As a former RAF Cranwell Jet Provost Handling Flight liney for 5 years (1974 – 79) all you need paperwork wise is a ‘fag packet’ and pen to record the fatigue figures and fuel load. As far as marshalling signals goes why not invent your own – we did! Loosley based on what the manual said! :diablo::diablo::D

No wonder your pilots could never understand us at Linton when they visited, we did it the right way…..:D:D:D

Any ideas on what the cost will be.?

C

I have heard that there is a plaque at Thumrait Airbase in memory of my father and others who were killed there. Would anyone have a photo of this or know of its exact location?

many thanks

colin

Hi everyone,
Only just found this thread on Airworks activities, even though it has been running for one long time. Plenty to tell you if any one is still out there.

After 23+ yrs service in RAF as an Airframe fitter on fast jets, in Oct. 1981 I moved out to Thumrait Airbase in Oman working as a civillian A/E Engineer for Airworks Ltd. I was put onto The SOAF Jaguars Servicing unit and after completing a 6 week Technical Course on the Jaguar at their School there, in to ASF I went.

Thumrait was the main Fast Jet establishment for SOAF at the time with Contract Aircrew and Omani Pilots operating 6 Sqdn. Hunters and 8 Sqdn. BAE Jaguars. We Airworkies were totally responsible for all Servicing on these A/C. It was quite a friendly atmosphere, we were also training up Omani Air Force personnel to eventually run their Air Force themselves.

We carried out Major-Minor-Primary,etc Servicings, rectification, Ground handling -Ist. Line A/C operation which included QRA coverage,crash recovery and Detachments to Seeb and Masirah Airbases. At that time 2 Jaguars or 2 Hunters at a time on a daylight only QRA readiness. They got scrambled regularly as Russian or Yemini Jets would nose into Omani Airspace and quickly sheer off once the OMANI Jets were detected.

Rumour Control at the time did mention about a Yemini Jet being shot down, but I can’t confirm that. We had many Brit Ex. RAF, and Aussie Pilots on contract and we got on very well with them. It was like being in the RAF without the Bull**** !

Airworks in fact controlled virtually everything ground wise, with SOAF working alongside, which also had many Brits in uniform on contract.

Thumrait Airbase was known as Midway during the Dhofar wars ( 1969 ?–to 1976 ) The base is about 60 miles nth. of Salalah, over the “Jebel” into a dusty, sandy blown environment. With one Main runaway and one parallel Taxiway the place was quite desolate when I arrived there, but had mushroomed out amazingly by the time I left in Feb. 1995. ( 2 tours altogether total 11 -1/2 yrs.

Reading through this thread has got me thinking, I arrived out in Salalah about a week after the Airworkies at that Barbeque at Tarqah got ambushed and killed, so it was the main topic of conversation everywhere amongst the Brits. You see the Dhofar wars had only finished 5 yrs. before and parts of the Dhofar Region Jebel ( Mountains ) were still a hot bed of insurgents.

To travel down to Salalah from Thumrait at that time during the Monsoon season was considered dangerous and all service vehicles had to travel in convoy with Army armed vehicles front and back. During monsoon the Jebel was swathed in swirling mists, everywhere turned green and it was like being back in Yorkshire. great for ambushing vehicles. One twisty pass was known as “Ambush Corner” and the vehicles speeded up through here. Yes ! That story about the price of Rials.1000 on each Airworkies head was true. and all were nervous as we went through.

But as time went on, nothing happened and one day Airwork Unit weekly orders stated that the ” Danger bonus ” paid to ea. of us was to be withdrawn, not that it was much anyway, but within 2 days a convoy of vehicles stated they heard shots at ambush corner. The bonus was re-instated for another 2 yrs. and yes- the rumour was that it was Airworkies behind it.

Going back to The Tarqah tragedy though, I was surprised to read that COLHOLTS dad was there and was killed. Once again, I got this from , Army. Airworkies, Aircrew, etc. over the yrs.

Apparently a fishing group of Airworkies used to go from Thumrait in a SOAF Coaster mini-bus ( which we were allowed to use at that time for recreation ) down to Salalah then turn left up the coast for about oooooh !– some 15 miles to Tarqah beach, they would go there for a night stop ( we only had one day a week off then, a Friday ), go fishing, Barbeques,swimming,etc, it was a very nice beach and they made it a regular event. Wives who were out on visits would have gone as well, although I don’t think any were there at this time. Apparently some disgruntled ex-Adoo noticed this,as Tarqah village was a known hot-spot and The Airworkies were caught in crossfire from 3 machine gun nests set- up around them at night whilst they were around the camp fire. They had no chance, but amazingly, 3 Airworkies got away as I remember, the one who went into the sea another who ran like a madman and got clear then ran all the way to Salalah Army Base( MAM ) to raise the alarm.

The 3rd. I just can’t remember what he did. The tragedy was these guys had been warned by the Army contract Brits. not to keep going there, because this would happen, but they must have felt safe about it and paid the ultimate price. Strikemaster Pilots at Salalah were all for going and shooting up the village but were talked out of it. There was one heck of a purge by the Army and Special Forces after that and nothing ever happened again. I took my family there to the beach in 1985 and they had a great time, till some arab at the far end of the beach decided to shoot seagulls with a Kalashnikov rifle. You’ve never seen a beach party abandoned so fast.

He was just having fun, but we were—–Gone !

I’ll knock this on the head for now, but if any ones interested, I’ll happily come back with more and some pics.

Airworks had the contract for servicing RAF Sabres at Speke in early 1950’s,
Roy Coates ( WV-838 ) might be able to help with more info here, try:-

http://www.jetstream-club.org

Thanks for keeping this thread going !
Bill T.

The Vulcan project is f*cked–on topic enough?

Good one 🙂

I belive that during the Waddington Airshow a couple thousand quid was collected by VOC, how much was collected during RIAT? Maybe they were waiting to see if extra could have come from that airshow. It would be nice to here how much from donations was collected seeing it is one of the premier airshows in Europe if not the world.

This may well have reflected on the how much the general public were interested.

thanks

colin

My claim to fame with 607 was that while I was at Linton-on-Ouse on the line I had a couple of trips in a JP with Martin as pilot. still remember to this day the low level flying we did. Great fun.

thanks

colin