Especially liked the last paragraph of the BBC article. Does this mean the next time the Tristar/VC10/C130 goes bust taking me and my buddies home from the sandpit we can expect a fleet of HS125/Bae 146 to rush to our rescue?
Seriously though, we're just as guilty 'swings lantern'. Back in the 80's I remember being called into work on a friday night to open the airfield OOH for a HS125 move,2pob in, in from Northolt, out to Edinburgh 2pob,10 mins later, not withstanding the crew/operating costs must have a cost a few thou. Anyway, found out the following monday that the reason we'd opened up was because AOC somebody or other was in Edinburgh and had been invited to a dinner. No Number 5's so a 125 had been laid on to take them to him. Kept me out of the pub I suppose.
At the opposite end of the spectrum I remember an AOC's AFI at one of the East Coast ranges when the AOC turned up with his wife in their own car towing a caravan! They were doing all the ECR's in a week and making a bit of a holiday of it. Slightly detracted from the seriousness of it though.
Mind you... I wonder if he was claiming Rate One's???????