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[78bex]

or if this sorry looking old Shackelton is still there?

https://youtu.be/yUgxEpxnlWc?t=2m11s

[Kevin Wood]

Sounds like drag racing. Santa Pod or somewhere?

[biggriffin]

Sounds like drag racing. Santa Pod or somewhere?

Not the pod. That's the remnants of an air museum,use that description loosely.

[SteveAvfc.]

Interesting find. Had a chuckle when the lad is playing with the switches did he think it would fire into life then. 

[the alarming man]

there was (when it was open) a few old planes parked (looking like what you have pictured) up over behind the spitfire museum. since its closing all old plane have been moved!

[redelitev6]

  Now that is what you call a restoration project !

[Shackeng]

According to my records it first flew 6-3-58, and after Service with several Squadrons, it was sold to Jet Aviation Preservation Group, Long Marston, in 1988. I brought this A/C back, from RAF Ballykelly to RAF Kinloss, with a cracked main spar, flying low level up the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness, on 20th February 1968

[biggriffin]

According to my records it first flew 6-3-58, and after Service with several Squadrons, it was sold to Jet Aviation Preservation Group, Long Marston, in 1988. I brought this A/C back, from RAF Ballykelly to RAF Kinloss, with a cracked main spar, flying low level up the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness, on 20th February 1968

Doesn't look very well preserved to me

[kevinp58]

Long Marston Shakespeare raceway 

[78bex]

According to my records it first flew 6-3-58, and after Service with several Squadrons, it was sold to Jet Aviation Preservation Group, Long Marston, in 1988. I brought this A/C back, from RAF Ballykelly to RAF Kinloss, with a cracked main spar, flying low level up the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness, on 20th February 1968

Only 10 years  service, but a cold war warrior 
 what was it like trying to kip with a nuke on-board 

[05omegav6]

Er, I make that 30 years... Were they used for Nuke work? Thought it was a sub hunter/destroyer

[LC0112G]

Er, I make that 30 years... Were they used for Nuke work? Thought it was a sub hunter/destroyer

Back in the day it wasn't just nuclear "bombs" - there were also nuclear depth charges and even nuclear air to air missiles.

[78bex]

Er, I make that 30 years... Were they used for Nuke work? Thought it was a sub hunter/destroyer

I assummed her operational flying days were over after 10 years  with the cracked main spar making her BER.

[Shackeng]

Er, I make that 30 years... Were they used for Nuke work? Thought it was a sub hunter/destroyer

I assummed her operational flying days were over after 10 years  with the cracked main spar making her BER.

I can't remember what happened to it after I brought it back from BK, but I took it for its last flight from Kinloss to No1 S. of T.T. RAF Cosford on the 25-9-70. So it was used for ground training for some time after that. The Mk 3's were all finished shortly after that due to the end of their fatigue life. They had been gradually getting heavier and heavier, with deteriorating C of G issues, and even though they strapped 2 Vipers under the outboard engines in the early '60s, operating for example in Sharjah as we did for a while, it was necessary to keep one of the Vipers running after take-off to remain safely airborne at the weights we had to operate at. Unsurprisingly, we lost several Mk 3's complete with crews in the 60's.

Kipping with nukes on board? Yes we did ocsnly carry the nuclear depth bombs, but forget kipping, despite the bunks. I only ever remember them being used once when airborne, and that was out of Ascension to Cape Town with 3 pilots on board. Unfortunately, the Sgt pilot who tried to use it after a heavy night in Ascension, having been told by our CO who was flying with our crew that he - the Sgt - could have the sector off, was rudely awoken shortly after take-off, and told that he could fly the sector after all, the CO had also had a heavy night. Oh how we chortled. Having said that, the bunks were well aft of my station, so I am sure that some of the AE crew made use of them sometimes. But with only one F/E I had to do the whole trip at my panel, fortunately the longest one I did was 17 hours on a MK.2, but the Mk 1.s & 2's did up to 24 hours, still with only 2 pilots, 1 Eng, 2 Navs and 5 AE's.

[r1]

that is ugly!