FAREWELL FAT ALBERT

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jpgreenwood

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jason
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Ive spent many hours being transported around the globe in the back of a "Herc". Most memorable was a 16 hour bone shaking flight to Gulf War 1.
Its a sad day but the Airforce must move with the time and technology. Im sure the C17 and A400 will do a great job.
I now work at RAF Leeming as a civvi so was lucky enough to have them fly overhead.
Heat haze was terrible!
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Great to see and a shame to see it end. Brings back very fond memories of the 70s for me (Lyneham and Akrotiri). I would have gone up A1 but with 2 year old grandson to mind today in this heat it was a non starter.
 
I thought the RAF ‘exported’ me to Aden in a Hercules from Blackbushe in 1956* but Wikipedia says the Hercules was only introduced in US in that year so either my brain has gone to mush or there was an earlier Hercules?

*It took 24 hours in 3 hops.
 
I came back from Greenland in a Hercules in 1984. A very strange experience - it just had a row of seats around the perimeter of the big space inside. All the cables, levers and mechanisms were on full view.

Are they fully retired now? It doesn't seem long since one rumbled across the hills near here.
 
sphexx said:
I thought the RAF ‘exported’ me to Aden in a Hercules from Blackbushe in 1956* but Wikipedia says the Hercules was only introduced in US in that year so either my brain has gone to mush or there was an earlier Hercules?

*It took 24 hours in 3 hops.
Click to expand...
Your post piqued my interest re: RAF heavy transport in the 50's

I found this about the Blackburn Beverley..,.fits the timeline as went into service in 1955

aerocorner.com

Blackburn Beverley - Price, Specs, Photo Gallery, History - Aero Corner

The Blackburn Beverley was manufactured by Blackburn and General Aircraft as a British military transport aircraft during the 1950s. It first flew in June 1950 and was introduced in 1955. The aircraft was operated by <a href="https://aerocorner.com/blog/how-many-planes-squadron/">squadrons</a>...
aerocorner.com aerocorner.com
 
Box Brownie said:
Your post piqued my interest re: RAF heavy transport in the 50's

I found this about the Blackburn Beverley..,.fits the timeline as went into service in 1955

aerocorner.com

Blackburn Beverley - Price, Specs, Photo Gallery, History - Aero Corner

The Blackburn Beverley was manufactured by Blackburn and General Aircraft as a British military transport aircraft during the 1950s. It first flew in June 1950 and was introduced in 1955. The aircraft was operated by <a href="https://aerocorner.com/blog/how-many-planes-squadron/">squadrons</a>...
aerocorner.com aerocorner.com
Click to expand...

Cheers. I don’t think that was it. Maybe the RAF was experimenting with us National Servicemen in some new or very very old plane. When I came back 2 years later they were certainly experimenting by using a, by then, discontinued for civvy use DH Comet and being post ’Suez’ we all had to pretend to be civilians :LOL:
 
I have spent far too many hours being delivered to various parts of the world in those things, including a flight from Calgary to Guttersloh (via Greenland) in late November 1976 when we had to wrap up in multiple layers of green maggots to keep warm :grumpy: Happy days (y)
 
It was a thrill seeing them fly through the Mach loop about 15 years ago when I could get up
the rather steep and long clime :oops: :$
 
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I flew in one, as an Air Cadet, from Lyneham to USAF Rhein Main in 1987.

Jasper Carrott once said flying in a Hercy Bird was like rolling around in a metal bin with Led Zeppelin.
 
Always known them by a different name, I don't know if this story is true as to how they got the name, but haven't seen anything better :)

Origin of the Flossie

Infantry Veterans website for military veterans of the South African Defence Force
sainfantry.co.za sainfantry.co.za
 
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