Taking friends up for a joy ride

[longer ron]

KiloB
And then there was the SAAF Pilot a couple of years back who took a civvie for a Pilatus ride. The individual spotted a yellow and black handle, wondered what it did, and pulled it!!

LOL - our pax strap ins always included a strong reminder not to touch anything yellow and black stripes or red.

[Pontius Navigator]

Nutloose, the pilot was not a junior officer, the Ansons were guarded jealously by the professional pilot mafia. Seriously though my first flight was with a Fg Off Fitzsimonds. My next was with Master Pilot Payne. The other pilot I remember was Flt My Harvey Hilliard the SFSO. 25 years later I flew with his son.

That Air Clues article was of a Master Pilot but I can't recall where the Annie was from.

[Pontius Navigator]

AotW, quite. Our Media Ops had a number of "free" tickets for Typhoon flights. Thomas Harding, late Defence Correspondent to the Daily Telegraph was one such but when he displeased their Airships his ticket was allocated elsewhere.

[Airbubba]

Originally Posted by Arm out the window

Seems it can be a whole lot easier to get a flight as a civvy if you are some kind of 'celebrity' - happens, or used to at least, down on our side of the globe quite a bit. A smiley-faced photo of the individual in question on the front page of the newspaper was seen as a good bit of PR, although not necessarily the used spew bag when they were back on the ground!

Those celebrity flights still occur in the U.S. and have been going on for a long time.

For example, you can see who got a ride in the SR-71 in the Staff and VIP sections at the bottom of this sorted list:

SR-71 Crew and Riders

A friend had the honor of taking John Glenn up in a B-2, I believe it was in the late 1990's, early in the program. He said it was somewhat low profile, perhaps because Senator Glenn had been an early opponent of the aircraft due to his skepticism of the cost benefits of stealth technology.

A few politicians, including Senator Glenn and Florida Congressman Bill Nelson rode on Space Shuttle flights. The 1986 Challenger disaster pretty much ended the VIP astronaut program.

[Tashengurt]

I remember Hazel Irvine (ing?) Going for a trip in an F3 for children in need.
TA at RAF SAM used to take his wife up quite regularly although I believe she had some quasi- research based role?

[Fonsini]

Originally Posted by NutLoose

Ever remember the Christmas tale published in air clues in the I learnt from that section, in which in order to get a band for the officers mess Christmas ball a junior officer agreed to take them flying unofficially in an Anson, which on being discovered was told on pain of death if anything happened to the Anson he would be well and truly screwed.
He took off with the band and all went well until landing when the gear wouldn't come down. Cutting to the result, on finals he chopped an engine then flicked the prop around level on the starter, repeating the process with the other he dead sticked it onto the runway coming to rest on the wheels that sit semi retracted in the bay's, the groundcrew raised it, pulled the gear down and then pushed the undamaged aircraft into the hangar.

That is the type of story that makes this site such a pleasure. Thanks for sharing, and that's some impressive piloting.

[kaitakbowler]

PN. T'was a Master and Scampton IIRC. Annie at Scampton my first flight as an Air Cadet, 1962.

PM

[Tankertrashnav]

A bit of thread drift, but when I was at Marham, the Lightning OCU came to us for several months while Coltishall was having its runway resurfaced. Each squadron had a list of blokes who wanted a ride in a T4 should the opportunity arise. The theory was the flight would go to the the bloke on the top of the list.

One day I was in the crew room when the phone rang. "Anyone available for a flight in a T4?" I considered finding the list for about 2 seconds, then said "I'm on my way"! Brilliant 40 minute flight - the bit I remember most was 0-35,000' in around 4 minutes - about 14 minutes quicker than a Victor K1!

[Kubarque]

Chuck Yeager, in his autobiography bragged about taking one (or more?) of his children across the US in a B-25 in the late 1940s. On a later occasion he flew his boy on his lap in an F-84 from Edwards AFB to Palm Springs Municipal Airport. His wife was waiting on the ramp at Palm Springs and Chuck lifted the boy over the side to her with the motor running and then returned to Eddy solo. Things were different then.

[CONSO]

FWIW -for many years now - including recently- in the U.S- the Blue Angels give Journalist-PR rides in number 7 F-18 ( two seater ) to at least one in virtually every town they do airshows. They video the whole thing ( no doubt editing out the barf bag issue ) Quite spectacular when on takeoff- they reach about 50 foot altitude and then rack it straight up to about 10 k feet. The view looking backwards over the helmet of the journalist says it all..

And yes- in the seattle area they go out over the ocean and sometimes exceed Mach 1 ..

[Dan Winterland]

I recall as a JP student at Cranwell in the mid 80s, the families day entertainment features a QFI's wives taxying competition.

Can't imagine that happening these days.

[India Four Two]

The joys of the 1960s!

In the early sixties, my Dad, my younger brother and I were members of a rifle club that shot twice a week on the "Miniature Range" at the local TA drill hall. Several times a year, we took the club's .303s to Bisley and shot on the Century Range.

Once a year, the local TA that we were affiliated with (we were a "Home Guard Rifle Club"), invited us to their annual shooting competition at Ash Ranges. Since this was a two-day event, they "lent" us L1A1s for the weekend! I remember having four of them stacked in the hall cupboard at home.

On the Saturday morning, some of us went to Bisley to "zero-in" our new toys. Apart from some strange looks, no one queried why a bunch of scruffy civilians were wandering around with semi-automatic Army rifles.

I cannot imagine the reaction these days!

[noflynomore]

Always easier in the helo world. A friend of mine has taken his father and others mountain flying all over Wales in Jungie SeaKings and tales of picking up nurses etc for jollies/banyans are legion.
I daresay Pusser was a bit more relaxed about this sort of thing though.

[Exrigger]

During 18 Sqns 25th anniversary celebration, it was authorised for wives to go on a flight in the Chinook, I still have the certificate somewhere and picture of them in flying suits walking out to the aircraft.

After moving from Gutersloh to St Athan an 18 Sqn Chinook arrived and I recognised the crew, while I was talking to them I jokingly asked if there was any chance of a trip for myself and others from the hangar, quite surprised when it was agreed. A load of us jumped on and as I still had my flying kit (I was a rotortuner) decided to be a poser and wear it, great trip and well recieved by the St Athan guys as they don't get out much, only problem was the Flight Sgt was not impressed as I forgot to ask permission to take time off.

One of my best flights was the last Hunter at Honington, I was given a flight with an experienced QFI, and I think I have asked before if anyone on here might have been, or know who the pilot was and aircraft number, as I regret now not recording those details, something I had not done on any of my flights in aircraft, like the Vulcan one at Scampton.

[Bill Macgillivray]

We used to have the "Goddess Night" at Middle Wallop in the "90's" when wives/girl friends were shown round and, if willing, taken for a flight in the AAC Chipmunks and "lesser" choppers. Then all to the pub for beer and curry, great days!

Bill

[Heathrow Harry]

"would ever be entertained without authority"

but if you don't ask "authority"....... or they turn a blind eye

Wouldn't happen these days but 30-40 years ago.............

[Fonsini]

I wonder what the absolute minimum "bang seat drill" would be that's considered acceptable ?

One of my favourite comments was from a T4 front seater who advised his passenger that in the event of an emergency he would loudly announce "EJECT, EJECT, EJECT" whereupon the passenger was to pull "this handle", and if he failed to do so the second message would be the words "Follow Me" written on the bottom of his boots.

[Jumping_Jack]

I managed to get a low level nav flight from Chiv in a Hawk, I think it was based on my being an OTC officer cadet, hence the 'military' link (not that we in the OTC were terribly military!)

[Dougie M]

During the 80s it was deemed acceptable for wives to "indulge" on certain routes with the Hercules. This decision was welcomed and even encouraged by Squadron "training sorties" with the wives to Jersey for the day or Cyprus for a weekend. Some outfits managed things like a Caribbean trainer but had to pay for hotel rooms. It was all going swimmingly so the offer of indulgence flights was passed on to other units. Then one day an army wife who came back on a flight from Akrotiri decided to cover her expenses by putting in a claim for whiplash injuries on landing at Lyneham. On the piece of paper she read it was stated that "the seating did not conform to airline standards and did not have adequate head restraint". All further flights for wives and families were banned and a marvellous opportunity lost. It may even have been the cause of air cadets being eventually grounded.
As Rene from 'Allo 'Allo would have said "Stupid woman!"

[622]

When on the VGS, we used to have a fair few jollies when the helicopters came to play at our airfield...and many thanks to the crews who would always try and take passengers when they could.
One memory that sticks out for me was the AAC Lynx who popped in to top up at a temporary refuelling point that had been set up for them during an exercise, who initially said he unfortunately didn't have time to take us due to a pick up he had to make, took off and then turned straight round and landed again and said 'OK, I can take you for a quick circuit but I really must go after that'...and that is what he did.
Top marks to him.