Civil? But stupid
Mid 80s and I was doing my first West African rotation having been checked out several months before on the DC10. I had flown long range on the VC10.
Check in and it was going to be using surnames..but I mentioned to the captain I hadn’t flown to Douala and Kinshasa before (although I had been into our audio/visual lab and gened up on it).
During cruise we had a visit from a Lufthansa crew who were operating their first service north bound and would appreciate watching our approaches.
‘That triggered Mr big bollox..I’m training my first officer so you are welcome..not true.
Come the briefing he went into full swing, at the time the FO had to make the radio altimeter call outs..approaching minimum, minimum, 100, 50 40 30…
B
But sir wanted in addition 20 10 5 and 2..the latter a fag paper width..the gauge is around 3 inches in diameter.
What sir didn’t brief is the quarry which finished close to the threshold…I said nothing and thought this is going to be interesting.
We weren’t allowed to fly without control wheel steering because of the number of heavy landings.
So the altimeter reading came down…went up as we overflew the quarry and then shot down at an incredible rate to fast to call.
He yanked the stick back but realising he was going to compound the heavy landing stuck it in the middle and we arrived.
In Kinshasa the FE requested a room in the hotel rather than our crew bungalows and we didn’t see him for a week..obviously knew the captain.
I was the only crew member who had to use surnames for the week and was virtually ignored although he told one of the girls about his bad treatment in a Zurich hospital being bed ridden with both arms broken as well as a leg or two. He had lunch served but no one to feed him and after an hour a nurse admonished him for not eating it.
A few months later I flew with the big chief who had had a lucky escape as Sir wanted to have backing and use Swissair for his hang gliding club. Fortunately for the company Sir flew off a mountain on the day of his village fete, misjudged his approach, hit the statue in the middle of the square and broke his arms and leg(s).