goggsy Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 I was wondering if any ex RAF types or long term residents of Cumbria could give me a word to the wise? I lived on the northern edge of the English Lake DIstrict between the years of 1982 and 1991 and every day was a free air show. I saw just about every aircraft in the RAF inventory and quite a few US and other NATO types as well, but I can't for the life of me remember if I saw any Jet Provosts in this time. Given that the RAF used them until the early nineties it seems logical that I must have, but I can't recall a single instance of having done so. The Tucanos that replaced them are a regular sight over the lakes (and along with Hawks are just about the only thing to be seen nowadays) so presumably they are being used for the same type of training, so is anyone able to say whether I would have seen them or not? It seems a weird memory lapse for someone who is into aircraft. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Swindell Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Deffo down Ullswater on a regular basis. The free airshow is still running, but suspect yesterday's pause in the program might continue all day today (bit windy here!) Normal service resuming tomorrow.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 I remember seeing Jet Provosts flying level with the traffic on the M6 motorway at the northern edge of the Lakes while driving up towards Carlisle (there is a huge hill on the right hand side while travelling north and they were always flying alongside it following the valley), so they were definitely active in the area at low level. Happy days! Cheers Tony O 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich2010 Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Tony O, if you mean Tebay that is some place to see them fly. I saw a Chinook banked right over once, amazing sight. Not just Tucs and Hawks though Goggsy, a Tornado made me check myself on Thursday - V. Low & v. Noisy. Also see the odd F-15 too, different sound so are distinctive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted November 3, 2013 Author Share Posted November 3, 2013 Thanks for the replies folks, I must have a bit of false memory syndrome going on. I now live in the Eden valley alongside the Pennines about 20 miles from the lakes proper, and although we do still get the odd thing flying over it's nothing like the good old days. That said, I'm more or less on a direct flight path between Carlisle airport and Warcop ranges and NATO helicopters sometimes fly between the two; I've seen a few Dutch Apaches in transit (including one the other day) and saw a couple of Hercs and a Merlin in the last few weeks. On one memorable occasion a Hurricane flew over at about 1000' so I shouldn't complain too much. Funnily enough, there is also a JP in private hands based at Carlisle but I've yet to see it down as far as this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mozzy19 Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Thanks for the replies folks, I must have a bit of false memory syndrome going on. I now live in the Eden valley alongside the Pennines about 20 miles from the lakes proper, and although we do still get the odd thing flying over it's nothing like the good old days. That said, I'm more or less on a direct flight path between Carlisle airport and Warcop ranges and NATO helicopters sometimes fly between the two; I've seen a few Dutch Apaches in transit (including one the other day) and saw a couple of Hercs and a Merlin in the last few weeks. On one memorable occasion a Hurricane flew over at about 1000' so I shouldn't complain too much. Funnily enough, there is also a JP in private hands based at Carlisle but I've yet to see it down as far as this. If it's the JP I've seen at Carlisle Airport, it's hardly surprising you haven't seen it, it doesn't look like it could move a few feet on the ground let alone fly. Of course there may be another lurking in a hangar somewhere. Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted November 3, 2013 Author Share Posted November 3, 2013 I saw it doing circuits in the Lanercost area a couple of years ago but haven't seen it since to be honest, There is also one at the aviation museum there that is definitely a ground angel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritag Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Yep. I will have been there in in JPs in 1982/1983. At least I will have been trying to be there. I was probably lost and somewhere else without knowing it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shalako Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 a Tornado made me check myself on Thursday - V. Low & v. Noisy. That's the way we like them!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dambuster Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Yep. I will have been there in in JPs in 1982/1983. At least I will have been trying to be there. I was probably lost and somewhere else without knowing it. Way off topic but..... Yep - 'rescued' quite a few temporarily uncertain of positions around N. Yorks in 82-84 whilst with the flying prevention branch at Leeming. Although TBH the best/ worst was a solo civvy of the fairer gender on a navex from Leeds to Teeside who missed the A19 north turning on the outbound leg and was merrily heading out towards Whitby, and then managed to miss the left turn down the A1 on the way back and was heading out into the Yorkshie Dales below safety alt. Apparently when the Supervisor phoned the flying club she was using a road map to navigate with.... Remind me to tell you of all the JP studes who joined at Leeming thinking they were at Dishcloth.... Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritag Posted November 7, 2013 Share Posted November 7, 2013 Remind me to tell you of all the JP studes who joined at Leeming thinking they were at Dishcloth.... Peter Ummmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Were they different places? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I live alongside J21 of the M62 and we are always seeing aircraft at comparatively low level which are obviously following the motorway but best of all we had a Sea King AEW.2 hovering at 100ft or so with the crewman hanging out of the side trying to read the road sign,.....honestly!!! They were obviously not used to being this far `up north and wanted to see how many miles there were to go to reach Manchester on their way back home again to Cornwall,...lucky devils'! Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dambuster Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Were they different places? It you mean Leeming and Dishforth - yes. Both had similar runway layouts, both next to the A1, 10 miles apart, and often confused by students under a lot of pressure. Kept us amused in the Tower though... It helped in that Dishforth ATC was manned by Leeming controllers on two-week detachments so we all knew what the score was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 Were they different places? Sorry, it was meant tongue in cheek. I was a JP student at Linton and was always under pressure! I got back from my first solo low level navex feeling very pleased with myself to be met by the DI. Unfortunately Teeside ATC weren't so pleased with me...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritag Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 I was a JP student at Linton and was always under pressure! To this day I still break into a cold sweat if I see the words "the Lichfield Corridor". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dambuster Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 To this day I still break into a cold sweat if I see the words "the Lichfield Corridor". You should have seen it from where I was sitting!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royster Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 we had a Sea King AEW.2 hovering at 100ft or so with the crewman hanging out of the side trying to read the road sign,.....honestly!!! Yep been there! Back in the day the TANS was next to useless, unless one of the aircrewies had spent laborious hours programming the bloody thing. Following roads and reading signs was lower risk! Even funnier trying to read snow covered signs in Norway! Or orbiting to clear fog to read a sign! Them's the Junglie Rules! haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted November 17, 2013 Author Share Posted November 17, 2013 Thanks for the responses everyone, am I safe in assuming that any JPs that I saw in this periods would be T5s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 T3s and T5s. The Basic course at Linton and Church was done on the T3. There was some low level on the course but from Linton we never got as far as the Lake District. The sharp guys would then fly the 5 on the fast jet lead in which had much more low level training. Those of us whose abilities weren't quite in the same league did an extra course on the 3 before heading for bigger toys. The course had loads of solo low level so I used to plot a straight line to Windermere and fly around the lakes til I just had enough fuel to get back to Linton. Happy days! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) T3s and T5s. The Basic course at Linton and Church was done on the T3. There was some low level on the course but from Linton we never got as far as the Lake District. The sharp guys would then fly the 5 on the fast jet lead in which had much more low level training. Those of us whose abilities weren't quite in the same league did an extra course on the 3 before heading for bigger toys. The course had loads of solo low level so I used to plot a straight line to Windermere and fly around the lakes til I just had enough fuel to get back to Linton. Happy days! Sounds like fun. I used to watch aircraft from my school all the time and wish that I was up there doing that. Closest I ever got was chipmunk from 11AEF at Leeming when I was in the ATC. Edit: Bloody tablet auto correcting. 11 ADD? ACT? Edited December 7, 2013 by goggsy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goggsy Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 Further to my earlier comments about the jet provost at Carlisle airport, here is an article from the local paper: http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/features/people/carlisle-airport-a-pleasant-place-to-fly-your-jet-provost-1.735071?referrerPath=sport/cufc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feifeitim Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 The Lakes were a little too far to do as a round trip and get any useful training iirc. I remember going there a couple of times from Fenton but usually we would end up landing somewhere for fuel, Warton rings a bell on one occasion. Now in the Fin....... that was a different story!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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