Out Of The Blue
The sometimes scary and often funny world of flying in the Royal Air Force - as told by some of those who were there.
Compiled and edited by
Ian Cowie, Dim Jones & Chris Long
Foreword by
Air Marshal Cliff Spink CB CBE FCMI FRAeS RAF Rtd
First published in 2011 by Halldale Group. Reprinted in 2013.
Halldale Media Ltd.
Pembroke House, 8 St. Christophers Place, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 0NH, UK.
Halldale Media, Inc.
115 Timberlachen Circle, Ste 2009, Lake Mary, FL32746, USA.
www.halldale.com
Copyright Halldale Group, 2011
Foreword Cliff Spink, 2011
The moral right of the authors has been asserted.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise,
be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in
any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.
ISBN 978-0-9570928-0-8
Designed by David Malley, Halldale Group.
Kindle Edition Prepared by Daryl Horwell, Halldale Group.
Printed and bound by The MANSON Group Ltd.,
St. Albans, Hertfordshire.
www.manson-grp.co.uk
Distribution courtesy of Flostream Ltd.,
Slough, Berkshire.
www.flostream.co.uk
The Editors would like to thank all of the contributors,
Andy Smith of Halldale Group,
Rob Sargent, Elizabeth Wilson and John Malley.
Contributors
Kevin Atkinson, Chris Bain, Norman Bonnor, David Bywater, Dave Cockburn, Ian Cowie, Tom Eeles, John Finlayson, John Fraser, Stephen Gilbert, Joey Gough, John Hall, David Herriot, Taffy Holden, Dave Hunt, Paul Ingoe, Bob Iveson, Jake Jarron, Martin Johnson, Dim Jones, Patrick King, Terry Kingsley, Peter Kingwill, David Kitching, Chris Long, Peter Long, Ken MacKenzie, Bob Marston, Alan Martin, Grant Mcleod, Andrew Neal, Alick Nicholson, David Noon, George Perrin, Vic Pheasant, James Phillips, Al Pollock, Rod Sargeant, Rob Sargent, Sir John Severne, Pete Spofforth, Art Stacey, Dr Alan Stevenson, Nigel Sudborough, Pete Taylor, David Thomas, Graham Thomas, Tim Thorn, John Trueman, Nigel Walpole, John Wilson, Chris Wren, Ed Wyer.
The publisher would like to thank the Photographic Archive Department at BAE Systems Heritage Centre, Warton. Unless otherwise stated, all images are courtesy of BAE Systems.
The Editors would also like to acknowledge the crucial support of their sponsors:
BAE Systems
Warwick House, Farnborough Aerospace Centre, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6YU, UK.
www.baesystems.com
CAE
8585 Cote de Liesse, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4T 1G6.
www.cae.com
Foreword
Air Marshal Cliff Spink CB CBE FCMI FRAeS RAF Rtd
Fact is always stranger and more amusing than fiction and this can be never truer than in this collection of stories from those who have had the privilege to fly in the Royal Air Force. The Aircrew who have contributed their stories to this book have thousands of professional flying hours to their credit, very often gained in the most demanding circumstances. However, routine aviation does not make for a good story, it is always the incident or unusual happening that makes the tale that will be told and retold in the bar. The air has always been an unforgiving environment that has provided many a close call, which has either called for sheepish reflection... or placed you victim to the razor wit of squadron chums. In sharing these stories more than a few souls have been laid bare, and the result is a unique insight into the character and courage of those who chose to fly in the Royal Air Force.
A few of my friends from those heady days at The Royal Air Force College, Cranwell have orchestrated the production of this book on behalf of the most worthy of charities. I congratulate them and commend this book to you.
Cliff Spink
Keyston, November 2011
Contents
Featured Aircraft
Andover Argosy Balliol Beaufighter Britannia Buccaneer Canberra Chipmunk Dominie Harrier Hercules HS125 Hunter Hurricane Jaguar Lightning Magister Meteor Navajo Nimrod Phantom Provost Sedbergh Shackleton Shooting Star Starfighter Swift Tiger Moth Tornado Varsity Vega Gull Venom Victor Voodoo Vulcan
Nice View From Up Here
It was the beginning of December 1976. Just one month to go before the squadron reforms with F4s at Wildenrath, so we will all have to fly at least one more night trip to keep current for Battle Flight said the Boss. This was it - the reign of 19(F)Sqns Lightning F2As at the sharp end of NATOs air defence forces was coming to an end. Battle Flight, as QRA at RAF Gutersloh was known, required 2 aircraft with their pilots to be airborne within 5 minutes of an alert we were based just 70 miles from the East German border, and felt very vulnerable. No longer would we sleep fully clothed and booted (apart from Trevor Beadle who used to put his flying boots at the bottom of the cockpit ladder!) to be airborne as soon as possible at any time of day or night.
Night currency: no problems, we all thought; its dark by 1700, so a couple of pairs each night for the next 2 weeks and that should do it. A few nights later, my name appeared on the programme as No 2 to John Brady for a 1930 take-off. As 1800 approached, I changed into flying kit and then found John in the Ops Room. Right, said John, we brief in half an hour.
The brief was very straightforward. Two aircraft were soon to land; the excellent 19(F)Sqn ground-crew, under Chief Tech Dave Branchett, would refuel and service them as quickly as possible, probably within 20 minutes. The first aircraft to be ready would launch immediately, fly to the top of the designated supersonic area, some 200 miles north near Hamburg, and then head south as high and as fast as it could go - Mach1.7 (some 1400 mph) and 56,000 feet. The second would maintain a ground alert state, and then be scrambled by our fighter control site (callsign Backwash) to meet the threat.
For good or ill, Johns aircraft was the first to be ready. True to his word, 30 minutes later he was near Hamburg, turning south, accelerating from Mach 0.9 and climbing from 36,000ft. Meanwhile, Backwash came on the alert frequency and gave me the order to scramble HH13 scramble, vector 360 degrees, climb Angels 350, call Backwash on tactical. Off I went, with a good idea of my task. I was to simulate shooting down an aircraft flying as high and as fast as it would go, in an aircraft which would not go higher or faster - or at least was not supposed to! I also had to do a stern attack, as the F2A did not have a head-on engagement capability.
Once on tactical frequency, Backwash confirmed that John was indeed very high and pretty fast. The Lightning radar was basic, but Backwash was invariably accurate with target information, and my radar should pick up John by 25 miles. And sure enough there he was. Backwash had given me ideal displacement to allow for my 180 degree turn, and I had already accelerated to Mach1.3, the optimum supersonic turn speed and the speed on which the attack geometry was based. But the geometry was based on either a high or a fast target, not both.
