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[ballastanksian]

She was not quite the dreadnaught of her day (1511) but she was one of the first purpose built warships as Henry VIII did not like chartering his ships out for merchanting unlike his father who was up for any money making scheme. Alum anyone? Sadly, her rebuilds would have removed any trace of her earlier configuration and where her main guns were sited, so we can only guess wether the heavier guns were mounted to fire broadside or forawrd and aft from the castles causing stability problems.

I long ago stopped building models as static display and concentrate on wargames models, but now I hope to add detailing and scratchbuilding ships to my interests.

[raflaunches]

I'll look forward to seeing your fleet of Tudors.


I've just bought a kit of a real v-force device other than the Vulcan, Valiant, and Victor. Something that is part of my local history, there are a few pictures of them stuck in small tight winding village roads...


The code word was Project Emily...


The weapon was the IRBM Thor nuclear ballistic missile, there were 60 of them based in the UK in the slate 1950s to 1964, and were all put on red alert (2mins to launch) in 1963 during the Cuban Crisis.


The kit is from Canada and in 1/72 scale and available from BelcherBits.com

[raflaunches]

The English Electric Canberra PW12 All Weather Fighter.
Converted from the Canberra B(I)8 indictor strike variant in 1957 as a stop-gap until the Lightning interceptor was ready in 1959. Converted from 16 Sqn aircraft in service they had a new nose fitted containing the new airborne interceptor radar and on the modified wing tips two Red Dean missiles. Underneath a double scorpion rocket motor was fitted for rapid take off ability.
This, of course, never happened, one aircraft was converted to test the missile and radar set but never entered service.
The model is converted from the Airfix 1/72 scale Canberra B(I)8 using Frieghtdog conversion set comprising of the new nose, two Red Dean missiles and the double scorpion rocket motor. Not yet finished, just the undercarriage doors and a few minor details to be added.

[ballastanksian]

I know the designer and expect the Freight dog set was pretty good! Looks splendid Nick.

[raflaunches]

Hi Ian


Thanks, she's my best model aircraft to date. The conversion was extremely good quality and well fitting with minimal cutting using the existing panel lines. Well done to Colin and his team at Freightdog models.

[roycv]

Hi RAFlaunches, came across this thread by chance.  I used to be an air radar  J/T on 59 squadron in Germany with the B (I) 8 Canberras.  We had very old radar in them.  My first job at Geilenkirchen was to take out and ship back the Orange Putter tail warning radar as the pilots were scraping the tarmac with their tails as they took off.  This radar was to spot on-coming misiles, I suspect by the time you saw one it was too late.

The bombing radar was Gee-H which had been in use in WW ll, some of it was still labeled "tropicalised in 1944"  This was pre-magnetron radar.  The precision timing of the gear was the biggest tuning fork you can imagine which ran at 25 Htz this was conveniently by the feet of the pilot as it frequently did not start oscillating so he had to kick it!  There was no black paint left on this black box!
We would also on a regular basis take out the bomb doors and mount the gun pack, this converted the Canberra into a respectable fighter.
When we had "4 minute" warnings of mock attacks from Soviets it was common practice to fly over our other airfields like Bruggen, Wildenrath and "show off".
On one occasion Bruggen fielded a Javelin fighter over us and put on a spectacular display of aerobatics.  I was watching with the rest of the squadron as it was quite something and I was near our Wing Commander and over heard him say to a pilot, "Could you do that"?

So a Canberra was prepared and it went up and did everything the Javelin did, it was quite incredible.  However the stresses involved cracked the wing main spar and it was returned to the UK as cat 5, and had to fly back at close to sea level and either be repaired or scrapped.

I was trained for the V bombers but only saw Canberras for which I have a soft spot even after all these years.

Like your models.
regards Roy

[raflaunches]

Hi Roy


Looks like you have a lot of fond memories of the old Cranberry. I volunteered to work with 39 Sqn when I left training but an unfortunate aircraft accident meant that I was no longer required. I saw the last Canberra display at Marham in 2006 and they weren't holding back! Plenty of stories from the ground crews about what the aircrews got up to, especially in their final year of service! I have very fond memories of six PR9s lining up on the pan at Marham in their hemp colours with the lonely T3 painted in PR blue pretending to be the PR3 prototype.
Thanks for looking, I'm making some more what ifs soon when the new batch turn up from S and M Models.

[roycv]

High Nick, I went to RAF Marham when I was at school for a week as a cadet in the CCF and they had Washingtons there better known as B 29's.
I was due to have a long night flight in one but the weather conditions were bad so it was cancelled, so never flew in one.  Although I did spend a lot of time in them as we were shown round and treated very well.
This was before the N. American radar surveilance was installed and the patrols of I think 10 hours or so were flown every night around the U.K.. (1953?)

We had to wear a May West and mine was slowly inflating under my great coat it took two RAF guys to undo the buttons while I was slowly suffocating inside!
I also remember lots of blisters on my feet from ill fitting boots!
regards Roy

[raflaunches]

Sounds like not much has changed!


I found out that the hangar I used to work in was the one mentioned in the Vulcan 607 book by Roland White where they discovered the vital component to allow refuelling of the Vulcan from a Victor- it was being used as an ash tray!
I remember clearing out the structures bay and finding every single conceivable component from every other aircraft other than a Tornado! We found a Canberra elevator hidden behind some lockers!

[geids]

In 1970 I was in basic training at 3 Training Regiment RE. Our training party was given the task of building a Bailey Bridge across the main road, to allow visitors to access the airshow without having to avoid traffic when crossing the main road from the car park. The main thing that sticks in my mind is watching the Lightning's take off and disappear at a huge rate of knots. ps: if anyone watched the Sci Fi program Battlestar Galactica (the original series) the fighters they were supposed to be flying were cut up Lightning's. 

[roycv]

High Nick it is a crazy world in the RAF.  I remember we had an AOC's inspection and we had one engine too many.  This was strapped up inside a Canberra and buried at sea.  Well I was told this so may not have happened!  Ah hem.

We really did have one of those hanger clothes and hangars aircraft incidents in Germany. A cistern I think for a toilet was ordered and an enormous water tank arrived on a low loader with Police escort.  It was still there when I left.

Radio Servicing Flight (RSF) was 2nd. line servicing and we had Meteor NF 11's and 14's on 3 squadron and they had AI 10 in the nose cone. When it was dark you could start up the rotating radar scanner in the repair bay and it would light up every fluorescent light up to 70 or 80 feet away.
I think the boss was worried and semi circular cages made of chicken wire fencing were made and earthed and this got rid of most of the radiation.
You serviced what ever came in.  I was trained on Green satin and Blue Silk but there were none of these radars on camp.  So I worked on Gee-H, G-3, and basic set up some wireless  equipment.
I was a Mech when I arrived in Germany went back for several courses to Yatesbury and was a J/T when I left.

I found a  tatty document the other day saying that I had been through a de-pressurizing exercise in 1959 and was OK to fly in a Canberra but I never got the chance, leaving Germany in June 1960.  I think 59 squadron was amalgamated into 3 squadron not long after.

I did eventually work on Green Satin in Vickers Vanguards at RAF Lyneham.  This was a 24 hour operation and we cycled through night shifts etc.  Engines would be run up at any time during the night and of course turn round servicing at 3 in the morning became the norm.
It was there I learnt the virtue of volunteering, there were always few volunteers for polishing aircraft so the drafted ones had their names taken!  This meant we "volunteers" went to evening meal on time not when the job was done.

regards Roy

[raflaunches]

I think one of the most funniest things I've been told by my dad was when he was working in the hyd bay at Binbrook and they demanded a damper unit tester for a lightning. It was put on a high demand and a huge box turned up the next day. The problem was the box was too big for what they were expecting! My dad and his chief opened the box and found what was most certainly a hydraulic component testing machine but not the item they had ordered! They read the instruction manual that arrived with it and discovered that it was for a Harrier main undercarriage leg. Realising that it was very wrong they rang up Wittering and had a very interesting chat with the chief of the hyd bay at Wittering. It turned out that they had been waiting for this machine for 9months and no hard they tried they couldn't get it! Understandably they grabbed it with both hands very gratefully, the stock number had one number written down wrong but it matched the lightning damper unit tester and no one questioned that the box was too big!

[raflaunches]

Another resurrection of this topic again!

Some more books are now available or will be soon.

Listening In- A history of RAF ELINT secret projects

On Atlas' Shoulders- A history of RAF transport projects

British Secret Projects 1- Jet Fighters since 1950

British Secret Projects 5- Britain's Space Shuttle

Saving up for the S&M Models Armstrong Whitworth AW681!

[Klunk]

Thought you might get the avro 730 or the recce plane for it!

[raflaunches]

So many alternative variations to go for and probably not enough time to build them all!!
Who am I kidding?! 
Especially now that Roden have released a brand new 1/144 VC-10 for me to hack and bash into a Skybolt carrying Poffler!!!