H 'n' H had just got married so off on a "Honeymoon/visiting family in Oz" combo trip. Leg 1 was Cathay 747 LHR to HK. New bride (long since ex now!!!!) was very quiet and, after a while dozed off. Time for a trip up front I thought.
Asked a passing member of the Cabin Crew who returned a few minutes later with a "Follow me, Sir!" so I picked my way past my Dearest without waking her and headed up front. This was somewhere near the Black Sea and I expected to be up there just for a few minutes. Dearest would probably not notice my short absence.
A very bored but great Flight Crew and I started chatting. Once they'd clocked I was, at the time, an Air Engineer and did a bit of Gliding and had even had a go flying a Hunter etc, we settled down chatting about this, that and the other. One memory is seeing the Pakistan/India border - a single line of lights from one horizon to the other. Amazing what humans do in their wisdom! And watching planes going the other way down the airway right over us - I literally ducked the first time! So as not to overstay my welcome, every time I made to leave, it cued a further question from the crew. Then, finally, "Ah!" says the Skipper, "time for some dinner!"!!!!! Clearly, this was my cue to leave!
"No, no, no! Stay here - I'll get a menu brought in for you and you can join us!". By now I assumed either my Dearest was (a) still asleep or more likely (b) was filing divorce papers - oh well! And, after all, I was peckish.........! Dinner #2 was most acceptable being off the 1st Class menu. I skipped wine as a sign of solidarity with the Crew. The Himalayas finally appeared in the growing morning light - another amazing sight. Eventually, well East, and as the crew started approach preps, I finally excused myself saying I really should get back aft..... explaining that I needed to face whatever reaction awaited me from my Dearest. They wished me luck - I'm sure a jump-seat into HK itself would have been on the cards had I been on my own but, hey ho............
Returned to my seat only to wake my Dearest up while getting back to my seat. Groggily, she said, "Oh, sorry, I never heard you get up to use the loo!"!!!!! I hesitated .......... and then realised, on this occasion, it would pay to go along with her idea of events. Don't think she ever knew what happened to me that night!
It was a flight to remember and I'm indebted to the crew (Cabin and Cockpit) for their amazing hospitality during my "Lock-in" all those years ago.
Years later I tried to do my bit, remembering that trip and Crew. I'd often have a member of the Pax sat up front with me when doing Single Pilot ops. Of course, having quickly assessed my new "crew member", a headset would be provided and, sometimes, if I got the right vibe, "Right, would you mind helping me out by holding my Checklist, Charts and the Flight Log and passing them to me as and when I need them? That would be really great! Oh, and during the flight, if you see any other aircraft, if you could point them out to me as I may not have seen them?" - the latter request included a 15 sec briefing on using the "Clock Code" to add something to the event! Hopefully I sent a good few of them off armed with a "I even helped our pilot out on the flight from XXX to YYY when we went on our holiday!!!!!"-type tale for use at subsequent Dinner Parties.
I also have an aviation story attached to my Honeymoon with Wife #2 - but I'll spare you that one. Oh, and Wife #3 doesn't like flying............
