RAF pilot misdemeanours - logged? researchable?
Discussion
Having mentioned Alan Pollock's 'unofficial' celebration in A N Other thread, I got to wondering - did the RAF routinely publish findings covering other misbehaviour by pilots?
The one I'm wondering about was about '76 (+/- 2 years) when a Phantom buzzed Southend in Essex for no apparent reason. There were no air shows or displays, and the loud and low flying got many people hot and bothered. (It did a circuit or two looping around Suthend General Hospital). I went out and joined the ATC the very next weekend, of course.
But I've often wondered what the back story was to the episode.
(Phantoms seem to have a big effect on me. Many years later, I was in the Falklands, minding my own business watching penguins do what penguins do, when a Phantom crept up on me from behind. Very low and very quick. I felt it before I heard it. And I was a very looong way from a new pair of undercrackers, too.)
The one I'm wondering about was about '76 (+/- 2 years) when a Phantom buzzed Southend in Essex for no apparent reason. There were no air shows or displays, and the loud and low flying got many people hot and bothered. (It did a circuit or two looping around Suthend General Hospital). I went out and joined the ATC the very next weekend, of course.
But I've often wondered what the back story was to the episode.
(Phantoms seem to have a big effect on me. Many years later, I was in the Falklands, minding my own business watching penguins do what penguins do, when a Phantom crept up on me from behind. Very low and very quick. I felt it before I heard it. And I was a very looong way from a new pair of undercrackers, too.)
Vaguely remember a story about a Hunter flying though the span of Tower Bridge.
Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hunter_Tower_B...
Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hunter_Tower_B...
I suppose the best way to start researching it would be to find out the exact date. Which would mean searching the Southend Evening Echo archives - maybe next time I'm there, I'll pop into the library. Must have been front-page news.
I Googled for the incident a while ago, but could only find mentions of a fatal collision between a Phantom and a Southend-based light airplane over Norfolk.
I Googled for the incident a while ago, but could only find mentions of a fatal collision between a Phantom and a Southend-based light airplane over Norfolk.
You might want to send this chap a message... seems to know his onions.
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/member.php?u=3235
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/member.php?u=3235
Seight_Returns said:
Vaguely remember a story about a Hunter flying though the span of Tower Bridge.
Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hunter_Tower_B...
Read James Paterson's Empire of the Clouds, great book and he details this incident. Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hunter_Tower_B...
The Wiki page is slightly incorrect in that they had had a celebratory dinner at the soon to be closed Tangmere the night before and Pollock decided to buzz the Houses of Parliament on the way back to Norfolk, the Tower Bridge part was accidental, he saw it and decided to go for it rather than pull up whilst he followed the Thames away from the HoP.
Lots of fun is/was had, every Squadron has its own initiation rites, some are more risky than others.
Remember the guy that was killed on salisbury Plain by the ramp of a Hercules whilst standing on a Landrover roof.....I'm not sure it was an initiation, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was...
shouldbworking said:
Perhaps the same 'altitude' as that Phantom that buzzed me in the Falklands. Which was doubtless my own fault for wearing a bright red cagoule in the middle of nowhere.Fat Albert said:
Remember the guy that was killed on salisbury Plain by the ramp of a Hercules whilst standing on a Landrover roof.....I'm not sure it was an initiation, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was...
I've heard of a similar tale on the (often true, often not true) rumour mill...not that long ago with a bloke standing out the top-cover hatch of a 4T waggon for a dare/initiation.Aircrew on the arse end of the Herc and the pilot were big timing it as there were nurses on board and they went really low over him. One of the props took his head clean off, spraying all on the ramp with blood, skull and brain. Nice.
And (I'm told) it was nicely covered up the pilot is still flying...
That Phantom phot is awesome though!!
Seight_Returns said:
Vaguely remember a story about a Hunter flying though the span of Tower Bridge.
Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hunter_Tower_B...
Pah. On MS Flight Sim I flew Concorde through there... and a Learjet UNDER the road deck Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Hunter_Tower_B...
4Q said:
I've heard of a similar tale on the (often true, often not true) rumour mill...not that long ago with a bloke standing out the top-cover hatch of a 4T waggon for a dare/initiation.
Aircrew on the arse end of the Herc and the pilot were big timing it as there were nurses on board and they went really low over him. One of the props took his head clean off, spraying all on the ramp with blood, skull and brain. Nice.
And (I'm told) it was nicely covered up the pilot is still flying...
A variant of this (sadly, true) story?Aircrew on the arse end of the Herc and the pilot were big timing it as there were nurses on board and they went really low over him. One of the props took his head clean off, spraying all on the ramp with blood, skull and brain. Nice.
And (I'm told) it was nicely covered up the pilot is still flying...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/raf-pilot-in-dea...
As Wessex Crewman our initial initiation we had to remove our monkey Harness and climb up the outside of the aircraft, slide back the captain's window and tap him on the Shoulder.
For night Flying we had to unstrap, stand out on the step and shut the door behind us, I bottled that one slightly and left my Monkey Harness on, but it was a really weird feeling standing on that little step 1500' up with the inky blackness and twinkly lights..oh, and a 100mph wind!
For night Flying we had to unstrap, stand out on the step and shut the door behind us, I bottled that one slightly and left my Monkey Harness on, but it was a really weird feeling standing on that little step 1500' up with the inky blackness and twinkly lights..oh, and a 100mph wind!
bigandclever said:
4Q said:
I've heard of a similar tale on the (often true, often not true) rumour mill...not that long ago with a bloke standing out the top-cover hatch of a 4T waggon for a dare/initiation.
Aircrew on the arse end of the Herc and the pilot were big timing it as there were nurses on board and they went really low over him. One of the props took his head clean off, spraying all on the ramp with blood, skull and brain. Nice.
And (I'm told) it was nicely covered up the pilot is still flying...
A variant of this (sadly, true) story?Aircrew on the arse end of the Herc and the pilot were big timing it as there were nurses on board and they went really low over him. One of the props took his head clean off, spraying all on the ramp with blood, skull and brain. Nice.
And (I'm told) it was nicely covered up the pilot is still flying...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/raf-pilot-in-dea...
a very costly error.Yep, a true one, & I worked (briefly) with the Jag pilot who banged out to tell the tale.
Then there's the RN Sea King Mk 5 that crashed in the Indian Ocean sometime after GW1. The pilot was a Mk4 SK pilot who was not qualifiued on the Mk 5 (different cockpits) & the A/C Captain was down the back end so not supervising, & having a Mk 4 pilot flying the cab was also unauthorised. The game was to do a fly past of the RFA on which they were based (Fort Austin or her sister ship, I can't remember) and get the wheels wet. Unfortunately the Mk4 pilot misjudged it and clipped the ship resulting in the a/c crashing in to the sea.
Then there's the RN Sea King Mk 5 that crashed in the Indian Ocean sometime after GW1. The pilot was a Mk4 SK pilot who was not qualifiued on the Mk 5 (different cockpits) & the A/C Captain was down the back end so not supervising, & having a Mk 4 pilot flying the cab was also unauthorised. The game was to do a fly past of the RFA on which they were based (Fort Austin or her sister ship, I can't remember) and get the wheels wet. Unfortunately the Mk4 pilot misjudged it and clipped the ship resulting in the a/c crashing in to the sea.
There used to be a magazine knocking around when I was in the RAF, cant recall the name but a regular feature was "I learned about flying from that", always made me chuckle. Favorite was a helicopter who flew his kite into a hanger at Little Rissington during a foggy day, only realised when the fog became an eerie yellow glow from the lights inside the hanger.
tuffer said:
There used to be a magazine knocking around when I was in the RAF, can't recall the name but a regular feature was "I learned about flying from that"
It was called 'Air Clues'.It's now available in .pdf format:
http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafiles/B263034C_5...
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