The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

This is a photo of RAF Tengah shooting team from 1970. We shot the SLR, Sterling SMG, Browning pistol and N0.4 rifle. I have a No.4 now but for some reason the government says I am not to be trusted to own the others. I did have a Browning pistol at one time but ended up trading that for a couple of Webley revolvers but I lost those. Happy days of shooting at government expense. I am on the back row with the glasses. Regards
Peter.

Yes, I too miss the days when the government supplied ammunition to indulge my shooting habit.

I remember when training for the Brigade shooting competition firing 300 rounds a day through the Browning HP, five days a week for a month. Imagine paying for that yourself!

1970 wasn't a great year for RAF Tengah, with 3 x 74 Sqn Lightnings lost in the space of 2/3 months, and with the loss of two of the pilots as well some off base civilians in one of the incidents.

I remember the crashes. I had been posted to RAF Changi shortly after the shooting team photo was taken so wasn't at Tengah when the crashes happened. I remember the crash on 27th July 1970. A friend from Tengah told me about that crash. He said the pilot was showing off because he was being filmed and overcooked his take off. The other Lightning taking off with him was fine. I remember reading the crash report of the Lightning that crashed on 12th August 1970. One of the main wheels wouldn't lower. The pilot tried various maneuvers to try to to get the gear down but it wouldn't budge. In the end, he was running out of fuel so they told him to fly out over the sea and eject. The Lightning did not have a good record regarding crashes. It is my favorite aircraft though.
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/143816
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_a ... _Lightning
Regards
Peter.

One of 74's Lightning pilots stationed at Tengah from '68 to '71, Dave Roome, published a book last year about his flying career. The book is called Dancing in the Skies.
I believe Dave was Chairmen of the 74 Squadron Association at one time as well some years back, and was also a well known civilian display pilot of the Hawker Hunter back in the 1990's and early 2000's, and was one of the pilots that ferried a Hunter from the UK all the way down to South Africa for the now defunct Thunder City operation that also owned 4 airworthy Lightnings at one time in the 2000's.

I see even back then Crab Air couldn’t wear a beret or exercise trigger finger discipline...!!

Sim G wrote:I see even back then Crab Air couldn’t wear a beret or exercise trigger finger discipline...!!

And unable to field a full team too ... easy to see the ringer they borrowed to boost their preformance.

Polchraine wrote:

Sim G wrote:I see even back then Crab Air couldn’t wear a beret or exercise trigger finger discipline...!!

And unable to field a full team too ... easy to see the ringer they borrowed to boost their preformance.

The ringer? You mean the bloke centre rear row? That's a Snowdrop ! I spent a week at RAF Newton, place was full of them.

channel12 wrote:

Polchraine wrote:

Sim G wrote:I see even back then Crab Air couldn’t wear a beret or exercise trigger finger discipline...!!

And unable to field a full team too ... easy to see the ringer they borrowed to boost their preformance.

The ringer? You mean the bloke centre rear row? That's a Snowdrop ! I spent a week at RAF Newton, place was full of them.

It would be full of them!!!

RAF Newton training area for RAF Dog Handlers I was there 1979 then out to Germany. Nothing wrong in being a Snowdrop.