Tony Cunnane's RAF Years

My Early Years

Airman Training

• Induction to the RAF

  Induction to the RAF at Cardington August 1953 - and we learn about FFIs!

• POM

  "You should be a POM" someone said - and a worrying medical looms. We have trade aptitude tests.

• Allegiance

  We take the Oath of Allegiance to The Queen - are issued with RAF ID cards and then we are really in!

• Bridgnorth - part 1

  Recruit training at RAF Bridgnorth 1953

• Bridgnorth - part 2

  Bath time, kit cleaning, and our first Pay Parade

• Volunteers wanted for Porton Down

  We were asked if we wished to volunteer for common cold research

• Graduation from Bridgnorth

  Graduation from Bridgnorth as AC2

• No 1 Radio School RAF Locking

  I start at No 1 Radio School RAF Locking

• Wireless Mechanic's course at Locking

  My wireless mechanics' course at RAF Locking 1953-4

• Wireless Fitters course

  I move straight onto a wireless fitters course

• Trumpeting

  I become a solo trumpeter

Ceylon 1954-56

• Preparing to Leave UK

  Preparing to Leave UK for Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

• Lyneham to Idris, Libya

  The first stage of our flight from UK to Ceylon

• Habanniya

  The second stage of out flight: Libya to Iraq

• Habbaniya to Mauripur

  The third stage of our flight: Iraq to Pakistan

• Negombo

  The final stage of our flight: Pakistan to Ceylon

• First two weeks in Ceylon

  Extracts from my diary about my first weeks in Ceylon

• First week in 1955

  Diary extracts covering the first week in 1955

• Diyatalawa Rest Camp

  A short break at the Diyatalawa Rest Centre

• Sun Spots and other elevated topics

  Routine work in the communications centre and words about sun spots

• Midday Sun

  An adventure that went wrong

• That's Life

  A meeting with an unfortunate Tamil lad

• Early Repatriation to UK

  Early Repatriation to UK for aircrew selection again

SNCO Years

• Aircrew Selection again

  Back to Hornchurch for aircrew selection again - 1956

• Swanton Morley

  No 1 Air Signallers' School Swanton Morley 1956

• CNCS RAF Shawbury 1957

  Central Navigation and Control School RAF Shawbury 1957

• The first Sputnik - 1957

  I monitor the very first Sputnik in 1957

• We nearly missed Gibraltar!

  How we nearly missed Gibraltar on a flight from Malta

Commissioned

• Officer Training at Jurby

  Officer Training at RAF Jurby, Isle of Man - 1960

• Commissioned at last

  Graduation from Jurby with the Queen's Commission

• 232 OCU

  No 232 Operational Conversion Unit RAF Gaydon 1960

• Press Relations at RAF Finningley

  My first secondary duty - Press Relations for RAF Finningley

• Life on 18 Squadron

  I am posted to No 18 Squadron at RAF Finningley

• Gaydon Incident

  An incident at RAF Gaydon involving an Honorary Member

• Exploding Teacakes

  Exploding Teacakes in a depressurising Valiant

• Blocking Montreal

  How we blocked Montreal International Airport's only runway overnight

• Leaving Montreal

  After an embarrassing wait, we finally move our Valiant off the runway at Montreal

• War Planning 1965

  How I was involved in V Force war planning in 1965 in Singapore

• Off to Oz

  I travel to Oz to supervise a V Force deployment to Darwin

• RAAF Darwin and Sydney

  RAAF Darwin and a short stay in Sydney

• Thaipusam, Singapore - January 1965

  A photo expedition to Singapore's Thaipusam Festival - January 1965

Pilot Training

• End of the Valiants

  The Valiant bombers are grounded and I start pilot training

• A Lot of Unhappy ex-Valiant AEOs

  Following the grounding of the Valiants there were quite a lot of Air Electronics Officers out of a job and woirried about their future careers

• South Cerney

  Elementary Flying School South Cerney

• First Solo

  First solo on a Chipmunk at South Cerney

• 3FTS Leeming

  Basic jet training at 3FTS RAF Leeming

• High Level Navigation

  A medical incident during high level navigation

• Hunter Flying at RAF Valley

  Advanced flying training on the Hunter at RAF Valley

Pakistan

• Exchange Tour in Pakistan 1969-70

  Exchange Tour as a flying instructor in Pakistan 1969-70

• Pakistan Air Force Academy Risalpur

  My introduction to the Pakistan Air Force Academy Risalpur

• Khusro's Story

  The story of one Iranian student

• Afghan Incident

  Afghan border incident during Ramadan 1970

• Pakistan re-visited - 1997

  Pakistan re-visited with the Red Arrows in 1997

Tanker Tales

• Goose Bay

  A Western Tanker Ranger to Goose Bay and Offutt AFB

• Black Oxygen

  An over-confident airmen at Masirah nearly caused disaster

• Crossing the line

  Arrival at Gan in the Maldives after the excitement of the near disaster at Masirah

• Close Encounter

  Close Encounter with an Aeroflot Il-62 in 1971

• Paris supersonic

  Accidentally supersonic over central Paris

• Bear Hunting

  Bear Hunting - Soviet Air Force Bears!

• Final flight - XA939

  Final flight - XA939 - delivery to RAF Catterick

• Final flight - XH648

  Final flight of XH648 - to IWM Duxford

• USS Independence

  My voyage on CV62, USS Independence, in 1975

• CV-62 The Voyage

  An account of my days on USS Independence in 1975

Learning Russian

• Language Aptitude Test

  Language Aptitude Test at RAF North Luffenham 1976

• Confusion

  Confusion about what my next job will entail

• Kissing Disease

  I acquire the so-called Kissing Disease

• Strange Events

  Strange events in Scotland

• Battleship Potemkin

  We go to a local Communist Party gathering to view Battleship Potemkin

Berlin 1978-80

• Interpreter's dilemma

  Interpreter's dilemma meeting the Soviets

• Driver's dilemma

  A little trouble in the Grunewald, West Berlin 1979

• Transit through East Germany - 1979

  Transit through East Germany - Christmas 1979

• Snails and things

  A dinner invitation from an East German spy

• Voice overs

  I am hired to do some film voice-overs

Soviet Tour 1990

• Initial planning for the Soviet Tour

  Initial planning for the ground-breaking Red Arrows tour to the Soviet Union 1990

• Arrival and overnight Leningrad

  Arrival and overnight in Leningrad (St Petersburg)

• Ukraine

  Our stay in Ukraine 1990

• Chaika Display in bad weather

  Chaika Display in bad weather

• Display in Budapest

  Display in Budapest at Ferihegy international airport

Scampton 1989-2001

• RAF Scampton - brief history

  RAF Scampton - a brief history of the Dam Busters' base

• Scampton's Early History

  Scampton's Early History

• Padre's Story by a Padre's Wife - 1942 - Part 1

  A Scampton Padre's Story from 1942 told by a Padre's Wife

• A Padre's Story - part 2

  A Scampton Padre's Story from 1942 - part 2

• Three Cities of Lincoln

  A story of Three Cities of Lincoln

• Dam Busters 1993

  Dam Busters 1993 - 50th anniversary events at Scampton

• British Airways B747-400 City of Lincoln GBNLT

  British Airways B747-400 City of Lincoln GBNLT

• BBC Songs of Praise at RAF Scampton

  BBC Songs of Praise at RAF Scampton in honour of the Dam Busters' 50th anniversary - May 1993

• Rumours about Scampton closing

  Options for Change and rumours about Scampton closing

• SOS Campaign to Save our Scampton

  SOS Campaign to Save our Scampton

• Is this really the end of Scampton?

  Is this really the end of Scampton?

• Cranwell is confirmed as the new home

  Cranwell is confirmed as the new home for the Red Arrows

Red Arrows

• Red Arrows' PRO

  Applying for the job of Red Arrows' PRO

• The interview for the Red Arrows job

  My interview for the Red Arrows PR job at RAF Scampton 1989

• My first day as Red Arrows PRO

  My first day as Red Arrows PRO - I was in for a surprise

• Overheard in the toilet

  Overheard in the toilet during high-powered Soviet visit

• Russian Knights arrive at Scampton

  Russian Knights arrive at Scampton

• Royal Birkhall and the Russian samovar

  Royal Birkhall and the Russian Knights' gift of the samovar

• Sad Russian Visit

  Sad Russian Visit by leaders of the Russian Knights

• Flying over George

  Flying over George - the South African George that is

• White Feather 1997

  White Feather 1997 - the story of a bird strike

• Crowd front displays

  Crowd front displays and enforced changes to the display rules

• Dubai 2000

  The Red Arrows visit the international air display known as Dubai 2000

• Dubai 2000 images

  More images from Dubai International Air Show Dubai 2000

Intelligence Tales

• JSIW Ashford

  The Joint Services Interrogation Wing

• Operation Corporate - the Falklands War

  Operation Corporate - the Falklands War 1982

• The Peter Principle

  The Peter Principle - a tongue in cheek piece I wrote in 1985

Railway Tales

• Train spotting reviewed

  Train spotting - why did we do it?

• Virgin naming

  Official naming of Virgin Train

• Eurostar from Waterloo to Paris

  Eurostar from Waterloo to Paris and back - standing in the cab all the way

Site Map