Can anyone shed any light on the following as to whether it's fair dinkum or just a good bar story (which is where I heard it, so that accounts for the lack of verification - brain cell count probably taken a hit)?
Some military helicopters, I think Bell 47s, are out in the training area (somewhere!) with one POB in each.
One of the pilots is busting for a leak, so he puts down on a handy pinnacle, tightens up the control frictions and hops out with the engine running and rotors turning.
He wanders down the slope a bit and answers the call of nature, and while he's away the collective vibrates itself up or whatever, and the aircraft departs without him and rolls itself up in a burning fireball down the other side of the hill.
Our hero doesn't hear it because he's got his helmet on still, presumably.
Meanwhile, one of his mates is flying in the area and sees the burning wreckage.
Thinking his friend has gone in, he lands on the same spot that the first aircraft has just vacated (sans pilot), tightens his frictions and scrambles down the slope to try and save his friend.
Unaware of any of this, our hero finishes what he had to do (must have taken some time!), wanders back up to the top of the hill, sees a running helicopter and, assuming it's his, straps in and ******s off, unaware that now he's in a different machine to the one he originally signed for!
Can this be true??!!
If not, it's certainly a good yarn.
