Late model Avro Anson

[Garry Russell]

Blimey Gary...Foolscap.nmot heard that for a while

Which reminds me.I must get some more photographic paper..........I'm low on wholeplate and right out of halfplate.

[DaveB]

Yes.. well if I'd have put foolscap, many wouldn't have known what the hell I was talking about. At least they get a rough idea of what I'm on about when I say A4

ATB

DaveB

[petermcleland]

Here is the logbook page for my first Hunter flights.


A "crop" of the relevant flights.

As Dave pointed out, there were no two seat Hunters in service at the time

[DaveB]

Isn't that just typical of Peter. First flight 'Familiarization'.. second flight 'Aerobatics' I'll bet the log entries for the Anson aren't quite as 'wild'

ATB

DaveB

[Garry Russell]

Blimey Pete

Early 1957..a handful of us were in final assembly then

[AndyG]

Isn't that just typical of Peter. First flight 'Familiarization'.. second flight 'Aerobatics' I'll bet the log entries for the Anson aren't quite as 'wild'

ATB

DaveB

Not just aerobatics, but a "mach run" as well!!

[petermcleland]

Not just aerobatics, but a "mach run" as well!!

Well aerobatics on your early flights on a type are encouraged...It is a quick way to gain confidence in the aeroplane. The Mach runs were briefed so I was doing what I was told to do and the Mach runs were both supersonic. The first one was M1.02 and was my first ever supersonic flight. One the third of those three flights I pulled it down really steep and got M1.12...Wow! That felt really exciting...However, not as exciting as a Venom Mach run which would be vertical and going right out of control at M0.86 and then terminal velocity at M0.91 and then having to wait for the rapidly lowering altitude to reduce the Mach number back to below M0.86 before you could regain control to pull out of the dive. Now that really got your pulse racing...The Hunter was pretty tame after that because you had full control throughout the run

[petermcleland]

Blimey Pete

Early 1957..a handful of us were in final assembly then

I was still only 23 years old then and had 4 years on 266 Squadron in Germany behind me...Those flights on that page were made at 229 OCU, RAF Pembrey where I was the Wing Weapons Officer. I managed to fly with both the Vampire and the Hunter Flights and then Duncan Sandys made his ridiculous pronouncement about the "Lightning being the last ever manned fighter" and issued the 1957 White Paper

[Fodda]

Did you ever get flight in a Lightning Peter?

Have we taken this off topic enough yet?

[Garry Russell]

Have we taken this off topic enough yet?

Perhaps not quite yet Gary...but we're working on it