Brilliant video clip on Player of the lads training with the Army at Warminster

Video now on youtube: [video=youtube;9tF_Fgme4Yo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=9tF_Fgme4Yo[/video]

 

it would have been 1 of my old sqn (658) 8flt had a scout on standby all the time ....... errr, up that way I used to fly up sometimes on change over and have lunch

 

Can't remember but I'll take your word. I just remember how odd it was to be flown by an NCO because all RAF pilots are officers

 

we had an ex loadie who transferred and became a sgt pilot with us, a few years later he was commissioned. I met an raf master pilot ( warrant officer ) at boscombe. we had a few crab rotary pilots attached to us ( strange breed lol) and we had a few seconded to the raf ( officers only) on pumas and chinooks

 

I was at Boscombe 1985-88 as part of 31 Joint Service Trials Unit, testing the new sea skimming missile Sea Eagle. One of my THREE Salisbury Plain postings!

When were you there?

 

7 regt at netheravon 80/82 but we were always in and out of boscombe

 

My memory may be playing tricks with me but I have a vague recollection that my pilot was actually a Lance Corporal. Would that have been possible?

Whoever he was, he was excellent and certainly gave me my moneysworth (not that it cost anything, obviously!). He took great delight in weaving his way through the valleys at as low an altitude as he could get away with. Like I said above, probably my favourite bit of flying throughout my whole military service.

Mind you, taking a trip on one of the Royal Flight aircraft has to be right up there as well. Staverton Airport, Gloucester up to Leeming and back. What a day that was Oh, and the Nimrod was special as well.....

 

staverton, on the race course at Cheltenham ?. when we used to do n.i. training for the troops we used to get Wessex or puma attached for insertion training ( oo-eerr matron) and I used toget many a left hand seat "cabbie" as a groundcrewman, but the raf a/crew just couldn't understand how we, as g/c refuellers could map read and "wobbly fly". I dis a tour in kesh as aircrew though but that was due to sickness

 

If my ailing memory serves I was on MAC 32 (or 35?) back in 71 and FAC 40 in 73
Two names from MAC 32, Dave Matthews and Jo Wenegeme (sp?)
Went all over the place with shiny 12 squadron (Stavanger, States, Far East, Sardinia) Dropped into Masirah on the way out to Gan. Singapore was my favourite place, all very squeaky clean these days mind.
Cosford 71 would have been from April 19th for what? 3 months I guess.
Had some interesting times on 51 squadron too with the SIGINT Nimrods. Especially one trip over the Baltic and getting an extra special escort by a couple of Mig 25s. Definitely a brown trouser day that one.

 

Staverton airport, aka Gloucestershire Airport, is midway between Gloucester and Cheltenham and just down the road from what used to be RAF Innsworth but is now some barracks or other. I spent many years at Innsworth and the trip I am referring to was a jolly, courtesy of COS Ops, a real gentleman of an Air Vice-Marshal whose name I cannot remember. He decided he would like to go up to North Yorkshire to check on our lads who were out on the moors helping out with the foot and mouth crisis. Himself plus one other senior officer took up two of the seats on one of 32 (The Royal) Sqn's BAe 146 aircraft leaving a few spare seats for some of the staff to go just for the ride. I'm sure I will never again in my lifetime get the chance to fly in such luxury!

We landed at Leeming late morning. The two in combat kit went off in a landrover while the rest of us were whisked off to Bedale for a nice lunch and then back to the camp for a tour of some of the facilities there. Back on the kite late afternoon and home in time for tea.

What fun!!

 

I wish I could have got out to Singapore or Hong Kong. My problem was that I could never commit to long service early enough so I missed out on so much. I joined up for 5, then extended to 9, then 12, then 22 and ended up doing 24! The only long overseas tour I managed to get in was almost at the end when I was part of HQ RAF Germany as we were dismantling nearly all the Stations there. Great posting, but sad as well to see it coming to an end.

PS Is that a Broadway uniform you have on in your picture?

 

Yep BBTGS uniform. 64 to 69. Were you there at that time? Hook (the headmaster) had his son in my year. Though a substantial distance apart academically, I was in 5G at the death with Dave Buttle (Bub) Les Upson, Pete Dolan and any number of other n'er do wells.

 

Before we bore anyone with our Broadway/RAF reminiscences I've PM'd you.