SHFNI Stories!

[lsh]

Has enough time passed to start telling a few tales?
"Heli-granny"
The "ski-jump"
Bessbrook
XMG
Dunganoon ("I'm hit, I'm hit"!)
"Gibbo"
"JD"
The "1 metre range"!
I dunno, YOU decide!
lsh
:E

[jayteeto]

After the bad press that has hit the Puma Force recently, I would suggest that a lot of things need another 10 years under the 'Unofficial Secrets Act'. I am sure that with careful thought you could come up with some acceptable stories. What about confession is good for the soul?? What SHFNI stories would you like to get off your chest that wouldn't make the front page of the Sun........... You know, its highly unusual, I found the only green telephone box in NI ;)
The story of Dan Dan the harrier man in XMG might be acceptable. Dunhovrin, you got the details?
PS. Where's the Puma gone? might be dodgy!! Or 'start spreading the news' ditto...........:=

[charliegolf]

I found the only green telephone box in NI

Liar, liar! Me too, but my excuse is that they all look the same on PII!

CG

[Gnd]

Orange Whip!!!

[The Helpful Stacker]

(Once upon a time at R850 in the middle of the night).

Ding Dong 1 - "Aren't (name removed to spare blushes) helicopters normally a bit taller when they land on for fuel?":eek:

Ding Dong 2 - "Usually they are. I wonder if they want their aerials back?"

(A few years later.....)

Ding Dong 1- "Do the NSPs for the gimpy include a bit that says fire off the first three rounds into TSWs fuel tanks?"

Ding Dong 2 - "I don't think so but as thats the senior man on the fleet I guess he'd be the one to know....."

(Not too far from G40)

Ding Dong 1 - "Of all the places to run out of fuel, are they supposed to land here?"

Ding Dong 2 - "Don't ask questions, just get that pump and hoses off the other cab so we can foxtrot oscar before anyone knows we're all here...."

TSW, not a glamorous role by any measure but it does often allow you to see the winged master race at their best and sometimes more amusingly, at their worst.:ok:

[lsh]

We could start with some really "wimpish" ones and take ten years to tell all?!
How about:
Wessex at Bessbrook
Pilot: Tap-tap-taps on torque gauge glass, trying to get it to read.
Crewman says "if you hit it that hard Sir, you will break it"!
Pilot: "I know exactly what I am doing crewman, thank-you"
Tap-tap-tinkle "oh f**ck"!

Bessbrook chair trick
You need:
5 comfy armchairs
6 bored crew (not difficult!)
a telephone
poor weather (even less difficult!)

The game starts with everyone having a seat except you, bladders-busting or not they all stay put!
Go to end room, phone Aldergrove, speak to mate / Ops / OC 72 etc.
They phone Buzzard (Army Ops) asking for one of the guys who is sat down.
On reaching the phone he is told "message from ....., he is in your seat"!!

So now the phone rings again
"OC 72 for Flt Lt ......"
"Yeah-right pi** off, you arent getting my seat"
"No, no its really is OC 72"!!??
And so on, endless fun.

You see, I think we could tell a few careful ones, not like the time.........
lsh:E

[Hueymeister]

Charlie's amazing bunt...looses 200 rds of gimpy ammo from 2000ft...thanks to Phil C's equally amazing eyesight they got nearly all of them back...

JS's amazing death dive and subsequent very firm arrival...one now an A1 QHI, the other an ex-TP.

Spoons mistaking Dundalk for Newry...I took the fuel into Forkhill when they really did run out!!

The racetrack down in the greens...nearly pranged there!!

Niven's Hairy nose....'reference the hair on the nose..no, no I meant the barn on the hair...oh sh!t'

I banged the winch hook off at Dunganoooon fiddling with switches during a RRF..Cookie nearly shat himself...

Testing my new mess cannon on the pan at Y453 on Xmas day...wondering why the mortar alarm went off....

TCG puking down my neck whilst I drove the pissed sods from mess to mess after the puma/gazelle conflagration..

'That's not a wingover..let me show you one...' Scotty Weir tests my mettle on a Cat ride...was it because the seat raked back or did we exceed 90 nose up???

Mules having to extricate Wibbly-wobbly W*bber's tongue from his airway as he choked during a RRF...what if he hadn't, hmmmmm???

Being wrapped in kimwipe, and set alight in the bar....

Watching McSweat's/Niven's faces go pale as I presented the new OC230 a can of KiteKat at their inaugural dinner having just moved to V813...give 'em their due, they did eat some of it teeeheee:E

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

Or the fable about the investigation into missing mail from the 230 crewroom that saw hidden CCTV capture McSweats daughter being put to the sword by a young thruster :D:D:D

[Hueymeister]

Which was found to be untrue (the camera that is...Doenitz D**m*n was 'banged' to rights on the rest!!!:}:E:D:D:D

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

Met the lady in question on numerous occasions socially in their house, at ours and at other functions and she was as lovely as a lovely thing and a real player :ok:

[Stupidbutsaveable]

TTB in a triwall.

'It's alright Pete she's fit solo'

'3-2's a maximum not a minimum sir'

All the boys named Phil

JH's arrival interview

The Banana House; or at least you think it is while playing the piano and emptying the fridge before the apparition CD descends to ask wtf!

AR and GS's first arrival into Aldergrove with top cover escort

Pink milk for breakfast all winter

Seeing GS's ugly mug outside the cockpit window

Taking the RUC Front Row for an early morning snatch.

'Ave you seen my maestro; it's faster than a ferrari diablooooooooo and you get an ironing board in sideways'

Throwing yourself out he bar window and breaking your collar bone

Cold wet night at the pit, push through the scuffers to double tap the pit

Discussing the merits of the young ladette while she is still on the long lead

Meet crew at the pit and then walk off leaving car running outside the armoury the day after changing the plates without doing the paperwork.

Priceless

Happy days

[teeteringhead]

Met the lady in question on numerous occasions socially in their house, at ours and at other functions and she was as lovely as a lovely thing and a real player agreed ... and is now a sqn ldr MBE!

[lsh]

Ah vehicles!
"The brown turd" Allegro shared-car:
1.Wheelnuts!
2.Clinging to roof!

The Cortina, carefully purchased by "Gibbo" & Tim at the auction.
Carefully crashed by Tim on the bosses lawn - the Boss handed the headlamp back 18 months later at Tim's going away do!
Smuggled past the guards, post accident.
Three weeks to do the one-week driving course!!

Then of course the potential purchaser of the Alfa being given a "demo" down the back straight, got "bitten" by a lorry when overtaking - door hanging off:
"No I think I'll leave it thanks Dave"!

And the best advert I have ever seen:
"The Flying Frog, basically fu*k*d, offers"

Happy Days!
lsh
:E

[Blighter Pilot]

The Swift Retreat

Ally Pally and the Rugby Club on a Friday

'The Street'

Dinghy Drills in Loch Neagh

DECCA let-downs

SQUAMing

The digging of the Officer's Mess Swimming Pool

Emptying the 813 cabs entonox after a heavy night on the lash..

Happy Days:ok:

[lsh]

The "H" style design of the Sgts Mess accom meant that the upstairs occupant one side could see through the downstairs windows on the far side.
At Sunday lunch, to a full table (!!):
MACR Ron to Sgt X ".... when I opened the curtains this morning I saw a ghastly sight, you were kneeling on the bed having a w*nk", most men m*sturb*te but, in future, please have the courtesy to close your curtains beforehand" !!!!!!!
Amazing, but true, coz I was sat at that table and no, it wasnt me ....honest!
(Count the dots)
lsh:E

PS I will give the "Brown Turd" guys a week to own up,
of the 3 I remember being involved two made Gp Capt and one made OC 230!!
(Cheques, cash or postal orders, no credit cards please!)

[941]

Nobody has mentioned Rosie and Red 851 yet!
Its not what you do right that people remember but what you do wrong. George Blackie knew that and that is why everybody remembers him. RIP

[lsh]

"Borrow" bicycles
Pedal across to the civvy terminal and get "trophy" BA hats.
Return by cycling across runway, BA shuttle overshoots.
We got to nitesun the perimeter as a result, looking for "intruders"!
lsh
:E

[FILCI]

Come on guys, it was SHNFI!!:ok:

[Wwyvern]

You're all talking RECENT times.

In the early 70s, it was normal practice for one or other of the "locals" in Aldergove to put on a barrel on a Friday evening. That was the only time we serving folk saw the civvies of the MU, who would have a couple of pints and then scarper.

On this particular Friday, there was dense fog, and the civvies left early to get home, leaving 72's Det to consume the barrel. There weren't many of us in those days, but it didn't take long.

When the barrel ran dry, the problem was - who would buy the next round? Two Fg Offs decided that one of them would set the ball rolling, and they would race each other to decide. The race was to be starkers in the bar, and the loser would buy. The Boss said "Go" and the race was on.

The race was run and the next round was bought. Both contestants had their drinks as they stood, ie starkers. Gradually, some of their dressed friends slowly moved in on the "winner", picked him up and deposited him in the Ladies Room, where one of our number was entertaining a local lady (subsequently his wife). The naked FO ended up sprawling on the floor, on his back, in front of the pair. He got to his feet, stood to attention and said "I'm terribly sorry", and returned to the bar.

He was ex-Cranwell, Flight Cadet, of course.

[Roger Sofarover]

The Great Moselly breaking his leg, falling from the top of a human pyramid whilst trying to put his arse print on the ceiling of the bar.

One of the boys who kept borrowing things out of our rooms in the mess and never returning them, was in the bar and said "I will be back in an hour, I am just picking my girlfriend up from the airport side". In the next hour, a load of us completely emptied his room of every item including furniture, and replaced it with the contents of the laundry room from the floor below. He came back and waked into his room to see several washing machines and tumble driers (drying clothes of course). After three 'takes' he sat down on the floor with his hands in his head. No romantic night for him. Trouble was we couldnt remember where we hid everything so it took him about 6 weeks to get all his stuff back:}


eeeeee those were the days.

[lsh]

Wasnt that a song:
"Those were the days my friend........."
lsh
:E

[obnoxio f*ckwit]

Roger, have little wish to picture a half naked Moselly trying to plant his print on something, but I will forever remember the identical pair of prints on the new dining room rafters!

And being 'welcomed' to the mess by Jerome the Dome:

"Ah, FNGs, up on the bar stools you go, get this down your neck, its called a Starfish, you'll love it".

Then up into the rafters and being timed to RCC.

And no-one mention 230's bronze tiger.....

[lsh]

Slightly off-topic but did you ever see the end of course pictures at the ATC school, Shawbury??
Front side of one had photos, cartoons etc, on wall for years, Royal visit inc.
Back side had a starkers female body print, detail down to the very last rivet, surrounded by many "meat & two veg" round the outside!!!!!

Mossely nude?
A truly awful thought!
Might affect hydraulic pressure?!

Then again Steve S (Nav) was getting undressed in the barn and Shy Torque says:
"I dont know what you have on Steve, but it needs ironing"!!!!
lsh
:E

[chcoffshore]

I remember diverting to Armagh just to have a cheeky letch at the TSW girls new breast implants! And she wore a tight t-shirt in all weathers just so she didn't disappoint!:p

I think at one point JHFNI stop refuels there for non tasking aircraft.

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

The Army or TSW tuning the Sky Box to MTV then taking the batteries out of both Sky and the TV remote controls any time AJ was due in, feckin priceless to watch :D:D:D

[The Helpful Stacker]

I remember diverting to Armagh just to have a cheeky letch at the TSW girls new breast implants! And she wore a tight t-shirt in all weathers just so she didn't disappoint!

They were cracking and she loved to show them off, paid for by the RAF too.

Some remarked that she was a bit BOBFOC though.

[Roger Sofarover]

The massive girl on Grovesnor Ops, Sharon who was bloody good fun but had a mouth like a sewer. She calls me when I walked in and said 'Hey Sir that fuggan daddys young subaltern wee Pilot has just been in asking for you saying where is Flt Lt Sofarover (name badge read Roger Sofarover, rest of the crew with similar name badges etc), we have a hearty laugh. I go up to the TV room and the AAC major is sat there, I tell him about what the young subaltern has just asked and laugh a little, and the Major looks at me seriously and says in the style of Cholmendly Warner, "I imagine he was being polite, how do you pronounce it exactly". Silence, interuppted by giggles from the Crewmen.

[ShyTorque]

Sharon! There was a woman (or was it two women?). :\

We once agreed to help her to organise some task changes and she said to the young pilot (AG) I was flying with: "Sir, I love yer ter bits and I want all yer babees!"

I think I saw him turn a bit pale and gulp at the thought. We often reminded him of his unfinished duties.... :E

[Hueymeister]

Sharon was great, she could organise the programme well. Always going on about the 'stamp-licking' WRACs in the block...did Jerome the Dome nail her in the end?

Talking of Jerome - he must have had shares in the stores mattress supplies 'cos most friday nights turned into Operation Grandslam...

AJ bating was priceless....bin on the sky dish 'til he fecked off...

VERTREPing the Navy in Carlingford (?) Loch

Out-lifting and out-running the plastic pigs in a Mk4...

Watching the RAFP get smashed at Mess Rugby...normally at the handds of Weir

SHFNI dinner nights and all the associated shenannigans

Xmas Day, Strobey and I wake the mess up..only to see Stu B, almost fall out of his window - naked...not a nice sight early in the morning!!

[Roger Sofarover]

We used to have a duplicate control for sky when we watched it with AJ. I kept it in my navbag. Would sit with it down the side of the chair and keep flicking channels when he had found one he wanted to watch. Watching him go through the roof was funnier than any comedy show on TV.

[lsh]

Dunganoon had a large female ops person called Sharon (?) that we called "FATWAD",
FAT Woman At Dunganon.
But she was so totally inefficient that we cannot possibly be talking about the same person?!
"If in doubt say Roger-Out" was her motto!

Now, a real star was the lovely Lynne, on our 72 Ops desk, remember her swear box?

lsh

[Tiger_mate]

Fat Sharon was at Omagh in PuF(NI) days. I dont think that she ever attended the 'Ranks of the services' lessons in recruit training. However she could do her job as Buzzard very well, and that is all that seemed to matter.

For me:

Heli-Lilly as a USL from EGAA direct to hook. 'Big mistake' crew discuss options: 1) Return to EGAA and attach strop whilst looking like a dick. ..or 2) continue to Dunganon at no more then 40kts. It was a pleasant day for sightseeing :E

Nobby & 'Roger' having a fight in the cockpit because Roger was quoting the line from the conduct after capture video: Argh Sheila; I think I will F*** her myself. Nobbies GF was Sheila and he had never seen the vid, so had no idea.

Watching the end of a video at BBK and the middle a few days later and the beginning whenever.

Steak & Kidney pie inflights, from TSW. :D

'JTMS is the Son of Satan' as a PC screensaver when he has no idea how to change it. Activating auto spell check ammendments when PC left online.

Watching a Haflinger USL fall to bits en-route. Nobby (again) departs normal locstat to look down the hole whereupon he gets vertigo! Misses out on watching the 5 steel poles hidden in the canvas role up (& now undone) making like javelins earthbound. A military reg plate survived 40+ miles spinning around the sole remaining rivet.

Post Ballygawley bomb, & lots of family transits. Gap between very early start and final sortie spent in 72 Crewroom. The Petshop Boys seemed to be breaking through on the HF, I'm sure thats were it came from ! T_M starts to bait Nobby (again) and whilst reading several day(s)-old papers over a brew starts to state random comments along the lines of:
"I dont know, the Petshop Boys" a few mins later
"Next thing he'll do is buy a VW Golf GTI" -"-
"A red one" -"-
"And then he'll park it outside a hairdressers shop" -"-
"and change his name by deedpoll"
all of which (over about an hour) got no response at all, and by now the 72 guys are arriving for morning brief, and OC 72 is walking down the corridor
"TO NIGEL!"
Nobby arises from his seat, picks T_M up by the ankles, and starts to literally kick his head in. OC 72 puts his head in, and removes it quickly without seeing a thing.

Telling Lance I had just seen a babe PSNI chick on camp only to hear that she was his wife :oh:

[ShyTorque]

The "Ballygawley roundabout beacon".

A P3 navigator, new to NI, was forever confused when asked to dial it up (on a totally spurious frequency, of course, as it didn't actually exist). Oh, how frustrating for him as he could never get the needle to lock on. We used many varied excuses (Oh, sorry, I forgot, it's NOTAMed u/s today, Tom. We're probably flying just a bit too low to get it this time, Tom. It's a bit of a dead area, here, Tom. Never mind. Try again on the way back, Tom).

Obviously, when one of the two winged master race dialled it up, it always worked immediately and the needle swung straight to it as we passed by, no matter what.

By setting the box to "test", of course. :E

I left the province wondering if he ever realised it was a total setup, for his personal benefit.

Talking of spoofs, what about the impossible to find co-pilot, "Albert Thirlkettle"?

[WASALOADIE]

The Rock Officer who was supposedly the most highly trained bloke at Aldergrove, demonstrating single handed cocking of a 9mm and shooting himself in the foot!


"Thrapper" Curtis


D*** Th***son (crewman) going to collect free range eggs at one of the Golf towers, returning with a tray full (planted by the troops) and the mortar alarm going off forcing him to take cover and dive on them.

Another crewman, name escapes me, being sent out to get the Sunday paper from the market square at XMG (got a far as the gate before being told to stop being so F***ing stupid).

Sgts Mess Street parties! awesome!

When we first started fitting GPMG back on the Wessex in the 80's and Paddy W***h scoffed at us being useless and laid down the challenge that if we could hit his hat, he would buy us a crate of beer. H***y W*****e (dad of Ricky) and myself went to recover the targets andsure enough we had not hit the hat. A pencil makes a great 7.62 lookalike hole!

Riding P**l B******hams monkey bike up and down the officers mess after a dining in night and leaving a long black burn mark in the new carpet.

[lsh]

Reminds me of the time we were discussing GPMG training and how Laurie H used to put his hat on the range "lasted 13 courses and nobody has ever hit it"!
(Boy, I tried, oh how I tried with PW's when I came through the OCU, but no joy!)
"We sorted that"
"How"
"Oh we just came to the hover 50m away and gave it max, caught fire too"!!!
lsh
:E

[jayteeto]

Filling a Puma cabin with Xmas trees and heading for EGAA only to be tasked en-route to pick up a 12+12.......
Not one but TWO crewmen falling out of doors because the handle was removed for GPMG fit,
Landing in a field near Warrenpoint, sent crewman out to Ice Cream Van in car park. '3 99s please!' said he. F**K Off!! said the vendor,
Waddo versus the radome :eek:
Newtownhamilton, 'Steve, will you stop slamming the door!!' It was a mortar, and the tail was on fire
A scottish pilot, now in a very senior position, a bullseye on the one metre range,
Firing Dickies mess cannon (Gerald) at point blank range towards the staish. Ordered jayteeto to go home immediately (at my own leaving do!!). His wife was at my house with the other girls and when I told the story she said 'sorry, he is such a tosser sometimes' :ok:

[Roger Sofarover]

Playing cricket with Nobby at 1am with a tennis racket and the contents of the Officers Mess fruitbowl in the porta cabins at the back.


Andy Cooper playing guitar in the mess most nights, and we all singing till almost hoarse.

Playing pissy fishermen with steve S and always losing and his drinks were gin and warm water:yuk::yuk:

Chris To**e calling Aldergrove approach telling them he would be in the hover for 30 mins at 11000ft and OC230 hearing the call. We had hypoxia lectures for the next week and it gave rise to the song 'Ground Control to Major To*ne":D

Watching Dobbo after his 'shooting down' being interviewed on the news wearing his helmet with dark visor down:}

The boys playing ride of the valkerie' over the net when we had a 12 ship going in to get Slab and all his mates.

Croquet on the garden outside the mess on a summers day with a bucket of Pimms.


Wanting a time machine to go back and do it all again please!

[lsh]

The letter from the Forestry Commission, enclosing a photo of a crewman with the fire-axe chopping down a christmas tree, saying " ask next time and you can have one for free"!

Brian G collecting his salvage money from the Antrim Princess, in cash, and waving it (the cash) round the crewroom!

Mike B (recent Commandant RAFC Cranwell!!) telling a joke but burning his toast.
Told joke again, burnt second lot of toast.
Ordered Sgt crewman to make toast while he told the joke (worth hearing). Command potential "9".

lsh:E

[Roger Sofarover]

ish
you are getting old mate. That 'recent' was about 7-8 years ago:}

[lsh]

Yeah, as I said, "recent"!!!!!
lsh:)

[cornish-stormrider]

Damn these are good yarns - I am so sad I never had the mis-pleasure. It sounds to me like you were the last bastion of the real airforce - work (fairly hard) play really hard.

[jayteeto]

I didn't realise the forestry commission got involved. If it was the same job as mine above, it was Lance with the fire axe!!

[lsh]

Twas on the mighty Wessex mate!
And I can name the crewman, rumour is that he carried a female passenger one day WITHOUT getting engaged to her!?
lsh

[Dundiggin']

Remember the mighty fat one called 'Blobby'? Oh how we p@ssed him off and embarrassed him at the Sqn lunch in the Mess when his 'fatness' stood up to give a pompous speech when a blow up (inflated) Mr Blobby popped out from the ceilling tile behind him and whilst it dangled around the ceiling everyone larfed and he got redder and redder - oh wonderful stuff!!

Remember the Blobby load - painted pink with yellow spots....Christ what a stack of stories one could tell......and I might let a few cats out of the bag...having been in the place on and off since 1969 with multitudinous 6-week dets on Wessex, Pumas and Chinooks until final 2-year tour on Wessex ending 1995...priceless but what fun it was...Nobby you were a complete star..

PS: Can I have my hat back please..

[ShyTorque]

Chris To**e calling Aldergrove approach telling them he would be in the hover for 30 mins at 11000ft and OC230 hearing the call. We had hypoxia lectures for the next week and it gave rise to the song 'Ground Control to Major To*ne"

Having done that for many nights (although we never announced it on the radio) we finally got stood down because the aircraft went u/s. We retired for "a quiet Pimms"; of which I had never drunk more than one before. More people arrived and joined us outside, it was a rare, balmy night and rapidly a huge Pimms pi$$ up somehow developed ( I think we must have been buying), mainly on the small patio/path outside the bar window. We soon drank the mess dry of the stuff; gallons of it. Someone was sent out and more appeared from the NCOs mess. I vaguely remember deep stainless steel trays of the stuff being proffered from the bar window ledge. :yuk:

Next day I woke with the world's worst hangover, still wearing my brand new white shirt. At that time it had become quite rare for me to be in civvies in the evenings, normally we were off to work then so I didn't usually get to drink much and I wasn't used to it. Staggering to the loo I realised my skin hurt. I looked in the mirror and saw I was covered in blood patches, front, rear and face, and my shirt had dozens of holes. I then noticed many thorns sticking out of the blood patches. I had allegedly tried to climb in through the bar window, someone moved the wall and I fell headfirst into the thorn hedge below, from where my colleagues thoughtfully pulled me out backwards after they had stopped laughing.

I was later advised that I should make a point of apologising to the Sqn Ldr (WRAF) dentist. I did and she told me that she had actually enjoyed the evening. Never did find exactly out what I was apologising for but I was too embarrassed to ever go for a dental check up in NI.

Ah yes, they were the days. :O

[Hueymeister]

Cornish

It was an ace first tour...we certainly worked hard..1300hrs in two years...but my did we play hard too:ok::}:cool:

Critical Mass in the bar

Setting fire to Matt N's chest hair

Stealing the AAC mess furniture during their dinner night...including some lovely paintings..then demanding a case of Champers to get it back..:E

Currently bored fartless in Turkey...please send me a jet...please:{

[ShyTorque]

Currently bored fartless in Turkey...please send me a jet...please

Bearing in mind the season, didn't you mean to say:

"Currently bored fartless in jet...please send me a turkey...please.

;)

[Hueymeister]

:ok::}:p:cool::E

[Roger Sofarover]

Hans Mun.... and Wayne G...... carrying loads to build the G outposts. Their crewman was the Nav Paul Wess** (Brain the size of Jupiter but the last in the queue for common sense). Working all morning dropping loads direct off the hook then had to use an 8 ft Strop (point of note: there was a techie sitting in back of aircraft). The normal routine of the boys was 'them up front' zoom in drop load get 'clear 'from the crewman and f**k off sharpish. This time they go in with the first load on the strop. Paul Wess** forgets what the string is for at the end of the strop (light line), and not knowing what else to do with it ties it around his wrist!!!!!! The techie is not on headset but is already alarmed by the blatant act of stupidity. The boys go in and drop the load and are steadyish in the hovver waiting for the crewman to say 'clear, get the **** outta here', but silence! What they cannot see is Paul has been dragged down the load pole hatch and only his legs from the calf up remain inside. Paul cannot tell them as he cannot reach his mictel lead switch. Paul also knows that any second the boys are just gonna go and it is not going to be good. The arm and the day were saved by the techie who unstrapped and tapped Hans on the shoulder and pointed down the back. Hans just sees Pauls feet sticking out the loadpole hatch:eek: Mayday.

That evening Paul got very drunk, going around the mess saying 'I nearly died today" we then find him asleep in a similar bush to the one Shytorque slept in in the post above. He was so disgruntled that we woke him up that when we got him back in the porta cabin he ran out of his room with a brown sealed envelope (he was going back to Gut the next day). He waves the envelope in front of Hans and me and screams 'you see these Sofarover, these are my medical docs, and in the morning I am going to tell the SMO that you did this....", he then proceeded to tear up his entire medical history whilst laughing and cackling! Hans and I exchange a stare and then pi** ourselves laughing. Our hero was seen the next morning at 7am, on his knees on the floor in the corridor with blood red eyes trying to celleotape together the 100 pieces of paper in front of him muttering the words, 'why am I such a tw*t sometimes":}:}

[seafuryfan]

...The dirty protest conducted by a 'little worse for wear' crewman...

...'Orange Whip'....

...Wall murals in 'The Street' ('British Bulldog' my favourite, well done Harry)...

...Stn Tannoy in the Street rewired to a hi-fi for parties...

...S*** G*** letting off an orange smoke in his room which changed the colour of the white melamine furniture...

...The bouncy castle tested to it's limit when jumped on from the roof of a portakabin...

..The Tricolour drink...

...The Disaster Bar-B-Q (****ferbrains and my car written off)...

...Wessex Water Bombing...

[RUCAWO]

Having flown many times as a passenger of the Wessex and Lynx picking us up from Carrickmore it's great to hear these tales.
Two questions,around 83-84 who bounced the wheel of the Wessex off the sangar roof at Carrickmore,scared the crap out of me as I was in it at the time,and there was one Wessex pilot who flew wearing brown cowboy boots, everyone strapped in rather tightly when we saw them as the flights were always "interesting"did everyone think he was nuts or was it just us.

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

Seafury, if that "dirty protest" was courtesy of the late DW I shared the bloody portakabin with him and boy did it whiff :eek:

[EESDL]

1300 hrs in 2-years - what took you so long?
Happy days for sure

[ShyTorque]

RUCAWO, cowboy boots? Probably Lex and if so, yes, you were right in your worries :p .

[gowaz]

Knocking a tri-colour off the top of a telegraph pole for the troops near Y453. The next day a similar pole booby trapped went off like a rocket.

Duty Auth, phone call " one of you ac has crashed into river at L Derry!" No, just a bit of "low level" FOLA bridge dodging in the fog.

Crew fly back to ALD for late tea, leave later back on task, night engine fail! Safe on ground.....Medals No.. but a bit of fuel would be nice.

Chrimbo day night, OC 72 bends aerial on fenceY453. "That will have been you then!" He says.......Yes sir......I say. might get a good posting!

The glorious new paint scheme, Air defence grey shame they glowed in the dark, quick paint them black, blue any other colour.

etc etc

[Dundiggin']

Now this was in the 'good old Wessex days' in the 70's..........'Gentleman John' (GJ) was a thoroughly nice, well-mannered, Mr Perfect-type Wessex crewman tasked to act as crewman to a VIP namely THE Ken Dodd who was entertaining the troops around the province and 72 Sqn was tasked to fly him around.
GJ was the crewman for the various VIP trips (don't remember who the jockeys were). He was renowned for doing everything correctly.
eg on a VIP trip you were meant to close the door to reduce the amount of dust flying about the cabin, remain on the long lead within the cabin (a pain) and stay secured to the 'monkey harness' for the trip (why?).

The rest of us used to leave the door ajar to assist with the nav, unplug the long lead and plug into the short cabin lead, unhook the monkey harness and secure ourselves into a seat belt for the trip.

So whilst doing everything properly and correctly after takeoff, GJ closed the cabin door and sat forward of the door in the crewman's seat, remained on the long lead and stayed secured in his monkey harness attached to an anchor point under his seat.

Ken Dodd was sitting in the seat opposite the door.

They had climbed to about 500' when GJ decided he needed to look outside to help with the nav. As he lifted out of his seat forward of the door to change to the seat aft of the door, he used the cabin door jettison handle for extra leverage and surprise surprise the door jettisoned and out into the slipstream 10' below the aircraft was GJ swinging gaily outside the aircraft 500' above the NI greenery!!.

Being the correct person he was, his first reaction was to say:

''Crewman to Captain''
"Yes John?"
"I don't wish to alarm you...but I'm hanging under the aircraft!"
"Whaaat?"
"Yes the door jettisoned and I've fallen out of the aircraft! and I'm swinging underneath in my monkey harness" :\
"FFS!"

John then gave a very accurate height-only talk down into a farmer's field and walked out from under the aircraft just before the wheels touched!!

Ken Dodd was in a state of shock (understatement!) and grabbed John's chinagraph and wrote on his kneepad:
"I trust there will not be a repeat performance!"
Wasn't GJ lucky that he stayed on the long lead and the monkey harness otherewise it may have been a completely different ending!
Footnote: It is understood that Ken Dodd's hair style was a direct result of this incident.....:)

[lsh]

Were the "bus stop" and "waiter" in the radio bay also part of the "Doddy" affair?

Remember what was written on the hangar roof?
RAFP stood under it for years in blissful ignorance!

"Gibbo" was having a (nother!) bad day at the Yellows, overslept, woken by Ops.
Collects kit "on the hoof" as he passes: Rifle, LSJ, toolkit, navbag, helmet, etc, etc.
DA was "Challenger" and as "Gibbo" rushes past:
"Gibbo what time do you call this"?
"Bloody quick time Sir, I were asleep 10 minutes ago"
He settles into the back of the already running "cab", reclines on the seat and sleeps.
"It seemed like only a minute later and we were there, the troops opened the door, closed it, sat-down, strapped-in and tapped the pilot on the leg, then we took off"
Hardly surprising it "only seemed like a minute", it was!!
They were collecting the ARF from the camp at Aldergrove!

lsh
:E

[ShyTorque]

That reminds me of the spoof put on for the late Harry Secombe, also there to entertain the troops. This involved a "bus stop". the Wessex was landed somewhere in the middle of nowhere to pick up a "waiting passenger".

I can't remember the full details; can anyone recall the story?

Not in NI, but I was promised the task of flying the lovely Carolyn Seaward, who was "Miss Great Britain. She cried off and I got her replacement, Tommy Vance, who had been out on the lash with the staff at BMH Hanover. Not a pretty sight! He nearly crapped himself when we had a birdstrike and we landed to check the aircraft, and again when the nose bay black bodge tape started flapping against the panel like machine gun fire! :E

[Dundiggin']

Naah, the "bus stop" and "waiter" malarky was with Harry Secombe and was hilarious but I've now got "scribblies' wrist" :eek:
I'll leave that to another time or to someone else who knows..........:E

[lsh]

"Scribblies wrist" eh..........!
lsh
:E

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

Or possibly a bit of "cramp" :E

[Fareastdriver]

Harry Secombe's bus stop episode was in the mid 70s.
A Wessex was tasked to pick him up from Ballykelly and bring him to Aldergrove. One of 72s pilots, dressed in scruff order, went along as an extra passenger. On the way there they dropped him off on some deserted hillside complete with a bus stop sign and 9mm. pistol.
En route from Ballykelly the crewman inform H S that they were giving a lift to somebody. They landed, after a short search, and picked up this bloke waiting at a bus stop. He sat opposite HS and they were on their way.
Apparently HS was getting more and more worried because this hitchhiker was acting strangely and was fingering what looked like an automatic under his coat. However when all was explained he saw the joke.
The pilot involved was not at all happy standing on a hillside with just a 9mm. for company especially not knowing precisely when, or if, the Wessex would be back. He survived and later on in civil life flew the Pope around and the last I heard he was driving S92s in Brunei.

[Fareastdriver]

One of our pilots lounging in his room in the, then, new portacabins. A knock at the door. It's a Works & Bricks bloke who has come to fix a blockage in another room and would he go along as security. Our hero goes along and sits on the bed to watch the plumber does his stuff.
The plumber undoes both ends of the S trap and carefully, as it is brimming with dirty water, lifts it up and pours it down the sink.
He looks down at his now sodden toecaps, turns to our pilot and says. "I'm sorry about that, it must be the Irish in me."

[RETDPI]

The U-bend incident was 1975 IIRC.
That would be before the hot summer evening which was livened up a bit when some abandoned belts of .303 began cooking off in a rubbish skip in Ally Pally. A mysterious event , which was then followed closely by a RR Land Rover screaming out to its post via the security gate , which happened to be closed at the time.

[Dundiggin']

Prior to departing Aldergrove the crew had decided to spoof Harry bigtime! Filthy Lu@ar (FOLA Ldr!) dressed as a Mess Steward and had a serving tray, bottle of gin, tonics, lemon slices, ice cubes, napkins and glasses. Another member of the FOLA (probably Tim J) was kitted out with a long overcoat, long woollen tricolour scarf, a temporary Ulsterbus bus stop, a dodgy hat and a copy of the Irish Times. They departed Aldergrove and deposited the spoof bus stop and dodgy-looking passenger on top of a sugarloaf-type 'mountain' en route to Ballykelly. On landing at Ballykelly the 'steward' hid himself in the radio bay at the back of the cabin (where the goblins lived!) and buttoned down the radio bay curtain. Harry duly arrived and was put on i/c. They took off and 5 mins into the trip Harry was asked if he fancied a G&T. "Yes please" replied a surprised but delighted Harry. The radio bay curtain was unbuttoned and out popped a pristine looking Mess Steward aka 'Filthy' and poured the G&T. "Would you like ice and a slice Sir?" "Yes please" says Harry hardly able to contain his delight at this unexpected pleasure. The spoof steward disappeared back into the radio bay and the curtain was buttoned and Harry sipped away at his G&T. Ten mins later casual aircrew chat ensued; "I wonder if there is anyone at the bus stop today?" "Dunno but I heard that the bloke they picked up last week looked a bit dodgy". "Yeah I heard that too anyway you can't leave anyone out here on their own so we'll go and have a look" They flew to the bus stop, cabin door open so Harry can see and at the bus stop is a 'dodgy' looking character thumbing a lift. "I think we'd better pick him up but I don't like the look of him much. If he gives you any trouble crewman just sort him out". Harry is all eyes by now! They land beside the bus stop the passenger boards the aircraft carrying the temp bus stop and the copy of the Irish Times and is shown a seat by the crewman and straps himself in. The look on Harry's face when the dodgy pax starts reading the Irish Times is priceless! They duly arrived at Aldergrove and Harry is thanking everyone when the IDs of the spoof players was revealed. He howled with laughter!! :D
Great stuff - it ain't what it used to be that's a fact.........
FOLA - Flying Officer's Liberation Army

[PhamousPhotographer]

:ok:Remember the Blobby load - painted pink with yellow spots

Wasn't JJ behind all that? Happy memories of Y453. Do any of you remember the camera-carrying civvie round the HLS in the mid/late 90s - and the occasional Op Blobby task to Y441? The two Wx tailwheel dings on the east fence (STANO who became 2IC 72 and CO72 who became Staish RAFA? I have the evidence and might post the odd photo if yr interested? Great stuff.

[Dundiggin']

Yeah get 'em posted matey! :}

[Blighter Pilot]

The two Wx tailwheel dings on the east fence (STANO who became 2IC 72 and CO72 who became Staish RAFA


Think I might have been down the back for one of those.......:eek:

[Fareastdriver]

Fareastdriver- good effort but there was much more to it than that...

You're ruddy lucky I remembered that much.

[Stupidbutsaveable]

Dec 92 or 3, can't remember these days. Tasked to fly senior chaplain for the day to greet the troops as they are picked up out of the field. Nice chap, quiet as a mouse and didn't bother us all day.

So quiet in fact the front end forgot he was there and decided to aquire 72's Xmas tree on the way home.

Dispatch plucky crewman of short stature with fire axe and he disappears for a considerable time before staggering back pulling a tree fit for Trafalgar Square. Having forced it in through the door and all the way back into the tail boom he squeezes in and plugs back in.

Conversation as follows:

Stupid. Hey xxxxxxx, I know you're a short arse but you didn't have steal such a sodding great tree.

xxxxxxx. I might be a f'ing dwarf but I've got a hugh c***.

Polite cough over the intercom

Pause

xxxxxxx. ooops, sorry Bish

After a quiet trip home he thanked us for an interesting day out; great tree though.

[Stupidbutsaveable]

Quiet night and classic moment courtesy of 5 Regt:

On flight safety:

"I'm a happy bear"

"I'm a happy bear to"

"Another happy bear"

" This is xxxxxxx; this is a flight safety frequency. Out"

Pause 2, 3

" He's not a happy bear"

[PhamousPhotographer]

Yeah get 'em posted matey!:cool: XV728'A' on quarry lift out to the sticks. 20th October 1995. Note forlorn barrel in foreground. Apart from the short comms mast at left of Buzzard Cell / Ops roof, nothing remains. All demolished & rubble cleared c. 3 years ago.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0120-10-1995PhamPhotog.jpg

Thus
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0107-04-2007Phamphotog.jpg

[Hueymeister]

The famous Pizza Delivery service...DR only got so much because Fran would often deliver them...brightening up the bar no end...

The Banana House, all the Scalextric..

Almost knocking Daffy over wazzing an Island we'd dropped him off on in the middle of lower lough erne...got the photos at home....will post them post xmas

EESDL...had you been less of a work-shy-fop you'd have got more hours..stby for FLAK..:E

[Dundiggin']

Excellent photog - brought back stacks of memories of the mighty Wessex. But I thought you were going to show dents in the fence made by the mighty ones? :)

PS: Timely posting as it was '#72'!!:D

[PhamousPhotographer]

But I thought you were going to show dents in the fence made by the mighty ones?

First one to hand, so not the clearest. XR499'W' lifts from the n spot on 2nd Nov 1994 and the two strikes are below the fuel jettison pipes & cabin door. CO72 did the rh one in the shadow of the fence post and I think POD cut out the section, mounted it on a hardwood plinth and presented it to the Boss at his leaving do?http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0102-11-1994PhamPhotog.jpg

[Dundiggin']

Brilliant! Keep 'em coming. If you need to know how to post photos then I think Beagle or Jackonico are your boize for the advice - Thanks v much....

[RUCAWO]

A few from Carrickmore 1983-84.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/Tony/22sk043.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/Tony/22sk051.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/72.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/72c.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/Tony/22sk044.jpg

[lsh]

Thats brought back a few memories, Co. Tyrone looks almost picturesque!!??

Remember when the practice loads were iced on to the concrete - you pulled how much torque?!

On my first BBK we did put a "slice" in a hedge with the tailrotor!
I was looking forwards when I should have been looking backwards.
Well, a Puma NEVER did that, and if it did you were done!!
"Operating hazard" said OC72, so I lived to f**K up again.

"Gimlets" Op:
He had a rather nasty complaint, so they operated and laid a tube in.
Thus he lost all the "rifling in his barrel", sprayed everywhere and the safest place was, according to him, dead ahead!
Was in the bar when he rushed-in, all smiles:
"Ground run & serviceable, just needs an airtest now"!

thars moor!
lsh
:E

[PhamousPhotographer]

Brilliant! Keep 'em coming. If you need to know how to post photos then I think Beagle or Jackonico are your boize for the advice - Thanks v much....

Cracked it, ta. Thanks for the commendation. Might visit the Mill next. Good Carrickmore stuff RUCAWO, but keep the stories coming too.

[ShyTorque]

One dark Saturday night we were tasked to land at a very remote location, for a "local" task briefing, a place with a rocket fence and lots of wriggly tin. We shut down and walked around the outside tried to find the door; we weren't familiar with the place as we hadn't landed there before; it wasn't one of our usual places and wasn't in the LS directory. It was all in total darkness. We eventually found what we assumed was the door with some trouble, as we had actually landed on the opposite side of the compound.

One of us tapped on the tin door. No reply. We banged louder. Still no reply. We discussed what we should do next. While we were talking, there was a slight sound from just inside the compound's door.

"Hello!" said the crewman. "We're here to speak to the boss!" Next came the unmistakeable sound of a weapon being cocked.

"Er.... hello, er....whoa, hang on, it's the helicopter crew!" said our man :ooh:

"What effin' 'elicopter is that then?" :suspect:

"Er, it's the ** ****, we've come for the task briefing......"

Door opened slightly, to reveal one "with no rank insignia".

"Best you eff off home, then, the task was cancelled this morning! I thought you were someone else..... where did you park, I never heard a helicopter".

"About thirty yards away!"

We realised then that a 7 tonne helicopter can land silently (as long as the sentry is asleep).

[Hueymeister]

Bertie B, me and MC doing some RUC VCP's in the yellows. Land on with BB' feet up in the LHS, climb away, they think the RHS is the only seat occupied. Mark has tied green comms cord to the yaw (rudder to me now) pedals and proceeds to 'fly the a/c with them, talking to me on the i/c. I then unstrap, and climb down whilst BB flies the a/c unseen from below, minus the ASE yaw channel. Mark makes a grand job of flying the cling on, then hands control to one of the coppers whilst I go down the back and disappear behind the curtain in the radio bay..the RUC chap is a reluctant pilot and his colleagues aren't too happy with his attempts...we landed in a field and they disembarked rather rapidly....:ok::}

[antisthenes]

Ah, the fence at Y453 with the boss. He looked across and said "well it's faaackin lucky you didn't do it cos you'd be right in the ****", then simply smiled his enigmatic smile and no more was said!

The previous boss giving the entire squadron a stand up bollocking for a litany of offenses (border crossings, cups of tea spilled over centre consoles, certain display pilot's tailstrike from a level quickstop!!)

Same boss then a few days later is temporarily unsure of his position rather close to the proximity of the ROI. Announces, "er we have might just have nipped across the border I think"; crewman A*** T*** calmly adds "yeah boss, about 2 miles ago!"

V***e A***a for doing a two year tour and having no entries in his bar book!

Zero speed spirals which simultaneously illuminated all four oil captions briefly.

Explaining to a visiting engineer on the FAC that his fatigue life planning example for the Wessex didn't very accurately reflect the way it was really operated (ie pull to max torque and leave it there for 2 days). Forced them to re-write the entire planning schedule - did anyone ever tell the Chileans when we flogged them?

M**e D*****s being regarded by the RAF flight safety team as the biggest single FS hazard in the entire RAF - we all knew that anyway.

[Blighter Pilot]

Explaining to a visiting engineer on the FAC that his fatigue life planning example for the Wessex didn't very accurately reflect the way it was really operated (ie pull to max torque and leave it there for 2 days). Forced them to re-write the entire planning schedule


"3.2 all the way and no scarf!":ok:

[BEagle]

Do any of you old-and-bold Wessex peeps know what became of the quiet, unassuming Scottish Wessex pilot who came to hold with us on the VC10K and to help out as an Ops chap?

His name?



Oh yes....





Scott Weir.....:uhoh:

A good job that there weren't too may ex-shiny 'Route Queens' to enjoy his quiet, genteel manner! Heart of gold - but add beer and stir and he could be, shall we say, 'rather high spirited'!

[[email protected]]

Saw 3.8 many times but the best was big M*** S***g***m who did it with his left boot trying to get into Foxfield sangar in a gale.

Scotty flashing his cock at two wives at a sportswear party (one was mine, the other the wife of the next ACAS!!!!)

The J** Ch*****r memorial trench at Auchnacloy, the F**ms**n-W*****ms memorial trench near Newtonhamilton, Nobby's 'unlucky' tipstrike at Cookstown.

D*** R**c****e driving me back to the patch, pissed after happy hour and handbrake turning across my lawn and the next door neighbours to drop me off.

Nobby dropping a thunderflash into one of those tall, black metal ashtrays with a chrome lid - black tube turned inside out but chrome top took a pint glass out of D*nc** Wh**h**'s hand.

Plasticuffing OCGD to the railings in the bar after raiding his room because he turned left after coming out of a dining in night instead of going to the bar.:)

[FireAxe]

Have pics but don't know how to post them, any help?

[engoal]

Arriving for the first time in Feb and not actually seeing the sun for 3 whole weeks.

Picking R** M*****'s Walter out of a field outside Derry after he and C***s had sawn their way through the power lines over the Foyle on Polling Day.

Seeing M**e L****'s face when we fitted a new tailcone badged as 'B' to said Walter a few weeks later, and being asked, quite pointedly, if this was some kind of joke.;)

Realising shortly afterwards that M**e L***d had crashed 'B' some years beforehand.:bored:

Being witness to the Great Santini's application of 'Just Culture' after another Walter/Power Lines interface problem in Co Tyrone - 'Some F"£$%^'s going to pay for this!'.

Wally Wilson - top bloke.

S**n G**l's stoicism in the face of my attempts at hovering, after being hauled out of bed to crew for DB and I for my last in-Province trip.

The Swift.

[PushCentreCommand]

I was fortunate enough to have the room right above the main entrance to the OM, which came with a very small balcony overlooking the Station Commanders parking space.

One afternoon, during a very lively balcony party, someone (Scotty) decided that he would attempt to hot-wire the JCB digger that was parked down the road. It was duly delivered, after a few laps of the roundabout, and parked up proudly in the forbidden slot. All was going well until some bright spark (Scotty) decided to spice things up a bit by taking the digger on a tour of the station with a drivepast of the main entrance. Two in the raised front loader, sitting space shuttle style, one squatting in the rear scoop and sundry hangers-on clutching onto the cabin. Off they went at high speed down the road, beer glassses flying to applause from the balcony. On their return, apparantly unscathed, more merryment, and loud abuse, as the Military Police turn up to inspect the crime scene with notebooks and pencils poised.

Why oh why a number of 'revelers' were unable to contain themselves, and chose that moment to relieve themselves onto the developing scene below, I will never know. Later, someone, coming to terms with the potential enormity of the situation, decided that it would be circumspect to return the offending digger, and forget (deny) that the whole, unfortunate, event ever took place. Well, it was only fair, since Scotty had stolen the thing, that he should take it back. I don't think any of us imagined that the police would be lying in wait, just out of sight, in an ambush.

I'm not sure if poor old Scotty is the only officer ever to be challenged with the words "stand still or I'll fire"...

To be continued...............

[Hueymeister]

Jerome 'borrowing' a mini road roller after an afternoon's quiet imbibing at the Swift and the RAF police's attempts at stopping him...

Mess Cannons...shooting the Staish in the arse at point blank range in the bar...

'Crashing' at Castlederg....:(:}

Seeing 16,000 ft between V813 and G100...'anyone feel dizzy - just let me know'...took forever to get down as the Nr was so lively:}

POD falling asleep down in South Fermanagh..then waking up to tell me where the border was..how did he do that?

Burying Gibbo under many bergans as we flopped into a bog, down wind, out of power, options, skill, experience and luck..sorry mate..only to drag you across a police boat rail on my Far East tour...I'm not sure who I was more afraid of.. you or your better half..:sad:

Climbing up the Norwegian step to knock on the window at Scotty....2000ft above Glasgow....:sad:

Loosing a tooth 'bunt somersaulting' down the back of a Walter, having had a 'trg day' at the Donaghadee life boat station...mostly involving many, many guinessesssssssss...didn't feel a thing !:}

[PhamousPhotographer]

Bertie B, me and Mark Culmer doing some RUC VCP's in the yellows.

Was that Bertie B******p? In my early days the crew names enhanced my photo notes (for historic records only), but everyone would stand like Bonaparte - or keep the flak jacket on - when the camera appeared.

Best one was when A*** Mc***** (future Boss), D*** W******* and ? made the front page of the Belfast News Letter after a shabby-weather medevac from Rathlin Island. Photo (not mine) caption gravely recorded that the crew's ids couldn't be published as one was a local. Guess who'd forgotten to remove their (readable) name?

Wasn't D*** or the loadie. D'oh.

POD falling asleep down in South Fermanagh..

POD fell asleep everywhere. An absolute star though.

[Wwyvern]

Early 70s.

Anyone remember two TWA pilots who went down town for a party, were lifted by the IRA, and whose photographs were on the next morning's front page of the Belfast Telegraph?

They were sent home safely.

[lsh]

"Nobby" Where do I start? Oh I see you all already have!!!
Great bloke, good scrapes.

Nearly "scored a goal" with him in the Wessex, landing on the sports pitch at 'Derry!
Locked the wheels on the mud, then unlocked them rolling thro' a puddle - amazing how much muddy water that throws over the crewman! Bas88rd!

Scott who?!

lsh
:E

[Tiger_mate]

230 Execs circa '95:

Who knows.
Red nose.
F**k knows.
Brown nose.

Navy executing Tigs, and recording the subsequent OCs chat for all to share.

The street Cortina being rolled at a Mess BBQ with petrol gushing out over M*** O'L.... whilst he was smoking a fag. 'Seafuryfan' inventing 7 a day before anyone had ever thought of 5! The 'Street' could probably hold a thread of its own.

[PhamousPhotographer]

Have pics but don't know how to post them, any help?

Hi,

Copy & paste this link

Register for free at Photobucket.com (http://register.photobucket.com/)

into the Firefox toolbar, complete the photobucket reg page and store the images there. Clicking on the the yellow box fourth from the right on this form or your reply thread invites you to enter the pbucket url which identifies each of your photos - paste that in and it appears. I post them at c. 1800x1100x300dpi and limit the resolution to give a c.300KB image. That fills the page fairly well and I might go smaller for the next ones.

There are probably other photo host sites, but this seems a secure, reliable one - I've no commercial or other interests in it.

Hope this helps,
PhPh.

[jayteeto]

As much fun as this thread is, we have reached a point to reflect. Telling breathalyser failing stories could be front page Sun stuff. Some stories must stay under the rules. Also think carefully with names and now we are talking photos. Some people still live in the community out there, my company provides pilots to the police and they live locally. I for one, do not want my photo out in cyberspace whilst in NI. The 'war' is still going on, despite what Nu Labour say. The latest stories are about shoulder launched SAMs being deployed against police helicopters. Please please keep the stories, but THINK!!

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

Then there was T*pper N*xon, hard night on Extreme-Pimms, flew the DTF down to XMG and back, pranged the blue bomber on the way back to the bar and failed a breathalyser! Urinal Jerkoff (God bless ‘im, RIP) arranged to pay his fine out of sqn funds, Hurrah!

Not forgetting Sh*gger Sm*ff, caught prodding the NAAFI bint on the billiard table with her hairbrush up his a**e.

Last but not least Ginge Squared, ropin down at Y434, bee-zeds sans t/w, blames it on below stairs and walks!

PS Whatever happened to No-Balls Mowgli, the Sri Lankan JEngEss?

http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/thumbs.gif


Telling breathalyser failing stories could be front page Sun stuff.


PPS Sorry jayteeto, I was feeling left out of pprune's version of Armstrong & Miller.

I made it all up.

[FireAxe]

http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx225/macca728/SHFNI/BessbrookPad.jpg
The Mill
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx225/macca728/SHFNI/Wx103.jpg
Over the 'garden'
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx225/macca728/SHFNI/WxFinal17.jpg
Shawbury during the final retirement formation round robin
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx225/macca728/SHFNI/WxFinal35.jpg
Put away at the end of it all!

Apologies if not come out right but first time pic posting:\
Have more if anyone is interested, thanks phamousphoto.

[PhamousPhotographer]

VERTREPing the Navy in Carlingford (?) Loch
Off to Co. Down and Carlingford Lough. HMS Brecon, XR506’V’, Mac (The Piper), Bear S****, C**** M***** and T**** W*********.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0109-11-2000Phamphotog.jpg


As much fun as this thread is, we have reached a point to reflect. …….. and now we are talking photos.
As regards what I post here, I will always be grateful for the trust shown by all those who allowed me to record them at their ‘everyday’ work – the routine stuff that generally never gets snapped – and who were relaxed enough to pose for group shots. I would never put up those ‘face’ ones and any with possibly-identifiable aircrew / TSW / troops, etc will have their faces blurred. Same with names. Those who were there will cop on to initials / asterisks and nicknames, but outsiders won’t have a clue – so long as insiders don’t tell. As you say, Jayteeto, please, please keep the stories, but think. If general opinion is against photos, I’ll stop. Hope to see more from the Mill and that area FireAxe. In closing, I’ve ‘then & now’ scenes of former FOBs. Would today’s view of derelict sites spoil the memories?

[seafuryfan]

Then there was T*pper N*xon, hard night on Extreme-Pimms, flew the DTF down to XMG and back, pranged the blue bomber on the way back to the bar and failed a breathalyser! Urinal Jerkoff (God bless ‘im, RIP) arranged to pay his fine out of sqn funds, Hurrah!

Not forgetting Sh*gger Sm*ff, caught prodding the NAAFI bint on the billiard table with her hairbrush up his a**e.

Last but not least Ginge Squared, ropin down at Y434, bee-zeds sans t/w, blames it on below stairs and walks!

PS Whatever happened to No-Balls Mowgli, the Sri Lankan JEngEss?

That's the spirit of it, SPHLC :ok:

I think you'd have enjoyed yourself in NI thoroughly.

[[email protected]]

But some of the stories are worse than fiction - vis the crewman who was caught having a w**k in the aircrew bedroom in the Bessbrook Mill - nothing wrong in that per se - but it was at night, on standby for an op and with 3 other blokes trying to sleep in the same room!!:)

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

But some of the stories are worse than fiction - vis the crewman who was caught having a w**k in the aircrew bedroom in the Bessbrook Mill - nothing wrong in that per se - but it was at night, on standby for an op and with 3 other blokes trying to sleep in the same room!!:)

In the interests of CRM how come one of you didn't help him out :p

[ShyTorque]

With a bucket of cold water! That would have dampened his ardour.

[NutLoose]

Walter turfing back up at Aldergrove semi minus 1 leg, Sandbag pile to land it on readied when ATC turf up and tell us to move it as when it falls over it will block the main runway :}

Asking the crewman if he picked up the evenings film as he was there when the leg snapped off....... :p sadly his answer not printable :ooh:

Parts off it used to fix Xmas Tree incident Aircraft ;)


Nelson :ouch: the Squadron cat................:=

[DADDY-OH!]

A girlfriend I was on top of a place called Lilly Tarn on Loughrigg Fell overlooking Ambleside at the north end of Lake Windermere, 6 years & 2 weeks ago. It was a beautiful cloudless, flat calm day with unlimited viz & the lake was like a mirror.

We'd hiked up to the summit, got a bit 'frisky' & to cut a long story short, within a couple of minutes, we were bollocko with her Ladyship straddling me going for all she could. Then I heard it.

The sound of a Wokka is unmistakable, but she never heard it. I was trying to strain to look south down 'Windermere but could see nothing until it appeared over her shoulder at about 500' tracking south to north up the lake.

I froze, she carried on & looked up to her right as the Wokka slowed & orbited our position with at least one crewman waving from the lowered ramp.

"What should we do?" she asked,
"Wave back I suppose" I replied.

The Wokka made a couple of orbits then continued north towards Carlisle. I don't know if it was an SHFNI Chinook & crew but if it was, thanks for giving us a giggle!!!
:ok:

[FILCI]

Surprising, no-one seems to have mentioned the great change-over dinners. The final one was a real bucket-full, probably because it was, so I am lead to believe, the largest game of Pi??y Fisherman ever played by all accounts. When combined with the waterlogged ditches (accn improvements under way) there were a few stiff (mud-soaked) participants the next morning. Me, I know, or cannot remember, nuffin Sir!

As for the infamous dumper truck incident, when a 'bucket rider' left his leg dangling over the front which was great until the fleshy bit came between bucket and tree.....................messy, the RN, ex-RM pilot was in a bit of a mess.

Best wishes to all for the season - anyone still flying the beer about on Christmas Day?

:ok:

[PhamousPhotographer]

No response to my last one, so I'll take that as a default 'yes' then.

From
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0103-05-1996Phamphotog.jpg

POD & XR498'W' on 3rd May 1996

Tohttp://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0112-06-2007Phamphotog.jpg

Eleven Years later - 12th June 2007. Hard to believe it all ever existed.

[DADDY-OH!]

Bessbrook??????

[FireAxe]

A couple more-
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx225/macca728/SHFNI/Bessbrook.jpg
Mill from SW.
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx225/macca728/SHFNI/GndRun-1.jpg
In the garden.
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx225/macca728/SHFNI/R850Wall.jpg
The wall in the mill.

Becoming a bit of a Wessex-fest:ok:

[PhamousPhotographer]

Becoming a bit of a Wessex-festhttp://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/thumbs.gif

So here's one to keep the Tiggers happy (note it's not flying though!!)

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0110-04-2006Phamphotog.jpg

However, reverting to type -



http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0112-03-2002Phamphotog.jpg

Wazzing along over Millvale Road with Sc***y T******* in the door. Bit high for an east fence approach? All photos posted so far date from the '80s, '90, & 2000s. Anyone out there with Sioux / Scout / Wessex photos / stories from the 1970s. Yeah, I know the first two aren't PpruneRAF, but they were SHFNI.

PS. In fairness to 230, the air/air was taken from one of their cabs.

[ian176]

Anyone got any from Ebrington barracks? Used to distract me whilst waiting for bus to school at the depot on the other side of the Foyle:}

[Hueymeister]

Promise the following won't involve booze and flying and anyone still there...although I don't know anyone still over there....

Ahhhh the phantom Bessbrook 'W*nker'...his retort was allegedly '... it's only natural....'

Thanks for the piccies, takes me back..Dunganoooon looks to be a sorry place, as does R850

One junior joe made friends with the Guards Regy one Xmas by cutting a large wedge of stilton out of the cheese they had been lovingly feeding port for Christmas...I remember being asked to leave shortly afterwards..

Listening to many a Greenfinch being 'tickled' in the Bessbrook sauna, which was right beside our room!

[Blighter Pilot]

Flying around province in a 'Santa Suit' with tinsle on the GPMG and tree lights around the door - picking up callsigns with a bottle of Bushmills finest on the seat for the troops.

Word soon got round - you could get a wee nip on Wessex 3!

Being bundled into the back of a snatch and taken from the mill to the RUC station for Christmas drinks - almost going blind from recently confiscated potcheen!

3 Happy Christmas's in province:ok:

'Do you ken Bessbrook with it's Mill so high........'

All the best

[Mr C Hinecap]

My arrival interview with Dangerous Brian:

"Don't worry about the terrorists - there's about 450 of them - there's thousands of us!"

"Yes, Sir" :ooh:

[Dundiggin']

The 'eleven years after' photo of Bessbrook reminded me of how it was when we first went there in the early 70's!! But in those days there was a bloody great chimney as well.

[Hueymeister]

Bessbrook, a place I'll be glad never to see again!!!!

Shame the aircrew accom went...much comfier than the old hut..but then they allegedly built the external dimensions as the internal ...so the corridor was a tad tight...muppets..

[PhamousPhotographer]

But in those days there was a bloody great chimney as well.

Yes, that went in the early/mid 1980s, I think. Did it hazard tube arrivals / departures? Intend to return to Bessbrook if this thread continues, but here's another view of Dungannon.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0125-08-1995Phamphotog.jpg

Killymeal, 25th August 1995, and XV725’C’ arrives over the east fence with POD in the rh seat, accompanied by a shiny new 72 Nav (ex Lossie Buccs) on his first day on SHFNI ops. Couldn’t figure why they were holding off, then copped POD’s black gloves against the rh screen and realised they were waiting for a photo. Wonder if R*** S******d knew who was steering the cab, and what he thought?

[Wwyvern]

I remember long fights with HQ 38 Gp over our white bonedomes, light coloured gloves and the white in our roundels. Sympathetic RAF inbedded in HQ Lisburn sent us several buckets of unauthorised Landrover green paint!

Also refuelling at Ebrington(?) on the Mickey Mouse, the Donald Duck and the Crab - all painted on the refuelling spots.

Then there was Wee Kenny, a mild mannered Highlander who was being irritated by the antics of a short jp in the bar. He obtained a new pint of bitter, and poured it over the head of his little irritant, saying, "That's the best 2 and sixpence I've ever spent." Could that be the origin of the famous call, "Barman, a pint of throwing beer, please."?

[R 21]

Lets clear something up, the Crewman in the Mill was never caught polishing the old man he was just 'interupted' !

[ShyTorque]

Caut us interuptus?

[Dundiggin']

No not really but it certainly assisted with the nav! ;)

[PhamousPhotographer]

No not really but it certainly assisted with the nav!

Yes, forgot that. Both day and night with its red lamp. And some Navs certainly needed assistance! Who said OJ? In later years the comms mast was a fair landmark as well. If spared til New Year’s eve, I’ll post an anniversary one of Bessbrook weather at its worst on 31st December 1999. In the meantime ---
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0124-10-1994Phamphotog.jpg

24th October 1994. 230 Sqn cab, though CV was a 33 code? Taken from the lh seat of XV728’A’ on the centre spot as ZA937 lifted from the south spot. No crew details recorded, so check your log books please! If the stories continue, I've plenty of photos.

[Dummy Run]

Just checked my log book... 1994 24 Oct Puma hc 1 ZA937, Pilot Flt Lt D****r M**le, crewman myself, aircraft is a 230 Sqn cab conducting Puma 5 tasking on a Province Nav Ex total 1.30 Hours;)

[Dundiggin']

Bloody awful paint scheme...........I think this is one of the first extra buys to replace the ones we (33/230) crashed over the years...

[EESDL]

The vision of K** the LEEDS LEEDS LEEDS crewman having a crap out of the door whilst flying low down Cookstown high street - works every time!!!!!!!

Doing the FOLA 5 in Walter (even if the current boss only had boys....but QHIs wife gladly helped out........)

Pic of the 'Tube' still sends shivers down spine....thinking of playing with pedals and collective as you go:
3.2 all the way and no scarf!
90-93

[PhamousPhotographer]

Very small world!!!
Just checked my log book...


Thanks for that DR. For the next view,

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0125-07-1991Phamphotog.jpg

Belfast Harbour Commissioners’ car park became the temporary HLS for Princess Anne’s 25th July 1991 one-day visit to the Tall Ships event. An ARF escort was provided by XV726’J’, seen here about to depart with Queen’s Flight Wessex XV732. In this one I’m 99% certain of the date, though it could have been the 24th? Same request re log books please.

[Tiger_mate]

became the temporary HLS
Is there anywhere in the Province that wasnt a temporary HLS?

Any photos from Prince Andrews Province Golf Course Tour?

[Hueymeister]

I'll need to confirm with my log book...I think it's me, the mad Ozzie Boss and Dave ? the very old looking loadie.

The nice thing about this piccy is that the nose door cover is off, as we'd started several times with it on, wondering why the PTIT was going off the clock each time:}:sad::\

[Crromwellman]

Two I remember from my tours in NI

There was the Helidet Goat that lived around the Officer's Mess. It was tolerated until it developed the unsavoury habit of pi**ing on the heater intakes which caused a disgusting smell in the Portakabins. It was finally banished after it tried to roger a Rock Squadron Leader.

The Bullworker incident was when one of the Para Battalions was based at the Mill and a stick were being transported to one of the outstations. Being Paras they formed a human chain to pass their bergens into the mighty Wessex that was turning and burning on the pan. Unfortunately one of the Paras had put a compressed Bullworker in his bergen and as sods law would have it, this was the one that got dropped. As it hit the ground the Bullworker extended, jumped out of the bergen and went up into the main rotor disc. The pilot and crewman's faces were a picture. Two regrets: I didn't have my camera with me to capture the moment and I never saw the incident signal which must have been a masterpiece.

[Dundiggin']

Disappointed in you; even if he was 'very old looking' he was a CREWMAN and not a 'loadie' - you should know that.....:E

[klingonbc]

To all of you who have posted some wonderful photos here (especially PP) please do keep it up. I spent a long time on both SHDNI and then SHFNI (predominantly 72 Sqn, some AAC and 7 Sqn). I have many memories but very few pictures - you are all filling a digital void in my life.
Many thanks:D
Klingonbc
"32/balanced/brakes off"

[EESDL]

you'll have to excuse Hueymeister, he's now well and truely part of the fixed-wing world............

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

you'll have to excuse Hueymeister, he's now well and truely part of the fixed-wing world............

Nothing wrong with the fixed wing world :ok:

[SASless]

Can anyone relate the account of the rather large fellow from South Africa getting shot in the chest.....and uttering something along the lines of "Margaret isn't going to be amused about this!"

The dear fellow died a few years back at his home in France....I gave him a ride in a Huey which was his final helicopter flight ever.

[PhamousPhotographer]

Pic of the 'Tube' still sends shivers down spine....31st December 1999
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0131-12-1999Phamphotog.jpg

Possibly not the worst-ever Bessbrook weather, but without a tripod this one couldn’t have been taken. Looking directly up the tube again as 72 Sqn XW236 replens on spot 5 in lashing rain. J** S******n, M*** S****e and I** B***y dry & warm! while the TSW refueller gets on with it as always. Note TWA’s G4 and L5 grounded. (I’ll be too if they read this!)

16.06 hrs 31st December 2009

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0131-12-2009Phamphotog.jpg

With the demolitions and excavations, the original ground levels have changed, but I reckon this is as close as I can get to the spot where that original 1999 shot was taken.

And.......

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0231-12-2009Phamphotog.jpg

More nostalgia, looking down the main helipad from the Buzzard tower site. The tank is on the former Chinook spot 8 and the 1k tree survives. 16.20, 31:12:2009.

[101BOY]

I remember a night spent with the Hueymeister carrying out VCPs on the west bank of the Foyle. We had to go to a disused base to pick up the RUC first and the Hueymeister needed to visit the loo - and not for a wee. Unfortunately the place had been flattened, but luckily the last building standing was the toilet block. So down he sits and vacates bowels only to discover no toilet paper! No problem, he spies a couple of sheets of newspaper on the floor and makes appropriate use of them.
Roll on a couple of hours and I notice that he's wriggling about in the RHS as we're tasking - 'what's wrong' - 'oh just a little sore down there'. After a few more hours of writhing around as he flew we got back to base and he shuffled off to examine his backside. It turned out that the paper had been covered in brickdust and the like, and a couple of hours flying had cut his backside to shreds and he was bleeding. Both me and the crewman refused his kind invite to check if he needed to go to the doctor!:eek:

[Pilot Pacifier]

Hi...

Here's some pics I dug up of the various colour trials that took place in 1991...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/_79_Vortex/LightGreyWessesx.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/_79_Vortex/SkyBlueWessex.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/_79_Vortex/MattBlackWessex.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/_79_Vortex/DarkBlackWessex.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/_79_Vortex/WessexHipCombo.jpg
This was taken at Sennelager in 1991, but it may well have been a 60 Sqn cab and not 72 Sqn.

[Dunhovrin]

Dits to come when I've stopped piising meself at all the others, but in the meantime... it's Mungo OBE (http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/400443-new-years-honours-list.html). 'ck my old boots. What next? Sir Spoons?

[jayteeto]

Didn't you know that he is really important now??

[The Helpful Stacker]

PP - With reference to your 'Last Day Of The 1990s' photo, I was one of the two TSW lads up at G40 that day.

I wasn't even supposed to be in NI on that det but, counter to advice I'd always been given, I threw my name in the hat when one of the lads out there had to be brought home for compassionate reasons.

I'll always treasure spending the turn of the millennium in a drafty Corrimec, nailed to a rain lashed peak in the a** end of South Armargh with a bunch of p***ed off guardsmen.:* Well I was warned never to volunteer for anything......:}

BTW, thinking of who the other 6 TSW personnel based at R850 over the millennium were and their 'rotundness' I reckon the TSW chap in that photo could quite possibly be the one who was caught out in Split watching rather a rather specialist type of adult video.

[WASALOADIE]

Pilot Pacifier, It wouldn't have been a 60 Sqn cab in 91, the sqn didn't form until 92.

If anyone out in NI is living or has lived recently in 3 Duxford Drive, does it still have the patio made from hexagonal slabs. If so, they came from Bessbrook (Next to spot 5), I acquired them over a few BB Wessex overnights about 6 slabs per refuel early 89.

[Pilot Pacifier]

Pilot Pacifier, It wouldnt have been a 60 Sqn cab in 91, the sqn didn't form until 92.

Yep, you're right. Just found my logbook, looks like it was June '92. I'll leave the picture up though as there can't be many of a Wessex and a Hip in the same frame!

[Blighter Pilot]

Enjoyed tasking round province in the multi-coloured 'flying circus'

Have to admit - 'T' in black was my personal favourite:ok:

The 'Black Wessex' myth went around the players like wildfire!!!

[Dunhovrin]

Jayteeto - Who, Mungo or Spoons?

--------------

Those shots of BBK brought it all up, sorry back. I could almost hear 1GG's Buzzard (the one who recited Kipling on the air) shouting "I don't care if it is the Colonel. Tell him to get off my f--king helipad".

And.. "Despatcher, tell that c--t I said to F--k Off. Yes, I know it's the 2ic".

1 Royal Scot's Buzzard to a rather recalcitrant call-sign : "T20B, your drills are ****e. If ye dinna get your arse on the helo, yer oot there till f--king morning".

More Buzzard dits req'd.

AAC Door Gunners wearing NVGs in the Buzzard Hut and using TV remotes as lightsabres. Not sure of that one myself. Don't know many AAC who could spell NVG.


What scares me is the number of stories from the early 90s involving hooligans what are now grown ups. Please don't tell me the International Sh1t Magnet is now OC 7.

[The Helpful Stacker]

I would go into detail about the night two of us wing mongs and a squaddie ended up covered in some of the contents of one of the sh*t tanks whilst doing USL ops on G40 but its almost tea time and I wouldn't want to put you off your food.:eek:

[101BOY]

I remember the light blue colour scheme as someone spray painted 'Merry Christmas' on the side in December. When they washed it off it took the blue paint with it so that airframe had 'Merry Christmas' on it until spring.:ugh:

[Tiger_mate]

The sh*t tanks were usually empty by the time they arrived at BBK anyway.
It is very fertile the landscape of South Armagh.

[ex-EGLL]

Interesting stories / memories. I wasn't in the military, but was a controller at EGAA from '75-'78. Lived 1mile north of the field just under route 3. Didn't take the drivers long to discover this and add a quick 360 to their route in the early morning :hmm:

Also remember well a Wessex landing about 30 yards away when the GF and I were out picking blackberries, and disgorging a number of well armed troops to check us out. Seems we were suspicious as we had no blackberries in the bucket... we were still looking for the bushes:O All ended well though and the pilot plied us with beer that night in the mess :ok:

Spent a lot of time in the Air Force mess, quite an eye-opener for a 22 year old civvy!!

ex-egll

[PhamousPhotographer]

Those shots of BBK brought it all up, sorry back.

No photos with this post, but if you go back to #134, there are a couple of 31:12:2009 additions.

[Dundiggin']

I think this happened about mid 70s. Willy was SofS and we used to Puma fly him and his Assistants from the airport to and from Stormont Castle several times a week. In those days we used to fit the Puma with VIP light blue covers on the front 8 seats but we used to be in the 16 seat or 12 seat fit so half of the cabin seats were normal grotty oil stained seats. We didn't have a 'bits box' then either and used to have the oils and covers secured by a net. On this Monday morning I was the Puma crewman to pick the VIPs up and take them to Stormont. 'Good morning Sir' I said to Willy. 'Good morning Sgt' and with that he started to step onto the Puma step, I pointed to the front part of the Puma where the VIP covers had been fitted and said 'These nice seats are for you Sir'. He said 'Thank you Sgt' and totally ignoring me went on down the back of the Puma in amongst the oil cans and the 'normal seats' (He was such a gent!). The entourage climbed on board and made for the nice light blue covers! Off we went and landed on the grass at Stormont Castle. Contrary to the SOPs :hmm: I stayed in the aircraft as they disembarked the RH door with the rotors running but I pointed for them to depart the rotor disc to the 2-oclock position. That was OK until Willy had untied himself from the black hole in the back and then disembarked with me still pointing in the area he should go but he ignored me (again!!), turned sharp right and started running towards the running tail rotor!! I ripped off my monkey harness, leapt out of the Puma, ran after him and saw that he was running straight for the end of the tailrotor; I pushed him out from the tail which was OK until he reached the tailrotor when he decided to stop and then run straight towards it!! I gave him a bloody great heave (he was a big bloke!) away and kept pushing him away until I noticed his head raise as if he was aware that someone was pushing him. I stopped pushing him and removed my helmet and said to him 'Do you realise what you nearly did then Sir?' 'No Sgt' 'You very nearly walked into that tail rotor' He looked up at the running tail rotor, went bright red and said 'Thank you Sgt'.
We kept that quiet...............But what a top bloke he was....:ok:

[Shackman]

We had been on VIP tasking down in the 'Reds' (Bessbrook, Forkhill etc) late evening/night, when Walter decides it is not going to start for the final leg from BBK to drop Patrick Mayhew back at Hillsborough Castle. It's now somewhere around midnight, rest of the helicopter force has gone to bed but there is trusty Lynx 1 on the pad just about to do more tasking. Quick as a flash it's offered to take him to Hillsborough and us back to Aldergrove (ac requires lots of engineers) so in we get; Patrick gets the only seat (by the door) and we get to sit on the floor with those little 'safety straps'!

Now the seat is normally the crewman's, or in AAC parlance the door gunner's; having secured ourselves look around to see that PM has now discovered the GPMG and is busy playing with it and it is now pointing in to the cabin - at us! Also now aware that there is a belt of ammunition nicely loaded as well. The Door Gunner is hanging outside on the skid (wearing his harness) clearing the departure, so totally unaware of what is going on inside, and as we're not on intercom can't do much anyway. We now do a spirited vertical lift off the pad with the crewman still standing on the skid, when PM also taps the DG on the shoulder and offers him the other end of the harness which had been disconnected to allow him into the seat!

Very shaken individual now climbs very carefully into ac, slams door and (thankfully) retrieves GPMG and unloads. We then had a very pleasant and uneventful transit.

[Dundiggin']

I stated at the end of that article that 'we kept the incident quiet'.
Well later that year I was on a tri-service SF Escape and Evasion exercise in southern France as an evader. Everyone was there, lots of hooligans including the Interrogation Cell! So if captured I was in for a spell on the one-legged stool! I decided I would remain uncaptured and duly completed the Exercise uncaptured. We then boarded a Brittania to go home and I'd bagged a window seat down the back. Then a mature, short, fat, be-spectacled male sat down beside me. I was rather 'shocked' to see a person of that particular physical ilk on this 'SF Excercise' :8. So I said 'Hello..... who are you?' He replied 'I'm one of the interrogators! :uhoh: who are you?' I said 'I'm Sgt @@@@ from Odiham' He said 'Aaagh you're the bloke who had that contretent with Willy Whitelaw earlier this year aren't you?' I was shocked by that as we had supposedly kept the incident quiet. 'How do you know about that?' He replied 'I have friends in the Special Branch!!' :cool:

Of course! - Willy always travelled with the SB and they had dobbed me in - gits!! :}

[H Peacock]

Dits to come when I've stopped piising meself at all the others, but in the meantime... it's Mungo OBE. 'ck my old boots. What next? Sir

Ah Mungo - or 'Farmer Day' as PG nick-named him (something to do with operating farm machinery!!!). Not the most gifted with the old hand-eye, but he did keep his body well toned. Always best to get these people out of the cockpit and behind a big desk. (Only joking Mungo!)

Was it really that long ago? Must look back in my logbook to see who else was out there in those awesome times during the early 90s.

HNY.

[PhamousPhotographer]

Here's some pics I dug up of the various colour trials that took place in 1991...

Yeah, those trials were 1992/'93. Wasn't the grey 'N' used for a PM visit in '92 or '93? Request received for another Killymeal view, so will post that next.

[PhamousPhotographer]

Following a Swift replen, E***n G****, OJ (lh seat) & 'B*** S*****n take XT668’S’ out of Killymeal to resume ETB tasking. 26th November 1996.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0126-11-1996Phamphotog.jpg


The contemporary view taken on 7th April 2007

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0107-04-2007Phamphotog-1.jpg

OJ sends his regards to all you o&b who remember him.
.

[Hueymeister]

101Boy...remember that night all to well...turned out it was also covered in fibreglass insulation dust too; knowing my luck it was probably infused with asbestos.

I wonder if Gp Capt T**iati will still do his Orville song on JJ's knee!!!!!:E:}

[Fareastdriver]

A blast from the past when Pumas and I looked a lot better than we do now. A Scout hitching a lift from Omagh to Aldergrove, mid seventies.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/1-2-2010_001.jpg

[PhamousPhotographer]

Ah Mungo - or 'Farmer Day' as PG nick-named him

Here he be. ZA940, Mungo, Dezee, S*** C***t and J*** R******f on a quarry lift from Drumadd. Dispatchers C.M. and A.H. wait for the hook. 19th September 2000.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0119-09-2000Phamphotog.jpg

[Hueymeister]

Yep that was me...That 'duck egg blue' Wessy wasn't so beautifully painted after we sprayed 'Merry Xmas on the nose door and cabin door..it took all the paint off...I never got my lorry cab tree back the the 'gingers' wired into the cockpit lighting:suspect:

Still they let us screw optics into the cabin bulkhead and string fairy lights around the cabin door tho'!!!:}:ok::E

[Dunhovrin]

Slightly off thread: I think I posted this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CnAlfoicXo) and this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSwxY1-IX1c) once before.

But has anyone got Trash Megawart's Walter vs Bon Jovi one? Or Jaffa's Puma one (the start of which woz my idea..).

Cue "who was doing the work while you were grandstanding?" banter. Answer: JT.

[jayteeto]

Careful, I'm on nights and its getting foggy. I quite like the idea of grandstanding these days. Doing all the work gets you absolutely nowhere!! I have to pack my bags here, only 5 weeks left, then on to glory!! Hopefully get on morning TV every day as a 'helicopter hero'. However, when I do my interviews on telly, I will take my helmet off. Classic moment with the only kiwi in Ulster being interviewed by the newshounds 'face hidden'. You should have put on that geordie accent Dunhovrin, they might have thought it was me........

[Dunhovrin]

I'm told there'll be no more photos until the stories resume (thread shift and all that). So...

Who actually was there when Scotty's ceiling was lifted after he'd gone?

More to the point:

What actually was there when Scotty's ceiling was lifted after he'd gone?

Who was the tw@t who, on his first weekend, showed his ID to some birds in a pub just to prove he really was a pilot?

[Tiger_mate]

Who was the tw@t who, on his first weekend, showed his ID to some birds in a pub just to prove he really was a pilot?

Second only to the guy who in 2 years never (at ground level) left the wire once. What a waste.

For me the high point of several Dets/Tours was finding a 3 year old toddler that had gone walkabout assumed drowned near Belleek. Little lad was found 1.5 miles (of thick forest) from where he and his dogs had left his mum sleeping in a car in a lochside car park. Within 30 mins of a succesfull outcome I watched a local flicking us the 'Vees' with no idea of what we had just done for the wider community and without any predujice.

Low point was deploying to Lockerbie within hours of the 747 crash. Especially as I had arrived in Province with 14 crates of wobblie and told I would not be flying until Boxing Day. Probably just as well that the morning after the night before was influenced by the night before :=

I think this sums up my work there quite well, much mundane routine work but when it got interesting it was to an extreme.

[Hummingfrog]

I had some good times on 72 Sqn in the late 70s but thought I had escaped to SAR after 2 SH tours only to be called back to fill in for the Navy who had to go down South to sort out a little Argie Bargie. It was as though I hadn't left though my yellow bone dome was a little too bright for OC72 so had to cadge a spare.

I was tasking down in South Armagh when we got a call to pick up a stick from a new grid. The young co-pilot plotted it and showed me on the 20thou map. I recognised the field and said it was just over the hill and short of 2 green grain silos.

On arriving back at Aldergrove I spotted my co-pilot intently studying the 20thou! I enquired what he was doing so he asked me how I knew the silos where green as he couldn't find the colour reference on the map index.

Local knowledge was a wonderful thing and I can still see a lot of the HLS now though I was surprised to see how so many have been removed!

Many happy memories - Firing captured IRA weapons on the range - Thomson sub machine gun was my favourite - touch of Al capone:E Crewman knocking out RUC constable who was trying to leave Walter at 2000ft as we crossed from Raithlin Island with a ballot box he had been guarding all day - in a pub;) Waiting in Buzzards hut for the very first weather fax to come through - took 15 mins to appear out of the machine! Wives out for the Summer Ball courtesy of 32 Sqn Andover - travelling to Antrim with said wife in covert minivan which was hand painted and still had all the usual MOD notices and fire extinguisher in the cab.:eek: She had never seen so many Union Jacks as it was the marching season. Newspaper Argosy losing one of its main undercarriage legs on the runway. Waiting in the bar to go outside for the 1st 747 to land at Aldergrove - it was so quiet we missed it!

Good to see that traditions and spirit were carried on once 72 Sqn became a permanent fixture in NI - though the detachments were probably more fun:ok:

HF
(waiting for snow showers to cease so I can go flying:))

[PhamousPhotographer]

Local knowledge was a wonderful thing and I can still see a lot of the HLS now though I was surprised to see how so many have been removed!

Virtually all the permanent ones, but there must be very few roadside fields that haven't had at least one rotary visitor during the past forty years. A bit hazy, but this view should still be recognisable? Mutually supported M*** F****y, C**** H****l and R*** S******d return to 850 on a summer afternoon. Wx.1 XV723’Q’ as seen from L.7 XZ673.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0111-08-1997Phamphotog.jpg

[Hueymeister]

What actually was there when Scotty's ceiling was lifted after he'd gone?

Wasn't actually there, but I did go back with the Junglies..

Allegedly, stacks of porn, contact mags, HK 53 mags (minus ammo) a set of NVG and it looked like he'd just popped out for the weekend!

SHFNI dinner nights were legendary...:}:ok:

[Lingo Dan]

I was there 82 - 84 but don't remember Scotty's ceiling being lifted so presume he must have extended his tour - he was there when I arrived.

I remember that after my dining-out night, Scotty and A N Other went to visit the "guys on the other side of the airfield" and were stopped en route by an RAF Police patrol. Scotty showed his 1250 to the Police Dog and patted the corporal on the head. Total sense of humour failure by the plods, subsequent interviews/bollockings etc.

Does anybody know what happened to him - and why was his ceiling lifted anyway??

[Hummingfrog]

Hi PhamousPhotographer

Is that Camlough Mountain - if not it is very similar (29yr memory). We used to resupply an OP on the top and it was not a place I would like to spend a winter's night!

HF

[PhamousPhotographer]

Is that Camlough Mountain

Hi Hf,

Close. Slieve Gullion, with the forest drive under 'Q' - remember the picnic area car-park HLS just beyond the ridge? - and Longfield Road on the lower right of the frame. Camlough Mountain's off to the left ahead of the Wessex. Imagine spending two years inside the wire with scenery like that to drive around!

[ShyTorque]

An ex army colleague told me how they had been warned about "spirited driving" on the peri tracks. One evening he spotted an RAF plod holding a speed camera. He sped up, drove straight past him to the guard house around the corner, called out the guard, saying someone in camouflage had just pointed a gun at him inside the airfield, by the fence. All hell broke loose and within a couple of minutes the plod was face down, in the the grass, with a few SA-80s pointing at him. :)

[NutLoose]

Tiger_Mate
Low point was deploying to Lockerbie within hours of the 747 crash. :=



Oddly enough I was on Resettlement leave/ course doing training in Pub Management at my local and on rate 1's at home for a month in a village near Carlisle :p when it happened :sad:

I was still in the mob and walking the couple of miles to "work", it was one of those barmy summer evenings, warm but totally silent, when across the fields I heard the wail of a ambulance siren, and then another, and another until the whole of Carlisles emergency services were heading north and I mean all..........
I just stood there in utter disbelief at the sound, something I will never forget, later watching the news in the pub I managed to dissuade several local idiots who were going to drive up to lockerbie to "have a look."

Walking home that evening the first Chinooks past overhead and having been on 240 OCU when we first got them, I was bloody impressed with the time taken to call them out and get them there :D

Several friends attended, one being in the local police and he was one of the first at the Cockpit. :( The thing that impressed him was the local fire service, he said he was having a break with the rest of police etc when they removed their firemans jackets and it was then they realised they were all part time volunteers and were still wearing what ever they had on when they arrived and had been dropped into the hell that was Lockerbie...:sad:

People at home could not and did not fathom that but for a few minutes flying time or the odd thousand feet it would have came down on us........

So Tiger_Mate I would just like to say a belated Thank You :D

[BossEyed]

it was one of those barmy summer evenings, warm but totally silent,

Your memory is failing you (probably a good thing :( ) - Clipper 103 was brought down on 21 December 1988.

[NutLoose]

Close to the coast in my part of the world it does not tend to get that cold, the description was the best way I could describe the stillness of the evening (agree with forgetting, but somethings need remembering :( )

[Dundiggin']

AFIK - and I was there - scottie's ceiling was not raised, removed or anything else - the NVG's etc were in his wardrobe.....

[GrumpyGramps]

Late 60's or early 70's I was a Wessex crewman on a six week stint in Aldergrove. Flying over a field of pristine snow my pilot could not resist landing on and taxiing a series of straight lines until he had spelled out his name, MIKE, in great big letters. 'Piece of piss' says I, 'all straight lines!'
Accepting the challenge Mike then unlocked the tailwheel and taxied a respectable letter S. Clever sod!
We hadn't been long back in the crewroom before the Boss landed from a flight and a great bellow came down the corridor 'Mike Sutton, my office. Now!'
There were four pilots called Mike on the detachment, but only one Mike S, and the Boss had flown over that very field! Sorry Mike!

[KG86]

Easy to confuse them!

I was once tasked with a patrol drop to a grid. The patrol comprised the CO, Ops Offr, 2ic and QM and, to be honest, they just wanted a few hours outside the Mill and an easy stroll. I plotted it on a 20 thou map and saw that it was on the top of a mountain. Ah, I thought, they want to be dropped off on Slieve Gullian, so that's where they went. Hours later, I wandered into the mill to find a bit of a rumpus going on. The patrol was overdue. How could that be, said the watchkeeper, they were dropped off on Camlough, so it was only a couple of miles downhill.

Without saying anything, I made myself scarce, dug out the map, unfolded it and, yep, the grid reference was actually on the top of Camlough. Oops.

Much later that evening, they arrived back, knackered. The CO was convinced I had done it deliberately, but it really was an honest mistake.

[RUCAWO]

On the recievig end of something similar myself at Carrickmore, dropped off for a route clearance,Wessex dissapears into distance,quick look at map we had been dropped off five miles from Carrickmore on the wrong side of the village ,so five mile walk back to the village before we could start the clearance from the wrong end:= .Around 92-93 St Patricks Day ended up doing Eagle VCPs in a Wessex around Twinbrook/Poleglass all going well until the little sh1ts in poleglass started to brick the chopper when it set down off the Pembroke Loop.

[Tiger_mate]

The other end of that particular pendulum came with the advent of pocket sized GPS. Even on a particularly dark night, little in the way of ambient light to make NVG even vaguely effective in the inevitable NI heavy rain and if you dropped troops so much as a field short they would be on the RT with critical comments before you got 3 miles down the road.

[zic]

:}Moving Spoons' room in toto on the night of the 230 Sqn Inaugral Dining-in Night to the balcony over the Officers' Mess entrance whilst he dined (although 230 Sqn did get us back with a kidnapping later that night - can't remember who went for a ride down the stairs in a triwall box though?)

Painting a huge Swift in Red paint of the 230 Sqn Portakabin Roof after Happy Hour one night, the results are still visible on Google to this day. Froze our Boll*cks off, got covered in red paint and almost died doing a drunken traverse of the roof but it was worth it.

Getting blind (almost literally) following a session in the bar making Harvey Wallbangers with some pocheen following some work with the RUC. I had to self auth the next morning as the DA (Adders I think) was still comatose in his pit He didn't surface until 1600 and was very ill for about a week.

FLANGE and CLANG to counter the FOLA

[EESDL]

OC 72 bollocking me for comments in FOLA NEWS when it clearly said "FOR FOLA EYES ONLY" on the front cover?
A2 Cat and Smeg for brains...............

[PhamousPhotographer]

Flying over a field of pristine snow

View from the Bzd kitchen door at Bessbrook on 30th December 2000. Less snow cover than the UK has today as L.6 XZ615 lifts from spot 2 with L.5 ZE379, rotors running on spot 4. 72 Sqn engineers work at failed Wx.1 XR506'V' on 5 and its replacement, XR498'X' awaits tasking on 7.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0130-12-2000Phamphotog.jpg

[Hueymeister]

Zic, I was there for the painting..I also remember 'DÖNITZ' D**man pretty much breaking his legs trying to paint it out!!!

The Potcheen party...woke up, banging head, couldn't see a thing, swore I was actually blind, heard muttering and door slamming..cleaner had picked my clothes up along the coridoor and had found me, door wide open starkers with my head under my duvet, kneeling beside the bed..lord knows how many people had walked to work past my room!!!

EESDL if you have a copy of FOLA News, we need it here....:}

[Stupidbutsaveable]

Zic & Huey

Same era for sure. Probably TTB in the Triwall. If I recall he almost went over the balcony as well.

Can remember Seve's pinching my name badge and then subsequently getting an unexpected b******ing for going downtown Dungannon on the p*** with the RUC in my growbag!

Also a Comp A with EEDSL over a bank holiday weekend. Horrible night, low-level over the water then abort followed by Decca nav above 8/8ths, only 2 lanes working to limp into Lyneham as everywhere else Red. SVFR tac descent into Heathrow ahead of an increasingly large 747. Tourist route back and then into see the fearsome crewman leader with twitching tash who was Duty Flt Cdr for the weekend and had fielded a number of calls about the antics of a 'strange' Sea King. Happy days and one punter who got to see his mum just in time. Almost missed the field promotion for the very rude crewman who returned the favour by making best use of the snooker table

[engoal]

Anyone remember seeing multiple copies of this appearing around SHFNI Ops/72 Sqn/The Swift in late 98?:

HUMAN FACTORS OPEN REPORTS

forum

for unofficial use only


THURSDAY 31 DECEMBER 98

21A-98

PIES! PIES! PIES!

ü A Wessex navigator reports....

I had been tasked with a training sortie on my first day back at work after my Christmas day off. This immediately caused a distraction as I discovered to myhorror that such flights no longer attracted a packed lunch or meals allowance, a problem exacerbated by my distended stomach which had been stuffed full of turkey over the festive season. However, as a seasoned professional, I reasoned that, if we got cracking, we should have been back before elevenses. The planning for the trip went ahead, but at the last minute we discovered that the SAR Navigator had gone sick. Yippee! Now I could blag his buttie box and stave off the inevitable hunger pangs which would arise between breakfast and my first between-meals snack. Better still, whilst delving through the crewroom fridge, I found several Ginster’s Pasties, which would also come in handy. With that, I set off to brief, happy in the knowledge that my sustenance needs had been met. After start up, we taxied to the ‘H’, and the pilot took off to the low hover, commenting that the aircraft seemed sluggish. At this point, a nagging doubt surfaced in my subconscious, but a quick bite of Ginster’s finest soon allayed any such fears. We transitioned, and the crewman confirmed that he had checked the aircraft weight in the F700, and that we had a massive 200 lbs disposable. Imagine my horror then, when at the same instant, the pilot reported that he had just pulled 3800 lbs torque, and was landing on immediately. In a sudden rush, it occurred to me that I’d gone one pie too far! What had happened? Well with hindsight, I had clearly been distracted by the overwhelming urge to maintain my blood sugar level, at the expense of a valuable coupling gearbox!

ü A Wessex pilot reports....

Enough said!

Imagine my shock when it turned up in Air Clues 6 months later, and some other git had clearly trousered the £50 reward!:)

[Hueymeister]

Thankfully that happened before I did a stint with them...anyway I was sooooo pisssssssed I doubt I would have noticed....:eek::}:=

[timex]

Ref White world, I came down the next day as Lx 5 to see in the New Year with Mark D of 72...oh joy!

[PhamousPhotographer]

.....the New Year with Mark D of 72...oh joy!Mark D – as in ex-TWA who went to 18 after 72 disbanded? Here he is on the 16th March 2002, i/c of XR497’F’ with K** S****y and D*** B****n on what should have been the final Wx10 night line there, one I was authed to accompany. Circumstances dictated otherwise re Wx10’s termination.

Oops - sorry about that. Overenthusiasm. 700 x 500 in future.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0116-03-2002Phamphotog-2.jpg

[timex]

Yep, that one.:ok::ok:

[PhamousPhotographer]

:ok:Top bloke. Out now I think.

[Fareastdriver]

Mid seventies. A call from Lisburn. There is a bottling plant that has enquired whether a helicopter can change over a storage tank. If it can be done the MOD will do it for free as a civic gesture. I will be picked up at Lisburn tomorrow at 10.00hrs.
Next morning I fix up a heli-lift to Lisburn and I take with me our crewman leader, a Flt Lt of Irish extraction. Into BASO’s office and there is an RUC police inspector who is going to take us there and discuss the security implications. Into his car and off to the bottling plant of a major international drinks company. We meet the manager, the police chap already knows him, and over coffee in his office discuss the reasons why they would like a helicopter. After the tank was installed they built a warehouse so that cranes could not get at it any more. We then trotted out to look at the site.
The initial impression was that the tank would just about fit on a 32 wheel trailer with rear end steering. I kept a straight face, walked around it and enquired as to its weight. About seven and a half tons, was the reply. Maintaining a straight face I walked around it again and regretfully informed then that it was slightly outside a Puma’s capabilities.
“Not to worry, we’ll pull the shed down. Let’s go in and have a drink before lunch.”
In his office he had a massive drinks cabinet stuffed with every concoction known to man. He also had the largest collection of novelty and pornographic matchbooks I had ever seen. It had only just turned eleven and lunch wasn’t until twelve thirty so by the time we launched off to the hotel we were already two sheets to the wind.
We didn’t slow down at lunch and we were just finishing off when the police inspector looked at his watch and announced that he had promised to get us back to Lisburn by three, that was twenty minutes. Without further ado we said our farewells and collapsed into the back of his car. He reached into the glove compartment, pulled out a big blue light with a long wire attached and with blinding stroboscopic flashes clamped it to the roof of his car. We then punched off down the M1 at about 110 but four bulging eyeballs looking over the seats in the back but we made it on time.
We enquired about a lift back and we got the news that they were diverting a Wessex to pick us up in ten minutes. Our knees buckled in relief. We were afraid he might have offered to take us to Aldergrove.

[Diablo Rouge]

There was a time that a thriving business was based in one of those houses selling Irish Linen & Lace from a garage, but I suspect that I am showing my age.

[teeteringhead]

Well of course Diablo Rouge, The Mill was in its heyday a linen mill. Remember one time I was snowed in there for a couple of days - in weather not unlike today's - and got bored enough to find in the Mess an old book on Bessbrook's History; the Mill and the village.

The Mill's (earlier) claim to fame was that it had produced the table linen for the Queen Mary in the (?) 1930s - good pub quiz question that!

From the same book, Bessbrook (the village) was built as a "model village" for the workers in Victorian times by the owners, a bit like Bournville or Port Sunlight. And as the owners (like the Cadburys) were apparently strict Quakers, Bessbrook (like Bournville) went for many many years without a pub!

[PhamousPhotographer]

Bessbrook (like Bournville) went for many many years without a pub!Still does. With mill-owner John Grubb Richardson’s banning of the three Ps (Pubs, Pawnshops and Police Barracks) from his village, the closest bar today is still “The Pit” - or “Muldrew’s” from a former owner - sited at the crossroads junction of the Millvale Road and Doctor’s Hill and to date residents’ objections to licence applications for premises in ‘the Brook’ have been successful. The third P is less-widely known, but from the 1850s to almost the turn of the century the village managed without a full-time police presence. John Richardson believed that as a combined result of no pawnbrokers or pubs, the supposed absence of debt would remove the perceived reason for theft, so with no drunkenness (thus no rowdiness) a police barracks was unnecessary, any ‘attendance’ required being dispatched from Newry.

The general disappearance of pawnshops has virtually guaranteed their continued absence from the Model Village, but the embargo regarding the police has long been broken, with the first barracks being opened in 1897 or ’98, apparently following a mini riot. It’s now a dwelling house on Church Road within sight of the present station – though budget-related proposals to close the present one have been discussed in mid-2008, while it is probably also only a matter of time before the first ‘Licence for the Sale of Intoxicating Liquor' is granted.

On his death in 1891 John Richardson’s family discovered the offer of a baronetcy from William Gladstone among his papers. Dating from 1882, it was recognition for a lifetime of charitable work, including caring for the linen workers of Bessbrook, but he’d turned it down on the Quaker principle that virtue is its own reward. Wonder what he’d think of the Mill’s condition today?

Sorry for banging on – it’s not strictly a SHFNI story, but the Mill and village has a unique history as well as its helilinks.

[diginagain]

In a similar vein to Fareastdriver's tale, as a reward for my efforts at Lisburn, I was invited to a few libations at Knock on a day I was due to travel home on leave. The afternoon wore on rather, and it looked as if I would be unable to get to City Airport in time to make my flight.

I mentioned this to my hosts, which resulted in a blue-light run to the steps of a held flight, and a couple of bottles that we'd been unable to find time to open to accompany me on my onward journey to Manchester and beyond.

Result? I woke up as my train pulled into Middlesbrough, having slept through York.

Happy daze.

Edited to add; worked with MD when he was but a lowly Airtrooper - nice to see the boy done well.:ok:

[Gentleman Jim]

What wonderful memories this brings back.

Gentleman Jim

[PhamousPhotographer]

Not one of my sharper efforts, but this north Armagh site was operational in the 1970s and closed, I think, c.1980 / ’81? Anyways, the lake / big house combination should be recognizable to 70s’ crews. En route to Y453 from RAFA with POD, JJ C***y and S** B**d. Not lost, just a slight detour, and I was in the lh seat - properly authed again. 72 was as Mighty as the Wessex!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0106-11-1994Phamphotog.jpg

[Dundiggin']

That last left hand seat shot is probably Castledillon - I spent hours and hours of flying around there delivering ReadyMade concrete to build the refuel LSs. It proved a bloody good refuel site for many years but in the 90's I went back there and found it disused!! What a waste! Incidently I was Crewman on the Wessex which took the very first troops in there at o-dark-o-clock in the very early 70's to take over the house........:E !

[PhamousPhotographer]

That last left hand seat shot is probably Castledillon

Yes; the main house became an old people's home and that closed in the 90's. It's all derelict today, with the roof collapsed on the stable block, but there are still indications of its military past with faint MT markings on the external walls of the building at the rear of the stables and a few signs remaining on internal doors.

[Dundiggin']

In the mid 70's Dick L@angworthy (of BN Falklands War fame) was the 'beefer' on the Puma detachment and was looking after a new-to-the-territory new boy pilot before letting him loose solo at the innocent Irish public. I was the crewman and we were tasked together to fly a days' tasking in the Province. Anyway I decided that the 'New Boy' should have as much help as I could give him (cos Dick took no prisoners...)We got airborne from Aldergrove and Dick gave the nav to the New Boy. I helped as much as I could and was eventually told to 'Let the New Boy get on with it'. So off we went across the bloody border!! New boy is feeling fragile. We then landed the troops in a field with bloody great wires across it. On the approach to the field I said 'There are wires across the middle of the field' No reply from New Boy who is now doing the flying (as he can't nav!) and is probably maxed out. No reply from him. We landed on and ground taxiied and stopped slap dab underneath the wires! The troops departed and then New Boy' asks for clearance to lift. No says I there are wires directly above us, I suggest you ground taxi until the tail is clear of the wires. We then decided to go for some fuel at Castledillon. We rocked up there and there were rocket fences all over the place and it was all a bit adjacent. Anyway I talked him to the spot and I got out and supervised the refuel by the magnificent TSW heroes :D and at the finish I rolled up my long lead and boarded the a/c. Secured my monkey harness and said 'You are clear to lift, tail LEFT' What happened? He lifted and swung the tail RIGHT!! DOWN, DOWN, DOWN I shouted and we landed on again just before we would have hit the rocket fence with the tail! I rushed up the front. Dick in the LHS had already got a fag going and he looked round just as I swung a punch at the RHS New Boy and shouted 'Next time listen to what I am telling you!' Or words to that effect! When we got back to Aldergrove Dick bollocked me for striking an officer and the New Boy apologised for being a liabillity all day and promised he would improve - and he did! But he NEVER forgot that first trip tasking in NI.......

[Diablo Rouge]

Dick in the LHS had already got a fag going and he looked round just as I swung a punch at the RHS New Boy

Now that 'Air Clues' is back in production, you could write an "I learnt about CRM" article with that one.

[Hueymeister]

Charlie H**e's Mess Cannons were legendary....

R***ie B**ker's were too, must find the photo I have of Seafury Fan's arse in the bubble window whilst in formation....

Dougie H**se going 1st class in the cockpit...almost permanently

N***a going solo at Ballynorth

[Diablo Rouge]

This is a source of some worry!
R***ie B**ker's were too, must find the photo I have of Seafury Fan's arse in the bubble window whilst in formation....


What is the link between R***ies cannon and SeaFurys arse??

[MightyGem]

Castledillon
Spent two tours there as a Sapper in the 70s. One day a Scout landed for fuel, and the pilot walked in the main building wearing an RE capbadge. How did you get those, says I pointing to his Wings. And the rest is history, as they say. :ok:

[PhamousPhotographer]

Seafury Fan's arse in the bubble window whilst in formation....Seen here waving from the cabin door of 204, he didn’t bring that behaviour over to 230 then? Of course, Pumas don’t have bubble windows!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0111-00-1999Phamphotog.jpg

[Dundiggin']

When we first went to NI in the Wessex, I was a sprog crewman on 72 Sqn and was learning the way of the World from the 'hairies' like Geordie Haswell.
To set the scene; in those days the crewman would monitor HF as a Flight Safety Net. So on takeoff we would check that it was working OK and then monitor it during flight. The atmospherics on the net could be quite intrusive, crewmen had to put up with it but other crew members would de-select the HF rx button to get a bit of peace.
One day, Geordie Haswell (ex British Rail fireman shovelling 40 tons of coal a day to keep the steam up! - good skills in the Wessex :}) departed Aldergrove to go tasking in the Province. Sometime later I took off to do some other Province tasking and after takeoff I tuned in the HF radio and did a radio check with Ops. That went OK so I settled down in the cabin to monitor the nav. I then became aware of an unusual sound on the HF which sounded like someone singing the letter oh (O) but in one long sound: 'Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhh' I said to the pilot 'Have a listen to HF there's a weird sound I can't make out' He selected his HF rx button and there was the sound nonstop but getting fainter 'Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh'
'That's strange don't know what that is' Then the 'Oh' sound stopped and continued with 'klahoma with the wind gan whistling doon the playne'
The fact it was in a broad geordie accent gave the game away; obviously Geordie Haswell was having a boring Province task. :}

[Tiger_mate]

I once witnessed a cab have an 'RT failure' when a life saving medivac to Dublin was about to be cancelled, despite having a premature baby already on board and en-route.

The Captain may well have been a PItheA regarding TV remote controls but I for one was a very happy chappy when he declared "Difficult will call by landline from destination".

Of course it was an 'army' helicopter and I think it quite sad that the negative press of the miltary in NI was never balanced by the good that was also brought to the table.

[EESDL]

19-year old that has been banging Mrs Robinson and caused implosion of NI politics - leading to Bast*rd McGuiness favourite for First Minister.......
has to be elected honourable member?

[teeteringhead]

I don't think so EESDL ..... surely even FOLA's standards would think twice about a 40+ year age difference.......:yuk:

[St Johns Wort]

Nar...

FOLA SOPs, Chapter 3, Para 2, Sub Para B

'Aged between 16 and 60, face and body within limits'

Limits were, of course, subject to the findings of a FCM if seriously challenged.

[Blighter Pilot]

'Aged between 16 and 60, face and body within limits'


Unlike the rules used by the occupants of the street-

'one head and no penis'

Clear above and behind? - :mad:

RC lives

[St Johns Wort]

Bit picky, evidence would indicate that the basic criteria for the street was that they were 'still warm'.

[teeteringhead]

'Aged between 16 and 60, face and body within limits' ... ooh careful careful ...... age of consent in Norn Iron was (is?) 17!

Caught a few people out that one ....... :uhoh:

[PhamousPhotographer]

19-year old that has been banging Mrs Robinson

SHOCK LATEST - Virulent new vIris invades PPRuNe site. SHFNI thread disrupted?

[PhamousPhotographer]

Out to the FOBs again, this time to record night tasking. B** S*****t, J***N B***s and ‘Cat’ engaged on AF/BF servicing of 230 Squadron’s ZA935. Note the torch beams round the tail rotor. Drumadd, Armagh. 5th October 1999.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0105-10-1999Phamphotog.jpg

[belfrybat]

19-year old that has been banging Mrs Robinson

Wasn't there a song about that sometime in the sixties? :)

[Jucky]

Wasn't there a song about that sometime in the sixties?

Yes here it is :E<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YRwTj6iXnSI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YRwTj6iXnSI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[PhamousPhotographer]

Wasn't there a song about that sometime in the sixties?

Get a grip here. Dundiggin, Dunhovrin, Dummy Run, sff, Ish et al - Vere are you??

[Dundiggin']

Back on thread chaps.............I don't know if anyone knows this club in Belfast. It used to be on the midlands Club Circuit and for the small amount of 10/- (I really do mean 10 bob!) you would be entertained by professional acts which performed throughout the clubs across the mainland. It was damn good value, good entertainment and good hunting :E!.......Then it all came to an end when a woman enterred the resteraunt down stairs with a bomb in a bag which exploded prematurely, blowing off both her legs and wrecking the place.:{

[RUCAWO]

The Abercorn

[PhamousPhotographer]

Back on thread chaps.............

Many thanks for rescuing the thread Dundiggin. Another 72 view in appreciation.

Except at Bessbrook where, for security, it was so dark that photography was impossible, night working had a unique atmosphere, especially in rural areas, and I always felt privileged to record scenes like these as XR499‘W’ awaits tasking. Killymeal, Dungannon. 29th November 1994.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0129-11-1994Phamphotog.jpg

[St Johns Wort]

Anybody recall the young lady who frequented the aimens bop, circa 79 -80ish, called Metal Micky?

[seafuryfan]

Still here, 'Phamous' :ok:

Let's see if this works...

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/seafuryfan/scan0001.jpg

'...Oh I'm with you old boy but I've left my stomach behind...'

[seafuryfan]

Lady friends added greatly to The Street. Here is a fire hydrant cupboard they prepared for a party...

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/seafuryfan/TheStreetFireHydrantCupboard.jpg

I have photos of Street parties but they have the small issue of faces...

[PhamousPhotographer]

:ok::ok:Oh yes Sff, those worked OK. Was that going off 21? Just sorting what to put up next.

PS Have just heard from P*** B*** (ex OC'A') - enjoying the stories.

[9BIT]

Did we every discover who coiled the steamy one onto OC 72's car bonnet (Mr Blobby's) just before he left the sqn? Kinda summed up his tour as the Boss. Mr Blobby - he of the rather large gait, the flagpole incident at Antrim and Supersonic Wessex fame.
:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[teeteringhead]

9BIT

One well recalls Blobby's car receiving the additional bonnet mascot...;)

Apparently he ranted to OC Police about DNA testing 230 Sqn officers (IIRC the outrgae was when he was dined-out) to see whose it was .... I guess there is DNA in poo.

Whereupon OC Police (in his best "do you think that's wise Sir" Sgt Wilson voice) apparently suggested it was just as likely to have been 72 ......

But no such testing took place ..........:ok:

[St Johns Wort]

Was it not Blobby who Bollo@ked one of his JPs for being a tad over weight, but had his own LCJ with a gusset zipped in?:hmm:

[Cim Jartner]

I wasn't overweight - he just caught me with loads of contraband down my front!!

[Thud_and_Blunder]

I wonder if said Blobby is the same person who:

- trimmed the trees with his tips in BFPO47 (perhaps excusable for a first tourist :O )then came in grinning (perhaps not so agreeable :mad: ).

- caught religion and turned up one Wednesday having forgotten to wash his forehead

- mastered the art of the Tactical PVR (in the days when the waiting list reached 8 years...) to wangle a QHI course followed by 28/Sek Kong...

If so I suspect you'll need to pull up a very comfy sandbag before everyone's used up all their stories about him!

Re poo/DNA, I'm told that unless significant amounts of other, er, bodily matter exists within the sample then - assuming your miscreant didn't have Chalfonts/Emma Freuds - it is extremely unlikely that any identification would be possible.

[lsh]

"They come over, just for a swan, once or twice a year........"
lsh
:E

[Dundiggin']

Now anyone who knows me knows that I dubbed him 'Blobby' when I arrived on 72 Sqn and disliked him with a vengeance for most of my tour. However, he did do me one favour...........
Picture the scene...Dining-in night leaving the table to retire to the bar. I'm somewhat well lubricated but happy. I arrived in the bar to be confronted by TCG and his 230 Sqn cronies behind him. TCG has a broom upside down in front of him (he's holding the broom part) 'Come on L@@@@e get your 72 Sqn mates and we'll have a go at tug of war'. Whereupon he swung the pole part of the broom up into my nethers!!:=
Needless to say it hurt, so I reacted by punching him straight in the mush and knocking him back onto his mates behind him. I stood and watched his mates drag him round the bar out of my range but I maintained eye contact with him as he went round the bar, but eventually I thought 'Bugger this I'm off to bed'.

Early in the morning I was awoken by my 'phone ringing. 'Hello blah blah'
When a female voice in a foreign accent :E! said ' I don't want no sh@t, I don't want no trouble. I know you and TCG had a fight last night he's not happy he's going to see the Stn Cdr'

Well I thought that was going to be 'Career end'. So I rang Blobby and said 'I think I'm in the sh@t Boss'. 'Why's that?' Sez 'ee. 'Well I struck TCG last night and he's going to see the Staish'.

Whereupon his Blobbiness states ' You're not in the sh@t L@@@@e I saw what happened and your reaction was fully justified'.

You could have knocked me over with a feather......the 'Big Boy' had actually backed up one his officers.................. however he's still a fat git!! :)

[PhamousPhotographer]

Cim Jartner? As at Drumadd, 11th January 1999 with A*** L***, D*** S******, C**** Y*** and XV234’Pres Roosevelt’? Only the cab is recorded here in another of those night views.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0111-01-1999Phamphotog.jpg

[RUCAWO]

Some pics from Bangor Ex Beaufort Dyke, Ards airshow and Carrickmore.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/72j.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/72bd.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/72a6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/72a4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/we15-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/72m.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/72l-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/72a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/72b.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/we34.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v331/sniperUK/UAS%2007/lv1.jpg

[Axel-Flo]

Now there was another news letter out in Aldergrove in the mid 80's, if i missed reference to it in the last 11 pages i :suspect:, I'm sure it ran to 2 or maybe 3 editions before it's editor was hauled in and discouraged further from mentioning, current incidents including the adventures of the "Orange One" the Kuros King...AKA Fat Srgeant WXYZ who on promotion was re-named The Massive Air Load Master. Far too close to the truth was Blah so destined for file 13...but OH to have kept the copies that were done...

[Dundiggin']

Awesome phots - phabulous memories.....!
Thanks PP
:D:D:D:D

[PhamousPhotographer]

:)Cheers Dundiggin.:ok:

Just checked my log book... 1994 24 Oct Puma hc 1 ZA937, Pilot Flt Lt D****r M**le,D****r M**le?

Didn’t he go off (or on) to Chinooks? That’s the link for posting these ones anyway. No crew details recorded, just dates and serials so, as previously, check your log book entries for 19th April 1995. 7 Sqn ZA712’ER’ lands on the centre spot at Killymeal –

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0119-04-1995Phamphotog.jpg

to lift joint 1Bn Green Howards / RUC patrols for ETB tasking.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0219-04-1995Phamphotog.jpg

When Chinooks arrived, the main helipad was cleared for them, with the line cab parked up on the AM2 – as in

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0319-04-1995Phamphotog.jpg

How’d that Wessex get into this? D**e G*******s, Naz C****n and C*** McD***** shut down XV725’C’ as ‘ER’ appears at top-left on downwind finals. Bit high, perhaps? Will check out for a while to allow more story posts.

[Tiger_mate]

It is the Emerald Isle after all:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4288454227_f70d7a3909.jpg
Sometimes NVG is the mutts nuts, sadly not always.

[seafuryfan]

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/seafuryfan/NI/Snowy.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/seafuryfan/NI/Spot4.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/seafuryfan/NI/UpTheTube.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/seafuryfan/NI/XMG.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/seafuryfan/NI/Y453.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/seafuryfan/NI/scan0004.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e364/seafuryfan/NI/Arty.jpg

That's it for the mo in case I'm in trouble for picture size etc, awaiting mod comment...

[miles offtarget]

There is plenty more yet...

Anyone remember G** S**** falling out of the door and being (quite painfully) pinned to the nite-sun bracket for a few minutes whilst trying to get hold of his interrupter lead blowing in the slipstream and alert the rest of the crew.

H*** C, enjoying a clandestine listen to BBC R5 on the ADF during some night tasking, and on an England footballer missing a penalty shouting 'oh **** we've hit the post', just as the aircraft was crossing the fence. Much UP UP UP and non football related consternation from front end.

Op Rectify ... where does one start ... the physical manifestation of OC 230's inner delusions (such as that he possessed Guy Gibson like leadership), coupled with a frenetic final push for the promotion that he'd been forced to discount in his youth. Now he was presented with an unimaginable culmination of his dreams, the Dams raid, plus a pat on the back from the AOC. '...ohhh Mum look at me, ... I'm a combat leader, and soooooooo close to being a Staish, just think of the amount of saluting I'll receive! '

I digress; but does anyone else remember that absurd one-way system up and down the 250' wires and in and out of pissing rain and low stratus, at night with no spare NVG on board, because the SH Politburo hadn't wanted to alert the IRA (via OC Safety Equipment naturally), that we were flying bags of combat cement into XMG. We as a crew had at least one head to head with a pair of Lynx, and a very close call with the Wokka (not their fault) at the TSW site.

On a much happier note, I believe that A*** L****** has posted some photographs of the Sgt's Mess corridoor party, (the one in which we imprisioned S**** A**** in a single seat liferaft thingy until he'd drunk all 6 cans of Tennents Super) in 1993(?) on facebook.

Eileen, I found our letters of apology for the 'Night Boat to Cairo / fire extinguisher 'incident' the other day. Must have been still drunk, you had awarded yourself an MBE !

MoT

[puma230]

Oh heavens, G falling out poor sod...I was the driver that day! Typical, the last of 3 cabs to pick up the remaining 12 from outside XMG. Oh there's an RUC chap (do you leave him as thou shall not carry 13 under threat of death?) so G gives up his seat. First we knew of G's spacewalk was a Para grabbing my mike and screaming " man overboard". One looks behind to see G's boots kicking at thin air while he desperately "asks" the Paras not to try and pull him in but tell those at the front. All this at 50' and 15 pitch racing Lynx 5 back to R850. G finally on board after landing on. At R850 one enquires why the Lynx didn't tell us of G's bid for freedom....."oh, we thought you were having a laugh"!!!!

Anyway, one hopes G is none the worse for wear today?

Op Rectify, Sqn breakfast at 1am weather way below limits so all delayed until 5. Back comes Digger after weather ship flight . "Whats the weather like...****, way below limits". In walks OC230, "the weathers bad but the go order has
already gone so we're off"....genius!

Fun days, topped off with trashing a tail rotor when detached to Otterburn. Cue phone call to Aldergrove, "can I have a new tail rotor please"? In walks A M "you asking for a new tail.......make that 2"!

[miles offtarget]

Have followed the links to two youtube vids mentioed earlier, it was especially good to see the 'Tigers in NI' vid as I lost my VHS copy in a house move in 2001; but can anyone post a link or a copy of J***a D*****y's vid of the same era, which started off with some F14 Top-Gun-Gush followed by Beavis and Butthead.

Just had to open a beer or two, as all the memories are flooding back. I can almost smell that toxic gas heater in the St Angelo bedroom !

Speaking of which, anyone remember Angelo being lined up for a mortar attack, and the owner of the woodyard next door ramming the Hiace (and Mk15) to offset the aim ? Or whilst I think of it, the great IRA vs AAC gunfight, x-000s rounds expended, hits claimed .... errr... nil !

Great thread.

MoT

[Carbide Finger]

It's good to read the stories. I'm seeing some familiar names; I stayed at Aldergrove in late 2001 whilst working in the tower as a civvy. I was made very welcome for the 6 weeks I was there.

Thanks in particular to Dezzee and Mularkey who did an 'unplugged' set at my leaving drinks.

[PhamousPhotographer]

Speaking of which, anyone remember Angelo being lined up for a mortar attack, and the owner of the woodyard next door ramming the Hiace Just one of many attempted attacks and the probable reason for the Buzzard’s reluctance to allow me any photos of this place – certainly none from behind the walls. Surrounded to the south and east by high ground, with the sawmill to the north and main road only yards from the helipad it was always a very vulnerable FOB so, well out of my usual area and thus unknown to the roulement unit, I was content with their permission to take a very few shots. XW234 on the pad with the sawmill behind. 30th October 1994.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0130-10-1994Phamphotog.jpg

and -

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0230-10-1994Phamphotog.jpg

Looking south-east; same cab, same day.

[miles offtarget]

Anyone remember the Queen's UAS closing disco at City airport ? The one where the plod were called to investigate some missing memorabilia ?

Anyway, CJ Mercury (although I think he used the stage name T******* occasionally) was fronting 'Orange Whip' and he very kindly allowed Mick P from the 7 Sqn det (and possibly B*****'s brother, senior service RN) and myself to play guitars in the band for a couple of songs... without them being plugged in of course, in order for me to impress the girls, and it worked wonderfully.

We had been dropped off at the party by the night Bessbrook cab, but Spanky T drove us home in some dodgy rented Transit van, given that we were half/fully pisssed, we predictably got hopelessly lost, and I remember the pleasant experience of having rocks thrown at us by feral kids in East Belfast at 3am.

MoT

[Grys Dweizelschidt]

Or whilst I think of it, the great IRA vs AAC gunfight, x-000s rounds expended, hits claimed .... errr... nil !

Against a heavily-reinforced artic trailer? Yes, ISTR one of cabs diving back into BBK to relieve the redundant Puma's steward of his link.

Echo the sentiments re this thread; its helping my flashbacks no end. As an aside, anyone know where Spanky is these days?

[StAn gelo]

The woodyard (and a local steel firm) have now gobbled up what was St Angelo.The yellow arrow is where the mortars were parked.
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj122/vortex003/BCAS.jpg

[lsh]

Ah, I knew that "Fat Sgt J****" name would come up sometime.
(Max All Up Master)
Remember his perma-tan, in Ireland???!
The extra bag he carried out, full of rations (none for the pilots!)
"My cars are always for sale".

"Those were the days my friends......" (Again!)
lsh
:E

[Dundiggin']

Way back in the good ol' days when we had six week dets and no wives accompanying :rolleyes: We set off one sunny morning to do a days' tasking in walter....the pilot appeared to be very happy. 'You sound happy' sez I. 'Yeah' sez he, 'I'm on a promise tonight and we're going out' 'Going anywhere special' 'Yeah I'm taking her to the Ulster studios to the live Country/Folk Music TV show as part of the live audience, then we're off to her place for a night of illicit passion' 'What's the missus goin' to say about that then?' 'What she doesn't know ain't goin' to hurt her'. :hmm:

So we duly completed our tasking and returned to Aldergrove whereupon pilot-chappy disappeared like a rat up a drain-pipe for his 'promise'. :}

That evening in the original Sgts Mess we inmates were watching the Ulster TV programme trying spot our matey, but more to the point to see what he had trapped! Sure enough the camera scanned the audience several times and matey and his 'promise' were there looking lustfully into each other's eyes thinking obviously of the passionate night ahead. The camera lingered on them ea time it scanned, :uhoh: producing ribald comments from the Sgts Mess audience!

Next morning in the crewroom matey-boy is sprawled across a settee not looking too chipper. 'Have a good night then matey?' 'Yep she was like dynamite!' I know we saw you on the bloody telly, it was like a porn film!' 'What?' sez he incredulous 'You saw us on the telly?' 'Yep it was bloody sickening' 'Christ!' exclaims another member of the crewroom, 'that programme goes out on all the satellite stations tonight and if your missus sees that, you're history!' :uhoh:

Matey-boy's palour sinks from white to a paler shade of white......he's worried and disappeared early to the Officers Mess.

Next day in the crewroom matey-boy is happy and a contrast from the day before. :confused:

'You're happy, I presume that your missus hasn't found out' 'Nah, I rang her when the programme was broadcast and kept her on the 'phone until the programme ended! The 'phone is in the hall and she can't see the telly from there!! :} she was dead chuffed to get such a long 'phone call!!' :rolleyes:

[EESDL]

Vaguely remember in an effort to cut down on 'transit' hours we were stood down at Omagh whilst another crew carried out night tasking......one of such 'overnights' coincided with leaving party for resident regiment......who had been saving all det to put on a show with dancing girls etc.
We had spent most of the day extracting happy Pongoes and were duely invited to function.......Didn't start too well when GPMG Grunt started moaning about lack of chopper support in ****e weather but it seemed to end ok with Wessex crew doing a Right Said Fred "I'm too Sexy for my Wessex" rendition, bollock naked amongst dancing girls and muff-munching WRACs....
Colonel did well to talk tactics with naked crew.
happy days!

[PhamousPhotographer]

Stand down at Omagh
M*** F****y, K**** M*****e and M*** Y*****y prepare to light up XR497’F’ and return to Aldergrove at the end of their 48 hours in Co Tyrone. 22nd June 1998.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx299/PhamousPhotographer/Image0122-06-1998Phamphotog.jpg

[miles offtarget]

Just tried to post a picture of the 'sniper at work' sign, but technically too difficult. But you know what I mean, didn't we have one in the 230 crewroom.