Jet Provost Boys: True Tales from the Operators of the Jet Provost and Strikemaster

By David Watkins

As a versatile and undemanding aircraft, the Jet Provost established itself as the basic trainer for the RAF from the late 1950s until its retirement in September 1993. In Jet Provost Boys, David Watkins explores the history of this magnificent flying machine through the vivid memories of former air crew from the RAF and foreign air forces. Alongside operating as a basic training aircraft, the Jet Provost had relative success within the civilian and military display flying circuit of the 1960s and 1970s. It was also part of the prestige Golden Eagle Flight at RAF Cranwell which taught the then-Prince of Wales how to fly. When the Jet Provost Mk. 5 model became the BAC 167 Strikemaster after some modifications, it became a counter-insurgency and light-attack aircraft. This capability allowed the aircraft to be sold to air forces around the world including Ceylon, Nigeria, New Zealand, Sudan and Venezuela where it played a reliable and effective role in multiple border disputes and internal warfare. It was crucial to the Sultan of Oman Air Force during the Dhofar War as the intervention of Strikemasters assisted in a significant turning point in the conflict. This book includes a foreword by Squadron Leader Terry Lloyd who was the leader of the 1964–1965 Pelicans display team as well as being illustrated throughout with black and white and color photos. This latest addition to the Boys series is not to be missed and will appeal to all aviation fans.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
• Release date: Sep 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781911714538

David Watkins

David Watkins is a former member of the RAF and a keen aviation historian with previous works including a history of RAF Chivenor, the de Havilland Vampire and Venom, 501 (County of Gloucester) Sqn, RAuxAF and a history of RAF aerobatic teams from 1920.

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INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

With the advent of turbo-powered jet aircraft, it soon became apparent that training aircraft fitted with appropriate engines would be required to enable future generations of pilots to be made familiar with the necessary handling characteristics. The previous Provost/Vampire pilot training sequence had proved to be relatively successful, but by February 1957 the results of the evaluation courses conducted at RAF Hullavington clearly demonstrated the suitability of the Hunting Percival Jet Provost basic trainer as the logical step in providing pupils with their entire flying instruction on jet aircraft. Although this had been considered for some time, the ‘Hullavington Experiment’ also showed a ‘significant’ saving of flying hours during the advanced phase of their training and an overall saving on the complete wings course.

Coinciding with the announcement, the Secretary of State for Air confirmed that the RAF had decided to adopt the Jet Provost as its standard ab initio/basic trainer and that a production order had been placed with the manufacturers for an initial batch of 100 aircraft, with deliveries to RAF Flying Training Command beginning in the summer of 1959. Eager to promote the new jet trainer, the RAF placed numerous glossy adverts in the various aviation journals, magazines and newspapers during the late 1950s and early 1960s, which focused upon the glamour and the excitement of young men eager to join the RAF for a career which included flying the Jet Provost.

Many of these aspirants would not only experience their first taste of jet flying in the Jet Provost but also be a part of the innovative ‘all-through’ jet-flying training sequence, designed to radically transform the RAF’s flying training syllabus and be subsequently adopted by many leading air forces.

Two examples of the adverts placed in contemporary magazines during the 1960s designed to attract young men for a career in the RAF. (Mod PR)

Although the designation ‘Jet Provost’ had been used on a semi-official basis for some time, the name was finally sanctioned for production aircraft on 3 June 1957 by the Air Council Standing Committee, headed by Mr George Ward:

"In July, 1953, I agreed as ACCS (OR), that the ten development trainers converted from the Provost should be called ‘Jet Provosts’. A Nomenclature Notice was originally issued giving the official designation as ‘Jet Provost T. Mark 1’. I felt at the time as these aircraft were only for trial purposes, we did not need to consider renaming them officially unless and until a production order in quantity was placed. We have reached that situation and I would appreciate the Standing Order’s views as to whether we should give a new name to the production Jet Provosts.

It has been suggested that during the changeover period when there are considerable numbers of Provosts and Jet Provosts in service together, ambiguity may arise, particularly in respect of engineering and supply aspects. On the other hand, the existing name ‘Jet Provost’ had been very widely publicised both inside and particularly outside the services and the aircraft is known by this name in potential overseas markets. We have had the Mark 1 Jet Provosts in service for nearly two years and, to my knowledge, this similarity in name has not caused any major difficulty or confusion. A minor consideration also is that Hunting Percival have produced all their production drawings under the name of Jet Provost T. Mark 3 and all these will have to be changed if we rename the aircraft. I feel that the well-known name of Jet Provost should be retained, the various types being distinguished by mark numbers.

Despite the endless changes to RAF pilot training policy between 1959 and 1989, the versatile and undemanding Jet Provost established itself not only as a basic trainer, but also in the navigation, refresher, forward air control and ‘clockwork mice’ roles. Its simple and uncomplicated handling qualities also soon proved the Jet Provost to be popular as a mount with display teams and despite its limitations, virtually every RAF jet-flying training school produced an informal team to entertain those attending the numerous flying events between 1958 and 1976. Although not always well received by the station or its engineers as it meant extra work and a diversion of resources, these events included national and international air shows – from major NATO displays, Battle of Britain ‘At Home’ Days to local garden fetes, each of which enhanced national prestige and the service’s public image. Sadly, the impact of the fuel crisis and the drastic defence cuts of the 1970s brought an end to these varied and original routines by the RAF Jet Provost display teams, leaving spectators with individual contributions by pilots provided by their respective units or, latterly, by privately owned aircraft on the ‘Warbird’ air show circuit.

While the Jet Provost continued to serve in its training capacity, trials with the BAC 167 counter-insurgency aircraft (COIN)/light-attack model of the Jet Provost Mk 5 were steadily progressing, with the prototype making its maiden flight from Warton on 26 October 1967. To find a name for the new aircraft a competition came up with ‘Strikemaster’, which was officially endorsed in October 1968. A total of 150 airframes were eventually built at Warton to varying standards, offering a dual-role capability to the air forces of emergent nations and featuring an uprated Viper engine of 3,410 lbs thrust and four underwing pylons capable of carrying bombs or rocket launchers on stressed wings. In August 1968, Saudi Arabia became the first country to receive its initial order for 25 Strikemaster Mk 80s, and by the time the last airframe rolled off the production line in 1983, a further ten overseas air forces had purchased the type.

Eventually, 700 Jet Provost and Strikemaster airframes were built at Luton and Warton, and those sold to foreign air arms would experience limited ground-attack operations in border disputes and internal warfare in Ceylon, Ecuador, Nigeria, Sudan, South Yemen and Venezuela; whether it was desert or jungle operations, both aircraft proved to be reliable and effective. In July 1972, the Strikemaster aircraft of the SOAF’s Strike Wing proved to be no exception, having played a crucial part during the Dhofar War in Oman when 300 heavily-armed insurgents attacked the town of Mirbat, garrisoned with nine SAS and 30 Omani soldiers. During three hours of bloody fighting, two successive pairs of SOAF Strikemasters from Salalah responded to a call for help with both low-level gun and rocket attacks, which successfully repulsed the enemy fighters and resulted in a significant turning point in the conflict; some of the story of this largely forgotten campaign is faithfully recalled in this book by those who were involved in The Secret War, to whom I am most grateful.

Throughout its service career the Jet Provost attracted a variety of personal and conflicting opinions from aircrew, which ranged from: My introduction to the Jet Provost Mk 3 did not generate a morsel of enthusiasm or devotion then or at any time thereafter to I loved flying the Jet Provost. Both the Mk 3 and Mk 5 were easy to fly. It was what the QFIs demanded of you that sorted the men from the boys.

But it was aviation journalist Chris Long who encapsulated the feelings of many other student pilots:

I was one of a very lucky group who started flying training at RAFC Cranwell on the Jet Provost 3 – so the first solo ever was on a jet. We completed our training to wings on a mix of the Mk 3 and Mk 4 to a total of 170 hours. I didn’t come back to the Jet Provost until eight years later. After a short ground tour I was introduced to the Mk 5A on the refresher flying squadron (RFS) prior to Central Flying School to do the instructor course. I had enjoyed the aircraft and the role so much on RFS that I campaigned to get back to RFS for my instructional tour – fantastic. Next was a tour with the French air force before I met up with the Strikemaster in Saudi Arabia for nearly three years. So how did they shape up? I have a soft spot for the Mk 3 – nobody forgets their first solo, and the Mk 4 was pretty much the same. The Strikemaster was interesting because, fitted with four underwing fuel tanks, it had a much better range for the low-level training over the desert. But for sheer fun the Mk 5A was the best bet – only 50 minutes at low level, but it trundled around the UK at a comfortable 300 knots.

There were also the critics who had remarked on the failure rate of students following their ab-initio training; it was said that the Jet Provost was too easy to fly while the Provost was much more of a challenge, and this conjecture was supported by the remarkably high rate (50%-plus) of suspension from training on Provosts at Ternhill compared to that on Jet Provosts at Syerston. The result was that the less-able students who had passed the Syerston course were unable to cope with the Vampire and inevitably suspended, thus incurring a waste of public funds. The answer was to introduce ‘streaming’ and by 1960 all students completed the basic phase on the Jet Provost and, depending on how well they had performed – and the RAF’s requirements at the time – they moved on to the advanced phase on the Gnat, Varsity or helicopters.

Wg Cdr Jeff Jefford:

Prior to the 1960s everyone did the whole 250-hour(ish) Prentice/Harvard, later Provost/Vampire Flying Training sequence, so that all pilots reached a common (notionally potential fighter pilot) standard before gaining their wings – only then were they streamed onto mini-jets or heavies. In the early 1960s the streaming decision had been brought forward to the end of the 120-hour basic Jet Provost phase. In the 1980s the decision was made even earlier – halfway through the basic phase. The motivation, in both cases, was economy. In earlier times, it would have been possible to give a slow runner who, it was thought might still make the grade, another discretionary five hours or so to see if it made a difference. That sort of flex became increasingly scarce as time went by. If you failed one of the various progress tests that cropped up during the course – your number was pretty much up. I was snagged on just such a check ride at the 80-hour point. I flew just once more – a check-ride with the squadron commander – and that was it.

A further round of ‘streaming’ aircrew students in the 1980s coincided with a move to replace the RAF’s Jet Provosts with a more economical aircraft, which resulted in Air Staff Target (AST) 412 being issued in June 1984 for a more low-cost training aircraft. The CFS preferred a turbo-prop basic trainer, and felt that a trainer with high torque from the engine would be a more challenging aircraft, together with being more economic than a pure jet. A number of designs were considered, with the leading contender for the contract being the Embraer/Short Tucano, which was declared the winner and officially announced in Parliament by the Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Heseltine, in March 1985.

Following a lengthy assessment by the CFS, the Tucano gradually replaced the Jet Provosts at No. 7 Flying Training School (FTS) at Church Fenton in December 1988, followed by No. 3 FTS at Cranwell and No. 1 FTS at Linton-on-Ouse. Destined to be the final unit to operate the Jet Provost, No. 6 FTS, which was tasked with navigator training at Finningley, saw the progressive replacement by the Tucano from September 1992 and the adoption of the Hawk for advanced tactical flying. The Jet Provosts were finally withdrawn from No. 6 FTS in September 1993.

Following their retirement from RAF service, a large number of Jet Provost airframes were relegated for ground-training purposes at RAF Halton, Cosford and St Athan, employed for crash-rescue training, museum exhibits, or resold to private buyers. In early March 2019, the end finally came when the remaining Jet Provost Mk 5A airframes, XW320, XW327, XW375 and XW436, were retired from the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering at Cosford, where they had been used to train aircraft engineers for all three services; the airframes were later put up for disposal and sold in early 2020, while XW327 was retained for emergency-rescue training.

The contents of this book are not intended to repeat all the information contained in the original edition of From Jet Provost to Strikemaster, but to complement it with additional material and untold stories I received following its publication. Therefore, I am most grateful to those who contributed their anecdotes, information and previously unseen images; your infinite patience and first-hand accounts provided the integrity for me to complete this work.

I am especially grateful to Kate Yates for her extremely generous support with my continuous photographic requirements. Also to Candy and Polly Foster for providing me with the valuable background to the service career of their father, the late Richard ‘Dick’ Foster; Jill Harris and John Drinkell for kindly responding to me with information and selected pages from the logbook of Sqn Ldr W.G. ‘Bill’ Drinkell DFC AFC; Air Cdre Jim Barclay AFC RNZAF for permission to extract information on the Strikemaster from his personal diary; and to Sqn Ldr Terry Lloyd for kindly agreeing to write the foreword.

My gratitude is also extended to the following: Alan Allen, Sqn Ldr Tim Allen, Andy Anderson, James Baldwin, Ian Bashall, Laurie Bean, Jeff Bell, Air Cdre J.A. ‘Tinkle’ Bell OBE FBIM, Chris Blower RN, Sqn Ldr Roy Booth, Alex Brancaccio, Derick Bridge, Sqn Ldr Rod Brown, Jim Burns, Mike Butt, Bruce Byron, Steve Carr, Dudley Carvell, Rob Chambers, Wg Cdr Sean Chiddention MBE, Dave Coldicutt, Sqn Ldr Allan Corkett, Cdre Bill Covington CBE RN (Retd), Dave Croser, Peter Curtin, Wg Cdr Eddie Danks, Paul Dandeker, Charles Davies (Strikemaster 72), John Davy, Richard Dawe, Ray Deacon, Rod Dean, Tony Doyle, Lt Cdr David Eagles RN, Gp Capt Mike Edwards AFC, Gp Capt Tom Eeles BA FRAeS, Diogo Eira, Sqn Ldr Eric Evers, Capt (Mrs) Ashi Fernando, Sqn Ldr Chira Fernando RCyAF (retd), Keith Gainey, Peter Gardiner, Norman Giffin, Norman Gill, Mark Gilson, Y.K. Goh, John Grainge, Wg Cdr Dennis ‘Nobby’ Grey for his permission to extract material from his personal account of SOAF operations, Anthony Haig-Thomas, Brian Hall, Ian Halwood, Steven Hand, Sqn Ldr John Harvey, Ian Hawkridge, Leif Hellstrom, Wg Cdr P.J. ‘Curly’ Hirst, Peter Hoar, Barry Hobkirk, Stan Hodgkins, Dave Horsfield, Gp Capt Brian Hoskins AFC FRAeS, Stevie Howard, Capt Bill Jago, Wg Cdr ‘Jeff’ Jefford, Peter Jennings, David Jones, Gp Capt Martin ‘Dim’ Jones, Michael Kelly, Jukka Keränen, Richard King, Gp Capt Kumar Kirinde (retd) SLAF, Ares Klootwyk, Wg Cdr Olly Knight, K. Sree Kumar, Danny Lavender (Courtesy of Caroline Lavender), Stewart Lenton, Sqn Ldr Noel Lokuge, Chris Long, Bill Macgillivray, Erik Mann, Gp Capt Vijay Mayadev, David McCann, Keith McCloskey/Alistair Henderson, Andy Marden, Kris Muthukrishnan, Don McClen, Gp Capt Paul McDonald, Dave McIntyre, Larry Milberry/Canav Books, David Milne-Smith, Mike Napier, Terry Nash, Brett Nicholls, Alick Nicholson, Bob Osborne, Ken Parry, Ron Pattinson, Sqn Ldr Russell Peart AFC (for his kind permission to extract information on the Harabut and Haif incidents from his book From Lightnings to MiGs), Dondi Pesquera, Mark Petrie, AVM Les Phipps CB AFC, Jagan Pillarisetti, Patrick Vinot Prefontaine, Air Cdre Richie Profit OBE AFC MRAeS, Rob Ricketts, Hugh Rigg, Sqn Ldr John Robinson AFC*, Peter Rolt, Wg Cdr Mick Ryan, David Sargent, Rod Sargent, Mike Sedman, AVM Sir John Severne KCVO OBE AFC DL, Brian Shadbolt, Alan, Sheppard, Ian Sheppard, Tim Simpson, Lt Cdr Hugh Slade RN, AVM Chris Spence RAAF, Steve Stanton, Mark Stephenson, Reg Stock, VAdm Sir Jonathan Tod KCB CBE RN, Bob Thompson FRAeS, Air Cdre Tim Thorn AFC FRAeS, Rob Turner, AM Pattathil Venugopal, David Warren, Alex Weitz, Rupert Weitz, Rowland White, Joe Whitfield, Keith Wilson-Clark, and Wg Cdr Ian ‘Iggy’ Wood RNZAF.

I also would like to extend my thanks to all those at Grub Street, in particular John Davies and Natalie Parker, for all their hard work in making this project possible.

As usual, every attempt has been made to identify and acknowledge the original owners of the images used in this book. In some cases, this has not been entirely possible and I therefore hope that I will be forgiven if your work was considered to be entirely suitable to accompany this history. Thank you!

David Watkins

April 2023

CHAPTER ONE

ALL-THROUGH JET TRAINING IS HERE TO STAY

The association of the Percival Aircraft Company with military pilot training had dated from the end of the Second World War when it was successful in meeting the requirement for the RAF’s first post-war basic trainer, the P.40 Prentice. This was followed by the P.56 Provost, built in equally large numbers which entered service as the RAF’s standard basic trainer in May 1953. It soon proved a popular aircraft and subsequently became the first half of the RAF’s Provost/Vampire training sequence the following September.

The close collaboration between the manufacturer and RAF Flying Training Command had placed the company in a favourable position to evaluate the introduction of an all-jet training syllabus, a concept which