Radschool Association Magazine

Radschool Association Magazine - Vol 12

Next reunion 25-27 April 2003

31 Oct 2002

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We had this photo in our last issue, and asked if anyone had any info on it. Unbelievably as it may sound, while at the 38Sqn “do” at Amberley in late August, we ran into Peter Franks who told us he knew a bit about the photo because he was flying the aeroplane. Peter wrote to us and said:- firstly, the photograph in Vol 11 is printed in reverse, (it’s correct here) the hangars should appear on the left of the picture. - the photo was taken in 1978, either 23rd or 24th May 1978. I was the pilot and the nav. was probably Greg "Boggie" Smith (then Plt Off, now a Wg Cdr). There is a possibility that the nav. was John Riches, as my log book isn't altogether clear on this. - Yes, the picture is "ridge" and was taken at Biak in Irian Jaya, during photo survey operations.

Try sticking your head out the window of a normal aeroplane ... it'd blow off.

The hangars in the picture were unused (and had been for some time when the survey operation commenced). We occupied 2 or 3 of them to house 2 Canberras plus photo survey stuff, and admin/support etc. - the "track" the Canberra is flying over between the hangars and the scrub was, in fact, a taxiway from the runway to the hangars we were using - a little irregular because of long disuse before we got there. - the speed of the Canberra was probably about 350 to 360 knots (the IAS limit with the wing tip tanks on was 365 knots). - the picture was published in the book about 2 squadron: "Highest Traditions" by John Bennett - ex Canberra Navigator. The photograph was supplied to John by Rick Owen (now Gp Capt), another "old" Canberra Navigator, but a "boggie" at the time. The original photograph and some copies were only made generally available in January 1980, when I left the RAAF - there had been a limited availability before that - I didn't even see a copy until I left! I'm told a copy can be seen at the RAAF Museum at Pt. Cook. - I don't do beat-ups like that any more - too old (!!) and sensible (??) now. I hope this is helpful. Best Regards.

Thanks Peter, and this is Peter when he was flying Caribous in 1969. But we have a question... “If a young bloke does a beat up in his own $10,000 car they call him a hoon, but if he does it in the Gov’t’s $50M aeroplane everyone thinks it’s great-why’s that??

Apology

A few issues ago we ran a photo of Alec Young who we said was the leader of the ill-fated RAAF aerobatic team of Vampires that crashed near Sale. John Griffiths wrote in to say:- "I think you were given the wrong information about Alec Young. He was not the leader of the team and I know his wife would be upset to hear that, as it was reasonably supposed that for whatever reason the leader led the others into the groundand evidence at the time suggested that Alec had realised the danger and had started to pull out but did not make it"

Thanks John for setting us straight - and we unreservedly to Mrs Young if she saw and was upset by our previous article.

We had this photo of Brat-Land in Vol 11, but we didn't see the brat up the tree and it was only recently that someone brought it to our attention... Can anyone put a name to the climber, and what he was doing...

If you go to www.precision-time.com you can download a little program that will log onto the atomic clock in the US and synchronize your computer’s clock and keep it 100% accurate - and it's free.....

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