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ENCOUNTERS

T

he squawk box in the Quick

Reaction Alert (QRA) shed crackled.

I jumped out of my chair as I knew

what was coming next, but was

surprised by the alarmed shout: “Leuchars,

this is Buchan, alert two Lightnings and as

many more as you can generate. We have

80 contacts rounding the Norwegian North

Cape.” 

Within  ve minutes I was airborne,

heading north. The other aircraft had only

recently landed from a scramble and, with

Flying Officer Graham Clarke at the controls,

followed ten minutes later, along with a tanker.

For the next three hours I did not need radar

to see the Soviet aircraft. At one point I was

with a four-ship of Badgers when a shadow

went over the canopy. I looked up to see

another four-ship of the same type pass over

on a 90° crossing. There were many more

Bears and Badgers visible to the eye. At

one stage, I asked the radar controller for

directions to the tanker, and he replied that

he didn’t know because there were more

than 40 contacts on the same heading in my

immediate area. In all, I made ten intercepts

and saw another 30 to 50 aircraft.

Fast jet pilot Steve Gyles had an eventful 25-year career in the

RAF that included fl ying the Lightning, Phantom and Tornado GR1.

42 Aviation News incorporating Jets January 2018

RAF 100th ANNIVERSARY

42-47_raf_close_encountersDC.mfDC.mf.mfDC.mf.indd 42 30/11/2017 13:40