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Rqal Australian Air Force '1950-Ig81 - I JOHNJKOBS' m-~ ~..AWAY I ... - ,. i . ., . , 1 I I ~&oirsof a Pilot in the i Rqal Australian Air Force '1950-ig81 - I JOHNJKOBS' ,. ,. -~ 1998 RAAF HERITAGEAWARDS UP AND AWAY MEMOIRS OF A PILOTW THE ROYALAUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE1950-1981 WAir Power Studies Centre Other titles in the series: Secret Action of 305 Smith & Coghlan Winner of the 1988 Heritage Award The RAAF Mirage Story Compiled by Wing Commander M.R. Susans Winner of the 1989 Heritage Award Alfesco Flight - The RAAF Antarctic Experience David Wilson Winner of the 1990 Heritage Award Edge of Centre - The eventful life of Group Captain GeraldPacker Chris Coulthard-Clark Winner of the 1991 Heritage Award Beaufghters Over New Guinea -No. 30 Squadron RAAF 1942-1943 George Turnball Dick Winner of the 1992 Heritage Award Defeat to Victory - No. 453 Squadron RAAF John Bennett Winner of the 1993 Heritage Award Not to be Shot at or Exported- An Airman's Letters Home 1942-1945 Leslie Howard Sullivan Winner of the 1994 Heritage Award Odd Jobs - RAAF Operations in Japan, The Berlin Airlifr, Korea, Malaya and Malta 1946-1960 Steve Eather Winner of the 1995 Heritage Award McNamara VC -A Hero's Dilemma Chris Coulthard-Ciark Winner of the 1996 Heritage Award Skylarks - The Lighter Side of Life in the RAAF in World War 11 Eric Brown Winner of the 1997 Heritage Award Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 1999 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without permission from AusInfo. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should he addressed to the Manager, Legislative Services, AusInfo, GPO Box 84, Canberra ACT 2601. Fist published in 1999 by: Air Pou er Studies Centre RAAF llase Fairbaim ACT 2600 Australia National Library of Australia Catalog~ling-in-Publicationentry Jacobs, John, 1928 -. Up and away: memoirs of a pilot in the Royal Australian Aii Force 1950-1981 ISBN 0 642 26523 8. 1. Australia. Royal Australian Air Force - Biography. 2. Air pilots, Military - Australia - Biography. I. Australia. Royal Australian Air Force. Air Power Studies Centre. 11. Title. (Series: Heritage series (Canberra A.C.T.)). When .John Jacobs enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force as a 22 year-old trainee pilot in 1950, the organisation was just emerging from a period of confusion and frustration. The RAAF's remarkable expansion and inspirational triumphs of the wartime years had been immediately followed by massive demobilisation and uncertainty, as from 1946 to 1949 the Air Force was officially placed on an 'Interim' footing while the government decided what kind of defence capability it would need in a vastly changed world. Military aviation itself was also experiencing a profound transition, as propelli:rs, piston-engines and subsonic flight were superseded by jet propulsion and flight til: the speed of sound, and aircraft started to fire missiles as well as guns. The Interim period may have been necessary, but it was a depressing time, and it left a great many experienced and talented people with little option other than to quit the: RAAF, an exodus which placed at risk the professionalism acquired at such grievous cost during the war. It was to be young men like Sergeant, eventually Air Commodore, Jacobs who helped ensure that the RAAF successfully navigated this most significant generational and technological transition. In doing so, they laid the foundations for today's Air Force as one of the world's best military flying organisations. Up andAway presents a thoughtful, informative and accessible memoir of that achievement, as seen through the eyes of one of the era's most respected pilots. Few contemporary authors have described so clearly and so well the experience of becoming a military flier, from basic to advanced training, and then onto operational fighters and bombers. The training loop, incidentally, was closed some years later when the by-then Squadron Leader Jacobs returned to the Central Flying School as its chief flying instructor, arguably the most important flying post in a peacetime air force. As CFI of CFS, John was known for his integrity and impartiality as he insisted on maintaining standards across the RAAF, regardless of the rank of his students. Other threads of this book include staff duties in various headquarters, close association with major RAAF identities (from which readers may, in some cases, infer intriguing conclusions), and entertaining accounts of overseas service, particularly in Malta, the United Statesand Southeast Asia. There is no more important thread, however, than that of the Jacobs family. Sewice people are generally posted every two or three years, and until the very recent past their families were expected simply to up stakes and follow, with little formal support, leaving behind their homes, schools, jobs, !iiends - indeed, a large part of their lives - without complaint, which they almost invariably did. John and Joyce Jacobs raised seven children under that system. Up and Away is as much a tribute to the cheerful spirit and stoicism of Air Force families as it is to a flying career. Despite the significance of the period which John's career spanned, few Air Force historians have given it their serious attention. This well-written, entertaining and informative memoir helps fill a large gap in the RAAF's recorded history. Alan Stephens RAM Historian Fairbairn January 1999 This story was originally an explanation to my children of the disrupted lifestyle they endured during their childhood. In those years they were too young to understand what )heir father did for a living or why the RAAF moved us so frequently on postings. Gradually the story was enlarged by the inclusion of more anecdotal material and recollection of significant events during those exciting and challenging years rollowing World War I1 when the RAAF enthusiastically entered the new era of operating turbo-jet and turbo-prop aircraft. There is neither a list of references nor a bibliography for this book. The story is simply a recollection of episodes, events and experiences of a typical RAAF pilot of those times, many details corroborated by my private records and a trunk full of accumulated memorabilia. The task could not have been completed with out the help and backing of numerous friends and acquaintances to whom I owe my grateful thanks: to Barry Weymouth and Geny Sebastian for the loan of photographs; to Trevor Simpson (Deception Bay, Queensland) for patiently guiding me into the field of word processing; to Alix and Russell Fortescue (Designer Training, Strathpine, Queensland) for their enthusiasm in assembling my first manuscript; to Lex McAulay (Banner Books) for his unsolicited but valued critique and recommendations; to my neighbour Michael Foster for his meticulous editing; and to my wife Joyce and several of my children for their encouragement and contributions. John A. Jacobs Canberra 1998 Foreword Auth01's Note vii Abbreviations xi ... Introduction The Why and the Wherefore Xlll Chapter 1 Trainee -Bottom Rung of the Ladder 1 Chapter 2 A Fighter Pilot (?) 15 Chapter 3 Willy-town 21 Chapter 4 Malta Days and Knights 27 Chapter 5 Desert Secrecy 63 Chapter 6 The Bombs Away Years 69 Chapter 7 Instructing - The Other End of the Stick 89 Chapter 8 Going West 93 Chapter 9 Schooldays at Sale 101 Chapter 10 The Dreaded Department 111 Chapter 11 Oklahoma, OK! 115 Chapter 12 Gippsland Homecoming 133 Chapter 13 A Student Again 141 Chapter 14 Departmental Blues 145 Chapter 15 Education at Edinburgh 149 Chapter 16 Staff College - The Other Side of the Desk 165 Chapter 17 A Directorship 169 Chapter l8 Buttenvorth - The Top Banana 177 Chapter 19 Finale 195 Index 207 AFB Air Force Base ACT Australian Capital Territory AFTS Applied Flying Training School AOC Air Officer Commanding AOP Air Observation Post ARDL' Aircraft Research and Development Unit ATU Air Trials Unit CAFIV[ Chief of Air Force Materiel CAS Chief of the Air Staff CFI Chief Flying Instructor CFS Central Flying School CO Commanding Officer DCAS Deputy Chief of the Air Staff DEFAIR Department of Defence -Air Force Office DEPAIR Department of Air DPC Department of Project Co-ordination DS Directing Staff FAA Federal Aviation Authority FTS Flying Training School HMS Her Majesty's Ship HQ Headquarters IADS Integrated Air Defence System LAC Leading Aiicraftman LEC Locally Employed Civilian LORAN Long-Range Aid to Navigation NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NCO Non-Commissioned Officer NST National Service Trainee Off~cerCommanding PMC President of the Mess Committee PX Post Exchange RAM Royal Australian Air Force RAF Royal Air Force RAN Royal Australian Navy RMAF Royal Malaysian Air Force RN Royal Navy RNZAF Royal New Zealand Air Force Rocket Projectiles Recruit Training Unit SNCO Senior Non-Commissioned Officer TACAN Tactical Aid to Navigation UK United Kingdom US United States U/S Unsewiceable USA United States of America USAF United States Air Force VHF Very High Frequency WRE Weapons Research Establishment xii INTRODUCTION The Why and the Wherefore Some years ago my sister-in-law Pat told me how she was convinced that her recovery from a bowel cancer operation was attributable to the power of prayer. When she asked me if I had known any spiritual experiences during my 30-year flying career I replied that on numerous occasions I was sure the hand of the Lord had saved me from a sticky situation. Indeed, I still have vivid memories of numerous flights which caused me some anxiety, to say the least, through my not being completely in control of the situation or through not being absolutely confident about handling an unexpected problem. Although my circumstances were quite different from Pat's, I could readily agree with her about the power of prayer.
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