I did fly most of an ILS in rearward flight.... on a GCA which coincided with the ILS to the runway at Malpensa International located not far from the Agusta factory.
Doing repeated circuits in a Chinook with Libyan students....doing one ILS after another...got bored finally...started doing GCA's ....one after another...got further bored....bad situation for a helicopter pilot. Passed the outer marker...went a bit further....doing a picture perfect GCA (remember the ILS was identical to the GCA) and when....like a vision...it appeared to me...that the GCA controller was as bored as I was....and as clear as could be....it dawned upon me the exact way to cure that problem. At about 800 feet AGL....and about one NM out from the runway , I gradually decelerated the aircraft to a hover....all the time getting that repetitive on-course....on glide slope call from Luigi. Then....I began to hover rearwards at an accelerating pace.....maintaining course and glideslope.....until almost at 60 knots or so.....
The patter from the GCA controller kinda broke down for a second...then there was a very long pause....and I heard in a very awake Italian voice...."Mama Mia! Provo 65...you are a-going a-backwards!"
