82 FLYPAST May 2018
1918 2018‘Delta’ fit that was carried on
Quick Reaction Alert scrambles.
It was decided that a top-up
would provide an extra margin
of comfort, so a VC10 tanker
was to meet us just after we
crossed the finish line.
Climbing out to the north our
modest ground speed gave a
clear indication of the strength
of the wind. We flew on as far as
the Orkney Islands to ensure we
would be pointing the right way
by the time we crossed the start
line.
Navigation was solely by radar
and other aids after the ground
was obscured beneath thick
cloud. Things began to happen
rapidly as we turned downwind
at 35,000ft (10,668m) right in
the heart of the jet stream to pass
over John o’ Groats at 10:11 and
38 seconds Greenwich Mean
Time.MACH 0.95
Shortly afterwards we flew over
the tactical air navigation beacon
at Wick; timing the range as it
provided a good indication of our
ground speed, which was calculated
as 760mph as we went abeam
Edinburgh.
Here I must digress to explain that
supersonic flight is not permitted
over the UK or close to the coast.
This is to prevent alarm to the
population or damage to property
from the pressure waves that cause
the sonic ‘boom’.
As sound travels more quickly
through denser media, its speedreduces as atmospheric pressure
decreases with increasing height.
In round terms the speed of sound,
otherwise referred to as Mach 1.0, is
760mph at sea level and 660mph at
30,000ft.
Although the aircraft was flying at
only Mach 0.95 (95% of the speed
of sound), meaning that it was not
causing supersonic pressure waves,
the additional boost from the wind
meant that it was exceeding the
speed of sound across the ground.SUPERSONIC BOOST
As we approached Dumfries and
Galloway XV582 achieved its
5,000th flight hour and the cloud
cleared to give us a spectacular viewof the coast on both sides of the
Irish Sea. The Isle of Man began
to disappear under the nose and
Anglesey lay ahead, just to the
left as the controller at Scottish
Military Radar called to hand us
off to London Military Radar
(London Mil), telling us we were
on schedule and wishing us good
luck.
The sense of goodwill we
received from everyone involved
was palpable. As soon as we
checked in on the radio with
London Mil the controller
confirmed the Cardigan Bay
missile range was inactive, and we
were clear to transit through it.The last fl ight by a 43 Squadron Phantom
took place on July 27, 1989. The unit
disbanded for a short while before re-
forming with Tornado F.3s. All the Phantoms
were transferred to 111 Squadron, which was
also based at Leuchars.
Record-breaker XV582 was among those to
move to 111 where it was coded ‘M’ and was
soon selected to be painted overall black
to commemorate that squadron’s former
aerobatic team ‘The Black Arrows’.
Popularly known as ‘Black Mike’, XV582
appeared at several airshows in 1989 and
1990 and its popularity helped it to escape the scrapyard. It was bought privately in 2013 and was due to relocate to Bruntingthorpe, Leics.
However, the RAF requested its loan for display at Cosford during the celebration of the RAF centenary this year and it moved by road to the
Shropshire airfi eld on October 25, 2017. ‘Black Mike’ should take centre stage for the 2018 Cosford Air Show.
During the preparation of this article, the author discovered a few unsold fi rst day covers. These have been donated to the British Phantom
Aviation Group with any funds raised to be used to support ‘Black Mike’. https://en-gb.facebook.com/BPAGoffi cial‘FOXTROT’ BECOMES ‘BLACK MIKE’
‘Black Mike’, XV582, in 111 Squadron colours at Leuchars in 2016. PHILIP MOOREQuick Reaction Alert scrambles.the heart of the jet stream to passreduces as atmospheric pressure
decreases with increasing height.of the coast on both sides of the
Irish Sea. The Isle of Man began
to disappear under the nose and
Anglesey lay ahead, just to the
left as the controller at Scottish
Military Radar called to hand us Military Radar called to hand us
off to London Military Radar
(London Mil), telling us we were
on schedule and wishing us good
luck.received from everyone involved
was palpable. As soon as we
checked in on the radio with
London Mil the controller
confirmed the Cardigan Bay
missile range was inactive, and we
were clear to transit through it.Right
The data sheet from
the Royal Aero Club.
VIA AUTHOR