Swift Flight

By: John Cooper - 28th October 2007 at 20:34 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Can anybody help with any info and particularly photos of the Swift Flight please?

All I can find out so far is from www.bywat.co.uk/wj576.html :

This special flight was set up in 1960 at El Adem to investigate the effects of high-speed low-altitude flying on aircraft structures and the aircrew. The Flight provided data for use in the TSR.2 programme as well as giving general details about such flight profiles. Swifter Flight aircraft all had white painted centre and forward fuselages and carried a "Swift" emblem on the fin.

I have the log of a navigator who flew some 'joy rides' with the flight (in WH648) but haven't been able to track down photo's of flight aircraft.

Any pointers appreciated.

I can't recall this 'flight' being here when I was at El A from 1963 although we used to have many Cranberries as visitors at all times of the day and night. Why not contact John Moir here www.tears.org.uk/ I'm sure that some of the hundreds of his members might be able to help

By: John Aeroclub - 28th October 2007 at 22:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Can anybody help with any info and particularly photos of the Swift Flight please?

All I can find out so far is from www.bywat.co.uk/wj576.html :

This special flight was set up in 1960 at El Adem to investigate the effects of high-speed low-altitude flying on aircraft structures and the aircrew. The Flight provided data for use in the TSR.2 programme as well as giving general details about such flight profiles. Swifter Flight aircraft all had white painted centre and forward fuselages and carried a "Swift" emblem on the fin.

I have the log of a navigator who flew some 'joy rides' with the flight (in WH648) but haven't been able to track down photo's of flight aircraft.

Any pointers appreciated.

I seem to recall that it's covered in the Delve book on the Canberra. Unfortunately mine is in storage at present.

John

By: blue87 - 8th August 2008 at 22:07 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

Operation Swifter

Hi I've only just got my head round this foru[ATTACH]164361[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]164362[/ATTACH]

Attachments

By: T-21 - 9th August 2008 at 17:02 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00

The RAE found that it required a special flight of aircraft to measure low level turbulence during the design work for the projected TSR2. Known as Swifter Flight it formed in 1959 to investigate the effects of high speed low-level flight and its effects on both aircraft and crews. The Canberras came from the OCU at Bassingbourn WD950,WF890,WH648,WH664,WJ576 and WJ608 and a seventh from Upwood Station Flight WJ573. All seven wore the dark blue Swift on a pale blue diamond on red arrow on the fin with a white fuselage band and parts of the airframe were painted white (Inboard top wing and forward fuselage from the wing trailing edge)to reflect the heat experienced over the desert during the hot leg of the test route.
The Canberras carried out high speed transits to El Adem in Libya. The trials were completed in 1960.
The Canberras were additionally strengthened and recording equipment added. Flight sorties demanded high speed (350 kts) sorties at 100-600 ft both day and night. Crews were supplied from the Canberra squadrons in Akrotiri ,Cyprus.
WF890,WH664 and WJ756 went on to become T.17 variants.