Over the first two weeks of January 1962, 208 Squadron carried out a programme on the range and from the 9th onwards, several flagwaves were flown in the Nubat Dukaim area in support of a battalion of the Federal Regular Army. During this period one of the Squadron pilots was attached to the FRA as a FAC. On the 15th, seven aircraft (XE552, XE607, XE623, XF376, XF462, XJ687 and XK139) departed Khormaksar for Bahrain to relieve 8 Squadron on the bi-monthly detachment. Of the remaining aircraft, due to unserviceabilities in the air, one returned to Khormaksar while a second diverted to Salalah. These two plus another pair US at Khormaksar (XE609, XF388, XK140 and XL597), arrived in Bahrain on the following day while XF454 appeared on the 26th, its fuel leak having been repaired at Mombassa.
Its detachment over, six 208 squadron aircraft departed Bahrain on 15 March for an overnight stop at Masirah while two more flew to Salalah, en-route to Khormaksar. Another pair had to turn back to Bahrain due to unserviceabilities in the air while a final pair were AOG at Bahrain awaiting spares. The six aircraft at Masirah and the two at Salalah flew down to Khormaksar on the 16th where they were joined by the two unserviceable aircraft from Bahrain in the afternoon.
From the 19th to the 29th, the five-ship aerobatic team carried out an intensive work up in preparation for the Khormaksar Open Day being held on the 30th. Pilots in the team comprised; Sqn Ldr Goodfellow, Flt Lts Marshall and Westropp, and Fg Offs Doidge and Harper. In addition, the Squadron carried out normal training, provided top cover for a supply drop, placed aircraft on standby for the Dhala convoy, flew a number of flagwaves in the Wadi Hatib area and practice strikes on the carrier HMS Ark Royal. Two refurbished Mark 9s, XJ632 and XJ688, joined the Squadron on the 26th and 29th of the month respectively while XE607 was handed over to 8 Squadron on the 29th.
From 2 to 6 April, the Squadron operated in support of the FRA which was combining an exercise with a show of force in the Wadi Retieb area. No operational use was made of the aircraft but some timely appearances were reported as having swayed local opinions around various conference tables. The opportunity was also taken to acquaint pilots with the diversion airfield at Djibouti. A total of 65 sorties were flown over these five days despite high unserviceability, mainly awaiting AOG items. Another 74 sorties were flown in the period 9 to 14 April, most of it on a cannon firing programme on the range, but once again, high unserviceability meant that most of these sorties were flown by just four aircraft. The Squadron flypast to mark the Queen’s birthday on the 21st was performed by eight instead of the planned nine aircraft due to aircraft availability. Despite extensive overtime by the groundcrew in an attempt to make as many aircraft available as possible, resulted in serviceability rates for the Mark 9s of 42% while that for the solitary trainer was 17%.
In an attempt to catch up on missed range time, another programme was instigated from 2 to 8 May when the opportunity was taken to introduce a new pilot, Plt Off Swain, to the mysteries of R/P. Although 58 sorties were flown on the range, the programme was continually hampered by lack of serviceable aircraft. The quality of the R/P again caused concern, there being a high percentage of slow releases. The 10th of the month was significant for 208 Squadron as this was the first time it fired its guns in anger. Of the seven sorties flown on Operation Charade, four were flown by Flt Lts Tate and Slaney, the first two in XF454 and XK140 and the second pair in XE552 and XE623. It was during this second pairing that their guns wire fired at a target in the Hilyan area but on the following day, after it was discovered that they had been given the wrong target, new procedures were introduced to ensure this did not recur.
On the 18th of the month, eight aircraft (XE552, XE609, XE623, XF388, XF454, XJ632, XJ688 and XK139) departed Khormaksar for the Squadron’s two-month detachment to Bahrain and, having arrived by 13:00, enough time was available for 8 Squadron to head home in the opposite direction. This was the first time since these by-monthly detachments were instigated that the changeover had been made in a single day. Two more aircraft (XF376 and XL597) joined them in Bahrain five days later. An unusual aircraft movement was the allocation of XG154 to the Squadron on 7 May only for it to depart for the UK for refurbishment ten days later due to its fatigue life being expired (author’s note: this aircraft is not listed on either Squadron’s allocation until now, so where did it come from? After refurbishment, it returned to Khormaksar for service with 8 and 43 Squadrons and was one of the last FGA.9s to fly with 1 TWU in 1984 before being donated to the RAF Museum for display at Hendon). Two refurbished aircraft that joined the Squadron in June were XE530 on the 1st and XE647 one week later. Another Mark 9, XE609, headed back to the UK for refurbishment on the 14th while XF376 was despatched to 131 MU at Khormaksar for attention on the same day.
For the first five days of June the Squadron was virtually grounded with most of its aircraft either on primary star servicing or AOG awaiting spares. This bizarre occurrence was put down to the extraordinary flying task the Squadron undertook during the previous month when it had been forced to outpace both its own servicing capability and that of the second-line assistance available at the time. Two were grounded on minor servicing while one other aircraft, XJ688, remained at Sharjah awaiting completion of a mainplane change until 24 July.
It was also during this detachment, on 19 June, that the Jeb-a-Jib range was formally opened by the Sheikh of Dubai, in whose state the range was located. Being the first to use the range, many difficulties were encountered, the most glaring of omissions being the lack of a plotting chart and an accurate survey from which to make a chart.
Over the two days 14 and 15 July, seven aircraft returned to Khormaksar, after night-stopping at Masirah, at the end of its detachment to Bahrain. Three days later, flying recommenced with the emphasis on re-familiarisation sorties and the Dhala convoy standby, of which eight sorties were flown.
As clearance had just been obtained to fire at angles of less than 23º, the three days beginning 26 July were devoted by the unit’s PAIs to deciding the type of attack to be employed on air to ground firing practice during August. The safety height system to be used was a minimum of 100 feet above ground level during the attack and 500 feet above the target (author’s note: can’t reconcile the two figures - clarification required please?). A trial comprising fourteen sorties was carried out on the range using cine and a pattern evolved. Due to disturbances up country, these sorties were combined with flagwaves over dissident tribesmen in the WAP.
The primary task during August was to make very pilot proficient in air to ground firing. It was decided to use the Shallow Angle Dive Attack trialled during July and the results proved this method very successful. The programme began with each pilot flying three cine sorties on the range before firing live. In order to ensure that the Range Safety Officer could gauge safety heights more accurately, a 37 Squadron Shackleton carried out low-level runs over the range so that the sight could be calibrated. Bad weather hindered the first few days with winds of 30 kts gusting to 45 kts blowing the targets over. As the aircraft were ‘clean’, the opportunity was taken instead to fly aerobatic sorties as these were not permitted with 230-gallon tanks on board. Live firing was able to begin on the 7th and it soon became apparent that, in order not to infringe the 500 feet safety height, pilots in some cases were over-stressing their aircraft. This was not because they were firing too close - on the contrary, the films showed the opposite was often the case. Because of this and also because the height was somewhat unrealistic for a shallow dive attack, Wg Cdr Neville reduced this limitation to 400 feet. It was drinks all round for Flt Lt Renshaw on the 11th for, having shown disgust at what he thought was a poor performance, he was more surprised when his score came through - 100%.
The feat was repeated by Flt Lt Oswell five days later. Flt Lt Renshaw left Khormaksar in XE623 on the 29th in company with an 8 Squadron aircraft on a ferry sortie to 19 MU in the UK but only got as far as Teheran when his aircraft went AOG with a defective brake motor. Other aircraft movements saw the arrival from refurbishment in the UK of XE544 on 2 August and XF445 on the 29th.
The first five days of September saw the Squadron engaged in air tests and fuel flow checks prior to undertaking a detachment to Kenya, ostensibly for participation in Exercise Firebird 10. The was an exercise in Forward Air Controlling with 24 Brigade in the region of Kajiado, 35 miles south of Nairobi. Flt Lt Marshall and Fg Off Dawson flew two Hunters (XE544 and XF462) down to Kenya on the 2nd for inspection by representatives of the Kenyan Government which was considering forming an air force. The main formation of six Hunters (XE530, XE552, XE647, XF388, XJ688 and XK140) departed Khormaksar for Embakasi on the 6th a further two being left behind because of a fuel leak in one.
Are recces were flown on the 7th and a programme of FAC training begun on the 10th. In preparation for Firebird 10, cine and R/P air to ground and FAC strikes were practiced on the 11th and, despite poor weather, the exercise was completed over the two successive days. Flt Lt Robert then departed Aden in XF445, in company with the AOC in his Canberra, but a hydraulic problem and runaway trim forced him to turn back and land at Djibouti. He arrived at Eastleigh by transport aircraft on the 16th. Serviceability being at a somewhat low level, most of the time from the 17th to 21st was utilised on formation aerobatics. No sooner had they started then Flt Lt Robert experienced severe vibration and a fire warning light in XE544 while taking off as number four in the Aerobatic team. He abandoned the take-off at 150 kts and the aircraft sustained Cat 5 damage. A day later, Flt Lt Gleen and Fg Off French Arrived in XF445 and an 8 Squadron aircraft (XG169) acting as escort. The last day of the Royal Show on the 29th reached its climax when the Aerobatic Team gave its display at Mitchell Park, Nairobi. Back at Khormaksar, Flt Lt Slaney carried out UHF radio trials on appropriately modified aircraft (XF454).
Display flying formed the primary task of the Squadron early in October when eight aircraft left Khormaksar for Entebbe in Uganda on the 5th to participate in the Ugandan Independence celebrations. It was evident on arrival that the celebrations had already started as the airport buildings were festooned with black, red and yellow striped bunting, the new Ugandan colours, in addition to flags of several nations many of which were a little older than Uganda itself. The Aerobatic Team and leaders of the flypast practiced on the 6th and on the 7th, the Team gave a display over the Entebbe Regatta, which was attended by their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Kent.
Uganda Independence Day was on 9 October and the flypast took place over Kampala Stadium where the responsibility of government was handed over to Mr Milton Obote, the Prime Minister of Uganda, HRH the Duke of Kent, representing HM the Queen. Led by Flt Lt MacDermid, the Hunter formation of two ‘vics’ in close line astern with one in the ‘box’ was headed by a Britannia and a Valiant. The display task over, the eight aircraft departed for Nairobi where they were prepared for Exercise Fiery Wings on the following day. This exercise, in which the Squadron gave close support to No.24 Brigade, followed the format of a possible re-entry into Kuwait. Their job done, six aircraft returned to Khormaksar on the 16th, leaving XF445 and XG169 unserviceable in Nairobi.
Although the Squadron was stood down at the time, it was called out at midday on the 21st after an unidentified aircraft, presumed to belong to the UAR or the Yemen, had attacked a village in the Wadi Beihan, a few miles from the border. In conjunction with 8 Squadron, 208 was directed to maintain armed patrols over the Beihan area with orders to shoot down any hostile aircraft that crossed the border. As a replacement for XE544, a refurbished aircraft (XF431) arrived on the 17th.
From 1 to 13 November, the Squadron was mainly occupied with flying border patrols in the Beihan area. A system was devised where 208 Squadron came on duty at midday and flew the patrols until the following midday, when 8 Squadron took over the next 24 hours. This gave both squadrons time to recuperate and maintain their aircraft. With no sightings, the commitment was revised at midday on the 13th, the requirement now being one pair airborne over the area per day and at all times dawn till dusk, one pair on 60-minutes and another on 90-minutes readiness. This allowed a programme of ESE sorties (author’s note: what are these please?) to be instigated to enable every pilot to be at his best in academic flying for the arrival of a CFS ‘Trapper’ team. The CFS team flew with the Squadron during the period 16 to 22 November and their presence was welcomed in appropriate fashion. They left with a good impression of the Squadron’s ability, both in the air and on the ground.
Another unidentified aircraft crossing the border near Beihan on the 23rd caused a bit of a flap and full airborne cover was resumed over the area in conjunction with 8 squadron. The question of the Squadron’s next detachment to Bahrain was shelved for a while although it was anticipated to take place by the end of the month. Indeed, at midday on the 28th, word came through that 208 would move up and relieve 1 Squadron, which was on detachment from the UK at Bahrain, on the 30th, although initially with six aircraft only. Come the day and the six aircraft (XE647, XF376, XF388, XJ632, XK139 and XK140) took off and headed for Bahrain, where they arrived in the afternoon. Once settled in, the eight 1 Squadron Hunters departed for a further month on detachment to Khormaksar.
During the first week of December, the Squadron was in a sorry state of having just six aircraft at Bahrain with pilots and the remainder of the groundcrew down at Khormaksar. This was due to commitments in the Far East changing the priority of aircraft movements. On the 2nd, the T.7 (XL597) arrived accompanied by three more FGA.9s, but it was not until the 7th that the groundcrew finally arrived. During this period, the groundcrew from 1 Squadron provided limited facilities for flying as they waited the same Britannia to take them to Khormaksar.
Following a five-day Christmas break, 208 Squadron moved back to Khormaksar on the 28th of the month to enable 8 Squadron to move up to Bahrain for its two-month detachment and for 1 Squadron to return to the UK. The immediate task awaiting 208 on its return was the standby commitment for the Beihan area.