My first encounter with life threatening situations was in a Beverley. As a young SAC I was sent on my first Overseas detachment post B/E training on exercise Sunspot with 50 Sqn (Vulcans) to Malta. To get us there, we were stuck up in the tail boom of a Bev. On take off to the west of Waddo I became aware that instead of climbing Bentley away towards Newark, we appeared to be descending a bit. The descent stopped and the engines continued to scream away as we completed a split ar*ed 180 to starboard. Passing OMQ almost on a level, I looked out and saw the blood wagon and several fire trucks, lights flashing, racing out towards the main runway. ‘Oh!’ I thought ‘someone’s in trouble!’ I noticed Q was passing under our stb wingtip....looking worryingly close. Shortly (very shortly) after, the great wings rolled level and I was aware that by the rumbling of the wheels, we had landed...the fire trucks and blood wagon were now headed our way. On parking up, the flt eng came to talk to us. Apparently one of the engines had gone into ‘auto feather’ or something on lift off we were committed at that point so the skipper used the drop off of the Lincoln edge to gain speed to turn back....
As my flying progressed over the years, and I learned a bit about EFATO, I often wondered why he didn’t just fly straight ahead and flop into Swinderby. Hey ho! We got to Malta eventually and had a great time. (Don’t ask about Straight Street, The G*ppo Queen, and initiation ceremonies for young airmen on their first overseas det)
50 Sqn on Ex Sunspot - I’m there in the ‘0’ somewhere...