Originally Posted by
NickB
Very quickly a Puma launched and landed just opposite our office on the North side of the main runway and we quickly realised he was picking up the pilot. Thank God he managed to eject in time! I'm not sure I'm allowed to mention the pilots name here - D_n S_________r, but if you're reading this D_n, can I say, never have I been so relieved to hear you got out OK with I think just a broken angle/leg.
I was ground-crew for D_n, not on the day in question but I remember it well. Really really nice guy, think he was a JENGO before becoming flight crew. I'll need a GR7 driver to comment really but I think it was a flap controller failure which meant the flaps didn't retract when the nozzles were moved 'forward' and the word on the street was he was the only pilot to have survived this failure. The pic below shows he did well to eject in time! I did his first see-off when he returned to work. Understandably he checked the flaps quite a few times!
Incidentally, I'm pretty sure AVM Harv Smyth, the new UK Space Commander and similarly nice guy was also on 3(F) at the same time.
