In the 80s and 90s, the Warsaw Pact countries were allowed to send "observers" to certain stages of large scale NATO military exercises being conducted in Germany. Somehow our (AAC) Squadron was selected to put on a Forward Arming & Refuelling Point (FARP) demonstration, basically a couple of Lynx flying in, getting reloaded with TOW and fuel, and off to save the day again. The demo was briefed (but not rehearsed) and on the day, 2 bus loads of senior Warsaw Pact military turn up at the farm location to witness our military precision and derring do. The lead Lynx was flown by a Royal Navy exchange officer, crewed with an AAC Lieutenant. What Captain Pugwash had failed to appreciate, however, was the approach to the FARP was actually down a slight slope i.e. the ground beneath tail of the aircraft was closer than the ground at the front of the aircraft. Because they had added extra speed to make it more exciting, the flare required to stop level with the fuel bowser got steeper and and steeper, and as we all know, the Royal Navy have bigger flares than everybody else.
Just as they drew level with the fuel bowser with the Lynx by now about 45 degrees nose up, the tail rotor struck the ground, the tail rotor drive shaft immediately sheared, the Lynx began to spin towards the bowser, the AAC Lt in the left seat heroically chopped the throttles to stop the spin, the MAIN rotor blades sliced through a pressurized refuelling hose laid out on the ground ready for the refuel, just missing the Airtroopers who were positioned with the TOW missile reloads, but now spewing gallons of Avtur over the scene, the FARP commander rapidly chopped the bowser pump before everything was covered in fuel, and the aircraft dropped down on to a slightly bent set of skids.
There was an eery silence for a few seconds, as everyone realized just how close we had come to a major conflagration, and then about 100 Warsaw Pact officers started politely clapping! I'm still not sure if they thought flying a Lynx into a fuel bowser was part of the demo or not, but they certainly appreciated not being part of the fireball demo. As Lord Wellington once said, "I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they frighten me."