Wonderful memories of Linton in '67:
Fire extinguisher fights in the accommodation blocks
Illicit rifle range in the basement
Brake fade in the Ford Popular requiring the use of airbrakes (rearward opening doors) to slow down
Night flying with gosseneck flarepath
Smell of cordite on start-up (second best smell in the world!)
Bouncing another Chippy over Pilmoor Junction only to find it was the Staish doing a spin/aeros check with the CFI - OOPS!!
Winning the aeros trophy without a fly-off a few days later
Green Dragon (?) at Marton cum Grafton
Final landing in a Chiippy - "OK Mogwi, show me a short landing". Approached at 45 kts, hanging on the prop and chopped the power as I crossed the threshold - then realised that I was about 4' too high! Obvious remedial action was to shout "Oh sh1t!" as the aircraft dropped rapidly onto the piano keys with a bone-crunching thump before kangarooing back into the air. My application of brake during this brief period of ballistic flight resulted in such retardation on the subsequent touchdown that the tail came well and truly off the deck before crunching back down again.
I was able to taxy directly off onto the peri-track without back-tracking and the first comment from the CFI came as we were approaching dispersal. He merely said "Well Mogwi, that was certainly the shortest landing I have ever seen in the Chipmunk"
Heady days!
Mog
Last edited by Mogwi; 12th Dec 2020 at 07:38.