NavList:

Hi David

High octane stuff of legends.

Yes it was Rowland White's Vulcan 607 that I read years ago. A re read is necessary  I think.

I also read recently Harrier 809 ( Falklands War also) a compelling book if you have ever been around a conflict or been a military flyer.

From a family littered with military aviators  from WW I RFC, to Pathfinder WW II Mosquiotoes to Navy choppers, to P3B pilot and navigator ANY military aviation history is a must read and I devour these books.

Rowland White is one of the best military writers.

Yes the Vulcans were retro fitted with Carousel Inertial Nav systems and the V tankers were also retro fitted with the Carousel Inertia and Loran C. I have navigated with both these systems.

Loran is WW II technology but certainly useful if combined with inertial plus celestial.

But the outbound flight was 6600 nms and 16 hr return. The longest wartime airplane raid in the history of flying.

I suspect a certain amount of cross checking by navigators during the air to air refueling would have improved accuracy and diminished the growing circle of error as the approach Falklands with radar in standby.

I would love to see the nav plot for that trip.

Regards Howard G