Thanks for those three replies and the useful lead to the reference archive sites. As it happend my next close encounter with a Viking also involved a non-standard arrival technique. During the early fifties, and as one of a regular bicycle owning group of youthful assorted enthusiasts/anoraks/reggie spotters who used to hang around Blackbush. This time, I think it was Airwork. I'm fairly certain that nobody was hurt , (bound to be a " see me " from the Chief Pilot though ) but this Viking slithered awkwardly into the gravel overrun at the Eastern end. If memory serves, the gear was up at that point, but we were shooed off by the normally friendly US Navy MP's, who pitched up sharpish in a jeep muttering about fuel leaks or somesuch.
For those who may read the above, but are unfamiliar with postwar UK aviation, Blackbush was London's third airport, and useful diversionary for Heathrow and Northholt. I guess seasonal vis problems in those days close in to London ( smog ) were likely to be worse than Blackbush, which early on may well have had a petrol burning flarepath system available for foggy emergencies. As well as being home to Airwork, and used by various Charter companies plus BOAC and BEA crew circuit training, the US navy had a base on the Northern side, and in those gentler days were sometimes happy to show young visitors around the hangar, and on a good day, the aircraft. There were Neptunes, Connies - including an occasional Awac version - and even a Catalina or two.
Later, as a pilot, I worked with a lot of US and Brit crew from that era. My own 40 plus years tearing around the sky - from various props, vampire, to 747-400 always, ( and thankfully ), seemed dull by comparason.
Certainly a new thread by someone who was posted to Blackbush in the US navy could be interesting.