TALKING TANGMERE SPRING 2021 Tangmere Military Aviation Editorial Comment Museum Trust Company Ltd Welcome everybody to the Spring 2021 edition of Talking Tangmere. Patron: The Duke of Richmond and Gordon Hon President: Air Marshal Sir Graham Miller At the time of writing there is an outside chance of KBE the Museum opening in May! Yippee! came the cry Hon Life Vice-Presidents from 150 volunteers. Mr Alan Bower Mrs Sheila Shepherd Because of the pandemic and lock-downs the last edition was almost a year ago in April 2020 and was Past Presidents published on the web site. Well, we are back to the presses this time around! Squadron Leader Neville Duke DSO OBE DFC** AFC FRAeS This edition of the magazine covers a wide range of Mr DuncanS impson OBECEng FRAeS subjects. From the tributes to the late Group Captain FIMechE David Baron OBE to Jack Froelich and his exploits with the United States Air Force. Council of Trustees Mr Dudley Hooley (Chairman) In between there is a look at the World Air Speed Mr David Coxon Record which, this year, will be commemorated with th Mr Roger Jones a special 75 Anniversary exhibition. We have, also an introduction to our new Deputy Director, Ed Mr David Smith BA (Hons) Smith and to Jack Froelich. Mr Phil Stokes Mrs Brenda Thompson Plenty of other stories to come as we, hopefully, conclude another national lock-down. 2020 was not Officers of the company the best year the Museum has had but the volunteers Hon Treasurer: Mr Francis De Beer stepped up to the plate, and ensured that visitors would still enjoy the Museum, even at ‘safe Hon Secretary: Mrs Joyce Warren distances’. Office of the director Director: Mr David Coxon As editor I hope is that you will enjoy this issue, as much as you have other editions of the magazine and Deputy Director: Mr Ed Smith I look forward to bringing out the next one - post-Covid-19! Director’s Management Team Curator: Mr Charles Hutcheon Mike Bennett Education: Mr Richard Thomas Engineering: Mr Phil Stokes Estate: vacant in the care of Talking Tangmere e- mail Charles Hutcheon [email protected] Operations: Mr Richard Janczur Publicity: Mr Mike Bennett/Mr Joe Marsden Simulators and Projects: Mr Pete Pitman Treasurer: Mr Francis de Beer Shop Management Mr Martin Brannigan Charity Commission Reg No: 299327. Company No: 2206865. Registered Office: Tangmere, near Chichester, WestS ussex PO20 2ES, England Telephone:0 1243 790090 Fax: 01243 789490 Engineers are working on the Spitfire Mk IX Website: www.tangmere-museum.org.uk simulator - look out for an opening date. The Honorary President’s Tale Men Plan, The Gods Laugh... My final tale for Talking Tangmere from the 1973 display season as Gemini 2 covers the ‘join-up loop’ mentioned briefly in the previous edition. In essence, we flew directly towards each other from opposite ends of the display line, simultaneously crossing and breaking away from the crowd at the display centre. It was then my task to be back in close line astern formation by the time we had completed the subsequent loop. Once we had figured out how to prevent the cross-break being both dangerous and looking bad it became simple and safe, but the story behind figuring it out will remain under wraps for a long time still to come. The join-up loop, on the other hand, was very straight forward, apart from the competing elements of gravity and the meagre thrust emanating from the Jet Provost’s Viper engine. Coming out of the break with the Leader a matter of tens of yards ahead of me, all I needed to do was close the gap then settle into line astern. The Leader even helped me by throttling back a little to give me at least an evens chance of catching him, and as he began to pull up into the loop gravity helped me even more by slowing him further, and that proved to be the problem. Throughout the pre-season work-up, as soon as the Leader began to pull up he appeared to rush backwards towards me, prompting me to throttle back just as I too began my ascent ‘up the hill’. Inevitably, and only fractions of a second later, I would regret throttling back and the Leader would reach the top of the loop still well ahead of me, whereupon gravity plus the Viper would accelerate him back down the hill leaving me trailing, embarrassed, in his slipstream. I would then need to call for him to give me more power which frustrated his attempts to set us up for the next manoeuvre. Exasperated, he eventually threatened to set my left arm in plaster to prevent me throttling back, urging me to ‘be brave’ at the vital moment just before he pulled up. There is a close correlation between bravery and stupidity, but on the next practice sortie I was determined to get the join-up loop right, or at least more right than hitherto. The initial manoeuvres had gone well and, quietly confident, I came out of the cross-break at a comfortable speed and at full power. Gritting my teeth I willed myself to ignore the on-rush of the Leaders jet pipe, although I did notice how quiet it suddenly became as the Leader sped rapidly backwards over the top of my cockpit and his entire aircraft disappeared from my view. Craning my head up and to the right I could just see the landing light on the nose of his aircraft appearing between the head boxes of the ejection seats – I had stabilised several yards ahead of and just below him. As he pulled up I followed, albeit from ahead, and tried very hard to slide backwards into the correct position. Despite hauling back on the throttle I reached the downward side of the loop still slightly ahead whereupon gravity began to accelerate me even further ahead. There I stayed, desperately uncomfortable and very conscious that the ground was getting ever closer though I dared not even glance at it. I was however mildly comforted by the knowledge that my Leader could neither see, nor was he aware of, the pickle I had got myself into. The next manoeuvre gave me the chance to get back to the right place and, as many might say, stop clowning around. Walking into the debrief the Team Manager, our supervisor and Boss who observed each practice with a gimlet eye, gave me a questioning look but said nothing. During the debrief, when we got to the join-up loop the Leader simply said how pleased he was that I had stopped complaining about needing more power so assumed the join-up had gone okay. I stole a glance towards the Manager, his face was completely passive, so I simply agreed. I learned a lot during the 1973 display season but, like life in general, mostly from things that did not quite work out the way I had expected. I never got airborne without a plan, albeit very one- The Gemini Team 1973 dimensional in the early part of my flying career, but if the old Gemini 2 - Fg Off ‘Dusty’ Miller (standing 2nd le�) adage bears even a grain of truth, I provided the Gods with many Gemini 1 - Flt Lt Bob Thomson (standing 2nd right) a chuckle and a few hearty belly-laughs along the way. Page 3 Group Captain David Baron OBE - Cold War Fighter Pilot It is with great sadness that theTangmereMilitary Aviation Museum announces the death of its Chairman, GroupCaptain David Baron OBE on 24 December 2020. Flt Lt Baron’sNo4FTSGnatinthebarrier at RAF Valley in 1966 followingb rake failure on landing Pilot Officer Baron receiveshis wings, at RAF SwinderbyinAugust 1962 In 1968/69 David underwent the first RAF conversion course on to the McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2atRAFConingsby, Lincolnshire. David’s flying career began when he joined the RAF He then spent the next three years as a pilot and as a young officer cadet in 1960. After being instructor in No 6, the RAF’s first Phantom commissioned as a pilot officerhe underwent pilot equippedsquadron. As the decade changed, David training on the piston-engined Provost T1 and the was posted as an instructor and flight examiner Vampire T11jet trainer. tothe Phantom Operational Conversion Unit and After operational conversiontraining on the Hawker on promotion to squadron leader in 1972 was Hunter jet fighter,he commenced his first posted onathree-year exchange tourtothe USAF operational tour in Aden, seeing action during the F4 Phantom Central Instructors’ School at Luke Radfancampaign withNo8Squadron. Air Force Base in Arizona. Fg Off Baron replaces the ejec�on seat safetypininhis No 8 Squadron Hunter a�er a sortie over the Radfan Returning to England in 1965 he completed the Central Flying School Course, following which he was postedtoRAF Valley, Angleseyforathree-year Group Captain Baron before his final tour instructing . Phantom flight in 1992 at RAF Akro�ri Page 4 David returned to the UK in 1975 and after A three-year tour at HQ British Forces Cyprus completing the RAF Staff College Course was followed as Assistant Chief of Staff, Operations. appointedtoatwo-year Air Staff tour after which David retired from the RAF in February 1996 he returned to flying asawing commander, the aftero ver 35 years in the service with 3,500 ‘boss’ of No 14 Squadron from June 1980 until fast-jet flying hours out of 4,200 total in his July 1983 operating the Jaguar GR1 in the strike/ log book. attack role at RAF Bruggen in Germany.