Do you laugh or cry ?
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Most of the time it is easier to seek forgiveness than ask for permission!
Fond(ish) memories of the place early 70's as young DD.
Fond(ish) memories of the place early 70's as young DD.
typerated,
My favourite land out story was the Bicester Ka6 which landed out in Norfolk in the '70s.
At that time Bicester had two Ka6s and therefore two trailers. The crew hitched up one of the trailers and raced to Est Anglia to retrieve their pilot.
When they got to the field they rolled up to the glider and opened the trailer doors - the other Ka6 was inside the trailer.
'Twas one of the longest retrieves on record!
My favourite land out story was the Bicester Ka6 which landed out in Norfolk in the '70s.
At that time Bicester had two Ka6s and therefore two trailers. The crew hitched up one of the trailers and raced to Est Anglia to retrieve their pilot.
When they got to the field they rolled up to the glider and opened the trailer doors - the other Ka6 was inside the trailer.
'Twas one of the longest retrieves on record!
My favorite (possibly apocryphal) landing-out story was related to me by an old RAF buddy a good few years back.
Apparently (allegedly) a glider landed at RAF Syerston, which is (was?) an Air Cadet-operated field.
Well, the young RAFVR Pilot Officer really laid into the pilot of the civilian registered sailplane. When he eventually paused for breath the elderly glider pilot replied "I really am very sorry about all this - and we haven't even been introduced. My name is Air Vice-Marshal XXX (I forget) - shall we start again?"
I don't know if its true - but I really hope it is!
Apparently (allegedly) a glider landed at RAF Syerston, which is (was?) an Air Cadet-operated field.
Well, the young RAFVR Pilot Officer really laid into the pilot of the civilian registered sailplane. When he eventually paused for breath the elderly glider pilot replied "I really am very sorry about all this - and we haven't even been introduced. My name is Air Vice-Marshal XXX (I forget) - shall we start again?"
I don't know if its true - but I really hope it is!
Thud,
The definitive, and true, version of your story is AVM Don Spottiswood landing a Discus at Abingdon during the Inter-Services Gliding Competition in the late '70s.
The Air Traffic landrover was dispatched into the middle of the airfield to collect Don and deliver him to the Tower.
On arrival in the Tower Don was subject to a tirade of abuse from the local controller, the gist of which was that glider pilots were a bunch of unprofessional [email protected], etc.
Don, an RAF pilot with several thousand hours, remained silent until the tirade finished at which point he retrieved his ID from his wallet, proffered it and said "Flt Lt, shall we start this conversation again?".
The definitive, and true, version of your story is AVM Don Spottiswood landing a Discus at Abingdon during the Inter-Services Gliding Competition in the late '70s.
The Air Traffic landrover was dispatched into the middle of the airfield to collect Don and deliver him to the Tower.
On arrival in the Tower Don was subject to a tirade of abuse from the local controller, the gist of which was that glider pilots were a bunch of unprofessional [email protected], etc.
Don, an RAF pilot with several thousand hours, remained silent until the tirade finished at which point he retrieved his ID from his wallet, proffered it and said "Flt Lt, shall we start this conversation again?".
I had by all accounts a perfect un-powered arrival at Wroughton some 46 years ago. Luckily my parents received 9 months prior notice and were handily on-site to effect a recovery 
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I landed out some years ago but managed to make it to another glider field. The tuggy kindly offered to tow me back half way to 5,000' from where I could final glide back. He told me how much it would cost and I decided a trailer retrieve would be cheaper. I thanked him and declined the offer. The en route meals and beers for the retrieve crew cost me more than the tug would have. Noted and filed.
I played a volleyball match at Wroughton once. It was dark when we arrived and dark when we left. I remember seeing the gym.
Edit: talking about elfin safety, a good mate and flying oppo of mine was SFSO at a well known secret airbase. The stock joke was when being questioned by the AOC 'And what do you contribute to flight safety Flt Lt ***** ?'
'I stay on the ground sir.'
I played a volleyball match at Wroughton once. It was dark when we arrived and dark when we left. I remember seeing the gym.
Edit: talking about elfin safety, a good mate and flying oppo of mine was SFSO at a well known secret airbase. The stock joke was when being questioned by the AOC 'And what do you contribute to flight safety Flt Lt ***** ?'
'I stay on the ground sir.'
Last edited by thing; 25th Aug 2014 at 13:50.
Thud,
Glad you enjoyed the truth.
Don Spot sadly departed the fix earlier this year - he was truly an "airship" of the old school, much admired and sadly missed.
Glad you enjoyed the truth.
Don Spot sadly departed the fix earlier this year - he was truly an "airship" of the old school, much admired and sadly missed.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
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Boring, boring I know, but in the instance, outlined by the OP, it is possible that Wroughton don't carry any insurance for flying machines now, and could not be satisfied that the tug and glider had appropriate or sufficient third party cover either. Just a possibility.
Many years ago...
Back in the early 60s when was a lowly SAC and gliding at Upavon, I did a CPL groundschool at Wroughton. Just for fun. I peeked in in one of the hangars which was jam-packed solid with Hunters and Javelins.
The definitive, and true, version of your story is AVM Don Spottiswood landing a Discus at Abingdon during the Inter-Services Gliding Competition in the late '70s.
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I attended many happy hours at Wroughton as a marshal at motorcycle race meetings organised by the North Gloucester MCC in
association with the R.A.F.M.S.A.
I am sure it was there that there were some very old Canberra's which we had a good look at until the R.A.F. plod politely asked
us to move away from them.
Anyone notice that yesterday Peter Hickman riding a R.A.F. Reserves Honda won a round of the British Superbikes competition
his very first from memory ?
association with the R.A.F.M.S.A.
I am sure it was there that there were some very old Canberra's which we had a good look at until the R.A.F. plod politely asked
us to move away from them.
Anyone notice that yesterday Peter Hickman riding a R.A.F. Reserves Honda won a round of the British Superbikes competition
his very first from memory ?
Gentleman Aviator
Had my "snip" at Wroughton - the Hospital of course! 
Quite painless physically but 2 things caused some anxiety:
1. I knew one of the attending nurses from MEDEVACS and ... er .... socially in a previous existence of mine.
2. Was given a Walkman to listen to - with a James Last tape. And I
in' hate James Last. (only 2 tracks tho'! Well done the snipper )
Quite painless physically but 2 things caused some anxiety:
1. I knew one of the attending nurses from MEDEVACS and ... er .... socially in a previous existence of mine.
2. Was given a Walkman to listen to - with a James Last tape. And I
in' hate James Last. (only 2 tracks tho'! Well done the snipper )
Thread Starter
Geez, its get worse, now I am being censored.
After contacting the Science Museum management in which I stated that an aerotow from Wroughtons's runway is perfectly feasible (it is, its 4000 feet long, 150 wide, with a slight slope and no obstacles at either end, I have done 100s of aerotows out of much shorter strips with Chipmunks, including heavy metal Russian gliders at the World Championships at S Cerney, ) but is not allowed by the site manager (because it would be a hazard to the artefacts stored in blast resistant hangars !!) they have asked me and Pete not to publicise the fact because "I don't have the full picture of the site complex". I do have all the operational facts I could possibly need to conduct a perfectly safe aerotow. I've flown jets out of shorter runways !
I suggested in conversation with Pete Stratten at the BGA that he spreads the word that whilst aerotowing from Wroughton is perfectly feasible from a technical point of view, it is not permitted so perhaps is best avoided if an aerotow is hoped for. That knowledge might just save someone from an awful lot of hassle.
Spread the word, guys.
After contacting the Science Museum management in which I stated that an aerotow from Wroughtons's runway is perfectly feasible (it is, its 4000 feet long, 150 wide, with a slight slope and no obstacles at either end, I have done 100s of aerotows out of much shorter strips with Chipmunks, including heavy metal Russian gliders at the World Championships at S Cerney, ) but is not allowed by the site manager (because it would be a hazard to the artefacts stored in blast resistant hangars !!) they have asked me and Pete not to publicise the fact because "I don't have the full picture of the site complex". I do have all the operational facts I could possibly need to conduct a perfectly safe aerotow. I've flown jets out of shorter runways !
I suggested in conversation with Pete Stratten at the BGA that he spreads the word that whilst aerotowing from Wroughton is perfectly feasible from a technical point of view, it is not permitted so perhaps is best avoided if an aerotow is hoped for. That knowledge might just save someone from an awful lot of hassle.
Spread the word, guys.
Donkey's years ago at Odiham when Pumas were fairly new AOC 38 Group, as it was in those days, decided to accompany a crew on a weekend task to see how they performed. It was an underslung detail with the gunners up at Sennybridge. It involved refuelling at Leeming and so we arrived. We were directed to an area of the dispersal, shut down and awaited the bowser.
Unbeknown to us there had been an occasion where somebody had refuelled a piston with jet fuel or vice versa. To prevent a reoccurrence they had marked the pan with a line that AVTUR or AVTAG bowser could not cross. The local controller was a young WRAF and seeing large thrashing propellers she had assumed we had piston engines which was why we were in the wrong place and the AVTUR bowser driver refused to cross the line. It was quite chilly compared with daun sauf so I had lent my AVM my cold weather flying jacket whilst we sorted the problem out.
Eventually a Sqn. Ldr. intent on telling this low life who flew helicopters where to get off, insisted, in no uncertain terms, that if we wanted fuel we would have to push (5.6 tonnes) our helicopters onto the AVTUR line.
This is when the AVM took my Flt. Lt's jacket off.
The policy seemed to change quite rapidly.
A hangover to this was that for decades later one of the instructions on the Leeming approach plate was that if there were any senior officers on board the ATC were to be informed on first contact
Unbeknown to us there had been an occasion where somebody had refuelled a piston with jet fuel or vice versa. To prevent a reoccurrence they had marked the pan with a line that AVTUR or AVTAG bowser could not cross. The local controller was a young WRAF and seeing large thrashing propellers she had assumed we had piston engines which was why we were in the wrong place and the AVTUR bowser driver refused to cross the line. It was quite chilly compared with daun sauf so I had lent my AVM my cold weather flying jacket whilst we sorted the problem out.
Eventually a Sqn. Ldr. intent on telling this low life who flew helicopters where to get off, insisted, in no uncertain terms, that if we wanted fuel we would have to push (5.6 tonnes) our helicopters onto the AVTUR line.
This is when the AVM took my Flt. Lt's jacket off.
The policy seemed to change quite rapidly.
A hangover to this was that for decades later one of the instructions on the Leeming approach plate was that if there were any senior officers on board the ATC were to be informed on first contact
