Quick story re Anzac Day Fly Pasts. This one at Cairns in 1953. In those days it was always an RAAF Fly Past. I was copilot on a Lincoln with Flt Lt Sid Gooding DFC as captain. Half way between Townsville and Cairns we lost No 1 engine and had to feather the prop. I asked Sid if we were going to abandon the Fly Past over Cairns and return to Townsville?
With hundreds of hours on Lancasters in WW2 with German night fighters and AA guns shooting at him, a loss of one engine was almost ops normal for Sid Gooding.
I remember Sid saying "We can't let the Anzac Day marchers down" "We'll still make it on time - give me climb power." And we were right on time as the columns of marching veterans from the three Services gave an "Eyes Right" to the military top brass at the Cairns Cenotaph. The noise of Rolls Royce Merlins at full chat overhead the Cenotaph drowned out the sound of the band but sure got everyone's attention that day..
Last edited by Centaurus; 25th Apr 2020 at 14:20.