I was the pilot of XV431 on Friday 11th October 1974 . It was a very close shave but a long story. When I have time I will comment if anyone is interested.
I heard that yourself or the navigator became intrigued by the legal system when the 'accident' was investigated and that one of you became a solicitor as a consequence. Were you banned from flying Phantoms afterwards? I love intrigue!
CAVALIERKNIGHT33 Absolutely not . I continued to fly the F4 after the statutory 12 weeks for recovering from crush fractures. After that I instructed on the Gnat and took the first Hawk course. It was hypertension that threatened my flying category and the reason for changing careers to become a solicitor . Happy days.
@@raymondpilley2971 ....practicing law rarely helps hypertension...however it doesnt take an inch off your height courtesy of Martin Baker. The first Hawk course....lovely sports car.
@@normalwisdom4048 Ah ….,,that’s where I’ve seen them before . This clip transported me back to my Raf days ,thanks . Regards Dave Ex sooty Raf leuchars in the 80s
Found this video quite by chance. I was working that day and saw the aeroplane crash on or around midday. I was A Mech A at the time and just arrived at Bruggen. That sunny September lunchtime me and my mate Mick G were working on Station Flight and just heading for lunch at the mess. Couldn't see the aeroplanes on the takeoff roll as they were hidden by the revetments. Just as we turned the corner heard two distinct bangs, looked over my shoulder to see the two seats go out and the aeroplane sitting on its backside pirouetting like a drunken ballerina. Raymond, so pleased you and your Nav got out.
In my own view......THE most beautiful aircraft of it's era (and type). When I was a kid I spent a week with the Air Cadets at RAF Wattisham (74 Squadron), and RAF Wildenrath (can't remember what Sqn, but it was another Air Defence Phantom Squadron. Absolutely amazing to get up close to these beautiful beasts of the Cold War! Great shame when they were retired!
I was a docs controller on a busy Jaguar line. When I started, I was asked to conform to the Unit's traditional practice of clearing Fs700, to release aircraft as fit to fly, based purely on "We've sorted it" phone calls from Rects teams in the 2nd Line hangar, some distance away. I told them 'no way,' putting me at odds with the Line Flight Sergeant and J Eng O, who both tried to browbeat me. I wouldn't budge. Eventually, I had a 1:1 with the S Eng O, who tried more subtle but inneffective persuasion, including a 3-week move to the hangar to work with the Rects team. Following that, he was NOT amused when I told him, "STILL no way, SIR." Mercifully, I was posted soon afterwards, when my random Gen App request, (one submitted each Monday fortnight, to ensure the previous one was being processed), bore fruit, and I got away. I learned life ain't always easy for a pedantic tw@t, but sometimes it's necessary.... 🤔
A good friend was the Ch Tech who cleared the 700, not the rects controller portrayed in the film. My friend was court-martialled but was not considered liable for blame. The Ch Tech portrayed acted nothing like my friend, any other Chiefs I knew or myself. If anything it would have been me making a job card entry or raising one as a matter of routine rather than rubbishing the SENGOs suggestion. I can’t imagine not documenting something like an unlocked wing, especially by the guys doing the job. Obviously lots of procedural issues, as was concluded. A great film though, very accurate although haranguing the guys changing the lox pack wouldn’t have happened, if it did, I suspect there would have been ‘another lox pack issue’ and he may have not got airborne that day! I and many others really did have hair like that in those days - I don’t now!
Great to see phantoms, rolling down the runway. When I was at Leuchars. I got to witness a survival scramble of about 50 phantoms. 111, 43 and a Squadron from another base, all doing the scramble, 2 at a time. Awesomely noisy.
@@robertodeleon-gonzalez9844 A survival scramble was done if the base was about to be attacked. all the jets scrambled to another base. It was awesome to witness, the noise of that many jets on the go at one time. The whole ground was shaking.
Indeed, pre "Shoestring" too. I remember a lot of us had hair that length or longer back then. I got away with it for years in bomb dumps and on EOD, we never saw a "Zob" or the SWO.
These RAF flight safety film archives are wonderful. However, all of us ex RAF know that if a CT was given a directive by the SENGO, it would not be open for discusion!
For those who WEREN'T in the air force, can you explain what a CT was and who was the SENGO? You can't just go quoting RAF jargon when some youtubers may not have BEEN in the RAF, that's just wrong.
I found this information: Another Flight Safety film with people off the TV was ‘Oversight’ (1976), with Trevor Eve as a Phantom Pilot and Michael Sheard (who was Mr Bronson in Grange Hill), as an overloaded C/T.
Thanks for uploading this video. As a civilian I found it very interesting. Its a very tight and well made film and I appreciate the procedural, behavioural and technical elements that it covered. It has also generated some fine comments. Much respect.
10:25, surely Jennings did the right thing. He found a leak and wasn't sure so asked the desk. To make him feel and look like an idiot will only make him more reluctant to report a suspicion next time.
I'm ex F4 (228 OCU), all the new FLMs (Flight Line Mechanics) would undergo training / testing and authorisation before being allowed to service the jet. They would be well aware of the difference between Hyd oil (OM15) and fuel (F34) so I think that bit is for 'artistic effect'. If they were still under training then they would have had a supervisor/trainer with them.
RAF Coningsby.... Certainly glad i found this ....First thing ..the station barber must have been on sick leave😂 it was interesting to see XV 401/402/499 As i had worked on these when they were 54 sqd Phantoms..Fitted many a 28lb practice bomb and cranked a fed 1000 rounds into the su gun { lovely place Deci } This brought back so many memories . AP700 signed so many times .....anyone out there from the line hut ....54 SQD,,,
At 08:09 appears a German Luftwaffe NCO with badges from Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 'Immelmann' and can later be seen working alongside his R.A.F. comrade on the wing bolt. The Bremgarten-based Geschwader was introducing the RF4-E early inthe 1970ies. So maybe he had been on a familiarization exchange while this was filmed.
On detachment to foreign bases, badges, patches & rank slides were swapped all the time. Those were just trophies bring worn by the raf guy & mean nothing much.
@@wirdy1 You may be right regarding squadron exchanges etc., and one of the F-4s is even carrying the owl badge of AG 51 "I" next to the R.A.F. markings. The NCO I was referring to however, is definitely wearing German Luftwaffe rank insignia on his overall.
I was wondering about the Bundeswehr guy from AG51. Also you could see the Owl patch from AG51 and also some F-104 Starfighters lined up (6x). Now after having read that 41 Sqn task was recce it makes sense to me... Great video, tnx for sharing.
Bottom line is its the Jockey's responsibility, a bloody great Red tell tale sticking out of a low wing, and nobody noticed ! and no cockpit indication !! 😂
At the time of the accident, the warning flags weren't painted dayglow orange, but the same grey as the wing colour around it - which when in a rush and under pressure to get launched, on a grey day meant, they could be easily be missed. If the MOD hadn't spent all that extra money to have the hydraulics for the wing fold removed (from XV411 I think) this accident may not have happened
I remember watching this during training; I joined up in 76, so this was one of the many we were shown. Anyone remember the one set in Belize? Apparently it was shown without comment to a group of new recruits, several of whom wanted to leave the RAF afterwards....lol.
Am surprised that my uncle Frank Spencer (ex R.A.F.) didn't appear in this. I think at one point he was being considered for pilot training, but had a problem with the aptitude test as he was under a lot of stress at that time. And apparently the selection officer was rather rude to him, which didn't help uncle Frank's nerves. Am sure he would have become a fantastic fast jet pilot, as he knew all the call signs that pilots use. Romeo, Foxtrot, Tango, over and out.
So there was a R eng fail followed by a loss of hyd press on the L? Any Phantom techs or aircrew available to amplify why it was an immediate ejection based on a guage reading? Or was it a case of the jet becoming immediately unflyable?
No hydraulics from the RH, no hydraulics from the LH, the ram air turbine was electricity only. So no hydraulics for the flight controls - get out quick
I love the critics in comments, from those who are actually ex service and were there. If you think this is bad did any of you see the ITV pilot film called Strike force filmed at Leeming in the 1990's featuring the Tornado F3, both base and aircraft being state of the art at the time. No wonder it didn't go into a TV series. There is one grain of truth in the script, a couple on the flightline servicing a jet, one saying to the other "you'd never get me up in one of these, not one you've serviced." How on earth the MOD authorised this production to be shown to the public is worrying.
I have the book of the 1980's documentary "Fighter Pilot" following the training of new recruits from beginning to end, it mentions in there one of the instructors that tried to take off without the Phantom's wings locked down, I wonder if this is based on that.
This is a true story of course, but as an ex RAF engineering technician, if the SENGO had concerns about the recording/documentation of SI's carried out, it doesn't seem plausible to me that he'd be bringing up the matter with the crew Chief. If he wanted to effect a solution or determine a set policy on the problem, then he would most likely discuss the issue with the JENGO and the WO engineer, and possibly even the Flight Sergeants in charge of each shift. And then the crew Chief and everyone else would have to comply with the new policy whether they liked it or not.
The truth was that it was the 31 Squadron Engineering Officer Del Williams who expressed concern. He was absolutely mortified when he saw what he predicted had come to pass
Of course in the RAF of 2023 SENGO's initial concern would be the ethnicity and sexuality of Mr Bronson before asking him to do something to enhance the safety of the aircrew and the aircraft without upsetting him.
I remember this film from my days in training in 1979, and I didn’t recognise any of the actors at that time, now in 2022 most of them I recognise but not there names, only Trevor Eve as Flt Lt Fletcher flying 499. The whole Sqn in this was a mess, nothing like reality, just completely unrealistic of course, but that was the point, it made you stop and think about Flt safety.
Mark Cromey Think the RAF / MoD used actors in a few of their safety information films in that time. I remember a film about a Harrier pilot who was played by a well known actor during the 70’s and 80’s but his name escapes me.
@@dickiemcvitie1752 Richard O'Sullivan was the actor in question. If memory serves a couple of the 1970's Flight Safety films had the Brigadier out of Doctor Who play somebody based on Wing Commander Spey.
@@bac1111967 no pilot ever has a pen on him/her when they go to sign for the aircraft. Personally I get asked this every single time by the engineering lineys.
The British Spey-powered Phantoms had more powerful engines than their J-79 powered counterparts, yet were not faster than these. Did they have superior climb and acceleration?
The Speys were better at low-level than the J79s, but not at altitude. Some of that was in part to the fact that the Spey was a physically bigger engine meaning the rear fuselage produced more drag
@@scottmaclean1248 Main issue was the Compressor Inlet Temperature limits on the Spey were lower than the J-79 and that Rolls Royce put a fuel control limiting system in the engine that chopped fuel flow if the engine over heated, over RPM'ed or over pressured. Gas Turbines don't like supersonic airflow going in at the Compressor face, thus the aircraft had an intake system that uses the interactions of the Sonic shockwaves and duct shape to slow the air down. In doing this it compresses the air and makes it hot. J-79 was allowed to go up to Mach 2 or a CIT of 127 Degrees C for an unlimited period. Any faster and that over temp could be lived with for 5 minutes in any one flight up to a speed of Mach 2.4 (it's in the pilot notes for the USAF F-4C/D/E). The Pilots Notes for the Phantom FG Mk 1 limit the Max speed to Mach 2.1 and a CIT of 122 Degress C..
10 years in RAF SNCO Every sengo I ever met would arrive on a Sqn with a proven , tried and tested Eng control system, but they all wanted to change it to their way,, all theory & little practical,, like the prat who reorganised the Hangar ~ and blocked off the Fire Lane,, 🔥 ,, or the clown who demanded that a 4 man hour job would obviously be faster if 4 men were on it, instead of just one , never mind there was only space for one hand in the access panel,,, or the one who had a speach impediment & was incoherent when pressure was on 😂😂 I could go on 😂😊
I was the SEngO on 29 Sqn at RAF Coningsby , I was a ranker and started as an apprentice on Air Radar. When I took over I had a meeting with my WO, a Flight Sergeant, a USM Lieutenant (on exchange) and a handful of specialist Chief Techs. I had arranged a Friday stand-down at lunchtime where we would join the other NCO's and the rest of the Squadron, including the aircrew for a piss-up. I split the group into four with about five to six in each group, at random. The task was to report what worked, what did not work and what (if) needed changing. Also at random one member from each team made a short presentation of the findings of each group. The result was that things had been previously well run and generally not much needed fixing. My time on the Squadron was very short, the Wing Co Eng went a little strange at I was acting for about 6 months, but that is another story.
Richard Stout Richard there were warnings on hydraulic wing fold F4’s, and on the two stickers and the simulator. I have often wondered just how much ‘they’ saved by taking away the hydraulic wing fold system , physically removing the captions, removing the bulb and replacing with, SPARE. Somebody must know. The final paradox was that the Flight Reference Cards only required a check for ‘ wings spread and locked’ on INAS aircraft with the sole purpose of recognising that the INAS could not be aligned with the wings up.
When the Phantom was first procured, it came with hydraulic wingfold, albeit operated from a switch in the left wheel well (whereas the F4J-the model the RAF Phantoms was based on, had it in the back cockpit I think) so all the F4K's had it and all the F4M's upto I think XV410, with an indicator on the CWP panel. It was decided that the RAF Phantoms didn't need to have a hydraulically operated one as the hangers had plenty of room to store a squadrons worth of aircraft, so at extra cost per aeroplane it was removed and replaced with a mechanical one which had the wingfold flag that arose from the wing (and was painted the same colour as the wing around it - which was changed to dayglow orange after the accident) and then a square slot to operate the wingfold lock, so there was no indication in the cockpit. Then as it happened the wingfold locking lugs had to be inspected on a regular basis, so if the hydraulics had not been removed this may never have happened
@@avpinstarter The so called green 28 pounders were actually 14kg and slimmer and longer than the old blue 28's. There had to be spacers on the ERU jaws to accomodate the difference in size diameter. I think the smoke filling was a different compound to the old 28's. I'm not sure but I think the old blue 28's became obsolete sometime in the 80's and were replaced by the 14kg. I left 12Sqn in 1981 and didn't see another PB until 1987 when I was posted to 208Sqn and they were the green 14kg.
Forgot to say that the green bombs had a designation blue band around the tail end to denote it was a practice bomb and didn't contain high explosive. If the band was yellow then it would contian HE.
Not surprising things went tits--up: you've got a load of actors trying to run things. Trevor Eve with a suspiciously non-regulation haircut & Michael Sheard pre-Grange Hill (plus, other familiar faces).
Is a look back at the role that the American-built McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom played within the RAF during the cold war. Widely regarded as the most successful fighter plane in history, the Phantom entered service with the RAF and Royal Navy in April 1968, as a replacement for the ageing BAC Lightning, following years of distinguished service in the Vietnam war. This title comprises three films: 'Phantom Pilot' (1973) follows the trainee pilots as they progress from basic Chipmunk trainers to become fully qualified Phantom pilots; 'Oversight' (1976) is a training film based on a true story, demonstrating how, through a series of errors, the RAF lost a Phantom; finally, 'Low Flying Training' (1971) follows the training given to navigators to allow them to fly 'under the radar'. It is still availale from Amazon I believe
@@bac1111967 The Phantom FGR 2 was bought to replace the Hunter (and Canberra) in the Tactical Fighter / Strike / Reconnaissance role. The Phantoms in this film from 41 Squadron being equipped primarily to do the later. The only pure Air Defence Squadron in the RAF using Phantoms in the 1960's and early 1970's were 43 Squadron who were equipped with Phantom FG1's originally ordered for the Royal Navy, who then decided to not take 20 of them when the planned refit of HMS Eagle that would allow it to operate the aircraft was cancelled. The Phantom only started replacing the Lightning in the air defence role in 1975, when the Sepecat Jaguar had started to replaced the Phantom in its original RAF role.
Around 4:50. Great to see all that engine pollution in light of today's climate change. For the defense of your grandkids or something....and now turns out they'll all be long dead, starving and shriveling up from drought. How ironic, life on earth hahaha. Let's burn it all.
climate change is a myth if you follow the science. Great barrier reef was dying according to climate experts - its grown by 63% this year alone so who is the bullshittersspinning this crap?
Yeah, been hearing this climate change crap since the 70s... New York, Washington, Florida and most of the East Coast of the US should have been underwater years ago because of all the " melting ' icebergs. Go peddle your eco-disaster crap elsewhere.
The British Spey-powered Phantoms had more powerful engines than their J-79 powered counterparts, yet were not faster than these. Did they have superior climb and acceleration?
J79 was better at higher altitude above 35,000 feet and better climb and speed. Spey produced more thrust than J79 and was better lower altitude than J79. Both are good jet engines.
The British Spey-powered Phantoms had more powerful engines than their J-79 powered counterparts, yet were not faster than these. Did they have superior climb and acceleration?
Long story short they had better performance at low altitude but weren't as hot up high. The added thrust of the Spey was required for safe operation from the Ark Royal and Eagle (though Eagle never got the mods required to deploy them). Fitting the Spey resulted in a redesign of the aft fuselage and this resulted in increased drag, hence more thrust but slower...
@@FallenPhoenix86 OK I undertand but wasn't the superior climb, acceleration, and sustained turning performance of the Spey Variant (coupled with much less smoke), much more important in practice than sheer speed?
@@pascalchauvet7625 Yes and no, the overall speed advantage was fairly marginal even at high alt but acceleration is radically different and more pronounced the higher you go. If I remember right from about 15,000 ft down the Spey powered F-4's were superior across the envelope, however J-79 powered were increasingly superior from 15,000 ft up. The RAF operated a single squadron of ex-USN F-4J's and most of the guys that flew both preferred the J model. If it hadn't been for the need to operate from our smaller carriers I doubt we'd have bothered re-engining them.