In days gone by, on a NavEx back to the UK from Gibraltar, we landed to refuel our little RAF VC5 at Istres on the South of France, their equivalent of our Farnborough/Boscombe Down.
Quickly nipping in to the aircrew-feeder for more refuelling, none of us were surprised to see the French test-pilots gently quaffing a glass or two of vino prior to their second or third trip of the day.
Guess its in the genes, but no miltary aircrew in the UK forces would contemplate doing the same.
As an aside, I was rudely woken from my slumbers at something like 0215 one morning at Coningsby by the hooter for a no-notice generation of the mighty F4s. The previous night had finished no more than a few short hours before and as I wasn't scheduled to fly that day, had more than done justice to the cheap prices....
Feeling distinctly groggy and still way over the limit, I was nonetheless tasked to taxi and hold in an F4 with a chum who was in a similar condition. Ops knew of our situation and we were the last to be scambled having damn near run out of LOX as we tried to get back to near sobriety!
Wouldn't happen these days, would it??
