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Twenty Four the Magazine of 24 Sqn Association

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Twenty Four the Magazine of 24 Sqn Association Twenty Four The Magazine of 24 Sqn Association Issue 4 Summer 1997 Contents Page No ne of the main organising lunch, guided tours of advantages of ReUnions Air Traffic, Fire Department and Editorial 1 with Squadrons that have static display aircraft are required The '96 Reunion 1 not been disbanded is skills for Squadron executives that there is always something nowadays. Those members who Hastings Part 2 2 fresh to talk about and this year took the opportunity to look over proved no exception. Friday New Angles 3 the static aircraft would have evenings before the AGM are seen one of the few around Memory Banks 4 starting to take on an agenda all modified for Special Forces of their own, this year being no operations. The aircraft have Keeping in Touch 7 exception in what is hoped to be chaff dispensing and infrared A Good Read 8 a permanent feature. One of the jammer countermeasures fitted, added bonuses is that some of the along with a night vision lighting Snippets 9 ice is quickly broken for the system. newcomers to the Association 24 Squadron Update 11 who can relax in the comfortable Improvements have been made Late News 15 surroundings of the Hilton bar. to the fabric of the Squadron A few new faces did make it and building and redecoration inside quickly joined in with the flying has spruced the place up. The Editor speak that has not gone out of presentation after the AGM by David Burgin fashion over the years. Those Rob Bailey, now becoming an Association President who had made longer journeys old hand at this sort of thing, was AVM John Tetley found the benefits of the freshly a super slick affair using a Association Committee turned down sheets not many computer generated slide slow Richard Bates - Chairman steps away a welcome reward that knitted together essential Pincher Martin - Dep. Chair after the friendly atmosphere facts about Twenty Four with Keith Rayner - Treasurer actual pictures of operations and David Burgin - Secretary The ‘96 ReUnion detachments. Squadron Liaison The Squadron is currently downstairs. W/C Rob Bailey involved with Operation Jural/ Warden in Iraq which involves F/L Frank Taylor SATURDAY THE 9TH OF assisting and maintaining the No OCTOBER had the weather in Fly Zones along with keeping our favour once again, a date set supplies rolling in. A second without the advice of the Met operation now called Resolute Twenty Four is the Newsletter of man by the way. A fresh team of 24 Squadron Association and but previously Operation Deny issued once a year to all helpers was in attendance during Christmas!, is centred around members. the day this year to welcome Bosnia and again involves Association members and guests. resupply missions and calibration Contributions to Assoc. Sec at :- This is as a result of operational of the airfield aids. Most of the commitments, redundancies and 15 Birch Grove flights are direct flights between CHIPPENHAM an unusually large aircrew UK, Germany and Split and Wilts SN15 1DD turnover since we last met. include re-rolling the aircraft into Being host, presentations (more the Casualty Evacuation of below), mini bus driving, (CASEVAC) mode for those Page 2 Issue 4 Twenty Four occasions it proves necessary. Elison AFB. resources to far. Such is the scale of this operation that it accounts for around 50% Only one longish detachment What bigger cost saving than a 2 of the total flying hours still exists for the crews, that is man flight deck instead of 4. performed in any one month. 1312 Flight based in the The introduction of the C130J Faukland Islands for a rotation moves ever closer, now Operation Banner, which has period of 7/8 weeks. The air to scheduled to be with 24 in now been running for many air refuelling tasks covered in the November 1997. It will mean years, supports the peace keeping past have given way to just that some crews will be detached role in Northern Ireland with Maritime Patrol missions over to the States for the initial both men, munitions and other the waters of the South Atlantic. training to type. A new logistic supplies. Other overseas opportunity has appeared for flights to more exotic locations Supporting the Red Arrows is some of these 'surplus' personnel are now a bit of a rarity. still a job not to be given to rival with an Aircrew background to squadrons for no good reason staff the Operations Support The tasks masters at and that reason is that they still Branch. This will function in a Headquarters are loading up the fly off to Travel Agent similar manner to a Civilian Squadron to a figure of 103%, destinations. This year it was in Airline Despatch organisation which when most of the trips are the role as Commonwealth and make full use of their short haul flights, makes for a representatives to South Africa background and skills. punishing routine for the crews. and Australia that 24 dutifully trailed along with spare drums of The Ladies Guest night which What appeared on the planning red and blue smoke. Such combines the Squadron and sheets as a glimmer of light relief devotion to duty should not go Association members was once in the guise of Exercise Purple unrewarded. again a huge success. It is the Star proved to more arduous for cosy atmosphere of the Mess a number of factors. It was The last of the current roles, ante-room which sets the scene based at Marine Corps Air whilst on the subject of before we move through into a Station Cherry Point on the formation flying is the C130's dining room resplendent with Eastern seaboard of the States very own Green Barrows. If you Lyneham's own Silver Band. A and involved mainly night flying think the word wheel should veteran of WW 2 would have sorties to drop paratroops, a sort appear between green and mistaken the red and black of mini D-Day. Lyneham sent barrow, then you are on the right objects attached to each chair as around 650 personnel which track. Yes its Lynehams own 5 something similar to a friendly included 34 Hercules crews. A ship display team that has barrage balloon zone, made all tornado (the wind, not the performed at all the major the more realistic by the sound of aircraft) struck the region during pageants recently, central the exploding flower displays the exercise, which made it a London is almost an extension of going off at random intervals memorable occasions for not the local visual circuit. during the evening. quite the right reasons. What of the future? Well Service commitments once again Without pausing to catch breath, privatisation is not only confined left a number of these sought the Squadron detachment moved to public utilities but is ever after seats empty but over 100 straight into Exercise Distant present at a military base near managed without too much Frontier. Its purpose was to test you, in fact Lyneham in this trouble to have a superb night aircraft and crews to the particular case. There is a real out. A few moment were taken extremes of temperature found in concern among the personnel at out of the evening to reflect on Alaska. The contrast could not the base that a loss of services Major L G Hawker, VC, DSO have been greater than the high and facilities due to be who lost his life around this time humidity and heat at Cherry introduced as cost saving of the year in 1916 and all those Point to the sub zero climate of measures could stretch the on the Pisa aircraft in more Twenty Four Issue 4 Page 3 Flying Machines of 24 - Hastings Pt 2 Plainfare" - the Air Lift. In the absence of any more Hastings tales, we will have to leave this ISSUE 3 OF TWENTY FOUR Cyprus because of the particular type and move onto left the Hastings saga at introduction of Beverlys to 47 the next in reverse order of Abingdon in 1953 with the Squadron. Towards the end of ownership, namely the York. Squadron landing Hastings TG the year some of the Hastings Do send in your contributions 559 in a spectacular fashion not were prepared for war and joined about another grand old queen of to be found in PiIots Notes. an armada of RAF aircraft types the skies which should appear based at airfields in Cyprus and over the horizon in Issue 5 of 1954 was fortunately less Malta. This was the infamous Twenty Four. exciting, the only mishap was to Suez Crisis, Operation WD 482, a Radar Research Musketeer. Some of you may New Angles Establishment aircraft as it recall the colour scheme painted landed at Delford. The pilot for this operation, black and selected 'undercarriage up' yellow stripes on the wing and instead of 'flaps up' during the fuselage. SOUTH AFRICANS IN RAF final stages of the landing run SQUADRON reads the article in with the result that the port The Suez Campaign fell into the Cape Times of the 3 July undercarriage collapsed and the three distinct phases over a five 1948. "Six enthusiastic young aircraft swung off the runway. day period, commencing on South African fliers, all hand October 31 with the destruction picked men, are helping to build An accident which killed two of the Egyptian Air Force, then one of the world's crack air and injured two that may have attacks on military targets and transport squadrons now been prevented occurred the next finally the dropping of operating in Britain." year on the 29th of March to WD paratroops to occupy key targets.
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