ted angus

What a fantastic collection I wonder if they can be downloaded so I can grab some stills ?? TED

Here is a Commer Q2 RVT 105 being positioned for set-up. TED

Hi Jules The E body shell was used for many different RVTs and was mounted on a variety of chassis hence the big cut out to clear the rear wheel. The Type 105 was during WW2 and after mounted on the Commers as Richard has stated, about 1953 a number of Type 105 were remounted onto Austin K9 chassis. The Raf museum has one of these. Both these bodies were different from your light warning. Would you be kind enough to please post some more pages from the book you have on loan, I believe several members will be very interested in it. thanks TED

MARK I'm in FIFE between Dundee and St Andrews on a hill overlooking RAF Leuchars; Its been sunny most of the morning the wind is variable between a breeze and some real gusts. No snow on the ground just some very short but heavy bursts of snow , sleet or hail. The young Gentlemen from the Big Flying club have been up this morning and the first wave has just returned. I spent 8 years in Germany and a year in Labrador all I can say is we have become a nation of absolute whimps. In Labrador we obviously used a lot of 4x4s as well as 4x2 vehicles but winter tyres not 4WD were the key thing your street scene would greet us every morning for at least 2 months of the year sweep the top of the vehicle , bonnet and windows clean, (a legal requirement in many countries but of course not in the UK as that would infringe human rights!!) while the engine is warming up. let the clutch out slowly with just a tiny touch of throttle and away you go --no problem !! In automatics into drive tiny touch of the gas no problem, I recall our runway only closed in total whiteout conditions when the snow was so bad it actually affected the radar. But once the intensity died down it would soon be open again. The revenue lost each weather event here could be more than saved if we invested in just a few more items of snow/ice removal gear, gritters etc end of rant enjoy your day with the dog, mine also loves the snow.

I meant to add a couple of piccies

They were used in great numbers by the RAF, GS trucks and as the mounts for numerous special bodies .

here's another link TED http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/features/sfs/new_page_5.htm

Have a look at this article and the sub brit site in general a huge amount of info on the underground world in that area TED http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/features/government/

Not sure its a huge sprawling place, the last time I visited Corsham area I was still in the RAF and had just previously had a run in with the RAF police for photographing nuclear convoy vehicles on the A1 so I wasn't going to push my luck. TED

Thanks Richard yes I have seen that site re the BBC have you had a look at the one below everytime I go on there for 10 minutes it throws the nexts week's plans out of the window !! TED http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/index.shtml

I have seen this before and asked a pal who is a rail freak to comment !! I won't repeat what he said ! That site used to have a piccy of a Green Goddess driving into a tunnel taken from in the tunnel facing the entrance. The caption suggested it was part of our cold war CD strategic reserve. I enhanced the picture and it was a post 2004 photo !! THe Operation Fresco 2002/3 dayglo markings were clear to see. I knew guys who were stationed at RAF Rudloe Manor and worked below ground in support of the then HMG bolthole, it was some awesome place. There are several web sites with excellent coverage of this subject for those interested. TED

Richard, they use the term flask i reckon they took the flask of LOX up and didn't compress it into cylinders but if they did compress from the flask the 500 or 1000 litres may have been the liquid volume before compression. but the flasks in view are only 5 or 10 litres. The plants i operated in the Falklands and Goose Bay were just a slightly modernised version of the WW2 plants; which in turn wouldn't have been greatly different to those in 1918. from what i recall from the courses, plants has never really changed from day one, just a multi stage compressor , intercoolers and distilation columns. tap the lox at one point, liquid nitrogen at another or divert to either an TED oxy or nitro pump for cylinder filling. Had the gas factory at RAF cardington still been open we would have got the answers from one phone call. Alas another part of a once great air force that is no more.

Mike knowing a bit about the subject I have been head scratching on this one everything in that picture spells potential disaster if it was associated with either Liquid or Gaseous Oxygen It would seem the WAGGON is what the piccy claims it is and I would suggest that RAF originally read RFC !! see what I just found on the tinternet !! """""In Britain, British RFC research soon proved beyond question the many benefits of oxygen to pilots flying combat missions, so the question of whether oxygen systems were necessary or not was thereupon mooted, and effort was dedicated towards devising lighter, more dependable, and more comfortable oxygen breathing systems for aviators. Siebe, Gorman, and Company, English pioneers in the design and production of respiratory equipment for miners and divers, produced the first practical military aviation oxygen breathing system for the RFC, although it was somewhat heavy and had certain disadvantages. It used a rubber mask without inlet or outlet valving, and featured single or doubled flasks of compressed oxygen (500 or 1000 liters capacity). This system could support one or two men, but after a year of flight experience with this system, the RFC abandoned it and returned to their original system of providing each aircrewman with his own individual oxygen supply. Not long after this, the 'Dreyer Oxygen Equipment' system was developed by LC Geo. Dreyer of the RFC Medical Branch. Designed by Dreyer, after a cooperative RFC/French study of all the major military aviation oxygen delivery systems in use, the Dreyer oxygen system was adopted by the RFC and placed into production by the De Lestang Company in Paris (patient holder). The key to success in the Dreyer system was its use of an aneroid-controlled, automatic regulator design. This pressure-compensated delivery system was entirely automatic, being regulated entirely by the system and not by hand (as in the Siebe-Gorman system). Unfortunately, the system was so precise that each unit had to be manufactured entirely by hand, with the result that production output was limited and not rapid. American tests of the new Dreyer RFC system showed that it had some deficiencies, but that it was very, very rugged; a review of available systems by these same American researchers suggested that the United States should select and install the improved Dreyer system on American military aircraft. """ In this extract I question the 500 or 1000litres flasks I believe it should read 5 or 10 litre !! TED

Buzz, Yes I wonder too Buzz, If we were co- located with the Army or had a unit nearby obviously we sometimes got involved in the odd help project A Landi for Royal Escort a field Gun for a display. The Army lads could never understand how safety conscious we were. Its best summed up that we were all techies of one type or another and Betty Winsor spent lots of pennies training us. So Once The H & S regs came in there was no more ducking and diving for us, we had been trained and as a SNCO or WO it wasn't just the health of your lads it was your pension that was also at risk and in the extreme a prison sentence. There was no way we could plead ignorance. It reached the point in the RAF where only Painter & Finisher Tradesmen NCOs could demand paint from the supply system. There is no longer stocks in the depots. Your demand has to be approved by the relevant budget dept at Andover, Brampton etc and then a contract is raised . I can tell you first hand The Treasury Solicitors who handle claims against the MoD re H & S claims by veterans are exceptionally busy and quite rightly so; because before we were squarely regulated by the H&S regs and before Crown Immunity was repealed We were forced to get the job done and shut up !! TED

But give me my Gipsy any day forgots the gliders can't remember that far back !!!

Adam. I have looked at the picture scratched my head sat on the loo looked at the picture Mnnnn As i mentioned to Mike when I first joined the forum we were talking about the Cardington connection. I ran the gas production plants at Goose and MPA did numerous production plant operater, maint and supervisors courses plus the dreaded gas QA course at the RAF own gas works Cardington , but I really don't know what to make of this, As you will know dirt. oil grease etc is the N01 enemy of LOX Absolute cleaniness is essential nothing looks remotelt clean ?? if the product was taken away from this Gin Still in Flasks then it would have been LOX or LIN. So how then did they pump it into gaseous form into cylinders !! I wonder how much was left in the flask even if the Sqn was just a few hundred yards away !! To me this looks like a mobile Gin Still deployed in support of tiffin hours at the Rodney & ruperts mess ! TEd but I am still scratching my head

Mil Chipmunk Varsity Hastings Argosy Brittania Herc Herc on fire over the Med !! Whirlwind Wessex Wessex hanging on the steel string Dakota Canadian government Catalina fire bomber HS 146 on pre Queens Flt cold weather trials. VC 10 Tristar Civvy Heron Dakota Brittania Boeing 737 Boeing 727 Boeing 747 Tristar Fears Snakes heights flying !!!!!! true but the pay was fair and it gave me a fantastic career and an even better pension !! TED

Lauren, When rubbing down the dust is the problem, respiratory protection is the number one. A decent mask with a disposable cartridge. Not a throw away type. You would need to speak to a local dealer in Personal Protective equipment. You need protection from dust that is extremely carcinogenic ( for the non technical) cancer producing. Wear goggles that seal NOT safety glasses and a one piece hooded overall , rubber gloves that come over the cuffs of the overalls. wear rubber or other high leg boots, have the botton of the trouser legs over the boots and wrap duck tape or masking tape around the bottom to seal. This all seems very much over the top but I am telling you how we dealt with it in the RAF . I was the signature on the Hazard data sheets and process data sheets, COSHH assessments etc raised for each task There is also Enviro issues We had filters in the paintshops drains to remove the nasties, which included cadmuim , chromate and others, some coming from the paint and some from the parent metal. Never use a heat gun or flame to burn it off the fumes are lethal . During a restoration I would rather pay more money for normal Matt green that pay a lesser price for some government surplus IRR stuff !! When applying IRR it is even more dangerous than stripping, we wore full face remote fed breathing appuratus, plus the hooded overall, boots and gloves. after working remove the overall with care, make sure your hands, lower arms, face neck etc is thoroughly washed. Allow 30 between finishing work and eating, drinking or smoking. Again that will seem OTT but its what the good book directed us to do. Obviously applying by brush is far less hazardous but a cartridge mask should still be used even outdoors. Hope this is of use TED

Hi Ian , IRR paint was introduced and development on other IRR materials was initiated to try and counter the Warsaw Pact's Infra Red airborne Recce equipment , Thermal imaging, heat seeking its basically the same technology be it the airborne IR recce gear, the night sight on the battle field or the thermal image camera used by firefighters. Although the Army were slightly ahead of us , in the RAF we suddenly stopped painting airfield equipment and vehicles golden yellow and in came IRR matt green or IRR Matt green/matt black in the case of field or tactical units in 1974. The percieved threat was not the guy on the ground with a night sight, it was the recce aircraft as these could see aircraft / AFVs etc in hardened buildings hours after they had stopped engines due to the residual heat. Indeed out photo recce guys were pretty adept in what could be gleaned from an image and no doubt so were the WP guys. You mention the properties going out of the window once the paint was thinned for spraying by the guy at unit level indeed the period between repaint was equally critical I seem to recall it was 2 years. We used to stencil the IRR applied date in 1" letters near the rear number plate. It was an impossible task . I remember one year on our formal annual inspection by HQ Strike Command that one of the inspecting team made a a report that we had failed to meet the IRR maintenance requirements, he was the same guy who had refused to authorise additional spray gear and manpower. You will no doubt be aware that IRR paint is far more dangerous than any of the old lead based paints we are frequently warned about, both during application by brush or gun and during any subsequent rubbing down it is full of nightmare nasties. Regards TED

Ian IRR is Infra Red Reflecting, IRR didn't become acedemic with the intro of Thermal imaging Recce IRR paints and other IRR materials were developed as a measure to counter the introduction of thermal imagery equipments. see the link for tech detail http://www.dstan.mod.uk/data/00/023/00000400.pdf This includes BS 381c tint 380 introduced just before Gulf war 2 . TED

I own a series 4 long wheelbase, mine has flexitor on the front leaf on the back its a 1964 product. Its great to drive but at 50 the steering gets hairy and it doesn't like to stop even with the brakes in tip top condition. I suppose we forget the cruising spedd at the time was 20 to 30 mph. Mine is ex AFS luckily one of my contacts who has been writing fire service history books for many years and co-incidentaly was a member of the AFS in Northumberland knew some one who had been associated with my Gipst back in the 1964 to 68 period.

Apologies for only just picking up on this thread. In the RAF we used to have a fantastic overhaul set- up for vehicles. Around the UK we had regional 4th line MT workshops setup on a regional basis similar to the Army's base /command workshops. One that was deeply involved in B series engines was at RAF Driffield which was the centre of excellence for the MK6 series of crash tenders which are commonly refered to as Alvis Salamanders by civvies. Another 4th line workshop was on 6 site 16 MU RAF Stafford. In both crash tenders and a wide range of Ground Support Equipment we used B series engines, Mainly the B61 & 81. I found them a dream to work on and for the purpose we were using them for when I worked on them at RAF Marham,they were outstanding as long as the servicing schedule was strictly adhered to and that engines were fine tuned as required which was normally every month. We had a fleet of trailer mounted B series powered generator sets producing aircraft voltages of 28 & 112 volts DC these were used on the first generation V bombers, which whilst being serviced on the ground required lots of wobbly amps to power up all the systems. At the time the multi grade engine oil was introduced 1974 ish we sufferred many catastrophic engine failures, I seem to recall there was a firm co-incidentally not far from us in Kings Lynn doing major rebuilds for either the RAF or the MoD. They caused us as much trouble as the oil we had several engines back that had remains of the destroyed pistons lying in sludge in the sump, this went on for a while until the QA organisation got involved. So in summary yes up until the early 1970s we had a 4th line RAF organisation for vehicles and yes the RAF were sending B series to civvy contract. In addition with vehicles and ground support equipment that was nearing the end of its life and only remained in-service in small numbers, permission could be sought and was occassionally given to fit non standard parts to return it to a serviceable condition. regards TED TED

THat would be great if you could post the MACKS & WHITES If you do post them would you kindly make a note in this thread as to where they are posted please I always get lost navigating these forums Ta TED

Fantastic there is a great little book by Woodfield publishing group about 51 MTC later known as 51 MT Sqn. They had an unbelievable array of truck types including both Mack & White 6x4 10 tonners. initially many of their trucks ran on eygpt issue WD plates the triangular badge was preceded by a broad forward facing arrow on the cab doors with the number 51 impossed in it. I am sure some one in one of the threads posted a piccy of a WHITE which contary to its caption is actually a an RAF 51 MTC truck. Young GUN its a great little book your grandad may well be mentioned !! thanks for sharing the photos TED

Gents, USA trucks are not my strongest subject I think the attached may be an M50 series Kaiser Jeep ?/ can someone put me right. The truck is in USN service at the then top secret USN listening and submarine tracking base at RAF Edzell in the county of ANGUS. AS with most US bases in UK the fire section at Edzell was manned by Air Force Dept Fire Service - which of course was absorbed into the Defence fire service. Note the USN system of registrations is different from the USAF and the 73 does not reflect an in service fiscal year. TED