Many years ago we arrived at Akrotiri in a Flatiron in the middle of summer. Got the refueller pretty quickly - keen to get the ac AF'd then off for a cold one or 6. Half way through the refuel, the driver stopped everything, unplugged, muttered something about a VC10 and then bu**ered off. Boy were we pi**ed off!
Captain gets a monk on and decides to give arrogant VC10 Captain an earful. We all traipse over from Alpha to Bravo to watch the punchup.
However, as we waited at the bottom of the steps, a loudmouthed civil servant [en-route to the Far East] was giving one of the rear crew a hard time. I heard his words, forever etched into my memory - 'I couldn't care less if there is a baby to go back to the UK - I insist on being taken on to my destination. Don't you realise how important I am?'
We were so gobsmacked at this tirade that we didn't notice the VC10 Captain standing on the bottom of the steps. He strepped forward, put his face about an inch from the obnoxious manderin's face and said extremely quietly, 'you will never fly in the same aircraft as me ever again. Get your miserable body out of my way or I will personally re-arrange you and dump you in the sea'.
He stared down said civi, who obviously thought better of saying anything, but was clearly extremely pi**ed off. My Captain stepped forward, grabbed the VC10 Captain's hand and simply said - 'well done, you can have my bowser any time!'
The soldier's prem baby [with possible brain damage] was in Great Ormond Street's SCBU [via Heathrow] 7 hours later...