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Comments Posted By Geoff Quick

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RAF100

Well O.K., as it was a long time ago now. We had done a site move out in the field. Smokey was first off of the “new” Mexi plank strip. As we watched we could see a bow wave of planking build up in front of the undercarriage, which seemed to us goofers to be greatly slowing down the acceleration from normal. It was a long way down the track when he went to the 70deg ( IIRC?) nozzle stop. Consequently the aeroplane was very close to the trees at the end of the strip when it eventually got airborne. To our horror Smokey disappeared out of our view into the trees and the crashing of breaking branches could even be heard over the Pegasus. Thankfully he then emerged out from out of the top of the tree line and flew way low, safely back to Gutersloh. The leading edges of the flying surfaces were apparently a sight to behold and the gossip was that the Harrier was going to be Cat 5’d.

» Posted By Geoff Quick On 16/7/2018 @ 11:11

HI Smoky,It was a great privilege to support you from the RIC and to be with you when you were dined out. Although we tried to reach you the job of recce was to just take pictures of the landscape -not to take half of it back to Gutersloh with you from the field! Happy days!

» Posted By Geoff Quick On 15/7/2018 @ 19:59

Tony Chaplin RIP

Only just got this. Tony was a great boss who really helped pull the RIC in to 4 Squadron when we moved up to Guterlsoh late 76/early 77. He was “Old School” and rarely minced his words. You knew where you were! I last saw Tony in 1984 when I was on Vinten’s stand at Farnborough in 1984. “F*cking QUICK!!” Came the shout from the floor . ‘Hi Boss!, what are you doing these days ?” “Trying to run this lot” pointing at his assembled OCU throng. ‘When I’m sober that is !” “And you?” “Out in Industry Boss, selling Recce systems around the World”. “God help Britain!”

» Posted By Geoff Quick On 15/7/2018 @ 20:30

More on Pete Collins

As a sad follow up to the exchange I was having with John Bevan(OC 4 Sqn PI Flt 1981 to 84)a few months back,I have to report his passing on 30Jan this year.John retired as a Sqn.Ldr. in 1994 after 33 years service in Imagery intelligence , starting as 17 year old Plotter Air Photography in 1961. Being a strong character, he loved the rough amd tumble of 1st Phase Recce. operations, exemplified by the Harrier Force in part and by our Squadron in particular.

Done and dusted indeed John.

» Posted By Geoff Quick On 28/4/2018 @ 18:37

Can I amend the above? ( Simphewe seemsto have dropped the forked stick). (Mod please delete the first abortionate effort.)

Hi John, Glad to hear it! I’m sitting by the seaside enjoying my dotage here in Tanzania. E-mail harakahouse@gmail.com. I would like to get together some light hearted input from the RIC into the Squadron memoirs before we all go gaga. 4sqn. O.C.P.I.flight was a superb job,even more so in the field. Each site had its identity and as new boys, 6 site was different. Steve Jennings was the excellent 6 site boss,but probably a bit bemused on the first time in the field,when taking visitors to his site RIC, he found the Camp Commandant Rock ( ie. Bunny Abbott) rolling in the dust scrapping with his RIC boss over some (invented ) minor admin problem ,whilst the lads cheered us on. I hasten to add ,of course ,that it was all “Ham” acting on our part to help build up the site’s individuality. (Subsequently proved on Taceval!)

» Posted By Geoff Quick On 2/8/2017 @ 14:00

Hi John, Glad to hear it! I’m sitting by the seaside enjoying my dotage here in Tanzania. E-mail harakahouse@gmail.com. I would like to get together some light hearted input from the RIC in to the squadron memoirs before we all go gaga. 4sqn. O.C.P.I.flight was a superb job,even more so in the field. Each site had its identity and as new boys 6 was different. Steve Jennings was the superb 6 site site boss,but probably a bit bemused on the first time in the field,when taking visitors to the (invented ) minor admin problem ,whilst the lads cheered us on. I hasten to add ,of course ,that it was all “Ham” acting on our part to help build up the site’s individuality. (Subsequently proved on Taceval!)

» Posted By Geoff Quick On 2/8/2017 @ 13:42

Out of the Blue

Hi Al, I thoroughly agree. I have this year downloaded both of these volumes onto my Kindle here in Tanzania. As you say, they are not just “there I was at 40k feet” type stories but candid accounts from many branches and trades from around “our” Air Force Years from the 60’s through to 00’s’s. I also thoroughly recommend the ” – Boys” series. They are informative without being patronising and from the various “worlds”, it is surprising how many times familiar names come up. It has been hinted that I might like to contribute a piece about the early days of 4 Sqn Harrier RIC(s). Whilst mulling this over I suddenly realised that the number of available “RIC Pukes” still around from those days to tell the tale is now in decline. Therefore I intent to try to rectify this with an “historical ” item here of how that evolved and operated for this site. Perhaps then to be followed up by an “unofficial” and largely personally unattributed set of anecdotes from those special years. Geoff ( Ex 99er Al 🙂 )

» Posted By Geoff Quick On 24/11/2016 @ 18:29

Field Deployments by Al Holman

Webmaster: Will do . Give me a few days. Geoff.

» Posted By Geoff Quick On 17/11/2016 @ 18:35

Good to hear from you Al, As the 4 Sqn. 6 Site RIC Ringmeister(77-78) it is always a pleasure to see any of the “usual suspects” from those years posting in. I COULD write some 4 Squadron RIC stories of those happy days, but the basic conventions of security, libel and common decency perhaps prevent me. We P.I’s were generally young, highly motivated and supporting demanding missions flown by some of the best pilots in the RAF (or so they told me!). As a p.s., I live now in retirement on the North Tanzanian coast just south of Tanga and abeam Zanzibar. Always an en-suite room here for anybody fancying a few days in the region who wants to do a bit more than lie on the beach in Zanzibar. Cheers, Geoff ( a.k a. “Effing Quick!”, according to Tony Chaplin)

» Posted By Geoff Quick On 16/11/2016 @ 18:25

Dave Binnie RIP

Good to be now a member of the IV (AC) Squadron Association. It was the sad news about Dave Binnie that triggered me to join, as happy memories came flooding back. In particular, I still clearly recall my first Recce debrief with him and his quiet amusement at the ongoing frenetic machinations around the light table. I was the first 6 Site RIC Boss following the reorganization post the move to Gut from Wildenrath (and the establishment of the RIC under IV (AC) Squadron from being a Station unit)

» Posted By Geoff Quick On 2/9/2014 @ 12:16