithmac
Participant

RE: MK IX Spitfire handling

I just love all that piston engine stuff. In modern jets, you get in, switch on the main computer and the aircraft tells you what to do! Not so the piston aircraft, you really had to know your aeroplane. Getting it wrong could really B****r up you’re day. That was a cracking post Dezz, I understood and loved every word. If there’s anyone out there who needs things explained just ask! By the way, nothing has changed, if your doing power checks you still need the tail held down, or you do the checks on the take off run.

KeithMac

December 10, 2002 at 6:32 pm in reply to: Lightning #2098929

keithmac
Participant

RE: Lightning

Hi Steve, I suppose it was 3 things. Lack of range, even the Mk.6 with the big belly tank needed tanker support to have any real reach, it really was a “point defence” aircraft. Only two missiles, although given the lack of endurance it’s doubtful if it could have hung around waiting for targets, and of course, as ever, the Americans and the French with lots of cheaper alternatives. The fact that it could fly the pants off most of the opposition don’t seem to have come into the equation. The export customers were countries of small area, where range did’nt matter too much, and of course they had pots of Oil cash, so the relatively high price was not a problem! It’s still the fastest aircraft the RAF has ever operated, and probably the only one which could have adequately intercepted a bomber version of the Concorde! When the RAF leased a Concorde during the late 60’s to simulate just such a scenario, it was a bit embarrassing when the Phantoms ran out of steam and Lightning was being consigned to the scrapyard!

KeithMac

December 9, 2002 at 9:21 pm in reply to: Wild Weasels!! (2002 Thread!!) #2099016

keithmac
Participant

RE: Wild Weasels!!

Hi Alastair, Very, very big!

KeithMac

December 9, 2002 at 9:16 pm in reply to: Lightning #2099023

keithmac
Participant

RE: Lightning

The Lightning was the Biz! In 1969 we had a big exercise in Singapore called “Bersatu Padu”, 74’s Tengah based Lightning 6’s were operating under the control of Bukit Gombak radar against attacking Mirage III’s of 75 Sqn RAAF. The kill ratio was about 4 to 1 against the Mirage. The biggest problem was only having the two missiles. When 75 returned to Tengah after the exercise the Aussies were ready to trade in their delta’s for a REAL interceptor!!

KeithMac.

December 7, 2002 at 7:21 pm in reply to: Duxford get-together Sun 5th Jan #2099201

keithmac
Participant

RE: Duxford get-together Sun 5th Jan

What sort of date is Jan 5th? I’ll still be snowed in and recovering from Hogmany!! Anyway, I hope all goes well for you’re get together, unfortunately I’ll not be there. I’ll try and get something organised for the “Jocks” at East Fortune later in the year (when the roads have cleared)!

KeithMac
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