| Archive for 100th Entry RAF Locking 1962-1964 Forum for Aircraft Apprentices at the No 1 Radio School at RAF Locking in Somerset 1962-1964 |
| admin |
Air experience flightsDoes anyone remember the Apprentices' air experience flights? I have a vague memory of going up in a twin engined Vickers Varsity from Weston-Super-Mare airport about 3 times during our time at Locking. John Sefton has sent in a photo which started my brain cell (yes, just the one) ticking over. Any elaboration would be useful, as I don't think we have mentioned this bit of our training on the web site yet. |
| Frank |
There was also an Avro Anson and Vickers Valetta Tony. I think some of our guys flew in the Anson also. I only remember flying in the Varsity once.
I recall the Valetta was not in use. |
| bobmac |
Air Experience FlightsI remember my 1st flight ever was in an Anson at Locking. The pilot complained of sinus trouble on take off but said he'd be fine at a 1000ft as it usually cleared his head.It was all a bit basic, can't remember if it had seats but it was a fabulous experience. I also did a flight to Coltishall in a Varsity (I think) it had an astrodome and I spent most of the time just looking at the sky. I have never enjoyed flying as much as I did those two flights, it's now white knuckle most of the time!! Oh to be fearless again. Bob |
| GeoffW |
I seem to remember a flight where the co pilot wound the landing gear up with a thing like a starting handle, or have I had too much gin 
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| admin |
Didn't we have to wear lifejacket / parachute-harness / WW2-headset?? It would be great if anyone has any photos that we could use on the web site. |
| keir |
Am affraid I have no recollection of any flying while at locking. I did however, do my AEOp training at Topcliffe in Varsity aircraft in 67/68 and have clear memories of that - even went to Malta in it - of course it wasn't a jolly, it was strictly all training: nuff said. |
| chuck shenton |
Varsity Flight "I trust that none of you were out on the juice last night! However, if you do spew during the sortie, do it in one of the sick bags, which you will find on the seats. And, make sure you bring any soiled bags out with you when leaving the aircraft. Don't honk into your headset and don't pebble-dash the aircraft interior either. If you do, you will stay behind after the exercise until you have cleaned up the mess." Having completed the introduction, the pilot outlined our route and rounded off the pre-flight briefing with the emergency drill: ditching in the sea, deployment of the dinghies, and inflation of our Mae-Wests.
Standing on the tarmac in our World War II kit, we watched the Varsity go through its preflight checks. The port starter whined as it jerked the Hercules into life with a cough and a plume of white smoke, characteristic of sleeve-valve engines. A minute later the starboard engine also fired up. After gently panting and wheezing on tick-over for ten minutes, both engines revved up to full power. The racket made the others apprehensive, especially as this was their first flight. Being an old hand (father in RAF), I assured them that they were unlikely to throw-up on such a short flight and that Varsities were inherently safe aircraft anyway. On board, we grappled with the seat-belts and finally strapped ourselves in. The instructor checked each position and bollocked those who had twisted their belts or hadn't tightened them enough. Then we were ready to go. The smell of leather, dope, and oil; the cramped conditions; the whine of the inverters; and the throb of the engines all combine to give RAF piston-engine aircraft a never-to-be-forgotten atmosphere all of their own. Also, this aircraft had seen many sorties. We trundled to the top of the runway. With both engines roaring and the airframe groaning under the strain, the pilot dropped the brakes and we rolled forward. There was no instant acceleration that you get with modern jets, which seem to take-off effortlessly. Instead, with the tips of the wings flapping, the Varsity lumbered down the runway towards the hedge at the end. We didn't think it was going to unstick, but at last we were airborne. A gentle bank took us over Locking Camp. We then headed for the Bristol Channel. The Varsity was crammed with electronic equipment, including; VHF and UHF communications, a navigation aid, and a vintage ASV17 maritime radar. Extra generators were fitted to power it all. We each took turns at operating the equipments, but the centerpiece was the ASV17, which had a PPI displaying a ground map. Aircraft buffs went into the cockpit where the pilot demonstrated the controls and described the instruments. 
First he headed northeast to Avonmouth and then turned south down the coast to Portishead, which we 'bombed', then over Clevedon, and finally back to Weston. Even though we learned radar theory at Tech, it was hard to believe that an invisible beam of wiggly amps could reflect off ground features and the return signals be used to generate a map. So, it was a revelation to see the same coastline and towns, that were visible from the aircraft window, mirrored on the ASV17 PPI. Compared to take off, landing was a breeze: just a couple of bounces and we were down. We had to taxi quite a way back to dispersal, where the engines, now covered in oil, idled asthmatically once again. A short debrief completed our flight experience training. The pioneering spirit at Locking Airport contrasted with the strict regime of the apprentice world. Thanks to the skill of the pilot and the enthusiasm and quiet efficiency of the staff at the Varsity Flight, it was a magic day, which was over all too quickly. Once I had dumped my sick bag, we were soon at the mess tucking into a nice greasy dinner. E&OE |
| admin |
It's coming back slowly, especially the smell and the sick bags. Who/what is/are E&OE Chuck? |
| chuck shenton |
E&OESorry about that Tony. It's a standard catch-all, often used on contracts/quotations, that means if I have made a mistake, or missed something out you can't take advantage of it and I can correct it in the future.It's very useful for people like me who have a memory like a sieve. It's an abbreviation for 'Errors and Omissions Excepted'. PS: Did you notice the smart crease across the back of Johnny Sefton's battle dress top- brings back memories! |
| Frank |
That was a very impressive piece you wrote Chuck!
Especially about the engines. What I want to know is why wasn't I allowed to switch anything on? We were fitted with parachutes and mae wests and belted to the seats with a sick bag in our hands and told not to move for the duration of the flight! The only difference can be someone really pissed off the aircrew on a previous flight and we received the punishment on their behlf! I wish I knew who that was. Any confessions? |
| chuck shenton |
Thanks for your comments Frank.
Your flight training experience contrasts with ours. Our pilot and instructor were great: laid-back and very informative. They more-or-less gave us a free hand, but of course, we were belted in our seats for take-off and landing. You were lucky though, we didn't get parachutes. No, don't think it was us who upset the crew, but they were really fed up with Apps spewing all over the plane. I felt a right dick- the only one in our group who had flown before and the only one to honk. But at least it was in a bag. They told us to stay off the sherbets the night before the flight. Regrettably, a Newcastle Brown tasting, at the United Services Club (Boulevard) had already been scheduled in for that night. |
| chuck shenton |
Bristol RadialsTony L says I'm an anorak, but here is some more info on sleeve-valve engines for anyone who is interested:Bristol radial engines are legendary. Their designer, Roy Fedden, chose sleeve-valves to eliminate the complication of the standard poppet valves and improve breathing, hence power. But, development took years and nearly bankrupted the company. Finally, he produced a line of smooth-running, compact, tractable and reliable engines: Aquila (9 cyl, 15.6L, 500hp), Perseus (9 cy, 24.9L, 540hp), Taurus (14cyl, 25.4L, 1,010hp), Hercules (14 cy, 38.7L, 1,675hp), and Centaurs (18cyl, 53.6L, 3,000hp ). Being air-cooled, they didn't need radiators and associated plumbing. This made them resistant to battle damage and simplified maintenance. But, they did gobble oil. A sleeve-valve radial ticking over is music, especially on a frosty morning, quite different to a snapping, snarling Merlin- but a Merlin on full boost is something else. The Hawker Sea Fury was one of the most powerful, single-engine, piston fighters ever made; it was fitted with the mighty Centaurus XII. If you are not bored yet, you can see a picture of a Hercules (as fitted to the Varsity) @: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bristol-hercules_east-fortune.jpg |
| john rogerson |
Air experience flightsDefinitely an Anson and a Varsity at the airfield.Seem to recall a Varsity landing wheels up. Did a trip to Jersey in the Varsity with the sub-aqua club and one in the Anson to St. Athan for some swimming competion I think. One of the pilots was Master Pilot Arthur Beeton who I met up with at Scampton when he doing an ATC tour. His wife was still at Locking at the time and the Varsity used to pick him up every Friday afternoon much to the SATCO's disgust!! |
| chuck shenton |
Landing GearHi Geoff. You said:"I seem to remember a flight where the co pilot wound the landing gear up with a thing like a starting handle, or have I had too much gin" No, you hadn't had too much gin, or even if you did, it didn't affect your memory. You are spot on if you were flying in an Anson, as this quotation from the link below confirms: 'A distinctive feature of the Anson was its landing gear retraction mechanism which required no less than 140 turns of the hand crank by the pilot. To forgo this laborious process, Ansons often flew with the landing gear extended at the expense of 30 mph (50 km/h) of cruise speed' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Anson |
| GeoffW |
That's the one Chuck, being a Plumber I didn't know much about aircraft..................pass the gin my dear
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| green satin |
I can't seem to remember there being a Sub Aqua Club at Locking whilst we were there 62 to 64 .
Seems strange that , as by 1966 I had become totally hooked for life on Scuba Diving ! By demob in 1974 , I had been the Secretary of the RAF Coningsby Sub Aqua Club for 5 years , and had carried out diving expeditions all over the world ! Cheers , MONTY. PS. I've still got my original BSAC Diving Qualifications and Course record card ! |
| john rogerson |
Definitely was a sub aqua club at Locking Monty. Not many apprentices members though. Did plenty of diving there, but not since |
| green satin |
Hi! Chuck ,
I didn't realise that you were a Petrol Head Anorak regarding aircraft engines ! I used to be on 115 Squadron in the RAF , flying Varsity's and Argosy's doing Flight Calibration of Ground Nav Aids and Comms . You should have come out here to South Africa when I did , as I was posted to 19 Squadron SAAF Puma Helicopters . I quickly found out that it helped to be "Multi-skilled" Avionics wise , and I was sent on courses on Allouette 3's , DC-3/C47's , DC-4's , Impala's , Bospok's , Kudu's , Shackletons , Buccaneers , Canberras , C-130's , Mirages of various marks , including the supersonic Cheetah E's . 44 Squadron SAAF operated the largest fleet of DC-3/C-47's and DC-4 aircraft in the world at the time . Working on and flying in the old Dakota's was an awe inspiring experience , especially when you consider that the majority of them had been flying since 1935 ! Doing engine changes on DC-3/C47's in the war zones in SWA (now Namibia) and Angola in 1982 was always a memorable experience ! Patching them up from bullet holes and shrapnel , used to be done with Castle Lager Beer cans , and I lost a shirt , when somebody used it to patch a hole in a fabric covered elevator on a DC-3/C-47 ! Most of the old DC-3/C-47's are all still flying today , but many have now been converted over to TURBO-DAKS , which has meant extending and lengthening of the fuselage in the front and rear . It sounds very strange flying overhead without the old familiar roar of those Pratt and Twatt donkeys ! Cheers , MONTY. 
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| chuck shenton |
Hello Monty,
Yes, afraid so- aircraft, engines, and avionics. You were lucky to get good postings and have such a varied experience- life the the SAAF sounds a bit hairy though. They sent me to Chuch Fenton. The first job was NPN11 GCA- interesting, though didn't make much sense for an air type. Then to RSF bench testing Reb 8, but we weren't allowed to go to circuit level, just accept or reject black boxes, even if you could find the fault. Then a month amending QRs. Finally moved to ASF on JPs and Vamps doing mods and Reb 8. CF had quite a few joy rides on visiting aircraft. I was top of the list and was to fly in a Lightening, but had man flu so missed out. That pissed me off big time. But the chap next on the list was the station tough guy and he came back as green as snot- apparently the jock showed him what a Lightning could do!. The following joy ride was only on an Anson, but at least the skipper let us 'fly' it for a bit. Sounds like you had a great time, especially trips in 'Goony Birds'. Didn't know they put turbo props on them. Ace pic. Weston is close to Bristol Airport- the sound of the big jets brings back memories of growing up at Honington and the days at CF. Over and out. Chuck |
| admin |
We are veering a bit off topic here, but it's worth a mention. I think the maximum number of photos that an individual user can upload to the forum gallery is FOUR. Monty, you have hit that, so you may not be able to upload any more (I may be wrong). The best way to upload and link to pictures is to create a free account with one of the numerous photo hosting sites that are available. The 100th web site uses PHOTOBUCKET, as do a few of our individual members. |
| Keith Davies |
Varsity or Anson?My first flight ever was in one of these, not sure which, but was referred to as the Flying Pig. I was the only one of the apprentices on this particular flight who wanted to be a pilot. I was also the only one who was violently sick and on stepping from the aircraft an hour or so later made a determined career change!I see that Chuck Shenton was at Church Fenton (there's a limerick in that if ever there was!) Chuck - I see you were at Honington? I wonder if you or anyone else knew my brother Wing Co. Geoff Davies who was Squadron Commander of the first Buccaneers introduced to the RAF and which re-opened Honington in Suffolk? This was the Flying Fox Squadron (No. 5?). He got the job because he had been testing 'terrain following radar' up at Ferranti's place in Turnhouse, Edinburgh using their Buccaneer. He was also awarded the AFC for this. The radar was destined for the TSR2 which of course was scrapped by the then-labour government. He took the squadron on an exercise to Hong Kong and said landing at Kai Tak was the most expensive laxatives he had ever used. |
| chuck shenton |
Hi Keith,
The Vickers Valletta got the appellation 'Flying Pig' because, being short and fat, that's what it looked like in flight. Incidentally, the Boeing 737 is called FLUF (Fat Little Ugly Fella) for similar reasons. In 1948 Vallettas replaced the RAF Dakotas which were returned to the USA under the conditions of the WWII lend lease arrangement. The Vallatta is similar to the later Varsity, except it had a tail wheel rather than a nose wheel. Seems like both of us had trouble keeping our breakfast down! Picture of Varsity: http://i199.photobucket.com/album...ckers_Varsity_03.jpg?t=1223161775 Ray MacDonald (ex 99th) and I ran the radio station at Church Fenton for a time- my show started, "This is Chuck Shenton on Radio Church Fenton", which does sound like the start of a limerick. From 1955 to 1963 we lived in married quarters at RAF Honington, which was before your brother's time on the station. Over that period it was Number One, Bomber Command, flying mainly Canberras, Valiants, and Victors. Honington is now an RAF Regiment camp and has changed quite a bit. |
| chuck shenton |
Just came across this pic showing a group from the 99th Entry all kitted up and ready for take-off:
http://i199.photobucket.com/album..._Site_Link/71airfieldanson_12.jpg |
| admin |
Yes I've seen that one Chuck, plus several more on other Entry web sites, so it seems odd that no one from the 100th has any photos to share. |
| chuck shenton |
PictureThanks to Tony Dennett we now have a great picture showing the 'crew'- Chris Hubbard, Charlie Brown, Mick Glover, Alic Prior, and Pete Hope- standing in front of the Varsity. A version is stuck in the 'Varsity Flight' post above. |
| chuck shenton |
Varsity PostJust came across this post about the Varsities at Weston Airport:[WF]408 is an old friend of mine from the mid-1960's. With WL641 they were from No 1 Radio School RAF Locking but based down the road at Weston super Mare. Both were heavily modified and had many of the electronic goodies found on front line aircraft e.g. ASV21 radar in the nose. The aircraft used to take radio apprentices & show them what all the electronic kit did in the air. I have about 50 hours in '408 - my dad was one of the pilots - so it was don the ATC uniform & fly with my old man in the summer holidays! The Varsity Flight moved to Cosford in about 1967 where they acquired pale blue spinners. The flight was something of a private flying club and I'm banned from repeating all the stories - but '408 did once carry a goat as a passenger. Happy days - can't imagine fun and games in today's cash strapped air force. 
http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?p=1301078 Also: http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK...nfo&photo_nr=15&sok=WHERE http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1101491/ http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1021498/ |
| admin |
A bit before our time, but still interesting...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/aeri...neys/5347.shtml?all=1&id=5347 |
| chuck shenton |
Those were the days; TV cameras on aircraft- whatever next! |
| admin |
Yes, a bit wobbly with poor definition but the fact that its a Varsity makes it of interest to us. Also shots of Hunters etc are quite good. The blurb says it is in Norfolk and clearly they are flying from an RAF base, so could be Marham, Watton, ??? |
| chuck shenton |
Right at the beginning, Peter Dimmock says it is RAF Watton; it's not very clear though. |
| admin |
Thanks Chuck, I'll have to use my ear trumpet next time. |
| chuck shenton |
That's how I heard it Tony. |