Originally Posted by
Rossian
....was always splendidly covered by the master AEOp recce instructor on the Nimrod OCU.
A small dit - out in the straits west of Gib in yet another NATO ex cruising around doing surface surv and reporting.
An F18 poles up along side our stbd wingtip and hangs there close in. Reports to his opcon (and ours) "it's like an airliner, kinda concrete coloured with pink and blue roundels and kinda pods on the wingtips and a big one on top of the fin Is it a hostile?
Me "opcon will you please recall this idiot on my wingtip and get someone in the ready room to teach him some recognition of his friendlies in this ex. Listen son, marks out of ten for a/c recce? - not very many, now GO AWAY and stop getting in our way".
Whoosh and he was gone.
The chaps on our flight deck thought I was being a bit harsh. But what if we'd been in the gulf and he was armed?? I'd take a small bet that a similar scenario occurred from time to time in GW1 and 2.
The Ancient Mariner
You can't argue with his description though. Shame it wasn't the brown one!