FlyPast 06.2018

70 FLYPAST June 2018

1918 2018

IAN BLACK DESCRIBES HOW AIRCREW MADE THE TRANSITION TO THE PHANTOM

• A TYPE HE DESCRIBES AS “THE CHOICE OF KINGS”

SCHOOLSCHOOL

I

t’s the late ‘70s and the Cold

War is below freezing... Having

graduated from officer training,

my next port of call is the Aviation

School of Medicine at North

Luffenham in Rutland. Much of

my time is spent sitting in high-

ceilinged classrooms learning all that

needs to be learnt on the physiology

of flight. Then there is the practical

instruction, which involves being

decompressed and ‘hypoxiated’ to

simulate oxygen failure and in-flight

emergencies.

Next, I head for Finningley,

Yorkshire, to start my navigator

conversion. At this stage, the ab

initio ‘nav’ has a plethora of types to

set his sights on: from multi-engined

Hercules and shiny VC-10s to the

delights of helicopters or the coveted

fast jet slots. Each has its advantages

and disadvantages.

Perhaps a posting near to home is

what ticks a box or alternatively, a

desire to see the world. Few types are

considered humdrum but for myself

only air defence (AD) will do.

The Phantom has been in service

for ten years plus and the transition

of the aircraft’s role from ground

BACK TO

Right

The author began

navigator trainer

sitting facing

backwards inside

a Dominie T.1 crew

trainer. KEY-DUNCAN

CUBITT

Right centre

Arrestor hook

deployed and gear

down, FGR.2 XV488

served briefl y with

228 OCU from 1978 to

1980. KEY COLLECTION

t’s the late ‘70s and the Cold

War is below freezing... Having

graduated from officer training,

my next port of call is the Aviation

School of Medicine at North

Luffenham in Rutland. Much of

my time is spent sitting in high-

ceilinged classrooms learning all that

needs to be learnt on the physiology

of flight. Then there is the practical

instruction, which involves being

decompressed and ‘hypoxiated’ to

simulate oxygen failure and in-flight

Next, I head for Finningley,

Yorkshire, to start my navigator

conversion. At this stage, the ab

initio ‘nav’ has a plethora of types to

set his sights on: from multi-engined

Hercules and shiny VC-10s to the

delights of helicopters or the coveted

fast jet slots. Each has its advantages

and disadvantages.

Perhaps a posting near to home is

what ticks a box or alternatively, a

desire to see the world. Few types are

considered humdrum but for myself

only air defence (AD) will do.

The Phantom has been in service

for ten years plus and the transition

of the aircraft’s role from ground

attack to AD is

complete.

All the

‘mud

moving’

and recce

squadrons

have gone and

now the mighty

F-4 is a true fighter

with a formidable punch –

eight air-to-air missiles, a

20mm SUU-23 Gatling

gun, a superb radar and

combat proven in Vietnam

and Israel. The Phantom is the

choice of kings.

LEARNING

BACKWARDS

To get to sit in the back of

this $10m fighter will mean

burning the midnight oil for

18 months and having an aptitude

for the three-dimensional AD world.

Yet more classrooms, with hour

upon hour of theory: lectures

on meteorology, navigation and

mathematics filling every day.

Combat survival training brings a

brief respite before the real work

I

t’s the late ‘70s and the Cold

Right

The author began

navigator trainer

sitting facing

backwards inside

a Dominie T.1 crew

KEY-DUNCAN

CUBITT

Arrestor hook

deployed and gear

t’s the late ‘70s and the Cold attack to AD is