BIGVERN1966As for the Specials, the 112 birds (XX (EA) 6 Sqn and XZ (GW)) will most likely be the only Jaguars to keep the tails (plus of course the 6 Sqn hanger queen which has the same markings as EA). The 41 Squadron End of an Era tail will be stripped in the very near future, as the aircraft will be a 😀 😀 Canopener 😀 😀 . XZ112 was of course the 54 Sqn disbandment kite before getting the Colt 65th Tail. I’ve no idea what happened to the Saints disbandment aircraft
Just been told by Canopener Al, that XX112 had its Tail Markings removed on its last Major at Saint’s. XZ112 is now at Shawbury as is the 6 Sqn Hanger Queen. However 6 Sqn have got the Tail of the Hanger Queen and it is now at Coningsby
BIGVERN1966The RAF still have an operational squadron of piston engined fighters, it’s called BBMF.
Hate to say this, WHAT IS THE UNIT’S WAR ROLE??? Sparrows have one (bolt on some Aden’s and Winder plyons on to the Hawks and you have an operational fighter squadron), Most if not all training units and UAS/AEF have some type of planned communications role in case of the ultimate emergency.
Where are the qualified pilots for the types on BBMF going to come from when the actual guys that are current are too busy flying their operational types (The unit has only one pilot posted on to it and thats the CO). The unit’s main posted personnel strength is Engineers and for a very good reason). The permanent engineering staff on the unit started in the mid 1970’s (before that it was done by Lightning techies from 226 OCU at Coltishall, The first Major on the City of Lincoln, they cocked up BIG TIME, hence the decision to give the unit a permanent engineering staff).
Hence, I don’t think the BBMF qualifies as an Operational Unit and anyway its not a Squadron, but a Flight!!!
Last RAF SQUADRON to operate a piston engined combat fighter type aircraft was the Air Fighting Development Squadron at Binbrook in 1963. The unit had an Airworthy Spitfire PRXIX as a gate guard, formally off the Historic Aircraft Flight (the unit that became BBMF in 1973 when the Lancaster was moved to Coltishall from Waddington). The Spitfire PS853 was recalled to flying status to take part in very Dissimilar Air Combat Tacitics trials against the unit’s Lightnings. The purpose of the trials being to see how the Lightning would deal with the Mustangs operated by Indonesia in the build up to the Confrontation. The Spitfire being the closest thing to the Mustang that the RAF could get their hands on.
For All Spitfire fans, the results of the trials were that the Spitfire gave as good as it got, the Firestreak AAM would not home on the Spitfire’s engine and in a turning fight the Spitfire was better than the Lightning.
BIGVERN1966what was the last squadron of piston engined fighters that the RAF operated. also the royal navy.what type of aircaft did they use, and what was there replacment…..also sorry about all these questions but when did the last operational beaufighters retire out of front line service……
84 Sqn were the last RAF unit to use the Beaufighter in front line service, the type being retired in February 1950. The Beau remained in second line service as a Target Tug with the RAF until 12th May 1960,when a TT Mk X RD761 of RAF Seletar Base Flight made the last operational flight of a RAF Beaufighter.
BIGVERN1966When I was at Bawdsey from October 1964 – May 1966, we had both a Type 80 and a Type 84. Each operated from seperate base structures. When did they change?
Besides these radars, we also had a Type 54, 3 nodding donkeys (AN-FPS 6’s), and a Type 7 at a remote site some 2 – 3 miles away.
I stand corrected, Forgot that Bawdsey would have had both as the first T84 was installed there in 1962. Most of the other T84’s used the R17 complex as the transmitter block. The T80 and T84 shared the same base structure including the rotating cabin under the aerial (Neatishead’s T84 was put in where their T80 had been). Bawdsey’s T84 was moved to Bishops Court in Northern Island and located on the Airfield there (replacing the T80 at Killard point a couple of miles away some time in the 1970’s after Linesman came on line). I’ve no idea when the T80 at Bawdsey was chopped but there is a good chance it was there until the mid 1970’s .
Photo of Bawdsey T80, T54 and FPS-6 height Finder attached
BIGVERN1966Marham
Ah, you are quite correct there (I thought you were talking about a base that was closed), Marham is still in the middle of Nowhere, I used to Cycle there from Raynahm back in 1987 to go Gliding.
Beeswax was also used on Bloodhound on the radome. The gloss covering eroded with exposure to the sun and weather and after a while came off. The radome would then suck up any water and eventually de-laminate (The radome of the round on a RUS stand by the airfield fence at Cosford was in a very bad way last time I saw it in 2002. The next time I was the in 2003 the missile had gone.) Part of the servicing was to slap a coat of wax on to the radome with a brush.
BIGVERN1966Ah, sorry, possibly before your time. No, not Coningsby that’s now the centre of the universe since Tertius Primus Erit have taken residence with their Teabags. 😎
Oculi exercitus have also taken up residence at Coningsby and as far as they are concerned, the centre of the universe is the poorest description you could give of the place. got to admit however the Teabag is a nice jet
No, it’s (or was) the pet<?> name for an airfield not a million miles from Kings Lynn. 😀 😀
if not Downham Market, I’ve not got a clue (or the Action Stations).
BIGVERN1966After a little more searching – this I am almost certain is a Type 80, we had one close to Aberporth and it stirs my memory – although this again is a photograph from Sweden.
Now we’re right back to Bawdsey, Buchan, etc.
It’s a Type 80 all right, First prototype at Bard Hill in Norfolk, First operational one at Trimingham (again in Norfolk) last operational one at Buchan. Bawdsey’s one was replaced with a Type 84 (on the same base structure) which was then moved to Bishops Court, where it was scrapped in 1990. The other radars on your last but one post are most likely the intercept radars in the cartoon (and do not look like any British radar I know of, however the height finder does look like a Type 13).
BIGVERN1966Try this.
Nice, Swedes used the Type 80 as the search radar if memory serves (another radar that was at Bawdsey).
BIGVERN1966‘El Adam With Grass’
Where the hells that? its not Coningsby by any chance? (I do know where El Adam is).
BIGVERN1966Tornado was also derisively referred to as the “swing-wing Jaguar” in its youth. I suppose it tells you a bit about both really in those days.
Indeed it was, but that name was usually used for the GR1. Papa Lima, hit the nail on the head with Flick Knife which is more commonly given to the F2/F3 (The term Electric Flick Knife was also used, both in the end shortened to Flicker). Electric was also the first part of another nickname given to the aircraft (and no word of a lie, I’ve heard this term from a guy that worked on F3’s). The second part of it, like the first, the Tornado F3 shares with the Oldest Swinger in town, namely the F-111, and that is PIG!!! (I first heard the term Electric Pig used about the F-111 of a coulpe of USAF chaps from Lakenheath I knew back in 1987).
The Tornado ballast I think has been flogged to death now, back to unusual aircraft materials.
BIGVERN1966Here, translated into English, is an amusing diagram from the 1960 edition of the annual mentioned above.
“Light the blue touch-paper!”
I just love those computers!
😀 HUMOUR ALERT 😀
😀 Blue Touch Paper!!! Of course the Bloodhound was launched by the Engagement Controller running out to the Launcher, Lighting the paper with the correct safety firework igniter and then standing WELL back. 😀
Here is a picture of the rear of a missile showing the touch paper hanging out of the missile rear!!!
Its a Joke really 😉 , used to do it to play tricks on the Civvies when displaying the thing at air shows and alike :diablo: . Some of them fell for it as well 😮 . (Paper is Kimwipe, that comes in large rolls and is use to mop up spills of all types of stuff. 😮 Very useful when you spill 70 gallons of OM-15 Hydraulic oil all over the Missile Servicing Flight’s floor by not opening the oil return valve on the side of the missile test rig (The task was not in the servicing procedure in the AP). The Oil then comes out of the Low-Pressure relief valve on the side of the missile. 😮 (Kimwipe is still known in service lingo as the Blue Bog Roll 😉 ).
The photo here is actually of Bloodhound Mk 2 Serial No. 1001. (Now at Cosford) on display at The University of East Anglia at Norwich in 1988. The event was a Local RAF fundraising event for the ITV Telefon that year. (Done by Marham, West Raynham, Coltishall and Neatishead). It would have been a great event (there was a Sea king SAR display, Some USAF A-10s and Ken Wallis with Little Nellie ( 🙂 I still remember Ken driving past in a beat up Rolls Royce with the Autogyro towed behind on a trailer, something you don’t see every day 🙂 )). But unfortunately two things got in the way. Firstly the weather, (it was a bit cold) 😡 and secondly, the RAF officer organising the event was so afraid of CND doing a big protest ( :rolleyes: CND was very big on the university campus at the time :rolleyes: ), that the event was not advertised in the local press until the evening before :confused: . Hence the half the people there were in uniform because they were running the event, and the other half were servicemen’s relatives and friends who knew about the event long before.
Papa Lima, for some reason your bitmap will not display. :confused:
BIGVERN1966Here a early drawing I did of Mark 2 back in 2001, showing the bits that made up the Mark 2 in Boost and Cruise configurations.
BIGVERN1966I very much doubt that Frank Munger or Flight were allowed to show such sensitive details, which might even now still be classified!
Working on the radar myself, I never got anywhere near the weapons themselves, of course.
Very true, Its surprising that the Munger drawings were as detailed as they actually were. The missile cutaway drawing in the Bristol publications and the AP’s were nowhere near as detailed. The Mark 1 is completely declassified and has been since 1998. The National Archives at Kew hold the Missile AP and a number of overall system books, The Radar AP’s are in the archives at the RAFADRM at Neatishead. Hendon and Kew hold the declassified Mark 2 publications on the Missile, T86 and Launcher. The T87 AP’s were all classified and are not available in the UK yet (If they have not been shredded). However the complete system has been de-classified in Switzerland and the Gubal Museum has a complete set of British System AP’s for the Missile, Radar T87, Launcher, LCP and other bits in its archive.
BIGVERN1966*Sigh*
Sorry Vern, you misread my post. On the last weekend, I dusted and polished it; all of a 15 min job – which let me see that an excellent restoration had been done by the friends, some time previously.OK?
No offence intended JDK, In fact its great to hear that someboby besides the Swiss clean thier Bloodhounds. The boys at Point Cook did an excellent job on that Missile and the Mark 1 will no doubt be in just as good a condition when they get round to it (I believe that their major project is the Mossie at the minute). It’s just a pity that none of the UK missiles get the same tender loving care. The other nice thing to hear is that you guys at Point Cook actually tell visitors about the thing. (The Duxford Mark 1 round (next to the Phantom FGR 2) does not even get a mention on the guided tour there. The Javelin gets a slating however!!!)
BIGVERN1966The Swedish annual “Ett År i Luften” 1959-1960 issue contained this cutaway that people might find interesting. The drawing is by Frank Munger of “Flight”.
Sorry for the peculiar scan, but it is so large that I had to paste it together in Photoshop and didn’t get the settings quite right!
The annotations are in Swedish, but reduced to this size and low resolution are probably illegible anyway!
Yep, Papa Lima. Its from Flight and is very close to the mark with the exception of the engines (which are not the full production Thor 101’s, but an earlier BRJ5 used on the late XTV5 test vehicles and the early XRD 1 (eXperimental Red Duster pre-prototypes). Also totally incorrect in the drawing is the layout of the warhead bay which is missing the EMI GW2 Proximity fuze and its aerials, along with the 200 pound Royal Ordnance blast warhead and its Initiator Unit.
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