Phantoms from the past.

[LouisetheSleaz]

1969 or 1970 I was an air cadet for a short time, so short a time, I never got a uniform.

One of the officers was my neighbour and he used to fly a Tiger Moth above our street some weekends.

One weekend he was taking a group of the senior cadets flying, he told me I had no chance of getting a flight, but if I wanted I could come, so off we went in his Austin Healey and we ended up at RNAS Yeovilton.

Had our lunch in a small cookhouse on the base, then the other cadets disappeared into their Chipmunks and into the sky.

With nothing else to do or look at I had a wander around, there was a hanger or workshop near and it seemed to be just across the road from the cookhouse.
Inside the open doors were three Phantoms, I was immediately struck by how small they actually were.
The place was deserted and I could have done anything but I had enough self-discipline not to fiddle with any big red buttons.

Up against one of the walls was a burst tyre, I could see from the damage that the brakes had been locked up and friction had worn completely through the tyre as it skidded down a runway.

Above the tyre was a notice reporting that the tyre had come off the Phantom used in the Transatlantic Air Race. (May 1969)

Did you get to wander round the museum?

 

[Club Swinger]

Errr...is it too early to ask the OP if this is going as well as expected....

 

[ericferret]

Nah this is low flying, eat my dust.

 

[Club Swinger]

I was walking on route to the main NAAFI in Sennelager back in 1989. I was literally 400 metres away from the main car park, when a car pulled to a stop next to the kerb. A woman, probably in her late fifties early sixties was driving the car. She wound the window down and spoke to me in German.

"Junge Mann, wollen sie mit mir nach Hause fahren?"

I was totally gobsmacked and couldn't believe what I was hearing. She was asking if I would like to come home with her. So, as you do I checked her tits out, and thought 'nah' she's way too old.

In my best squaddie German I told her "Nein Danke, ich gehe einkaufen."

The OP's story reminded me of this experience and got me wondering what would have happened if I had gone with her. Would we have exchanged pleasantries over coffee and cake, then shagged her and her daughter/s?

Or would I have ended up as meat in a BFO 'Eintopf'

ETA I probably should have recorded her number plate and passed it on to the local RMP or German Dibble....

 

[Harry Clampers]

Oh they always land. Sometimes wheels down, in the right place, and the people aboard walk away.

Apparently.

Sometimes unintentionally. Accident McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2 XV428, 23 Sep 1988

 

[Harry Clampers]

RAF have been doing it for a while

The gun cameras from the Harriers that attacked Goose Green showed that they were flying between 5 and 15 feet as they ran in to attack.
On his return to Goose Green Dave Morgan pointed out a telephone wire 30 feet off the ground and said he couldn't remember it being there
One of the islanders who saw the raid pointed out they flew under it.

Not forgetting the two Phantom's that had to go vertical on full reheat to avoid crashing into to the Collage during a passing out parade.
A couple of the lads who saw it said it was a most impressive but of flying although not the words the reviewing officer used

Somewhat more impressive I'd have thought...

 

[beefer]

Somewhat more impressive I'd have thought...
View attachment 549412

DARTT

 

[ericferret]

Or you think you've had a bird strike when you've actually clipped a helicopter

A HELICOPTER pilot and his passenger were killed yesterday in a mid-air collision with an RAF Tornado that was on a long-range, low-flying exercise in Cumbria.
The crash happened a few hundred yards from junction 36 of the M6 at Farleton near Kirkby Londsdale. The helicopter is thought to have had its rear rotary blade ripped off before bursting into flames on farmland.

The crew of the Tornado were apparently unaware they had hit the helicopter. They lost all power in one engine and reported they had been hit by a flock of birds.

Two killed as RAF jet hits helicopter

A HELICOPTER pilot and his passenger were killed yesterday in a mid-air collision with an RAF Tornado that was on a long-range, low-flying exercise in Cumbria.

www.independent.co.uk

Saddest thing about this was that one of our pilots had reported this spot as a choke point and dangerous prior to the accident having had a couple of scares himself. Powerline patrol aircraft regularly operated at low altitude in the area. Nothing done and the above was the end result.
Could have easily have been four dead.

 

[Club Swinger]

I was walking on route to the main NAAFI in Sennelager back in 1989. I was literally 400 metres away from the main car park, when a car pulled to a stop next to the kerb. A woman, probably in her late fifties early sixties was driving the car. She wound the window down and spoke to me in German.

"Junge Mann, wollen sie mit mir nach Hause fahren?"

I was totally gobsmacked and couldn't believe what I was hearing. She was asking if I would like to come home with her. So, as you do I checked her tits out, and thought 'nah' she's way too old.

In my best squaddie German I told her "Nein Danke, ich gehe einkaufen."

The OP's story reminded me of this experience and got me wondering what would have happened if I had gone with her. Would we have exchanged pleasantries over coffee and cake, then shagged her and her daughter/s?

Or would I have ended up as meat in a BFO 'Eintopf'

ETA I probably should have recorded her number plate and passed it on to the local RMP or German Dibble....

Okay I'll just leave this here...

 

[Unremarkable]

Somewhat more impressive I'd have thought...
View attachment 549412

Vulcan crews used to practise low flying up the Llynfi Valley, a sight and sound I miss.

 

[BopBopBop]

Did you get to wander round the museum?

I don't recall finding the museum, I think I was 15 and in the big scheme of things I didn't really have a clue where I was at the time.

 

[Cloth bomber]

Nah this is low flying, eat my dust.

View attachment 549403

That reminds me of the tale I was told on the Isle of Man.
Sunderland setting out from loch neigh on a long patrol got into cloud and clipped the peak of one of the mountains of mourne, badly holeing the hull
and damaging a wing.
They set course for Blackpool who were to lay foam on the runway but en route two of the engines started to fail, so they set down on the main runway at Jurby in a shower of sparks.
Jurbys fire brigade enthusiastically sprang into action and were driving towards the now merrily blazing flying boat when they met the crew legging it away from the hulk.
The captain informed the fire crew that the depth charges would cook off shortly so they all retreated to the far corner of the site.
when it detonated one engine ended up in jurby churchyard over half a mile away, and the blast destroyed much of the asbestos sheeting on the sides of the newly erected hangars on site.
if you are a biker and go to any racing at jurby now, have a look, the extensively patched asbestos sheet is still there for all to see.