Under the RADAR: The Blackburn Buccaneer

The Blackburn Buccaneer, later known as a Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer , was a successful subsonic Royal Air Force and Royal Navy jet attack aircraft, designed for low level attacks.

Kris Hendrix offers us an insight in to this Gulf War veteran Buccaneer, now in Hangar 6 at the RAF Museum London.

As this was a trial video, some mistakes crept in while making this video.
1. The Buccaneer was also intended for maritime/ship attacks by the RAF; this was not just a RN role.
2. Boundary Layer Control (BLC). This was a means of reducing the approach and landing speeds and, for short runways and when heavy, reducing take-off speeds. BLC was not used for low level flight.
3. The ‘refuelling pod in the nose’ should have been called a 'refuelling probe'.

[stevefreeland]

Not an expert, but my understanding is that boundary layer control is used to create additional lift when the a/c is flying at high angles of attack and low speed, such as when taking off or landing. If at high speed and low level, I am uncertain that BLC would even be utilized. Perhaps it would also help if the a/c was maneuvering and slowed down considerably when pulling sustained G. Enjoyed the video; pleas make more.

[stuartburton]

I used to watch Buccaneers flying through valleys in Wales. We would look down on the plane as it would thunder along at stone wall height. The sheep were used to the noise and wouldn't even stop eating the grass.

[markmullins]

We designed some of the best planes ever Shame we don’t anymore

[stuartburgess]

Still had Buccaneer "one way trippers" in the hards at one of the RAF stations I served at, I was an FOA guard protecting the armourers while they loaded the specials on board, scary times even in the mid to late eighties, Buccaneers still effective after nearly forty years in service.

[notmenotme]

Boundary layer control: The Buccaneer had pipes inside the wings that contained air from the engines. The front of the wings had a few holes where this air was blown out and the air blew over the wing surface. Imagine a hair drier blowing air over the wing.
Refuelling pod: I think he means a refuelling probe, that allows the Buccaneer to refuel in mid air from another tanker aircraft. You can see the refuelling probe sticking out above the nose at 4:31

[dylanmilne]

Nice video I really like the opening shots and music, very well chosen.

I think an establishing shot of the aircraft at the museum would've been good maybe moving into the cockpit towards the end of the video.

Maybe boundary control could've been explained a little more clearly - "at low level and low speeds the wings of the Buccaneer generate relatively little lift, the engineers overcame this by implementing a new technology called boundary layer control, this bled high pressure air from the engine and blew it onto the control surfaces greatly increasing lift and controllability.

I liked the little bit of history about the aircraft too.

Keep it up

[endo]

Great review of an underappreciated aircraft. I always remember seeing one fly next to my school at twice tree top height in the late 60s. I'd never seen a jet fly that low and so fast!

[anthonykeel]

Great video and wonderful aircraft! Hendon was where I was born and raised, used to go to the RAF museum in Colindale when I was at school and loved going there on a regular basis until 2006 when I moved to the US. I see they have new additions and have changed allot. When did they do the renovations?

[DAGO]

Great work, I am looking forward to the next one!

[albertperks]

We would be routinely buzzed by Buccaneers as they passed over the school bus - we'd all been pinned against the windows of the bus you could see all the detail of the underside and I mean all the detail that's how low they'd fly.

[edwindude]

My neighbor as a child was a buccaneer pilot. He told me he flew mostly on instruments than visual. Is that common ?

[michaelcampbell]

The TSR2 was cancelled cause of labour government that aircraft would of dominated the skies

[KhaledAwni]

LOW ALTITUDE CAN INCREASE MORE FEUL BURNING

[morriganravenchild]

Once stood on the bridge wing of a Dutch destroyer and looked into the cockpit as they flew past below after "attacking' us.

[RoyalAirForceMuseum]

As this was a trial video, some inaccuracies exist. We were fortunate enough to receive some further information from Dave, a former Buccaneer pilot. Please take your time to read these before pointing out mistakes in this video.

- 2:05. The Buccaneer was also intended for maritime/ship attacks by the RAF from its entry into service; this was not just a RN role. 12 Squadron was a maritime attack squadron when so equipped and it used MARTEL missiles for ship attacks from when it reformed with the Buccaneer. 216 Squadron, which formed later, was also a maritime attack squadron from its reforming.
- 2:40. Boundary Layer Control (BLC). This was a means of reducing the approach and landing speeds and, for short runways and when heavy, reducing take-off speeds. It was selected automatically when the aileron droop was selected and as the aileron droop was selected to 0° (up) for all flight regimes other than take-off and landing, including low level flight. Therefore, BLC was not used for low level flight. It was used for all carrier take-offs and landings and was normally used for airfield landings but was typically only used for airfield take-offs on short runways (eg. Gibraltar). You could land without BLC but the approach speed was 19 knots faster. If you would like more details about BLC functionality please let me know.

- 3:30. The airspeed indicator on the left coaming was a carrier landing requirement and was originally known as the ‘Deck Landing ASI’. There was a move to remove it when the RAF acquired the aircraft but it was easy to scan whilst low flying and so they wanted to keep it. The means to do this was to rename it the ‘Precision Airspeed Indicator’! On the right coaming was the Radar Altimeter which showed height above ground, an essential requirement for the type of flying undertaken by the Buccaneer. There was no artificial horizon on the coaming. There was a (folding) ‘Pilot’s Display Unit’ which was effectively the weapon delivery sight. It did have a horizon line to indicate wings level or bank angle but it did not give any pitch attitude/climb or dive indications.
- 3:48. There was not a ‘refuelling pod in the nose’. The flight refuelling probe was on the top right of the nose. It was not retractable as they are on some aircraft but could be fitted or removed as required. It was possible for the Buccaneer to carry a refuelling pod but that was carried on the starboard inboard underwing station (station 2).
- 4:00. With respect to laser designator pods, the Pave Spike pod was used from about 1980 onwards and we flew the first large scale tactical trial with it in 1981 (Trial Tropical 3 at Cold Lake, Canada), designating for 1000 lb laser guided Paveway II bombs. We also developed tactics to use this pod and these bombs for Operation Pulsator in Beirut in 1983 (although we never actually had to drop any in anger).
- 4:20. It was also possible for the aircraft that was carrying the Pave Spike pod and designating the target to drop the bomb that was to be guided.

These comments were kindly provided to us by David Southwood. The Buccaneer was the first frontline aircraft that he flew after flying training. After completing the conversion on 237 OCU he was posted to 208 Squadron at Honington where he flew it in the overland strike attack role until the squadron re-roled to the maritime strike attack role and moved to Lossiemouth in July 1983. He completed the Qualified Weapons Instructor course on it in 1982 and was the 208 Squadron Buccaneer display pilot in 1984. He flew it on Operation Pulsator in Beirut in 1983/84. He left 208 Squadron in December 1984 to train as a test pilot at the Empire Test Pilots’ School at Boscombe Down in 1985 and remained flying the Buccaneer on flight test tasks until December 1994 (they remained flying at Boscombe until early 1995, some 9 months after they finished in front line service).

[jimperkins]

I remember being told as a kid the reason why they called them Buccaneers, its because when they really low over the top of you it hurts your buccen ears

[bernhardk]

Subtitles are good for the hard of hearing. Thanks for an interesting video.

[STEVEH-spfo]

I was lucky . I luved on raf bases as a kid . Buccs ..lightnings . Vulcans . . Nimrods. . .harriers .tornados .. could tell them all apart from how much my internals jiggled aroumd .when they were taking off .

[markherzog]

Anyone know what the intro music is? Sounds like Jean Michel Jarre? Also in other videos of Op Red Flag….

[charlesbridgford]

Once chatted with a Bucc pilot. Said it was hard to ground due to ground effect. The aircraft would fight you when you tried to steer it into terrain.