What was the story behind this picture?

[HP42]

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/408138784952891025/

I'm assuming the picture will load without an Pinterest account. What's the story behind this then? I'm guessing the picture is real although my hunch is the guys were expecting it and it was staged. When was it? It must have been before 2006 (it's on a printed document I know was printed in 2006) though judging by the Landrover, portacabin, black and white image, plus grey underside cammo on the Hercules, my guess is early 1980s.

[PLC1966]

Taken at RAF Port Stanley, BFPO 666.

MPA opened 1985 so would place this 83/84.

Seem to remember Albert Airlines coming in as low as possible, and the guys standing up on top of the ISO as a bit of a dare.

[Jennings Heilig]

Definitely staged. The Herk is a good 30' above the top of the containers.

[Black Knight]

Its two negatives, exposed on one sheet of photo paper.

[Duncan B]

Even before I saw the comments my first redaction was "Port Stanley". It would not surprise me if this was genuine, there were lots of bored people down there that led to all sorts of "high spirits" before MPA opened and service life (i.e. discipline) returned to normal.

Duncan B

[Aeronut]

Remember the RAF Herc fleet was cleared for the airdrop system called Ultra Low Level Airdrop (ULLA or LAPES if you're American) which required flying at a height of "10 feet plus or minus 5 feet". This of course resulted in low level beat ups like the photo, justified on the grounds of 'ULLA training'. The powers that be clamped down and kept just one crew current on the technique at JATE until this crew managed to kill their DZ recovery RCT driver who was stood on the top of his crane's cab, whilst conducting 'ULLA training'. The result was ULLA was removed from the inventory and all DZ inspection runs were now conducted 'Not below 250 feet'.

[tonyot]

When I was based at Brize one of my mates at JATE who was an Air Dispatcher invited me to observe a drop of Landrovers in MSP`s, which was filmed by one of Boscombe`s yellow Harvards (brilliant experience!). Afer the drop the Herk went down for a low level (very low level!) pass over the de rigging crew on the DZ who were removing the parachutes from the Landies and the lads on the ground were all stood up on the MSP`s (Medium Stressed Platform- a type of framework basically,..which can hold 2 x Landrovers) as a dare! It was like playing skittles to see how many blokes jumped down! Apparently it was a regular thing and we were all stood on the edge of the cargo door waving and shouting at them as we passed overhead!

A year or so later one of the Herks hit a bloke on the head with its cargo door,....with obvious results! Everybody on the cargo door was covered in blood and that is when the crew realised something had gone wrong.

Cheers

Tony

[Aeronut]

Tonyot.

I did 16 years at Boscombe Down testing Airdrop systems and I aquired a fair bit of historical stuff as a result (one reason you'll find me banging on about Airborne Forces stuff when it crops up). I used to love the low pass over the DZ after a drop and I have a photo of the Larkhill DZ from the ramp of the Herc where you can count the Buttercups!

BTW I was on the JATE apron at Brize when the JATE crew came back after their accident, I knew the crew and the chap who was killed - there but for the grace of God.......

[Paramedic]

Remember the RAF Herc fleet was cleared for the airdrop system called Ultra Low Level Airdrop (ULLA or LAPES if you're American) which required flying at a height of "10 feet plus or minus 5 feet". This of course resulted in low level beat ups like the photo, justified on the grounds of 'ULLA training'. The powers that be clamped down and kept just one crew current on the technique at JATE until this crew managed to kill their DZ recovery RCT driver who was stood on the top of his crane's cab, whilst conducting 'ULLA training'. The result was ULLA was removed from the inventory and all DZ inspection runs were now conducted 'Not below 250 feet'.

We had some fuzz the other year, here in Sweden when a Herc-pilot made this "honour pass" after a couple of drops at Flugebyn, Karlsborg... Media caught up (it has been done before) and this time I think the pilt´s head rolled...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DOSRubXJHQo

[dambuster]

Even before I saw the comments my first redaction was "Port Stanley". It would not surprise me if this was genuine, there were lots of bored people down there that led to all sorts of "high spirits" before MPA opened and service life (i.e. discipline) returned to normal.

Duncan B

Don't ever remember being bored..... knackered, yes a lot of the time, but bored - never.... too many distractions and not all of them home-grown.

Peter

[andy wood]

Remember that very well. This occurred at South Cerney and the pilot was tried in a civil court (IIRC). He was found not guilty

[mumbles]

Definitely staged. The Herk is a good 30' above the top of the containers.

Its two negatives, exposed on one sheet of photo paper.

Seen it before and inclined to agree for a few reasons, some more subtle than others. The prop blur vs the freeze frame of the people for one. Four blader Hercs (and P-3's for that matter) need fairly slow shutter speeds (1/250 or less) to get decent prop blur in photos. This doesn't square with the clarity of the rest of the ground based elements in the image - either they or the Herc should be a lot blurrier than they are (depending on which element the photographer was supposed to have been tracking and framing.

There are other things "wrong" but having taken a few photos of airborne C-130's in my time that one jumped right out at me when I first saw it.

Edited September 3, 2014 by mumbles

[tonyot]

Tonyot.

I did 16 years at Boscombe Down testing Airdrop systems and I aquired a fair bit of historical stuff as a result (one reason you'll find me banging on about Airborne Forces stuff when it crops up). I used to love the low pass over the DZ after a drop and I have a photo of the Larkhill DZ from the ramp of the Herc where you can count the Buttercups!

BTW I was on the JATE apron at Brize when the JATE crew came back after their accident, I knew the crew and the chap who was killed - there but for the grace of God.......

Too True,.......there but for the grace of God indeed! Was the pilot involved the one with the handlebar moustache,.....if so I thought that he was a great bloke, but my condolences to the poor lad who was killed and his friends and family.

During my sortie the Harvard came up so close to the rear ramp after the drop that I`m sure I could have jumped onto the wing and I could even read the patches on the pilots shoulders!! The sound of those Harvard props going supersonic even drowned out the Herk!

Happy days at Brize (244 (AS) Sig Sqn),....my best posting by far, until we were disbanded during Options For Change!

Cheers

Tony

EDIT- Personally I think that the photo is original,............not a fake.

Edited September 3, 2014 by tonyot

[HP42]

Real/fake,staged...? Not sure but suspect the latter. There appears to be an aerial or similar that disappears into the underside of the Herc near the tail which is a bit odd. Also, why is the man waving his fist at the guys on the roof and not the Herc? The chap bent double on the left is more of a natural reaction. The chap flopping on the container looks like he could be overacting, surely you'd drop/squat like the guy on the far right, rather than do a 'Man from Atlantis' impersonation?

Inclined to think it's real rather than camera trickery but wouldn't be surprised either way. I think it predates photoshop so it's possibly the two negs trick. If it turns out to be real then I think it was probably staged. Still a good picture whatever the history, and thanks for the discussion, there's always somebody on here who knows stuff!