50 years ago today at Boscombe Down...

50 years ago today at Boscombe Down...

Author
Discussion

HereBeMonsters

14,180 posts

182 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
Le TVR said:
Just fly it over the enemy at 50ft and M1.2 then dropping any payload would have added little extra....
My Grandfather recently told me of a story - when he was based at Akrotiri flying Vampires (or was it Javelins? I think Vampires). Him and a wingman were playing a little dare game..seeing how low they could get at 500KIA. They were following the course of a long desert road. He got so low he had to climb to avoid a coach coming in the opposite direction, but remained low enough long enough to see the expression on the coach driver's face.
His wingman bested him though, by jinking under the telephone cables (and between the posts) strung alongside the road.

I'm sure there's a great deal of rose-tinted embellishment happening there, but still - imagine 60 years ago, driving a bus across Cyprus and seeing two jet fighters closing in on you at essentially the same height you're at in your coach. Amazing!

Ayahuasca

27,427 posts

279 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
HereBeMonsters said:
My Grandfather recently told me of a story - when he was based at Akrotiri flying Vampires (or was it Javelins? I think Vampires). Him and a wingman were playing a little dare game..seeing how low they could get at 500KIA. They were following the course of a long desert road. He got so low he had to climb to avoid a coach coming in the opposite direction, but remained low enough long enough to see the expression on the coach driver's face.
His wingman bested him though, by jinking under the telephone cables (and between the posts) strung alongside the road.

I'm sure there's a great deal of rose-tinted embellishment happening there, but still - imagine 60 years ago, driving a bus across Cyprus and seeing two jet fighters closing in on you at essentially the same height you're at in your coach. Amazing!
This was allegedly caused by a low flying jaguar's fin.


DamienB

Original Poster:

1,189 posts

219 months

Wednesday 8th October 2014
quotequote all
Ian Lancs said:
Weren't there in-build fuselages at Brooklands that were dragged to the pan and destroyed?
Some months after the cancellation most fuselages were cut up at all sites involved, and carted away in lorries to scrapyards. Far too valuable as scrap metal to burn!

dr_gn

16,160 posts

184 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
quotequote all
Ayahuasca said:
HereBeMonsters said:
My Grandfather recently told me of a story - when he was based at Akrotiri flying Vampires (or was it Javelins? I think Vampires). Him and a wingman were playing a little dare game..seeing how low they could get at 500KIA. They were following the course of a long desert road. He got so low he had to climb to avoid a coach coming in the opposite direction, but remained low enough long enough to see the expression on the coach driver's face.
His wingman bested him though, by jinking under the telephone cables (and between the posts) strung alongside the road.

I'm sure there's a great deal of rose-tinted embellishment happening there, but still - imagine 60 years ago, driving a bus across Cyprus and seeing two jet fighters closing in on you at essentially the same height you're at in your coach. Amazing!
This was allegedly caused by a low flying jaguar's fin.

Flying upside down at that height?

CrutyRammers

13,735 posts

198 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
Flying upside down at that height?
Giving him the bird

Yertis

18,046 posts

266 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
Flying upside down at that height?
I think he meant to say "one of the Jaguar's ventral fins". smile

Seight_Returns

1,640 posts

201 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
quotequote all
Le TVR said:
Just fly it over the enemy at 50ft and M1.2 then dropping any payload would have added little extra....
I heard a "blocke down the pub" cold war story that a Lightning capsized a Soviet spy trawler doing pretty much this. Apocryphal ?

tuffer

8,849 posts

267 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
Flying upside down at that height?
The bottom fins:

dr_gn

16,160 posts

184 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
quotequote all
Yertis said:
dr_gn said:
Flying upside down at that height?
I think he meant to say "one of the Jaguar's ventral fins". smile
whistle

Pedantry matters...

Ayahuasca

27,427 posts

279 months

Thursday 9th October 2014
quotequote all
dr_gn said:
Yertis said:
dr_gn said:
Flying upside down at that height?
I think he meant to say "one of the Jaguar's ventral fins". smile
whistle

Pedantry matters...
I said a jaguar's fin, I didn't say which one.


Eric Mc

121,998 posts

265 months

Saturday 11th October 2014
quotequote all
Just picked up Damien's book from the local library. Looking forward to delving into it.

Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

186 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Here's some pics from my trip to Duxford last weekend.







As you can see, the problem at Duxford is getting a clear view of anything.