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Post by capney on Nov 14, 2011 17:26:29 GMT
Avpin blow..
I hope my memories are correct with details of this next chapter as I was not with this Squadron, but shared the same flight line. RAF 60 Squadron at RAAF Butterworth were equipped with Gloster Javelin aircraft. The engine starters where themselves small turbine engines mounted in a nose nacelle in the front of each engine. The fuel used for this small turbine was called AVPIN Also known as Iso Propyl Nitrate (IPN) it is a monofuel that will burn without oxygen, and is highly volatile. When combustion takes place it produces Hydrocyanic Acid gas which is more than enough to make a grown man cry if you are unfortunate enough to be downwind of a flight line of Javelins during startup. These starter units could always be heard winding up from zero to 30,000 rpm plus as they engaged the main jet engine and started to spool the speed enough for the starter sequence to commence. Problem was, sometimes these little turbines over speeded and continuing into self destruct mode. Before this happens it was usual to see the ground crew legging, quickly followed by the flight crew it before the tell tale crump of the starter unit destroying itself and depositing shards of metal over a wide area could be heard. Frightening.
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Post by capney on Nov 14, 2011 17:27:40 GMT
Next Chapter...... Engine blow up on take off.
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Post by capney on Nov 14, 2011 17:31:30 GMT
I have just had a look through the notes I have for various memories left to write about. I reckon if I pad it out abit I`ve got a book here..!
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Post by capney on Nov 14, 2011 17:57:02 GMT
Engine failures...
Its 60 Squadron again. A javelin on take off run powering down the runway. A word on the configuration before I continue. The Javelin was equipped with two Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet engines mounted side by side within the fuselage. Now with these two engines at full power and hurtling down the runway is not a good time for one engine to fail. This was a major failure which then took out the second engine alongside it. A fireball followed and a full major emergency initiated. The flight crew managed to exit the aircraft before it came to rest and gained as much space as they could away from the conflagration. A dangerous thing to do with live ejector seats, a full load of fuel, and the height of the cockpit from the ground. I suppose I would have done the same thing with a burning aircraft in your rear.
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Post by DAG on Nov 14, 2011 19:21:16 GMT
Wowa! They escaped by the seat of their pants as they say! Bet there were some injuries though! There was an Amrstrong Siddeley Sapphire car I remember...........the company must have liked that name!
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Post by capney on Nov 15, 2011 19:12:42 GMT
The Jungle trip
I had a day out with a Mk 10 Whirlwind helicopter. The idea was to travel to this clearing in the jungle, land and generally check out the place for a possible sleep over and some jungle training. It was a shame that since the last visit the jungle had closed in and made the clearing a lot smaller. In fact to small for the helicopter as we nearly took some tree tops off. Plan B was to visit an old WWII Japanese air strip to practise winching and whatever else took our fancy. What struck me about this strip was what an amazing condition it was after so long after the end of the war. Great fun was had with loads of winching and flying practise. This was a pleasant day away from the busy routines on the Squadron.
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Post by capney on Nov 15, 2011 19:39:07 GMT
Kuching. Officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysia state of Sarawak It is the largest city on the island of Borneo and the fourth largest city in Malaysia. Above is how the tourist will read about Kuching now. Kuching was used as a forward base being near to the Malay / Indonesian border and It was usually from there we would carry out the air drops to the guys in the jungle. I believe it was rather a different place back in 1962/65. Not many tourists to see and we were warned to be on our guard if we ventured into the local community. Of course we did venture and I can remember watching a ***** fight. A vicious affair with death at the end of the contest. The locals going mad during the fight and bets being made on the outcome. Yes, I watched it in gruesome fascination before heading back to base. I started this chapter to tell you about the time the mess cooks had nothing but potatoes and bananas to feed us on. It was quite amazing what you can do with just two ingredients. We had a cinema at Kuching., If it is possible to call it a cinema. Set up in one of the long bashers (Long hut) The projector was set up at one end with the drop down screen in the middle of the hut. There was seats on both sides of the screen...! This lead to a rush to get the good seats on the side of the projector. It was possible to watch the film on the wrong side of the screen if you could live with the glare from the projector lamp in the middle of the screen and everything being back to front. ! But, with that in mind we were so grateful for the change to see movies.
I have more to say. Do you still want to hear ?
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Post by DAG on Nov 16, 2011 14:49:52 GMT
Yes of course Robert, keep it coming!
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Post by kedigato on Nov 16, 2011 22:34:25 GMT
The Avpin Blow and Engine Failure were frightening, Robert! The shards must have been like shrapnel flying everywhere. My Dad's legs were peppered with that during WWII and it plagued him to the end of his days. If I remember correctly, in damp weather. I checked just potatoes and bananas on the net and there are quite a few recipes using them. There is even a banana diet! What a strange cinema - sort of Janus-like. ;D ;D
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Post by DAG on Nov 17, 2011 8:47:30 GMT
Janus-like.............very good!
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Post by capney on Nov 17, 2011 9:45:50 GMT
"Janus Like" Must admit I had to refresh my memory on that statement...! but it fits perfectly.
"Looking or acting in opposite or contrasting ways"
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Post by arney on Nov 17, 2011 14:06:39 GMT
Yes please, Robert, please carry on, bet life seems very tame to you now. I don't understand some of the technicals but do still enjoy the reading Arney
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Post by capney on Nov 17, 2011 17:13:55 GMT
.....Rats and tinnies....
“The Club” As we knew it. It was a long basher with a stage at one end with the usual array of eating and drinking tables. Tins of Tiger beer was the usual ration. The roof of the building was open wood joists and was regularly visited by Rats. Very large rats. When one was sited in the rafters a shout of “RATS” went out and every single empty tinnie in the place was directed towards the offending vermin. Hard luck if one was in the area.
Also hard luck if it was your birthday. With the tables lined up end to end with the end one up against a window all the empties were neatly stacked in the window opening, Once the stack was full the birthday boy would be launched head first along the tables directed towards the pile of cans in front of the open window...... or was it open.? That is the question the birthday boy would aski himself as he hurtled towards the mountain of cans. We usually left the window open and the recipient of our efforts would find himself deposited on the ground outside with maybe a bruise or two. Great fun at the time.
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Post by capney on Nov 17, 2011 17:59:09 GMT
..................Snakes in the grass....
Taking a pleasant stroll along the river bank, enjoying the scorching sun and humid atmosphere, chatting to the guys both local and service guys fishing in the river. Suddenly some guys a way up river started to appear to be dancing and leaping back from the river bank. As the motion got closer some with rods were beating the hell out of the river bank. It was such an image I shall never forget. Then the message came clear that is a snake, and it was travelling fast. Indeed it was was travelling very fast. It was about 6 to 7 feet long and looked angry, if a snake could look angry ! It was the speed of the thing that I remember most and probable why I remember it al all.
Another memory. First day at Butterworth as I was walking up to the Squadron hut a rather large harmless lizard leapt from behind a bush and seemed to challenge me. Well, green as I was I froze on the spot, until it allowed me to pass. You learn very quilckly out in the far as to what creatures are friend or foe. There are plenty in the foe category.
For various reasons there was museum on base. I suppose a snake museum would be a good description. It was encouraged, if possible to kill all snakes and present them to the museum for identification. They would be pickled in jars and stored on shelves and tagged with all information we had on them. The vital point of all this was that it ensured the base hospital had the necessary anti snake venom available. The army guys at the jungle forts would regularly send some in for ID These would sometimes look like they had been used as target practise and sometimes difficult to ID.
I had a servant in Malaysia. Sam was his name. An Indian cast with a large family who lived local and would turn up on his trusty old bike every morning to clean, look after my space, make bed and tend to laundry etc. It was the usual practise to make sure there was no beasties in your foot ware before wearing them. This particular morning I did the upturning and out popped what appeared to be another shoe lace. At that, Sam started shouting in his language. It was clear he did not want to touch this boot lace. It turned out to be snake, a bootlace snake as it happens, that had a rather nasty bite. I have forever been grateful to our Sam and as such he got a nice bonus for his kids at Christmas time.
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Post by nazimundo on Nov 17, 2011 19:58:00 GMT
I'm finding all these fascinating Robert, looking forward to more Alfie
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