Page 124 - Demo

122A KILL%u2019S A KILL BUT %u2026.On this occasion, I was flying a Jet Provost aircraft with a student navigator from the Air Navigation School, during a detachment to RAF Lossiemouth. I had previously served as operations officer on a Buccaneer squadron in Germany, so knew several of the crews on the maritime Buccaneer force stationed there.Our flight was planned as a low-level formation exercise in the Highland training area and, before arriving in the exercise area, we were transiting at %u2018medium level%u2019 (two to three thousand feet). We were the number 2 aircraft at that stage of the flight, with little to do except watch out for, and advise the leader of, possible collision threats. There were no planned %u2018enemy forces%u2019 for our training exercises, although we took every opportunity to instil as close to an operational attitude in our students as we could. Indeed, as a squadron, we had developed an unofficial tradition of deviating from planned track during the navigation exercises we flew from our English base, to intercept the USAF A-10 %u2018Warthogs%u2019 which had a similar performance to our own Mark 5 Jet Provosts and trained in the same areas. We felt a proud sense of achievement if we were able to place our aircraft in a simulated gun-firing position behind an aircraft in an American formation, without their crews spotting us!As we crossed Findhorn Bay, I noticed two Buccaneers well below us, and my student informed our leader of their position. Surprisingly, they seemed to be flying relatively slowly, and I calculated that, even though their level flight cruising speed would be faster than we could ever achieve, from our position on the right of the loose formation, I might just be able to get on their tails for a few seconds. The little devil on my shoulder took over, and I requested permission to break formation %u201cto practice a rejoin procedure%u201d.Permission granted, I peeled off and accelerated in a curving descent, describing to my student as I did so what I intended to achieve. I warned him to expect our targets to take avoiding action as soon as