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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0381.PDF
' - - FLIGHT International, 14 March 1963 362-363 navigation, though finding the way to a target and delivering a weapon is a matter for joint skill. Visibility from the observers cockpit has already been emphasized; he is able to give warning of obstacles ahead to the pilot, who also gets electronic warning of them. Both cockpits have a TACAN display, on which course and distance to a destination can be shown as offsets to a course to a TACAN beacon (for homing to Lossiemouth, 809 pilots use the beacon at RAF Kinloss). The observer has in front of him a radar screen and associated control panel, for feeding-in windspeed and direction, range and bearing, etc; in front of him to the right is the Doppler radar; and on the right-hand cockpit shelf the HF radio, IFF and cockpit lighting. In addition he has an oxygen control panel, outside air temperature gauge and cabin altitude (normally 10,000ft) indicator. The observer's cockpit has no flying controls, so he cannot influence the flying of the aircraft in any way manually. By putting his seat up to maximum height and looking forward over the pilot's right shoulder, the observer can see a few of the engine control and flying instruments. Most of the instruments in the back cockpit were dumb during the low-level sortie described earlier. Exceptions were those registering automatically, like the air temperature gauges, and those giving simultaneous readings in front and back cockpits, like altitude and airspeed and TACAN. The only way, short of having an observer sitting on your knees, of seeing everything that ticks during a Buccaneer sortie would be to see it on the flight simulator; but the Buccaneer simulator for Lossiemouth—built by Miles Electronics at Shoreham-by-Sea and recently completed —is due to be installed at the station in the latter part of this year. It will form part of the training facilities there, with 809 as head quarters squadron. Another operational squadron, whose number has not yet been officially stated, is scheduled to commission later this year. magm "Ahead were some snowy humps of hills . . ." With its emphasis on low-level operations below radar cover, so strikingly demonstrated to Flight International at Lossie mouth, the Buccaneer is in the van of contemporary tactical thought and the Royal Navy have already built up a great deal of practical experience in this direction with the work done by 700Z Flight (whose activities were described in this journal for February 1 last year). The Royal Air Force have for some years past had a low-level strike capability, using a LABS manoeuvre for delivery of a weapon, in their Canberra B (I).8 squadrons in Germany; and the role will be re-asserted when the TSR.2 comes into operational service. For the Royal Navy, introduction of Buccaneer S.2s, with greater power and range, will mean even more emphasis on this type of attack. As a visitor to Lossiemouth put it, hedge-hopping is now an operational virtue. . forging over this landscape like a pointer through the contours of a rocky relief map' ^^^
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