Exercise Volcanex 1997 -
"Plus ca change"
FLAG member Mick Britton recalls a previous
Anglo-French exercise at Leeming -
Whilst Ex Griffin Strike looked
very interesting it reminded me of a previous chapter of
Anglo-French military co-operation in the mid 1990s that resulted
in the formation of the Franco-British European Air Group that ran
a series of Volcanex Exercises, the 2nd of which (in July '97) used
Leeming. The French sent a contingent of Mirage 2000s and F1s
(interestingly from the same Normandie-Niemen Esc which were
here with Rafale) whilst the based F3s and Hawks also participated.
The exercise was mainly conducted over Wales as I recall. Attached
are a couple of pics of the Mirage 2000s and the badge of the FBEAG
which is still in existence but now primarily concerned with CSAR
if its website is any guide.
FLAG 2015 Xmas Lecture - Exercise
Northern Venture or "Around the World at 90 knots"
Our guest speaker at the FLAG Christmas Lunch was
Squadron Leader Tony Cowan MBE BA FRIN RAF (Rtd).
A former air cadet, Tony joined the RAF in 1969,
training on the JP and Varsity before flying operationally on the
C-130 and Nimrod, including the 1982 Falklands conflict in the
latter. He was awarded a commendation for long range patrols during
this conflict which included a record breaking flight of 19 hrs 5
mins !
Ground tours followed including the Officers
Command School, OC Ops Sqn at 399 Signals Unit and MOD Press
Office. During these appointments Tony joined 5 AEF flying the DH
Chipmunk. This led in 1996 to organizing and leading a long range
flight in the Chipmunk to Moscow and back to mark the 50 year
anniversary of the aircraft. In 1997 Exercise Northern Venture
followed, when Tony with Ced Hughes and Bill Purchase,
circumnavigated the northern hemisphere in two Chipmunks. Tony was
awarded the MBE in 1998 for services to aviation.
On leaving the RAF in 1998 he flew the BN
Islander from DTV airport for the NE police followed by a tour with
the Scottish Air Ambulance with the same aircraft. Throughout this
period, as a member of the RAF Reserves, he continued to fly with
11 AEF at Leeming on the Bulldog and Tutor.
Currently Tony flies the Cessna 182 and 208B for
Peterlee Parachute Centre as well as having a share in a Victa T5
Airtourer. He both a trustee and Regional Co-ordinator for
the UK Civil Air Patrol and also Captain of the Mayor of Durham’s
Ceremonial Bodyguard which dates back to 1602. Apart from Her
Majesty the Queen, the Durham Mayor is the only person in the UK
with a personal armed ceremonial bodyguard.
Exercise Northern
Venture YouTube link recently uploaded
by the family of Sqn Ldr Ced Hughes
Flight International "Exercise Northern Venture " article , 14-20
May 1997
One of the Chipmunks which
participated in Northern Venture is WP962, shown below
displayed in the RAF Museum at Hendon
Photo from the flickr collection
of Moshi Anahory
Read about the Service history of
WP962 by clicking on the pdf icon below.
One of the weblinks featured on the Info Zone
page of our FLAG website is "RAPCON" (end of page), the acronyn for
the website of the Runhall Aviation Photographers Consortium which
features the work of four aviation photographers including
myself.
In addition to covering airshows around the
world, the galleries feature military exercises and deployments as
well as routine operations.
In recent weeks, no less than 13 new photo
galleries have been launched on the Rapcon website, all of which
reflect a busy 17 days spent by Andrew Jewson and myself at various
bases from coast to coast in the USA.
Our travels took in 4 airshows & visits to
"the fence" at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma (AZ) & Naval Air
Facility El Centro (CA) in order to witness the biannual Weapons
& Tactics Instructor course. The WTI course attracts
participating Marine Corps flying assets from other bases spread
throughout the USA and also from Japan. It is estimated that
over 150 fixed & rotary wing aircraft took part in
total.
Included in the photo galleries referred to
above, is one gallery dedicated to USMC Squadron VMFA-121 which
started working up operations late 2012 with the F-35B Lightning II
(Joint Strike Fighter). By July 2015, the squadron was able
to declare initial operational capability (IOC) with 10 aircraft up
to fighting standard & ready for deployment. The F-35B is
currently on order for the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy and
indeed first production aircraft are already in use for training
RAF aircrew at Edwards AFB (CA) and for RN aircrew at MCAS Beaufort
(SC). We should see the first of these arrive in the UK by
2018.
We hope you enjoy browsing the photo galleries by
following the rapcon weblink
Leeming's Gate Guardian - A Brief
History by Mick Britton
Earlier this year, as described in the feature in
the Lee Zone of the website, Leeming replaced its Javelin Gate
Guardian with a Tornado F3.
One of the final batch of eight Tornado F3s built
by BAe at Warton for the cancelled Omani order, constructor
no. AT044 was delivered to the RAF (who were forced to takeover the
order much against their wishes as they felt no need to increase
the fleet) at Coningsby on 11 September 1992, serialled
ZH552. Originally operated by 56 ( R ) Sqn. the F3OCU, coded
AZ, it was briefly loaned to the Aeroplane & Armament
Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) the following year for
trial work on the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System
(JTIDS) being returned after two months away. In June 1994 it was
passed to the Air Warfare Centre (AWC) that was responsible for
developing F3 tactics and doctrine which operated it for two years.
After a brief loan spell with XI Sqn. at RAF Leeming in 1996 the
a/c returned to Coningsby for operation with 29 Sqn. coded BS being
subsequently (upon disbandment) passed to V Sqn. who coded it CH in
October 1998. Over the next few years it served with both the
remaining Coningsby squadrons , being coded AB with 56 ( R ) Sqn.,
before a year’s service with XI Sqn. at Leeming between October 03
and September 04 (almost certainly in unchanged markings and codes
). On its return home it moved, as part of the 56 ( R ) Sqn.
complement to RAF Leuchars, thereby completing the set of F3 bases
and upon the change of the tail code system gained the letters ST.
Subsequently, if briefly, it served with both the other Leuchars
squadrons, nos 43 and 111, who gave it the codes HW, in July
09. With the retirement of the type from RAF service in March
2012 ZH552 was fortunate to escape the demise of its sisters when
it was selected to serve with the small fleet of four F3s operated
by QinetiQ for carrying out trials of the Meteor Beyond
Visual Range (BVR) missile at Boscombe Down. Although not one
those specially modified to actually fire the missile it was used
as a chase plane from which the firings were recorded on a hand
held camera and this explains the four black cine camera mission
symbols on the fuselage forward of the air intake. The trials were
completed at the end of 2012 and all four of these aircraft were
delivered to RTP at Leeming in July 2013. ZH552’s second lucky
break was to be the last F3 scheduled for processing at the time
when the decision was taken to dispose of Leeming’s long standing
Javelin gate guard. For a station with a proud tradition a
replacement was obviously required and what could be more
appropriate than the last surviving F3 on the premises ! The F3
also has a FLAG link in that the logbook of our President , AVM
Phil Roser records hours flying sister
aircraft (ZE/ZG a/c) while Station Commander at Leeming.
Above - ZH552 at Coningsby in the
markings of 29 Squadron after its brief loan spell with XI Squadron
at Leeming in 1996 - M. Britton
Below - Pristine and purposeful
ZH552 returns to Leeming displaying the crests of all three Leeming
F3 Wing Squadrons - C. Fawcett
Members' Photo Gallery
MemMber Colin
Paul Rainford's four photos show some of the
flying action during the first week of Joint Warrior 15-2 at RAF
Leeming. For more of Paul's photos link to his collection found on
flickr
Colin captured this 29 Squadron
Typhoon departing Leeming during the FLAG visit on 15 October
2015
Vulcan XH588 low over
the Lake District during its Northern Route flight on 10th October
photographed from Helm Crag by Colin Fawcett
Indian Air Force SU-30's at
RAF Coningsby during Ex Indradhanush- from Colin Fawcett's
photos. For more of Colin's photos link to his
collections found
on
flickr
and
photobucket
Dave Thompson took this sad photo of Leeming's
Javelin FAW4 gate guardian prior to the departure to its new home
at The Jet Age Museum, Staverton, close to the original Gloster
factory. XA634 spent most of its flying life as a trials aircraft
for air refueling tests after modification by Airwork
Limited.
Now replaced, as hoped for, by
Tornado F3 - see Lee Zone.
FAF Mirage 2000N which
particicpated in Capable Eagle at RAF Leeming
Photo by Colin
Fawcett
- 100 Sqn Hawk XX285 in
its anniversary colours displayed during the XXV Sqn Photo Day at
Leeming 29 March 2008. Photos Leeming Aviation
- In the expert hands
of FLAG Dep OIC Flt Lt James Harris, XX285 makes a low
pass during Leeming Families Day in 2009.
BBMF Spitfire PR XIX,
PM631 from Coningsby displays its classic lines also at Families
Day 09.
Spitfire PM631
Modern classic lines,
but faster andlouder, Typhoon FRG4 of 3Squadron, Coningsby, is
displayed by Sqn Ldr Scott Loughran.
3 Squadron
With four Merlins in
perfect harmony the BBMF
Lancaster approaches crowd centre.
PA474 in the
markings ofEE139, the "Phantom of the Ruhr, which flew
its first 30 ops with 100 Sqn , currently flying Hawks at
Leeming.
Phantom of the Ruhr
Photo by Linda
Hornby
Hurricane 11c, PZ865 completes the BBMF
display at Families Day, a highlight of the FLAG year.
Hurricane
PZ865
Close up with the Sea
King of 202 Sqn as the winching demo begins at Leeming's
northern HAS area.
Families Day 2010
included this100 Sqn Hawk display team which included our FLAG OIC
Sqn Ldr Al Dolding.
Why not "Team
Excalibur" as agreat name ?
Two participants in
Exercise Joint Warrior 14-1 at Lossiemouth . Photos by Bernie
Hinds
