Aviation News — September 2017

was later reduced to nine [after it was deemed

a second navigator was not required]. It

consisted of two pilots, two navigators and

a  ight engineer. Down the back, led by the

tactical co-ordinator (TACO), was a team of

 ve working the three tiny seven-inch radar

screen displays.”

The  ve originally comprised a controller

and two operators. A third was later

added, in addition to the TACO. The

‘off duty’ operator was responsible

for providing frequent hot drinks and

food. In 1981 the second navigator

was replaced with a radio operator.

“We pilots up front were in

comparative comfort with leather

upholstered seats and at least

a bit of a view,” explained David.

“Consequently, we were sometimes

referred to as ‘chauffeurs electronic’ by

the back-end of the crew when they

wanted to wind us up.

“It’s difficult to believe now that the

operators worked on three tiny screens in

this ergonomic slum, staring at their displays

trying to pick out moving targets in a raw

radar con guration, marking them with

chinagraph pencil. That’s how basic it was.”

The displays were stabilised, so north was

always to the top, but lacked any altitude

information at all.

David added: “I really do take my hat off to

those guys. They were fantastic. Bear in

mind too, the TACO’s team was often of

navigators and air electronics officers. Most

were not trained as  ghter controllers. Some

had troubles adjusting to the new role but,

once they got the knack, were damned good.

“With 10- to 12-hour sortie lengths, the men

down the back did a remarkable job operating

in their ‘black tents’. The tactical co-ordinators

had to regularly rotate their operators round.

Staring at the tiny screens you think you’re

doing a good job, but after 45 minutes you’re

missing lots of things, so the operators

regularly needed to be moved around.

“Even just changing screen from left-hand

to right-hand side of the aircraft was enough

to get your brain back into gear.

“Heating in the Shack’ was terrible. If

we up front were freezing cold, the

chaps in the tents were warm. When

we were warm, they were boiling

hot. We had cabin heaters that ran

on our Avgas, which seems distinctly

dangerous today.”

OPER ATIONS

For UK air defence exercises David

said the squadron worked with the

sector operations centres at Buchan

NE Scotland), Boulmer (NE England)

and Neatishead (Norfolk). “We would

get airborne to arrive at the due time

to set up a ‘barrier’,  ying an oval racetrack

pattern, 60, 80 or 100 miles off the coast to

look for intruders.”

Once in position, the pilots’ task was to

keep the aircraft optimally positioned so the

TACO and his operators could perform their

job effectively.

“Our optimal height for operations was in

the  ve to eight thousand feet bracket and gave

us between 80 and 110 miles to the horizon.”

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 31

Above right: This image shows the

Shackleton’s distinctive contrarotating

propellers, AN/APS-20F radar bulge and open

bomb bay, the latter is where the emergency

SAR equipment was installed. Peter R Foster

Below: Mission crews endured dark, cramped

and hot conditions in the AEW Shackleton.

Key Collection

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