Form 414, my RAF Logbook continues with me leaving Australia and the Hornet unhappily in my rear vision mirror as I was heading back to Blighty and a cold winter in Lincolnshire.  No 229 Operational Conversion Unit was the training unit that would give me my first taste of the Mighty Fin, the Swing Wing Super Jet, Mother Riley’s Cardboard Aeroplane otherwise known as the Air Defence Variant of the Tornado.
 

Not just a British aircraft, the Tornado was a project involving Germany and Italy as well.

 

A cutaway of the ADV Tornado

 

Just some of the multitude of limitations that Tornado pilots were required to memorise

 

The Tornado cockpit showing the wing sweep lever

 

The Mighty Fins of 43 and 111 Squadrons

 

The RB199 lacked sufficient thrust to allow the F3 to perform adequately at medium and high level but it did have a way of going backwards!

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Surruno, Panavia, BAe, the RAF Museum, Mike Freer, Kevan Dickin, Chris Lofting and the RAF.

RAF Form 414, Vol 25

After I landed my aircraft I clambered out of the Hornet with the cold realisation that I might have flown my last sortie.  The spinning sensation had ceased and the sortie had gone beautifully, it was almost as if it had been a bad dream. A continuation of tales from the Old Pilot's logbook, RAF Form 414.
 

Was the sun about to set on my career?

 

The surgery span round and round

 

Promotion

 

Exercise K89

 

One of our opponents, the F16

 

Firing off live missiles like the AIM 7M Sparrow

 

Landing in a thunderstorm

 

A week on Song Song island acting as the Range Safety Officer

 

The RSO and his crew of Malay troops

 

My final flight and the boys renamed my aircraft Nick The Pom!

 

 

RAF Form 414, Vol 24

The year is 1957 and the space race is underway.  The major powers around the world, mainly the Soviet Union and the United States, are all striving to develop the technology that will allow them to reach outer space. The Soviet Union’s Academy of Sciences prime aim was to beat the Americans into Earth orbit and their top secret Sputnik project was about to reward all the efforts put in by a generation of scientists and engineers.  Sputnik 1 was soon to be placed atop an R-7 rocket and launched into a low orbit to become the first artificial Earth Satellite. But what if they hadn’t been the first?
 

Sputnik was fired into a low earth orbit on the 4th of October 1957 atop an R-7 rocket

 

Some months before the Sputnik launch the US were conducting nuclear tests

 

The Pascal I underground test caused a huge blue flame to erupt from the desert

 

Very high speed cameras were used to film the tests

 

The Horizons spacecraft

 

People wonder what became of the manhole cover and if anything was written on it?

 

Images under a Creative Commons licence with thanks to the Atomic Heritage Foundation, the Federal Government of the United States, NNSA and NASA.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon

Let me take you back to the dim distant past and Captain Jeff’s start with his legacy airline, ACME, I mean Delta, no ACME, Delta, Acta, Delme… oh whatever. His career started, not in the Captain’s seat but somewhere in the bowels of flight deck, sitting sideways with control panels in front of him instead of windows, that stretched to the ceiling!  Jeff was an engineer on his favourite three holer, the Boeing 727. The loss rate for this iconic airliner was, unhappily, quite high.  As of 2019 the aircraft had suffered 351 major incidents of which 119 resulted in a total loss.  The loss of life resulting from these bare numbers has risen to over four thousand souls.  One addition to those sad statistics came from Flight 600.  This is the story.
 

The Boeing 727 Flight Deck

 

The 727 on its maiden flight

 

The famous S bend

 

With tail mounted engines the wings could be fitted with full span lift devices

 

The B727 was the first first airliner to have an APU

 

The 727 had rear mounted stairs that were used by the nefarious DB Cooper

 

Which resulted in the fitting of a Cooper Vane

 

The mechanics of a microburst

 

Our Captain Jeff

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Felix Goetting, Alex Beltyukov, Boeing, Tank67, Daderot, Juras14, Aero Icarus and NASA.

Flight 600

Two of the Saratoga’s F14 Tomcats were tasked to defend the carrier against a simulated attack during Exercise Display Determination 87. The leader of this small formation included a senior pilot and skipper of a newly arrived Junior Grade Lieutenant Timothy Dorsey. Many years later, Dorsey would be nominated for promotion to a one-star Rear Admiral, an appointment that required Congressional approval.  What stood in his way was an incident that occurred during that fateful day in 1987.
 

USS Saratoga

 

Timothy Dorsey

 

F14 Tomcats on deck

 

An F4 tanking

 

HUD film of the engagement

 

US Navy wings

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the US Navy, US Air Force and the US Gov.

The Consequence of a Deliberate Act

Part 2 of my interview with my mate Matt, steely eyed rocket man extraordinaire.

 

Goonhilly

 

Gyros and spacecraft in Telstar

 

The interior of Telstar

 

The magnitude of space junk around the world

 

The first live TV pictures transmitted via satellite

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to NASA, I Alison, Rama, NASA, US Gov, the BBC and Andrew Bulko

Rocket Man Part 2

At first glance he looks to be a rather scruffy and unkempt elderly chap but behind the heavy glasses there are two twinkling eyes that reveal more than you can imagine.  Indeed, appearances can be deceiving as this retired RAF Technician could have well been a steely eyed missile man as he controlled military satellites around during the Cold War.  Meet my mate Matt!

Sputnik

 



 

RAF Oakhanger

 

Inmarsat equipment on board a ship

 

Not every launch was a success

 

Telstar

 

Voyager

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Nigel Chadwick, NRAO/AUI, Saber1983, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Dale Griffin USGS, then Science Museum and NSAS.

Rocket Man

In the tale, the Applegate Memorandum, I described the difficult birth that McDonnell Douglas had with the DC-10 when it’s safety record was permanently marred by a cargo door design flaw that plagued its introduction.  Sadly, this wasn’t the only issue that was going to discredit the aircraft in the eye of its passengers and they would ultimately condemn the world’s first 3 engined wide body as a dangerous failure.  Although the aircraft’s problems with its cargo doors could be firmly laid at the feet of McDonnell Douglas, the next disaster that the aircraft would have to cope with was not of the manufacture’s making, but of some operators who took it upon themselves to shorten engineering procedures.


 

Then incident aircraft N110AA

 

Cutaway showing the configuration of the wing mounted engines

 

The DC10 cockpit

 

The last moments of American Airlines Flight 191

 

The aftermath

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the Dale Coleman, Jyra Sapphire, Jon Proctor, the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives, the NTSB, the US Gov and American Airlines.

 

When History Repeats Itself

I left you last time after we had returned with our Hornets from New Zealand having had a very productive and interesting few weeks working with the Kiwi A4 Skyhawks.  We soon settled back into our Squadron HQ at RAAF Williamtown and started to work up some Maritime Strike tactics against the ships of the Australian Navy.  These were early days for the Australian Hornets and the anti ship missiles that were to be purchased had yet to be properly integrated into the aircraft’s weapons system... and so continues the Tales from the Old Pilot's Log Books.
 

The Hornets mix it with the Navy!

 

It was the P3 Orion's job to find the ships and broadcast their positions

 

The RAAF had yet to equip their F18s with anti ship missiles but that didn't stop us training

 

We flew affiliation sorties against the RAAF Caribous so I got the chance to observe from the other side of the engagement

 

Called in from leave to fly an engine air test I did so with my holiday beard still attached!

 

The rake of the Hornet seat didn't suit my back leading to a nagging problem

 

On our way to Malaysia we staged through Bali

 

At RMAF Butterworth we stayed in the beautiful old RAF Mess

 

And could frequently be found in the Hong Kong Bar

 

Back home in Australia I started to suffer from vertigo and wondered if the dream had come to an end

RAF Form 414, Vol 23

The conclusion of a chat over a pint with Wood Duck, the Royal Australian Air Force Air Attache to the Australian High Commission in London.

 

Images of No 2 OCU when it was equipped with the FA18

 

The handover of No 2 OCU Hornets to the new commanding officer and the new F35 Lightning fighters.

 

RSAF Hawk trainers

The Wood Duck, Part 2

As a fighter pilot on the newly formed 77 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force, now equipped with brand new FA/18s, we had many experienced pilots but before long we also acquired pilots on their first operational type.  One such pilot was Woody, or more formally known as Wood Duck and flying the Hornet was just the start of a long career in aviation that took him all around the world.  Now the Air Attache at the Australian High Commission in London, Woody and I met at a local hostelry and had a beer whilst talking about old times.

 

The Australian FA/18B

 

Flypasts performed by No 2 OCU RAAF whilst under Woody's command

 

Woody as a youngster in the Hong Kong bar whilst on deployment in Malaysia.

 

RAAF Hornets in Butterworth

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the RAAF, the USAF, the RMAF and No 2 OCU RAAF.

The Wood Duck, Part 1

So you want to be an airline pilot? You want to travel the world, visit strange and exotic countries and immerse yourself in the wonders of foreign cultures? You want to make a good living, bring up a family and plan for a wonderful retirement driving your luxurious RV around the wide open spaces of your beloved country? Has it crossed you mind that your chosen occupation might not be the safest way to achieve your dreams?

 

The Old Curmudgeon rides again

 

Airliner crashes are rare events

 

Ensure that you join a recognised union that can afford you legal representation anywhere in the world

The Risk Takers

I trust that you will recall the stories from my RAF Logbook which had reached the point of my first Hornet deployment to New Zealand to work with the Kiwi A4 Skyhawks of No 75 Squadron Royal New Zealand Air Force at Ohakea.
The squadron we were working with had a rich history and I was sure I was going to enjoy my time with them.

 

75 Sqn RNZAF formed with Wellingtons purchased by the New Zealand government

 

75 Sqn A4 Skyhawk

 

The Kiwi Red formation team

 

Inverted whilst in contact

 

An A4 in combat firing rockets

 

How to fly a flat scissors

 

An FA18 pulls into the vertical

 

The effectiveness of camouflage

 

Low level

 

Attacking a splash target

 

The Hornet at night

 

The disappearance of the hook was investigated

 

The perp was arrested!

 

75 Sqn RNZAF was sadly disbanded

 

Images shown under creative commons licence with thanks to the RAF, the New Zealand Defence Force, the USN, CNATRA, Bernardo Malfitano and Myself.

 

RAF Form 414, Vol 22

The Right Hand Traffic Rule stated that an aircraft which was flying within the United Kingdom in sight of the ground and following a road, railway, canal or coastline, or any other line of landmarks shall keep such line of landmarks on its left.  For reasons that defeat me the rule went on to give an exception stating, “provided that this rule shall not apply to a helicopter following the Motorway M4 on a route from West Drayton to Osterley Lock!”  Let me take you back to the the birth of commercial aviation in Europe after the First World War.Daimler Airways operated the De Havilland aircraft on the Croydon to Paris route and Grands Express were operating the same route, albeit originating from Paris. The scene was therefore set and, no doubt the astute amongst you will already be speculating on what befell the Daimler Airway mail flight departing Croydon on the 7th of April 1922 and the Grand Express aircraft that left Le Bourget on the same day, just after noon.  This is that story.


 

The Farman Goliath airliner

 

The DH18

 

The BAS 500cc single Gold Star

 

London to Le Bourget

 

Le Bourget to London

 

Traffic in France drove on the right hand side

 

On that fateful day, the weather was poor

 

The Picardie accident was the world’s first mid air collision between airliners

 

Images shown under the Creative Commons licence with thanks to Albert Thuloup, Handley Page, BP, SADSM, The Library of Congress and Popular Mechanics.

Straighten Up and Fly Right

Traditionally the phrase Brass Monkeys goes hand in hand with weather so cold that only a naughty sounding description like, “It’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey,” will suffice.  If, however, you were the crew member a NATO aircraft in Europe during the tense times of the Cold War, Brass Monkeys meant something very specific!  It was a code phrase that everyone knew of and listened out for on the Guard frequency just in case it was broadcast.  Two or three minutes into the flight Rikki was super-sonic and climbing through twenty thousand feet or so when the first “Brass Monkeys” call came over the radio: “Brass monkeys, brass monkeys, aircraft heading east at high speed fifty miles east of Gutersloh, brass monkeys”. He ignored it!


The true origin of Brass Monkeys has been lost in time

 

The identification papers of defector Viktor Belenko

 

Map of the East/West German airspace

 

An F84

 

West German Navy Sea Hawk

 

A Lightning F3 landing

 

Mig 21s chasing

 

Returning safely

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Louis-Philippe Crépin, images in the Public Domain, the CIA, the RAF, Rosario Van Tulpe, Milborne One and Mike Freer.

 

Brass Monkeys

Life on 77 Squadron had settled down to a routine, if it ever really could on a fighter squadron. There was certainly plenty of variety to our flying. In one month I flew some practice bombing attacks, both day and night, on the Evans Head weapon’s range north by 230 nm. This was followed by a 4 ship formation demonstration of ground attack on our own airfield as part of an Open Day celebration for the public.  Then night radar bombing on the Beecroft range at Jarvis bay about 150 nm south. Then we bombed and sank a tug boat before flying off to New Zealand.
 

The Squadron hours board

 

A head on view of the FA18A

 

Our Hornets in close formation

 

A MK82 low drag general purpose bomb

 

A 77 Sqn Hornet landing

 

RNZAF Strikemasters AKA the Bluntie

 

The RNZAF A4 Skyhawk

 

Landing at Ohakea

 

My old buddy John

 

 

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Myself and Greenshed.

RAF Form 414, Vol. 21

Marvin and Rebecca's first two flights of the day were cancelled due to high winds at Newark so they both waited in the crew room until their company dispatch released them for flight 3407 at 6pm, 4 and a half hours after their initial report time.  Certainly for Rebecca, it had been a long time since she had done more than nap in a chair.  Their flight to Buffalo was due to take 53 minutes and they were carrying 45 passengers which, along with their two cabin attendants meant that they had 49 souls onboard their Q400 aircraft. The pilots’ performance was likely impaired because of fatigue but to what extent could not be conclusively determined.  However, they boiled down to the flight crew’s failure to monitor airspeed, the flight crew’s failure to adhere to sterile cockpit procedures, the Captain’s failure to effectively manage the flight and Colgan Air’s inadequate procedures for airspeed selection, management during approaches in icing conditions and training.  This is the story of Colgan Air Flight 3407.
 

A Bombardier Q400

 

The SAAB 340

 

The DH Dash 8

 

Examples of wing icing

 

Stills from the NTSB accident report

 

Stills from the NTSB accident report

 

Stills from the NTSB accident report

 

The wreckage of Flight 3407

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Lord of the Wings, Bill Abbott, Steve Fitzgerald, NASA and the NTSB.

Fifteen Hundred Hours

With thanks to listener Sam Dawson who has such interesting relatives and to Betty Goerke, the author of a book about Baz Bagby, A Broken Propeller. I am pleased to present the story of Sam Dawson's Great Uncle Baz.
 

Stunt pilot Lincoln Beachey at Niagara

 

The 1st Aero Squadron

 

Early Aerial Reconnaissance

 

The 88th Aero Squadron

 

 

General Billy Mitchell

 

The start of the Great Transcontinental Air Race

 

Great Uncle Baz

 

Images under creative commons licence with thanks to the Library of Congress, the USAAC, the USAF, the RFC, the US Army, the National Archives and SADSM.

 

Great Uncle Baz

The continuation of my log book tales, otherwise known as RAF Form 414, and we are up to Volume 20.  Apart from other asides, this tale deals with my accidental overflight of a very secret satellite surveillance base run by the Australians and the CIA!

 

Overflying Uluru (Ayres Rock)

 

My arrival at Alice Springs airport

 

My 'circumnavigation' of Australia

 

My aircraft being impounded on arrival at RAAF Pearce

 

Seeing my father at the 1881 Resturant

 

The Great Australian Bight

 

Passing through RAAF Edinburgh

 

Looking back through the fins

 

Heading home to Williamtown

Images under creative commons licence with thanks to Myself, Nachoman-au and Google Earth.

RAF Form 414, Vol. 20

The DC-10 was McDonnell Douglas's first commercial airliner project since the merger between McDonnell Aircraft Corporation and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. It started life on the drawing boards as a 4 engined, double decked, wide body airliner that could carry 550 passengers but morphed into single deck, three engined aircraft that could carry one passenger short of 400!  In what was expected to be a knockout blow to the competing Lockheed L-1011, the President of American Airlines and James McDonnell of McDonnell Douglas announced American Airlines' intention to acquire the DC-10. Flight 96 was en route between Detroit and Buffalo when, above the city of Windsor in Ontario whilst climbing through 11,750 ft the flight crew heard a distinct thud and dirt and debris flew up from the cockpit floor into their faces. On inspection it was obvious that the rear cargo door had detached from the aircraft.  This is the story of the DC-10 cargo door issue and the engineer who tried to warn the company of the dire problem.


The 4 Engined Douglas Proposal

 

The DC-10

 

The Cargo Door

 

The Cargo Door of Flight 96

The Accident Report of Turkish Airlines Flight 981

 

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the SDASM archives, the Douglas Aircraft Corp, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, the FAA and the DOT AIB.

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