The Early Years

MY PIPING LIFE

starts here.

written by

Pipe Major Bob Orr, (rtrd)

 After joining the RAF in '69, I trained at Swinderby & Cosford before heading north to Leuchars, trained as an L Mech NI. (that's electronics mechanic, navigational instruments). I later became an L Fitt NI, returning to 23 Sqn at Leuchars after a year away at Newton & Cosford on my fitters course.

During my time here as a fitter a certain elecrical trade Sgt was unexpectedly posted & vowed he would not go quietly. Consequently my card was marked, as they say, among others. This was set in stone when I had occasion to declare a 'QRA war bird' unserviceable due to a fuse which showed a serviceable condition under test but failed under load. He was the IC Technician whom I inadvertantly embarrased. 

I had enjoyed my time as a front line aircraft fitter with all of the ''sharp end" dramas which took place, such as when I got in the cockpit for the first time as 'brake man', advising the team leader that the eject seat was not safe, & being told to stop being a 'Pussy' & get on with it. 

So much for all the health & safety crap they teach you. 

On another  occasion during an exercise, having previously been told that the active taxiway was out of bounds to any traffic other than aircraft, I was ordered to drive down said taxiway, following an aircraft & challenged the order. I was told by the Chief, "Stuff the tower, we're at war." 

It was back at Leuchars on a 3rd posting in 1974 after the above reshuffles took place that my interest in Piping began to take shape.

An early days image. 

Originally I was working on the English Electric Lightning, otherwise known by the Yanks as the “Silver Luminum Keroseen Burnin' Death Trap”.

You can find out about this awesome aircraft at the following link. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Electric_Lightning


Flying this jet was once discribed as being "strapped to a sky rocket".

A story which would have emphasized this point, if it's true, was that of an engineering officer at RAF Leckonfield who was asked to do "slam checks" on a Lightning which had undergone a "major" sevicing. This entailed the engines being fired up & reheat engaged briefly, with the aircraft rolling forward before braking.

Only problem was they got stuck. The "pilot" only had an office chair in the cockpit & no canopy. He was supposedly forced to take off, fly a circuit & try to land. Far fetched it may be, but it would make a hell of a CV entry if it was true. Only those at Leckonfield back then would know.

Word has it there are still 3 of these awesome machines still thrilling the crowds, in South Africa, at a place called Thunder City.

My divisional officer, Russ Pengelli was a fighter pilot of some quality & distinction, & was also  the squadrons' & the RAF's Lightning Display Pilot. We polished his aircraft till it was a mirror. I have never seen anyone throw a Lightning round the sky like he did. Sadly he died some years later when his Tornado flew into the Irish Sea. 

Then we had the panicker. When the first engine failed to fire, instead of waiting till the ground crew mopped up any spilt fuel, this pilot would hit the tit for the second engine, scaring the ground crew to death when it lit up.


A visiting T Bird (twin seat) from another squadron was lit up like a Christmas Tree when the second engine basted a 20 foot flame into the gathering gloom of a night time take off, from under the port wing . It was very impressive. I have never seen aircrew evacuate an aircraft without the eject seat so fast.

We were sad to see the last Lightning ever built, tail letter "E" for Echo, have a double engine flame out on take off, & crash into the North Sea. It was the pilots' first solo flight. 


A good friend was extracted from a position between the insrument panel and the control column, after hearing a noise which sounded just like the firing sequence for the eject seat, while he had been working in the cockpit. He looked decidedly green. He must have moved like grease lightning. (pardon the pun)

Having been  “volunteered” because of the situation described above,  I was destined for a life in Flight Simulation, & was posted to the F4K (Navy variant) Phantom Flight Simulator, again at Leuchars, after another lengthy period of training.

It was here that I met with a playing Piper, Pete Mack, who took us to a military Tattoo at Grangemouth. I was hooked & he helped me get started, by giving me a practice chanter & the rudiments of the music associated with the Great Highland Bagpipe.

more to come later