JP5 for Classic Flight

[Motormouse]

It is indeed. A good article too, including a paragraph or two with Tom himself...

Fame at last

Tom

Whatever next? Telly?

Big Brother? (the 'Hangar' edition)

ttfn

Pete

[Nigel H-J]

A good article too, including a paragraph or two with Tom himself...

Ummm Charlie...........Turned out to be only a few lines that did not quite make one paragraph!!

Think Tom must have been lost for words with the thought of fame!!

[Hot_Charlie]

A good article too, including a paragraph or two with Tom himself...

Ummm Charlie...........Turned out to be only a few lines that did not quite make one paragraph!!

Think Tom must have been lost for words with the thought of fame!!

Well, close enough...

[petermcleland]

I did a couple of flights in one in July 1969...It was XM455...I was a first officer on Vanguards at the time and was at an ATC camp somewhere. A Sqn.Ldr. (an old friend from my RAF days) allowed me to fly the whole of the first trip, with him just chatting and doing the checks. Then with his permission I scrounged a second ride the next day with one of his chaps doing Formation Aerobatics...I loved it and after about half an hour he said.."Mac, you used to do some of this didn't you? Would you like to have a go?"........."I have control!" I said :dance:

There followed another half hour of great nostalgia and it was just like riding a bike (If you can do it, then you can always do it!)...We did one or two formation changes and I still kept control, even when I was looking past him across the cockpit. At one stage he even waggled both his hands at the leader, to show that he wasn't flying it.

I really enjoyed the flight...my previous Formation Aeroes flight had been eight years earlier, on June 3rd 1961, when I flew Formation Aerobatics and Solo Aerobatics at Eastleigh Open Day, Nairobi..."Echo" must have been u/s as I see I was using "Oscar" XE647 :think:

[Nigel H-J]

You lucky man Peter, bet that kept you happy for the week!!

[Twigman]

I was using "Oscar" XE647 :think:

IRL XE647 was "Hotel" a FGA9 Hunter of 208 squadron which my father crashed and ejected from on 30th June1964.


http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/proj ... s/1964.htm

[Nigel H-J]

Hi Twigman and welcome to the Forum, pleased to read that your father ejected safely.

Should you have any questions about anything aviation or otherwise then just ask, in the meantime enjoy your stay, you will find many friendly and interesting members residing here or lurking somewhere in the background.

Regards Nigel.

[Twigman]

Hi Twigman and welcome to the Forum, pleased to read that your father ejected safely.

Thanks - the ejection wasn't without its problems. My Dad has suffered back problems ever since ( he broke it during the ejection ) and now has at least 3 vertebrae welded together.
I just chanced upon this post because i am trying to find an account of the accident in which another aircraft (XK139 'J') was also involved (pilot did not survive).

[Nigel H-J]

Sorry to hear that Twigman, don't know much about ejector seats but once if I remember correctly it was thought that by using the seat pan handle instead of the face blind on earlier aircraft it meant that when pulled, the pilots' back was not straight as it would be if using the face blind handle and used to be a cause of back problems on ejection though not to say it is true as the back does suffer compression due to the amount of force experienced when ejecting.

because of your father suffering this injury did he ever fly another aircraft again?

Regards Nigel

[Twigman]

because of your father suffering this injury did he ever fly another aircraft again?

Regards Nigel

Oh yes many.
He was back in a Hunter within months, on Hunters again with 45 Sqn out of Wittering in the mid 70s and he was CO 20Sqn on Jaguars at Bruggen in the late 70s.


Lucky bugger