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Author Topic: My leaving present  (Read 3087 times)

raflaunches

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My leaving present
« on: December 11, 2018, 11:23:13 am »

Hi everyone


Not what you think! I’m not leaving Mayhem or my job in the RAF but with the retirement of the aircraft I work on, the Tornado GR4.
My squadron (IX(B)) and our sister squadron (31) are standing down in March next year ending 37 years of RAF Tornado operations. I’ve worked on them for just over 14 years!
Today I collected my little piece of history: A set of cuff links made from a jet I worked on, ZG750 or Pinky.
Feels weird, we’ve joked about the retirement of Tornado for the last five years but today it’s starting to sink in that there is only two months of Tornado flying left in the RAF. They’re hard work to fix but it’s sad to see them go.  <:(




598956-D3-CE58-4-D4-A-A267-B77-BC80194-D1" border="0 0-C9-BAEED-849-E-4421-87-B4-51-C44456-FC65" border="0 36-D5302-E-D81-A-4948-B932-FFD1-E4-CE8-E72" border="0 E1-A4-A20-D-76-B3-40-FA-9872-475-EA4-B79-CCC" border="0 0-FA00981-BCC9-48-F6-814-C-B081-CF77-AAEC" border="0
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Nick B

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TailUK

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2018, 12:24:24 pm »

Nearly 40 years of "the Mighty Fin" that's not bad going for a combat aircraft.
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raflaunches

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2018, 12:38:08 pm »

They’ve done well- nearly 7500 flying hours per aircraft at the moment but they are showing their age with the amount of maintenance to keep them going. Keep an eye out next February for a supposed 9 aircraft fly past with the retirement colour schemes. Two are already been completed and are flying around but there is one more special scheme coming soon which is quite spectacular.
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Nick B

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Neil

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #3 on: December 11, 2018, 12:58:39 pm »

They’ve done well- nearly 7500 flying hours per aircraft at the moment but they are showing their age with the amount of maintenance to keep them going. Keep an eye out next February for a supposed 9 aircraft fly past with the retirement colour schemes. Two are already been completed and are flying around but there is one more special scheme coming soon which is quite spectacular.



Please keep us in touch with this event RAF, ……..…I'd love to see it live.


I remember as a newly qualified teacher at my first post in Preston, in 1973/4 the kids were buzzing about a new aeroplane that their dads were starting work on "and build" near Preston, the MRCA as she was"christened"...…….. and the local papers got hold of the story that this new Multi Roll Combat Aircraft was to be the new weapon to combat the threat of Russian air threat...…….they were exciting times for the north west, and indeed the country, when this new aeroplane eventually took to the skies, and we could see her fly over the north west on test flights...........


and yet, I can't believe that it was over 40 years or more ago that this was happening in my and other peoples lives.


to see both the birth and demise of such an amazing aircraft as the Tornado, is something I will never forget, and YOU and many others must be and should be so proud of yourselves for playing a part in keeping these beautiful aircraft in the skies and keeping this country safe for so long.


Congratulations, well done.........and old belligerent farts like me should be so thankful for people like you.


Well done  raflaunches, and good luck with your next role...….you deserve the thanks of us all on here......you certainly have mine.
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raflaunches

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #4 on: December 11, 2018, 01:28:03 pm »

Many thanks Neil, we try our best to keep everyone safe :-))


I’ll keep you updated on the fly past as they should be flying over Warton since it’s the birth place of all RAF Tornados. There’s about 19 Tonkas left now with half deployed at the moment. Considering it’s taken 10 years for another aircraft to come close to what Tornado can do and we are quite grateful that the Typhoon and Lighting II have taken up the reins at long last- poor old Tonkas are flying themselves apart!
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Nick B

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Taranis

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2018, 02:57:55 pm »


Congratulations and commiserations  :-) 
I clocked this one in 2011 leaving Coningsby, quite a rare sight among the Typhoons. I guess you know her  :-))





A good place to spend a week at Tattershall lakes
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Martin (Admin)

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2018, 03:19:05 pm »


A momentous day....







NB:  What other souvenirs have you collected over the years?

      A Sidewinder detonator, a AIM-132 guidance board, warhead off a Skyflash? at least a couple of rounds from athe Mauser BK-27 surely?!
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Perkasaman2

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #7 on: December 11, 2018, 04:27:11 pm »

There must be other countries still operating the tornado, hopefully Germany will replace with the Typhoon.
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KitS

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2018, 04:47:17 pm »

I'll be sad to see the Tonkas go too.

Years ago my employers sold a hefty flight load calibration rig to BAe and I got to install it at Warton when the GR1s were in production. I looked after it for some years, and when the GR4 upgrade arrived I worked with the BAe guys to upgrade the rig for the updated flight loads. I still have my GR4 Upgrade Programme tie from that period.   :-))

At the same time my youngest daughter was posted to Lossiemouth on Air Traffic and I got to spend whole days in the Tower and in the threshold caravan with her watching (and hearing!) the Tornadoes fly in and out of Lossie.

Nothing's QUITE so loud as 4 x GR4s lined up for take off all at the same time!  O0
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Netleyned

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #9 on: December 11, 2018, 05:41:35 pm »

Hope they upgraded the Van from 61 when we were evaluating the NA39 on 700Z O0
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raflaunches

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #10 on: December 11, 2018, 08:15:50 pm »


A momentous day....


NB:  What other souvenirs have you collected over the years?

      A Sidewinder detonator, a AIM-132 guidance board, warhead off a Skyflash? at least a couple of rounds from athe Mauser BK-27 surely?!




I won’t admit to anything until they’ve retired! :}  I do have a few things I have my eye on %)


There must be other countries still operating the tornado, hopefully Germany will replace with the Typhoon.


Two other countries still operate Tornado- Germany and Saudi Arabia but neither really could match the GR4s for capabilities, they barely fly them compared to the RAF which is why they won’t retire their IDS versions until 2030/35.


Congratulations and commiserations  :-) 
I clocked this one in 2011 leaving Coningsby, quite a rare sight among the Typhoons. I guess you know her  :-))

I probably have but this particular one has gone for at least a year, she is a GR4a a reccee jet as she has the SLIR panel behind the fuselage roundal.They all disappeared from service some time in October 2017. This particular jet is part of 41 squadron judging by the markings.
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Nick B

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bfgstew

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #11 on: December 11, 2018, 10:45:43 pm »

I made a few bits for Tornados whilst at Marconi Avionics.......wave guide crate supports, base unit radar mounts and a few other bits.
I remember watching Buccaneers and Phantoms flying over our heads whilst building sand castles on the beach at Lossie.
End of an era for the old workhorse but a new dawn begins with the Lightning II.
Thanks to all in the RAF for keeping us all safe.
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regiment

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #12 on: December 12, 2018, 02:39:32 pm »

dont forget the old shackleton  plenty of memories out of luqa malta1954 1960
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dougal99

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #13 on: December 12, 2018, 05:23:56 pm »

dont forget the old shackleton  plenty of memories out of luqa malta1954 1960



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regiment

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #14 on: December 12, 2018, 08:10:20 pm »

don't forget the noise  head phones order of the flight
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raflaunches

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #15 on: September 15, 2019, 08:26:07 pm »

Well I received the last of my leaving prints which I paid for in advance but certainly impressed with the over all quality.


The Marham 100th Tornado fin jet, the generic 076 Tornado GR with my mate PK (Paul Kelly) talking to Bambers (the nav), my squadron print with all the names of the shifts, and my leaving slate from IX(B) Squadron. I won’t show the squadron print with all the names for security reasons but the others I will.
Farewell Tonka.
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Nick B

Help! The penguins have stolen my sanity, and my hot water bottle!

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Colin Bishop

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #16 on: September 15, 2019, 08:35:49 pm »

Very nice Nick. Something to treasure.
Colin
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Taranis

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #17 on: September 15, 2019, 09:24:28 pm »

Very well done and nice reminders  8)
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derekwarner

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #18 on: September 16, 2019, 02:39:37 am »

Well done Nick ;)  ......I am sure many of our members have a Going Away Thingie   on their mantle piece


My thingie is far less spectacular and has no wings......it is a 25 bore small Rexroth cylinder......


The cylinders [up to 7000 kg] for our Australian Steel Industry were generally pretty well behaved, it was the cylinder owners that needed guidance.....& yes on many occasions, with humble facilitation  <*<  to get them to understand the error of their ways :-X 

[those famous words.......'Lord forgive them for they know not what they do'....was ever present in my mind]

[It is strange thinking about this as my original Contract was for 1 year, with BHP's option for a second 1 year.......it appears to have worked well as I made it last until my retirement 18 years later]
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KitS

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #19 on: September 16, 2019, 07:41:00 am »

Hah!  :}

My leaving present for my time at British Rail was hydraulic as well!  :-)

In my case it's a Vickers vane hydraulic pump, chrome plated and mounted on a plinth.

To 'normal' people it just looks a bit odd as a leaving present, but in my case that pump has great significance. It sprung a leak aboard a test train heading south on the west coast main line some time in 1977 and dumped almost the entire contents of its tank out and under the doors of the hydraulics bay of the coach....................just as we were passing through Wigan Station!  :((
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Kit

ballastanksian

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #20 on: September 16, 2019, 09:14:46 pm »


Eek : {:-{ The station master must have blown a gasket as well.


I loved seeing the Tornados in their desert pink scheme serving in the first Gulf war, and am sad to think they are no more.


Oh well Nick, onwards and upwards.
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KitS

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Re: My leaving present
« Reply #21 on: September 16, 2019, 09:23:57 pm »


Eek : {:-{ The station master must have blown a gasket as well.


That would have been an understatement, I got a SEVERE rocket as a result of that, and we installed very deep drip trays under all the hydraulic packs after that.............  ok2
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