Carrier Ops

[Ian Warren]

When you think off it and study the RN s attempt at putting the supers on deck .. ya pointed out 1960 ... amazing how much it changed , the new carriers incoming both the UK and OZ .. gone the traditional style , the US approach even quivers .. the old aircraft tho and smaller deck is so very COOL!

[chopper_nut]

Yeh I saw a photo of the new RN carrier. Looks ridiculous with two islands. I guess guys like us will always look back at the glory days when big men were putting big aeroplanes on small boats.

[Ian Warren]

It dose not look right dose it, the US Navy move there islands back the French move there island and British .. think are what the hell we will go both ways.

[chopper_nut]

After leaving the Victorious at Aden, fast forward a few years to 1964 and RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. The first thing one notices about this place is the weather. It's, well, not that flash. The Scimitar has gone, replaced by Blackburn's new strike aircraft, the Buccaneer. 809 NAS is tasked with training pilots coming onto the aircraft.


The view from the tower at Lossie.

Aircraft are painted in the standard anti - flash white as are all the V - Bombers of the period. I'm not sure if anybody actually thinks the colour is going to reflect anything.


Out of Lossie, on a training run up to the Shetlands.


The Bucc is a different aircraft to the Scimitar. Two seats, against one. A sophisticated ground search radar and able to carry A LOT of ordinance.
The aircraft features 'blown' flight controls where hp air is drawn off the compressors and directed over the leading edge of the wings and over the ailerons, flaps and tailplane. What this means is a much shorter 'unstick' speed for take off and a lower landing speed.


The radar picture running into the Shetlands.


Hooning around pissing off the locals.


Landing back at Lossie with a hell of a crosswind.

[Ian Warren]

Looking at the photo's there , seems the NAV/Observer is sitting lower all- a small person maybe, further down the line appears others are larger, I'll have have to search thru the photos I have here .... nice little posting Nick

[chopper_nut]

Looking at the photos, I think the seat is too far away from the hood. I don't think the scale is the problem.

[Ian Warren]

Funny , thinking about it .. I do have a photo here off a F8 Crusader pilot playing 'Kilroy' to the camera ship .. bored.. during a Yankee Station patrol

[chopper_nut]

More training today. Navigation exercise down to Waddington.


Rolling at Lossie


Airborne


A wee bit cold down there




Crossing the Firth of Forth




On approach


QRA Vulcans RAF Waddington


Parked up and shutting down. Off to get some breakfast in the officers mess.

[Ian Warren]

Funny , I still have a book I brought .. around 1967/8 , back then it was still drawings .. captured the Buck back then.

[chopper_nut]

Yeh it's funny those old books. Even until the 1970s and 1980s, a lot of the soviet aircraft are still just drawings.

[Ian Warren]

Yeh it's funny those old books. Even until the 1970s and 1980s, a lot of the soviet aircraft are still just drawings.

I do have a few goodies , really shows the Russian world

[emfrat]

A little MP with myself, me hosting on Superbeast, in the Firefly, and HMS Vic being autopiloted on Minibeast. The carrier is not just visible, it is so solid a heavy landing will start the wings folding. Interesting that in AI Carriers, the nets come up when you lower the tailhook, but not in this arrangement.

[chopper_nut]

A landing so heavy the wing spar breaks Good to see progress and the Firefly is a cool aeroplane.

[emfrat]

A landing so heavy the wing spar breaks Good to see progress and the Firefly is a cool aeroplane.

I cut the throttle too early...got a lovely sequence of the wings folding after the bounce off the lip ramp, until "STALL" appears in the bottom RH corner and the Firefly does a dying swan onto the nets. Didn't catch the moment when it slid off the far end.
BUT - we can have a drivable, landable carrier autopiloted in MP - which is what I was trying to do

[chopper_nut]

Yep, fantastic

[Ian Warren]

Now that's the way to fold ya wings , just hit the fantail with a ruddy great wallop

[emfrat]

You had to be there, it was a historic moment:







Touched down at 88kts IAS, carrier doing 31kts, clean catch on the wire, but got another auto wingfold ???

[Ian Warren]

OH DANG IT! .. back to the drawing board ...

[emfrat]

The deckies were seriously confuddled - moments after their carrier cut a tanker in half, this ancient machine appears out of some timewarp...could be a plot for a movie, eh?

[emfrat]

Didn't fold them that time