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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1005.PDF
FLIGHT International, 28 June 1962 1003 A NOT-TOO-SERIOUS APPRAISAL FROM LOSSIEMOUTH By Cdr A. J. Leahy, MBE, DSC, RN IFTU Blackburn Buccaneer getting airborne from HMS "Hermes" during recent sea trials FLYING THE BUCCANEER SOME woods coming up to port." "Half a mile away now." "That's right, and the road swings away over the railway." "Got it. "All switches made?" "All made. Should be rising ground to starboard and then the reservoir." "Reservoir coming up . .. accepting now . . . OK, ten miles to go, range running down nicely ... a touch to starboard ... coming up to pull out, caging, pulling now .. . looks good ... tracking nicely ... bombs away ... over she goes, lots of knots ... rolling out. OK, I reckon we made it." And so the crucial part of another Hi Lo Strike is over and the crew go streaking back over the rugged snow-covered Scottish countryside to Lossiemouth, a cup of coffee and a thorough de briefing of the sortie. This is the type of work which the Buccaneer Intensive Flying Trials Unit is doing at Royal Naval Air Station Lossiemouth, in the far north of Scotland. Every aircraft entering Naval service goes through a period in an IFTU; and the more complex the air craft and its role, the more varied and lengthy is the task of the unit. This task, to put it briefly, requires the unit to assess the operational role of the aircraft and formulate operating procedures for future squadrons. In command of the unit's 24 officers and 120 men is Cdr A. J. Leahy, MBE, DSC, RN, "Twenty-four officers!" you say. Yes, but not all are aircrew. There are four technical officers, a stores officer, a work-study team and a statistician (the last-named being a skilled football pool operator!). Of the pilots only Lt Cdr Anson had flown the Buccaneer before the unit formed, so the remainder of the aircrew awaited their first flight with some trepidation. Jokes like "have you had your first fright yet?" soon began to pall and within a short time everyone experienced that exhilarating feeling of having done a first familiarization sortie in a new aircraft. First impressions of the cockpit of an aircraft on which one is about to familiarize are usually rather garbled, because it differs (and who likes changes?) from the aircraft one is currently flying. In the Buccaneer, when the moment of truth arrives and the mind tends to select neutral, things are activated by the observer, who commences to read to pre-start checks. Most things come to hand easily and all switches, dials and levers are conveniently placed in a tasteful light grey decor. The engines are soon started, post-start checks carried out and the aircraft is all ready to taxi. On releasing the parking brake one's first impression is that it has not released—the aircraft sits firmly anchored to the spot. It is difficult to remember that this latest addition to the Fleet Air Arm is a large machine which requires quite a push of power to get it moving. Once under way it trundles along happily at idling revs with the tail wagging sedately as the pilot accustoms himself to the nose- wheel steering. The take-off checks are carried out and the aircraft is lined up on the runway. There is rather more to do in the Buccaneer at this point than checking fuel and noise, especially on a "first fam." With a feeling of consternation one realizes that the aircraft has failed miserably to go unserviceable and that there is nothing left to do but get airborne. The take-off run of a Buccaneer can never be confused with the "runaway train" feeling that most people get on their first Scimitar sortie, but it is adequately exciting and events are frequent enough to avoid a feeling of boredom. Nosewheel steering is used for the initial run, the wheel being raised at about lOOkt. One is very soon airborne, the undercarriage retracts with startling alacrity and the aircraft accelerates away with every appearance of being pleased to be in the air. A climb to height follows, and handling at various speeds is quite pleasant. When pulling g the aircraft gives lots of warning that it is unhappy—by means of a gentle buffet which even the most hamfisted should recognize before running into trouble. With the large clamshell airbrakes open in a fast descent it feels as if a giant hand is holding the aircraft, but with the brakes closed the tape ASI/Machmeter pointer soon slides quickly up the scale. At low-level high speed the Buccaneer is at its best. Because of the lateral offset of the tandem seats the crew have a splendid forward view. The machine simply slips through the air and in turbulent conditions the difference between it and other contemporary high speed aircraft is the difference between driving down a cobbled street in a Citroen ID with its independent pneumatic suspension and driving down the same street in a Model T Ford. Having at this stage in the flight come to an agreement with the aircraft whereby it almost does what the pilot means it to do, the next step is low-speed handling in the landing configuration. This is where the Buccaneer really differs from any other Naval aircraft: sufficient to say that if the flap, aileron droop, tailplane flap, blow, low and high, port and starboard, all work correctly there is no problem. With these lift devices the Buccaneer, weight for weight, manages to land some lOkt more slowly than do other current Naval aircraft. An airstream direction detector, with both an audio and a visual indicator, enables the correct angle of attack to be flown on the approach. When the aircraft is firmly on the ground the throttles are cut and the nose checked to give aerodynamic braking. On a first flight the Buccaneer is then liable to rear skywards to an alarming degree, behaving as if it were a Grand National runner at Becher's Brook. This pitch-up is due to the blow coming off, so that the check back on the stick is not needed to produce a reason able attitude for aerodynamic braking. The brakes are powerful, if a little touchy, and it is recommended that size 10s be kept well away from the pedals on touchdown or a burst tyre will ensue. One taxies back to dispersal with a comfortable glow of achievement and a certain feeling of relief. Soon the regulation familiarization flights will be completed and the real work of the unit can begin. Many hundreds of hours have already been flown by the IFTU in their task of operational assessment. Day and night the Buccan eers are airborne, while the technical officers and ratings work round the clock to keep them serviceable. In dispersal a Jolly Roger flies for the most part proudly—only rarely is it dejectedly at half-mast, indicating that all aircraft are unserviceable. The Buccaneer is liked by the maintenance team. Everything comes pretty easily to hand, and for the most part thoughtful design is apparent. Those with experience of other aircraft are delighted not to have to remove the engine in order to gain access to some minor part every time the bell strikes. Aircrew are particularly delighted by the low-level high sand handling and are enthralled by the many complex and exciSfg items which go together to make up a sophisticated navigation and attack system. A large number of successful day and night attack missions have already been completed; but a lot more work remains to be done before the IFTU disbands and hands over its experience to the first Buccaneer front-line squadron.
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