As a First Line Armourer at St Mawgan during 1968-1969, these were the first aircraft I worked on in my 27 year RAF career. Still give me goosebumps to hear the Griffons today.
Growing up I lived in the north of Scotland, grandparents also lived in Elgin - used to watch the Shackleton coming in often. Beautiful aircraft to watch and listen to.
I love these videos. My Grandfather passed in 2004 and he was a Colonel in the Swedish Airforce. When I was in college back in the early 90s we spent a lot of time together visiting aero museums in the US and Canada. So many of the gentlemen in these videos would have gotten along with him over a pint.
I managed just short of 4000 hours flying on Shacks, from Mk1, Mk2, Mk3 - including those Viper fitted versions. Nothing like being part of a crew. No matter how rough the weather, her flexible wing absorbed the worse at low level. You can be assured the crew always had their hourly coffee - no matter how rough the ride. Try delivering those beverages whilst clambering over those two wing spars - pretending it was not a problex!. So, so, many happy memories ( not excluding some frights like landing with a fully extended Radar cupola in Malta - circa 1957/58). The real frightener, was suppressed for ages. It involved A Mid Atlantic Patrol from St Mawgan. Practically at the greatest distance from base, the Co-Pilot was relieved by the Flight Engineer - exchanging places. It was time for the expedient of clearing those spark plugs, from nasty degradations associated with Leaded fuels. Quite simply. the Griffons were encouraged to rev a little faster. Of course, were this because they were to be pushed to power levels necessary whilst in an attack situation, you would understand the Flight Engineer ensuring those Griffons were adequately supplied with petrol. Enter the need for 'Booster Pumps'. In this case, four of them, as the revolutions are increased. OOPs, the Flight Engineer is sitting in the Co-Pilots seat. Confident the Co-Pilot knows his 'Panel' backwards.- WRONG! . The Co-Pilot turns off the fuel supply to all four engines. I will not relate the dialogue as each engine failure is registered by the Captain. and feathering activities commence. Sufficient to say, the loss of the last last engine, electrifies the crew to prepare for a ditching -which suddenly becomes a 'slow motion routine - well practiced. I forgot to tell you, this all commenced at 1000 ft above sea level. Now the reality sets in. 1000 ft descending into the foam. Dialogue on the intercomm. The easily recognised voice of the Flight Engineer. 'We have no Fxxxxxg Petrol' Who immediately vacates the Co-Pilots seat, and ejects the Co -Pilot from his Station. Meanwhile, our descent into Neptunes realm. seems un-stoppable. Then, our un-featherd Griffons, start to cough into life, before developing their full power. wih us feeling the aircraft clawing back altitude. Whew, hard to describe. Sadly, this incident was supppressed, for goodnessknows what reasons. It allegedly had something to do the concept of Navigators assuming the role Captains.
Lived to hear them when on holiday in Newquay in the early 60s as they climbed over the cliffs at Watergate Bay to land at St Mawgan. When I returned to Cornwall with my son's in the early 70s it was Nimrods doing circuits over the camp site.
We lived under the flight path taken by the Durban based South African Air Force Shackletons. This was in the 60's. We were so accustomed to them flying over that we barely paid them any attention. My father (Lt John Hogan DFC) did but he flew Spitfires in 2 Cheetah Squadron of the SAAF during WW2 so war planes interested him.
It’s crazy the things you took for granted but looking back realise how special they were. I’m 36…. I missed out on it all 😔 I’d love to have seen vampires, hunters, buccaneers, lightnings, Vulcans and victors etc etc 😔
Super video! I grew up with these, seeing them more often than Lincolns. I do remember, walking home from primary school and having the thrill of one really low down coming straight towards me. So many military a/c flew low over Watford to keep under the London Airport stacking area, plus the proximity of RAF Northolt and Bovingdon.
As a matter of interest, the South African Airforce had 8 . Used to often see them flying along the Cape coast, absolutely loved them. One Shackleton was lost on operations when it crashed in the Stettynsberg range of mountains during poor weather conditions on 8th August 1963 with the loss of life of all 13 crew. The Shackleton's were finally withdrawn from service at the end of 1984 as their "time" had run out. Shackleton 1716 was re-furbished to flying condition for the SAAF Museum, but had the unfortunate experience to crash land in the Sahara desert near the border with Mauritania on 13 July 1994 whilst on a flight to Great Britain to take part in a number of air shows. It suffered a number of engine failures and was forced to land in the dark, without any loss of life to the 19 crew on board. Another Shackleton 1722 does engine runs as part of the SAAF Historical Flight in Cape Town.
The sight and sound of the Argus was part of my childhood until they were taken out of service so until I was a teenager. I never experienced the spectacle of the Shackleton but surely the Argus rivalled the Shackleton in that regard. Every windowpane in the city vibrated when an Argus roared overhead.
This takes me back to the 70s/80s and seeing the Shackleton at air shows. It's an aircraft I have always had a soft spot for. There was a Shackleton A.E.W.2 reconnaissance aircraft, Military Service No. WR 960 at the Air & Space Museum in Manchester, which unfortunately closed in 2021.
When I was young we used to love seeing them flying around the Cape when patrolling. My dad would sometimes take us to Youngsfield to watch them land and take off. Lovely aircraft.
I was a serving Aircraft Tech in the RAF when these were in service. Thankfully we often got to see them visiting from 8 Squadron at Brize Norton and watching AND HEARING them doing 'mag drops' on those Griffin engines WAS OUTSTANDING! They are greatly missed. I used to go to Gatwick aircraft museum to see the engines run twice a year. How I would love to see that aircraft STRIPPED..............and a nut and bolt rebuild carried out (a la BBMF Lancaster) to make her airworthy again? PLEASE? I served our late Queen and so did the Shack!!
This might be the channel closest in feel to the old Discovery Channel 'Wings' show - really well done, looking forward to more and hope your channel continues to grow.
The Shackleton - 10,000 rivets flying in formation! It was a lovely aircraft, one of the most advanced Maritime Patrol Aircraft of the early Cold War period. As a boy I built the Frog 1/72nd scale model which fired my interest.
I lay in the bomb aimers seat of a Shackleton once around 1962 at RAF Turnhouse when you could ask a pilot to look in the plane, civilian or military. The smell of worn leather reminded me of my grandfather's Austin Princess.
I flew, yes sat at the controls and flew, Shackleton when I was 15-16 yo. I was an Air Cadet when living in Singapore, my Father was Shack aircrew at RAF Changi. I had many flights in the Shack, but if the right Pilot was Captain onboard, he would let me take control of the aircraft, exciting times. On one mission, off the Vietnam coast (during the war there), I was sent down to that rear view point to look for Russian submarines when flares were discharged. I was told my young eyes were better than the rest of the crew, I think that they wanted to see if I checked up my dinner. Life was wonderful as a Pad’s Brat, I got to fly in loads of different aircraft from the three bases there (Changi, Seletar and Tengah), but the Shack was my favourite.
We have got to get this plane into Microsoft Flight Simulator. It would be a true joy to have this digitally preserved so that future generations can learn, as well as interact with aviation history.
During the early 1980's, I was based at RAF Valley. There was a Shackleton parked at the back of the airfield. I remember the main Landing Gear was "blown" off it, as part of the "SALT" talks or something similar. This action caused quiet a "stir" as a few Air Museums were desperate to have this aircraft for display. Such a shame...
No way 8th Squadron was part of her service! The magic roundabout characters will never be forgotten. Both my dad and Grandad worked on the Shackletons and specificaly those in 8th Squadron at Lossy. Grandad was a heavy so more than likely worked on those very engines and my dad was an avionics tech. Shame neither are still with us, would love to have visited with them
It was a real privilege meeting some of the original crews when we made this. Such amazing stories. Having seen at close hand how they were put together I have the upmost respect for those that kept these remarkable aircraft flying for so many years.
On 206 squadron 1960-63. (Mk3's) NATO exercise in Gibraltar 1962, one of ours tracked, and actioned dropping dummy bombs on a 50 gallon oil drum. Great aircraft.
It wants to fly and if it did I won't tell but if you and pardon my Dutch American heratage saying old Chaps do it do it at night so you have fun and have plenty of doughnuts sent to Air traffic control. 👍 Thanks for all you do.
A manI worked with at Calorex heat pumps in Maldon Essex was an observer during WW2 . Looking for traces of German subs , info given to bombers to destroy them
The Grob Tutor and all of the aircraft of the BBMF are all piston engined and currently in RAF service. Do, no the Shackleton isn't the last by a long chalk. Bad script writing here in the original production.
@@georgegeller1902 The name of the aircraft came about due to the influence of Roy Chadwick, Chief Designer at Avro, who had initially worked alongside, and later became a close friend, of Ernest Shackleton.[1] The name was also in line with an Air Ministry policy of naming new general reconnaissance aircraft after explorers.[2]
/ TIME HAS RUN OUT !! John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Don't ignore this message... REPENT NOW !! TRUST that God raised Him from the dead !! By FAITH accept JESUS's blood alone as payment for your sins unto Salvation, to escape what's about to happen !!
