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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 1389.PDF
FLIC UT, 19 August 1960 263 Checking the position of the lifesaving equipment; and at right, "crew access to the Rfi-66 is by a hatch behind the nosewheel . . . PHOTO-RECONNAISSANCE SORTIE... took a final fuel reading, checked the compass alignment (122°),then opened up: smoothly, with speed about 148kt, we became airborne at exactly 2120; I watched the flaps come in and as weturned to port glimpsed Wyton down below before we entered cloud. At 9,500ft we were in the clear again, and as we con-tinued climbing in smooth air the strato-cumulus layer stretched below us like a white Antarctic plain. Thomas said to me overthe intercom: "I've been doing this for 11 years but it always gives me the same thrill"—a remark I iiked. No true airman everloses the exhilaration of-becoming free from the earth and par- taking of the majesty of the sky. Bob Yirka remarked moreprosaically, "Everything I've got's working good": navigators these days have to spend nearly all their airborne time peeringinto black boxes. We levelled off at 26,500ft and after nineteen minutes were only15 miles from Leeds; over it we altered course to 314° and called Preston Control via Watnall—"Make 12. 2650 flight level. VMCon top." Cloud was more broken now and through it I could see bits of north Lancashire far below. Yirka said, "I've got Dean'sCross on the scope," and in reply to Thomas's question, "How is the radar, good?" replied, "Yeh, real good." I checked myoxygen blinker, staying on 100 per cent supply. From Dean's Cross we flew a seven-minute leg to the Mull ofGalloway then turned for our descent to the target area, estimating Jurby at 2154. The controller on the range replied to Thomas'smessage giving our ETA. "Roger, Make 12, you're clear to descend. We have cloud coverbut we have 22 miles' visibility below cloud. Request you give me a call over Galloway." At about 9,000ft we met cloud again,continuing our descent to 6,000ft and turning port on to 034°, still in cloud. Yirka called, "About 15 miles from turn-in now,"then a few moments later, "OK, let's turn to 218°." We were now 20 miles out from the target, descending to 3,000ft; Yirkasaid, "Cartridge doors are open; bombs away in 6 sec." All was set for the run-in, the flashlight of the cartridges, the photo-graphs of the target—the purpose of our mission. Then came the ami-climax, with the controller saying coolly, "12, we didn'tobserve anything over the target except yourself passing over- head"; and Thomas's reply, "Roger, will re-check my system, seewhat s wrong." We made a wide circle to port and came round for a second run-m on the target. Thomas called, "Could you try the other °nS l 12?" A l f ° Yik target Couln j ) « ' rl?e 12s? s we rolled out on a course of 215°, Yirkasaid, '15 miles now," then, "One minute from release point." aut again the cartridges refused to release. Thomas checked his"R I 3? forwar,d' 7^ aft> 23 left wing, 24 right wing; then said, a°"< you don't think we can get a cartridge out if we stay "ere- I don't think so, Tommy." "You sure you got yourdoors open?" "I checked everything." "OK," said Thomas, let s go home. Going back to normal pressurization."As we turned onto a homeward course of 147°, Thomas announced two further snags: his flight indicator (artificialnonzon) was acting up, which would make a GCA in weather at mcGrtbury dbl dg p, would make a GCA in weater aury inadvisable; and pressurization was below normal, "e called Yirka about the use of a diversion airfield: "Have wego, enough fuel and oxygen to go to Chateauroux?" Then, on •^ona thoughts, "Have we an airfield in this pan of the worldv-e could use in an emergency?" * norms then called Watnall control to give our ETA at Burtonwood (2243) and at the Molesworth beacon ('52) and to askfor the Alconbury weather, and the reply came, "Make 12, Watnall. Alconbury 060 degrees, five knots; 2,800 overcast, sixnautical miles in haze." We were at 27,500ft and Thomas called Alconbury tower: "I'd like a penetration descent; estimatingMolesworth 56." Yirka called: "Just go right three degrees to hit the beacon,"and Thomas asked him, "Can you keep those lights down as much as possible?", Yirka dimming the lights in the crew com-partment. Then he said, "This'll take us just over the beacon; you can turn which way you like." Thomas made a final fuelcheck—"I'm turning fuel transfer pumps off; I've got over 500 in each wing; all instruments now OK"—then called the AlconburyGCA: "Make 12 leaving the beacon." GCA replied with the runway (12) and the cloudbase (1,400 scattered, 2,200 overcast)and acknowledged Thomas's call that he was making a penetra- tion turn onto 240°. The altimeter had been winding downrapidly and at 3,800ft we were in the clear; GCA called, "You're cleared for further descent now to 2,000ft; turn left onto 160degrees." "What is my range for the field?" asked Thomas. "11 miles." "Gear down." "Continue to 120." "Make 12, con-tinue now to 110. Make 12: Final controller; how do you read? Range 8i miles from touch-down. You need not acknowledgeany further communications. 113 the heading. Five and one half miles from touch-down. Now five miles. Turn right to 115.Three and three-quarter miles. Rate of descent is good. 15/20 below glide-path. 117. Twenty feet below the glide-path.Twenty feet. Thirty/thirty-five feet below. Fifteen feet below. One mile from touch-down. Approaching entry." I could see therunway lights and as the first ones flashed past Capt Thomas throttled back to a smooth touch-down at 2308, then thanked theGCA controller. He explained to me after we had taxied in and shut-down that normally the GCA aims to land-on an aircraft200ft down the runway; but in visual conditions a pilot could use his discretion to keep slightly below the glide-path and touch-down sooner. At de-briefing there was an inquest on the failure of ourcartridges to release—an unserviceability recorded in the aircraft record and deficiency book—and consequent negative results fromour mission. This was a disappointment to my hosts, as there were no tangible results to show from the sortie; but from mypoint of view the flight with Capts Thomas and Yirka had been full of interest, and a useful demonstration of crew trainingtechniques in the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. To what does all this training tend? In official terminology, therole of the 10th Wing is to "gather visual, photographic, weather and electronic reconnaissance information and present it inusable form to the air, ground and sea forces of the NATO alliances." If hostilities should occur, the Wing would comedirectly under NATO control; in present circumstances, it is con- trolled by USAFE (US Air Forces in Europe).The 10th Wing has its headquarters at RAF Alconbury and is commanded by Col James D. Kemp, with Col Robert G. Williamsas Director of Operations. There are two squadrons at Alcon- bury, the 30th (with which I flew) and the 1st, and these share dayand night PR duties with the 19th Sqn, which is based at Brunting- thorpe. The fourth squadron in the Wing, the 42nd, operatesfrom Chelveston and specializes in weather and electronic recon- naissance. Until late last year, the 10th Wing was based atSpangdahlem in Germany, where it operated as a self-contained unit.
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