Best value aircraft that's been in the RAF
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Greatest combat aircraft
Interesting discussion - damned if I know how anyone could pick it. Below is a link to the Australian Army Aviation Association's website where the author poses a similar question, and I gather is equally puzzled as what to pick. They do mention the Hunter and Lancaster among the greats though.
Fourays - The Australian Army Aviation Association Inc
Fourays - The Australian Army Aviation Association Inc
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When I saw the opening post on this thread from our esteemed ppruner 'Sangiovese', the opening line of which was "Sat in the pub last night with a mate", I just knew this would be a belter. Not disappointed.........
.....that this forum is frequented by the Old & Bold
The Lightning performance has been thrashed out before on Prune, mostly by people who have never flown it. I shall not bore you further.
LM
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Lightning/Gnat Exercises
Lightning Mate
In my 1970's Gnat era at Valley, I recall that some of our baby jets deployed oop north to mix it with the Lightning force. The motivation for this jolly was that the Pesky Rooskies were developing tiny fighters which would be launched from a 'mother ship' in order to repel the attentions of Lord Trenchard's finest.
Do you recall this? Perhaps, like Samuel Taylor Coleridge & his epic poem 'Kubla Khan', this was a hallucination visited upon me by a narcotic substance at that time (normally Guinness, the Black Bile of Beelzebub).
HB
In my 1970's Gnat era at Valley, I recall that some of our baby jets deployed oop north to mix it with the Lightning force. The motivation for this jolly was that the Pesky Rooskies were developing tiny fighters which would be launched from a 'mother ship' in order to repel the attentions of Lord Trenchard's finest.
Do you recall this? Perhaps, like Samuel Taylor Coleridge & his epic poem 'Kubla Khan', this was a hallucination visited upon me by a narcotic substance at that time (normally Guinness, the Black Bile of Beelzebub).
HB
Morning HB.
I don't recall that. Mind you, I was a WIWOL between 1968 and 1973.
G-nat was nice though wunnit!
Looking at your profile methinks you have all the right attributes......
I don't recall that. Mind you, I was a WIWOL between 1968 and 1973.
G-nat was nice though wunnit!
Looking at your profile methinks you have all the right attributes......
Guinness? Bah - brackish Pope's piss!
I only say that because as a UAS student I decided to try Guinness for the first time at the Annual Dinner. After first having several G&Ts, lots of wine, a hip flask of Glenfiddich and a couple of pints of Worthington E.... Then came the Guinness - albeit briefly. From the ULAS bar to Trap 2 took a nervous 30 seconds, the Guinness lasted 31
!
The G-nat frolics were undoubtedly part of a 'Keltex' during a JMC ore somesuch, where the little Folland Pocket Rockets would lurk under a Canberra, before being 'launched' at one of HM's floating grey tin boxes (or perhaps not so little back then when we still had real carriers?). In a flurry of flags, Aldis lamps, whistles and lots of "D'ya hear there"s, the jolly jack tars would then attempt to engage the Gnats with some variety of ancient rocket or gun. By all accounts it was fine sport and a good excuse to wazz the Navy at lots of knots and not many feet. Unfortunately the Gnat wasn't overly blessed with fuel, so likely as not it was probably one run and then scoot for home.
On of my QFIs was an ex-'Vixen driver and had fun flying an approach on one carrier - and no, they didn't think he wanted to land, unlike the fabled Shacklebomber.
I only say that because as a UAS student I decided to try Guinness for the first time at the Annual Dinner. After first having several G&Ts, lots of wine, a hip flask of Glenfiddich and a couple of pints of Worthington E.... Then came the Guinness - albeit briefly. From the ULAS bar to Trap 2 took a nervous 30 seconds, the Guinness lasted 31
!The G-nat frolics were undoubtedly part of a 'Keltex' during a JMC ore somesuch, where the little Folland Pocket Rockets would lurk under a Canberra, before being 'launched' at one of HM's floating grey tin boxes (or perhaps not so little back then when we still had real carriers?). In a flurry of flags, Aldis lamps, whistles and lots of "D'ya hear there"s, the jolly jack tars would then attempt to engage the Gnats with some variety of ancient rocket or gun. By all accounts it was fine sport and a good excuse to wazz the Navy at lots of knots and not many feet. Unfortunately the Gnat wasn't overly blessed with fuel, so likely as not it was probably one run and then scoot for home.
On of my QFIs was an ex-'Vixen driver and had fun flying an approach on one carrier - and no, they didn't think he wanted to land, unlike the fabled Shacklebomber.
HB, there was a similar proposal here, involving Gnats & a Vulcan "mother ship"; the Gants were supposed to be a strike a/c with N weapons 
- Derek Wood's book, "Project Cancelled" refers.
- Derek Wood's book, "Project Cancelled" refers.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Andy, I don't have my book to hand but I thought the idea was the Gnat would form a fighter escort with the pilots planning on a Folland let down. Rather unBritish we thought but fair game for Les Frog with their planned one-way missions.
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Beags
On the rather distasteful subject of projectile vomiting, I was much impressed with the Throwing Up Sink in the Gutersloh Officer's Mess (former tenant: Hr H Goering). This most large, sturdy & Germanic of installations boasted an unobstructed outlet of such calibre that a rabbit could be dispatched via its' orifice. Each side of the sink, a vertical rail afforded the unfortunate imbiber a secure grip in order to reduce the rpm of his immediate environment, thereby facilitating accurate jettison of the toxins which were the cause of his malaise. Then, no doubt, back to the Bar!
Vorsprung durch Technic, as the Bavarians say
On the rather distasteful subject of projectile vomiting, I was much impressed with the Throwing Up Sink in the Gutersloh Officer's Mess (former tenant: Hr H Goering). This most large, sturdy & Germanic of installations boasted an unobstructed outlet of such calibre that a rabbit could be dispatched via its' orifice. Each side of the sink, a vertical rail afforded the unfortunate imbiber a secure grip in order to reduce the rpm of his immediate environment, thereby facilitating accurate jettison of the toxins which were the cause of his malaise. Then, no doubt, back to the Bar!
Vorsprung durch Technic, as the Bavarians say
Popularly known in Lightning days as the "honkatorium". I well remember one WIWOL's dental plate becoming a projectile (after he had drunk the "Op Pot"), which vanished down the aforementioned orifice, and the subsequent attempts to salvage said object from the accrued detrius.
Ah, happy days....!
Ah, happy days....!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
That would have been real Strangeglove stuff riding the bomb in to the target.
In my 1970's Gnat era at Valley, I recall that some of our baby jets deployed oop north to mix it with the Lightning force. The motivation for this jolly was that the Pesky Rooskies were developing tiny fighters which would be launched from a 'mother ship' in order to repel the attentions of Lord Trenchard's finest.
