Is this the longest exchange posting? [Archive]

Lightning Mate

7th May 2009, 08:40

The BBC has today released an article on HMS Illustrious.

"Flt. Lt. Mike XXXXX, who has been a Royal Navy pilot for 30 years said...."

LM

teeteringhead

7th May 2009, 15:55

But then Erik (21st June) Bennett must have done nearly that long with SOAF/RAFO .......

piggybank

8th May 2009, 00:26

If we are talking the same Erik, wasn't he in Jordan for several years before SOAF?

teeteringhead

9th May 2009, 16:45

We are and he was ... that's where he got the Ferrari from ... and where SOAF got the Hunters! In SOAF/RAFO he arrived as a Gp Capt and left as a 2 or 3 -star!

MightyGem

9th May 2009, 20:48

Is this the longest exchange posting?

Well, there was a certain RAF QHI who spent nearly as long at Middle Wallop.

piggybank

11th May 2009, 01:41

I don't remember the Hunters, I was in Salalah during the 'troubles' early 1973 and we used Strikemasters there. Certainly at Wallop we had quite a few exchange officers but I left the Army (REME) in Jan 73 and parts of my memory are fading. Memories of Oman are always good, Salalah probably the best fixing 205's, SAR at Masirah, and Pensec at Khassab.

AC3854

11th May 2009, 04:16

I don't remember the Hunters, I was in Salalah during the 'troubles' early 1973 and we used Strikemasters there. Certainly at Wallop we had quite a few exchange officers but I left the Army (REME) in Jan 73 and parts of my memory are fading. Memories of Oman are always good, Salalah probably the best fixing 205's, SAR at Masirah, and Pensec at Khassab.

The Hunters were well established at Thamrait (formerly Midway) in 1975 when I arrived on Loan service.

AC3854

fergineer

11th May 2009, 05:56

Erik Bennett is surely not still there is he!!!!! He handed over the reins to Talib when I was there but was still in the background and that was in 92. Got to admit it was a good loan service deal 4 years of fun.

teeteringhead

16th May 2009, 12:28

I'm (almost) sure that Erik has indeed now retired to his castle in the auld sod. But (IIRC) he arrived in about '73/'74 (as a newly promoted gp capt) and - as fergineer suggests - was still around in the mid 90s-ish, so that's a good 20 years .....