Robbie

For cool circuits have a look at a TR-2 also known as a U2 doing them, after wheels up at about 500' on a 1000' ft circuit they throttle back and glide the rest of the way around. Reason behind the SR71 gaining altitude as soon as poss is that the engines it uses don't really work that efficiently at low level. After F-4s I moved onto play with Tactical Transports C-130's and they are a lot of fun - esp at ultra low level - ie below 100'where dipping a wing in a turn could put it into the ground. Even more fun when you bounce the bottom of the aircraft off a sand dune about 100miles west of Kuwait - concentrates the mind, and also gives you a good excuse to slap biggles again.

Paul Wilson

Don't know if this is true of not, but I read in a book about Mosquitoes that returning from Germany over the channel the pilots would get up high then if they spotted an Ammerican Mustang would dive down towards them stopping the engine nearest the other fighter and feather the prop. Then pass the Yank in his fighter in a bomber with one engine "out". You can just imagine the look on their faces.

rsquire

Hey Robbie,

When were you at Lyneham?? Which squadron? I was stationed there late 70s..

Richard

Robbie

Was there at the end of the 80's and start of 90's - served on 24 and 47

RichiB

You can teach a monkey to fly a jet but he could never be trained to fix one!!!!!!lol

Rich (ex Tornado airframe fitter)

IWatkins

Hi All,

Lightning. The best.
F4. Quite good.

Based at Wattisham in the 80s and early 90s (as the Met. Man). Always great joy to watch a Lightning take-off on QRA. Quick blat out to the North Sea, scare the naughty russians, then only just make it back with enough fuel to land.

F4's seemed more useful, especially at speed. Got a back seat jolly just before the RAF left Wattisham for the AAC. Doing lots of high speed turns over the North Sea and Mach1 (at height). Never forget it.

Best fun in all my days ? Jolly on C-130s during figher affiliation training, 1 on 1 and 1 on 2. Now those C-130s could be thrown about, and for extended periods. Also, low level down the suffolk coast was always fun. Really felt like you could reach out to touch the trees.

Oh, I do miss the smell of Avgas.....

Cheers

Ian Watkins (GT4)

Philip Thurlow

Can anyone remember when Senna was near the finish of a race - cant really rememeber which course it was - but him and mansel were battling it out and senna nearly hit a bloody marshall - who just decided to run across the track when the cars were hairing up on him - must have been about 1 second off hitting him by my memory - Can you remember this John ?

yunus

mansell V senna at monaco 92.

Robbie

When working with in a specialised group on the Fat Albert(C-130) we used to do Red Flag each year out in Vegas, flying out of Nellis and Miramar. We would bet a crate of beer to any fighter that could get a 'kill' on us when we were shaking the weeds on low level insertions - never had to buy the beer when 1v1 occasionally 1v2 but more than that did make it interesting. Fighter afill was good fun. Also doing airfield assaults and landing on supposedly blocked taxi ways was fun.

ChrisB

I had the pleasure of a three week contract at DERA in Farnborough which finished the week before the Air Show.

F16's and the like screaming over the offices at what looked like about 10ft margin. Impressively noisey - do ScoobySport do an exhaust that big?

Saw Thrust SS at the same time.

Chris.

Recruiter

Lightning is the King, Acceleration unbelievable, gloriously unreliable, archaic but still the best ride in the world. Had the pleasure with 11 squadron 1986 -87

Robbie

For a good ride I had the pleasure whilst out working at an Airshow in Edmonton of being taken for a ride in a Ukranian Knights Mig29UB - now that was good fun - not the best view from the rear seat but nice performance

johnfelstead

Most boring flying of my life.

Super VC10 circuits round Brize Norton.

Most exciting flying of my life.

First solo flight in a Kirby Kadet MKIII Glider out of RAF Burtonwood. Flew like a brick, lasted 5 minutes but boy was that an intense 5 minutes. (i was 16)

IWatkins

Robbie,

Yep, big respect for the C-130 crews. Don't remember them actauuly ever having lost a 1v1 over the N.Sea but quite a few 1v2. I spent many an hour with my face stuck against the astradome during yet another 1080 degree turn (or so it seemed). And a few filled bags, cough.

And the landings ? Don't remember what they are called but quite a few hundered feet, nose down (like right down) and pull up at the last second.

Fun times.

Cheers

Ian Watkins (GT4)

Robbie

Khe Sahn after the approach into said airfield in Vietnam - only way to get in to avoid flak and IR SAM's. Basically get the nose over the piano keys at around 2-5k then stick the nose down and go for it, dangle the dunlops and flaps and then flair like a bandit at the last minute with the props feathered prior to slamming them into full reverse on impact.

johnfelstead

my old man jumps out of a porter some times, now theres an awesome stol prop aircraft.
wern't they designed for nam?

johnfelstead

cable breaks on a winch takeoff at 300ft, now theres a laugh

[This message has been edited by johnfelstead (edited 19-02-2000).]

Paul Wilson

If your into helicopters esp. Hueys Chickenhawk by Robert Mason has some of the maddest descriptions of flying I have ever read, including things like flying down through the trees to pick up infantry, carving your own hole on the way down!

Didn't they use Turbo(see on topic ) Porters in the film Air America? Anyone know if they used the real things or models?

Best flight of my life was getting PPL in the US, instructor says "go out and practice stalls and steep turns, see you in an hour or two" ooohhh the fun I had.