Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MK-2P (MR2)

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Hawker Siddeley. Model: MK-2P Nickname: Nimrod
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Large Jet
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: Four engine jet

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 9/2/2021
> Number of Hours Flown: 6
> Number of Times Flown: 2
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: None

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 44
> Date First Flown: 5/11/1988
> Location First Flown: RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: 120 Squadron

Recollections: I had the pleasure of flying the Nimrod as a staff monitor for a DT-II Graduation exercise at USNTPS.  In a classic “small world” situation, this particular assignment was with my squadron mate and first Navigator from P-3 days, Al Scott, so it was doubly fun. Al was the best Navigator and TACCO (and friend) a P-3 bubba could have. He saved my bacon on more than one occasion when we served in my first P-3 squadron together, including a time when we lost all navigation and depended solely on Al’s skill with celestial navigation (yes, the P-3 had a sextant–not like the ones on a sailing ship, our sextant fit thru a small port in the top of the fuselage and used mirrors to take readings of the stars’ position).

As a P-3 guy (which does the same mission for the US Navy as the Nimrod does for the RAF) I was fascinated to compare and contrast these two airplanes.  The Nimrod has a higher dash speed and the RAF guys always talked about how they could get “to datum” way faster than the relatively slow P-3…whereas the P-3 guys always criticized the Nimrod’s relatively limited endurance.  Flying the Nimrod, with the famous RAF 120 squadron was a treat, getting to see their professionalism and dedication to the mission–in that regard we were the same. 

I liked the way the Nimrod handled and I was interested in the sonobuoys they carried…they were half-sized versions of what the P-3 carried and I’d never seen them before.  The other thing I learned during this time (besides how good Scotch tastes when sampled on the “Whiskey Trail”) was that, in an RAF squadron, a “back ender” could be in command of the airplane…be “the Captain”.  Very different from the US but, in the end, probably no effect as I assume the opinion of all would be carefully weighed and balanced in any emergent situation.