Aircraft types worked on

When I was in I worked on Wessex 5's and Wasps, as soon as I left I doubled my aircraft types in the first week by adding Bulldogs and Chipmunks. In the next 6 years in Industry I added the following
Hunters (various marks)
Dakota
Hawk
HS125
HS748/Andovers
BAC1-11
Optica
Trago Mills Trainer (I kid you not)
Spitfire Mk19(PR)
SD3-60

Thats all I can think of at present, has any one else worked on these types?
It must be my age but I forgot one

 

Blimey.

I am still serving, but apart from the Wessex V training a/c at Daedalus I have only worked on Sea King HC4's. Then again, come September I should be able to add Sea King Mk6CR to that.

 

JunglyDaz,

You comment on an interesting point here. A million years ago, Air Mechanics (as they were then - 1950's) seemed more interchangeable to aircraft type. I was a NAM(E) who had to convert to AE) and was fully draftable to any aircraft type. Aircraft were far less sophisticated and I became QM & QS on Sea Venoms, Sea Vampires, Sea Vixens (Mk 1 & 2) as well as Sea Prince, Meteor, Sea Hawk and Whirlwind (Mk 3 and Mk7) and, finally, Phantoms. I served in both fixed and rotary wing squadrons until, as Chief Air Fitter, I opted to go SD and never worked on an aircraft again! Now, of course, the complexity of a very few aircraft types (and Drafty's supposed desire to meet drafting preferences) would indicate that type drafting is inevitable and, probably, desirable; it should, in effect, mean that there are expert maintainers in aircraft types who can be assured of some domestic stability in consistent drafting to the parent air station - or am I being over-optimistic? Incidentlally, I too am still serving but as a Civil Servant and, sadly, reaching my 'shelf life' soon!

fido

 

As I alluded to in my original post I was QM/QS on Wessex V and Wasp. Apart from doing a 3 week CAA course for the BAC 1-11, all the other types I worked on I did no courses for. Again incidentally I am also serving as an un Civil Servant having done Boscombe Down, Yeovilton (Lynx IPT) now working for the army at Blandford.

 

Fido

Touch wood this 846 draft will be my last (my first shout for 2OE is this year) as it ends 8 months before I go outside. That will make me Junglie throughout my career, apart from a stint in SK AMG (on Mk4's!) and my current job in the JHC Cell, Sea King IPT (responsible for, you guessed it, Mk4's!).

I was born in Yeovil too, so much for join the RN and see the World (although I have done in a detachment sense!). My old man was a Matelot too.

 

Just found this site nice to see.

First one for me was at Culdrose NASU, a wasp I think XV496, then wessex 3's and 5's long time ago now, got to Culdrose Jan '69

Went onto Sea Kings did the sea king makers course at westlands Mk1's back in those days.

Stayed with sea kings for many years doing two stints with 824 on the Ark Royal IV. 71-74 then 75-76
Final 2 years at Daedalus on the Hovercraft Trials Unit

 

Good luck in 846 JunglyDaz - I joined that squadron in 1962 at Culdrose (Whirlwind Mk 7) and we sailed in Albion for a Far East commission but unexpectedly found ourselves in Borneo for two years - happy days! If your dad was also in that squadron, I probably have some phots that he figures in.

Yours aye,

fido

 

Hi junglydaz. I worked on SK Mk 4's on 846 Sqdn back in 80 when we only had 4 airframes, call sign's VC, VH, VM, VT. VC which I think was ZA290 was the one that "got lost" and crash landed in Chile while down in the Falklands in 82. It seems such a long time ago now.
Pat

 

Daz, we no doubt shared a wet or two on 707/846 back in the mid eighties. As an AEM(R) I trained on Wessex 3's at Daedalus before going Junglie as my first draft.

As a circuit it can't be beat and i was sorry to leave it back in '88. Having crossed over to AC I've also done Lx flights (829/815). How I bored them with dits of Norway and Milex as we stood in the nice cosey hangar on the back end of a frigate with clicky beds and a tea ern sheltering from the elements.

After the shock of being ships company on a CVS, it was good to get back involved with the Junglies on the LPH. They are a breed apart as far as even WAFU's are concerned in my book. Long may it continue.

 

Is Lorraine Dalziel still in ? Last i heard she was WO AEM(R), Doing something at Drake.

Had a line PO Joe Thompson who was a PO (O) IN THE 80s

 

Hi Jungly Daz, like you I have a list as long as my hair (not very). Does Whirlwind and Wx3 count at Daedalus in training?

I spent most of my time -1980 to 1990 - on 846. Once on the circuit I didn't want to get off. Had a marvellous time avoiding pinger drafts (that meant loads of fragile mainly U/S systems and sea drafts). Give me a hole in Salisbury plain or Germany any day.

Norway Tretten were the greatest dets ever. For a pinkie it was 3 months of skiing every year. B/F first thing, off skiing all day then get back late to do an A/F. The J/Rs bar was brilliant for Bacardi Frenzies (10p a double). (I remember the sqdn doc was stomach pumping a local lass at one end of the bar and serving the lads at the other)

But...back to the thread...I started on Wessex V 707, went to 702 Lynx for some unknown reason as I was already warned out for 846. Wessex and then Sea King IVs (Inc Falklands) with a stint in between 846 drafts on Ground Radio and Canberra T17s with 360 sqdn at Wyton.

Does Box of Trix still do Norway?

I left the mob and got a job on Tornado with a well known large company

KP

(Helicopter Pat you are correct VC 'got lost'. VS duffed it's tail and was rebuilt on the shore of San Carlos in 82. I was on VM Eagle Base with Paddy Passmore)

 

Funny thing with VC, how all the instruments, sound proofing etc was "robbed" before it launched. It was if someone knew it wasn't coming back -

 

"Had a line PO Joe Thompson who was a PO (O) IN THE 80s." He must have been one of the very last of that breed.

 

Like the others worked on wessex at daedalus as training then went onto

seaking mk4's 707 and AMG
lynx mk3 and 5 702
CVS AED draft x2
Sea Harrier FRS1 and AMG
Sea Harrier FA2 899 and to the end on 800 also done a month on 801 does that count?
GR7 and GR7A, GR9 Currently

started life as an AEM(R) then through the years and now Joint force harrier I am now an Avionics technician and Armourer now doing all 3 trades!!

 

[align=justify]I worked on types from Hiller mk1's, Whirlwind 7's & 9's, Seakings 1 to 6's (did the maker's course and was on the IFTU, 700S). Last squadron was 824, doing Stingray torpedo trials at AUTEC in the Bahamas for 2 years! (wasn't life hard!) Anybody remember the Otter crash on airday at Culdrose in the '70s? :roll: [/align]

 

Hi,
like many of the others i started on wessex and wasp at lee-on-solent.
Moved onto seaking 5 and 6's on Seahawk AMG,810,706,820 and 810 OFT.
Moved to the fixed wing cicuit FA2 on 800 and now GR7,7a and 9 on the recommissioned 800

 

I guess I must be an oldie, I worked on Avengers, Seahawks,Sea Venoms and Sea Vixens and later as a photographer on Buccaneers, Phantoms, Wessex and Seakings.

Cheers

Mick

 

REM(A),703 Sqdn Wasps 72/73,771( diving school) aircrew training,73/74 Harbour Rescue driving a yellow Rotork sea truck round Portland Harbour, useful for weekend jollies to Weymouth and Lulworth.74/77 RN Unit Honington and 809 Sqdn Buccs ARK. 77 Red Dragon HRH Prince of Wales Bucc trip on the ARK, ground crew. PVR'd 78. Now Senior Tech Rep at RAF Leeming on the Tornado F3.Wouldn't change a thing!!!!!

 

Janboy68, That otter was a beaver,The owner Army Air Corps, the pilot was killed. The otter was a bi-plane single pusher engine float plane used by the FAA for air sea rescue I think most had disappeared by the early fifties. LOL

 

Seafire, Folland Gnat, Wessex, Sea-King...... and ME110, Spitfire and Hurricane too - all the Airfix variant