Remember these beasts?
I remember, on a certain well-known Towers' annual tented Rock Ape Funfest in the forests of Germany in the late 60's , waking most mornings to hearing the pre-dawn mutterings of the breakfast cooking detail as they scratched about and tripped over each other in the camp catering area.
This morning Reveille would shortly afterwards be followed up by the side of the tent facing the food area lighting up to the WHOOMPH! of the stove igniting : accompanied by a stream of expletives as yet another Flight Cadet had duly singed his eyebrows.
This morning Reveille would shortly afterwards be followed up by the side of the tent facing the food area lighting up to the WHOOMPH! of the stove igniting : accompanied by a stream of expletives as yet another Flight Cadet had duly singed his eyebrows.
Last edited by Haraka; 2nd Dec 2014 at 17:25.
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Playing with fire
On the subject of "playing with fire" check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILA1ic-Q8_E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILA1ic-Q8_E
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Apparently the 5 burner "suitcase" style field kitchen (with the fold out table) was also originally issued with duel fuel (gas/petrol) capacity. Must have made the morning fry up taste lovely with all those petrol fumes!
That's taken me back a few years. Weren't they called 'Hydraburners'?
I have a petrol equivelant of the Primus stove vapourising cooker.
Frightens the crap out of me in a way paraffin doesn't.
I have a petrol equivelant of the Primus stove vapourising cooker.
Frightens the crap out of me in a way paraffin doesn't.
I recently put together an account of my involvement in the goings on in 1982 (nothing to exciting). Not really relevant but a good story from Stanley in July of that year.
"A more humorous story that did the rounds at the time concerned the catering arrangements of various units. As previously mentioned the MCSU had set up shop to the North of the runway, however, a large number of units/formations dotted around the islands were self catering for a variety of reasons. The standard piece of issue kit for cooking in the field was a petrol fuelled stove/cooker. These were universally disliked and considered quite dangerous by most who had used them. The consequence of this was that over the years most tactical units (Army & RAF) had invested (from unit funds) in two-ring camping gas stoves and a supply of butane gas cylinders, TCW was no different in this regard and despite taking a large supply of gas bottles with us they would not last forever and there wasn't a gas plant on the Islands to replenish them. This problem had been anticipated by the supply people at the airfield who had sent a signal to UK for 2,000 butane gas bottles to be flown down. They subsequently arrived, the outcome, one very embarrassed supply officer wishing he had asked for FULL ones".
"A more humorous story that did the rounds at the time concerned the catering arrangements of various units. As previously mentioned the MCSU had set up shop to the North of the runway, however, a large number of units/formations dotted around the islands were self catering for a variety of reasons. The standard piece of issue kit for cooking in the field was a petrol fuelled stove/cooker. These were universally disliked and considered quite dangerous by most who had used them. The consequence of this was that over the years most tactical units (Army & RAF) had invested (from unit funds) in two-ring camping gas stoves and a supply of butane gas cylinders, TCW was no different in this regard and despite taking a large supply of gas bottles with us they would not last forever and there wasn't a gas plant on the Islands to replenish them. This problem had been anticipated by the supply people at the airfield who had sent a signal to UK for 2,000 butane gas bottles to be flown down. They subsequently arrived, the outcome, one very embarrassed supply officer wishing he had asked for FULL ones".
I have a petrol equivelant of the Primus stove vapourising cooker.
Frightens the crap out of me in a way paraffin doesn't.
Frightens the crap out of me in a way paraffin doesn't.
Here's the Rapide, which was painted in AA black and yellow (scroll down for the pic).
Aircraft of the Automobile Association.
PETROL STOVES
Great for camping in winter, GAZ was not hot enough when the temp. was low. Ideal on the motorbike, as you had fuel in hand, although lead used to block the wick, and when you got the tent up and wanted a brew and meal it was frustrating trying to light the thing, and pretty scary under the awning if it was raining!
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The no1 Burner, a most excellent piece of kit.
However, if it started leaking from the pressurization system (i.e. behind the heat shield) and you didn't catch it in time to kill the flame, all you could do was run away, because it would go up in a sheet of flames. I never saw one explode, but it wasn't unknown, apparently. I certainly saw a couple go up in flames.
However, if it started leaking from the pressurization system (i.e. behind the heat shield) and you didn't catch it in time to kill the flame, all you could do was run away, because it would go up in a sheet of flames. I never saw one explode, but it wasn't unknown, apparently. I certainly saw a couple go up in flames.
Definitely not a good idea to refuel the Number 1 burner by the light of a hurricane lamp, as one of our PSIs found out. The subsequent conflagration burnt out the seals, so the rest of the exercise was cooked on hexi
Perhaps instead of selling them off they should have sent one to the Tornado Det at Akrotiri. With a bit of self-help initiative they could have negated the need for (as I write) 34 pages of comment on AARSE about the "RAF Morale Failure at Akrotiri" !
I jest of course - numerous other options available to solve that one as discussed on the relevant thread.
I jest of course - numerous other options available to solve that one as discussed on the relevant thread.