Borrowing a aircraft for the weekend. 1957, 2TAF.
Originally Posted by
henry crun
Beagle: He speaks the truth. I have many entries in my logbook to various airfields on a Friday dropping someone off, and then again on a Monday to pick them up.
People who wished to avail themselves to the service were invited to contribute to the squadron fund, I think the rate was 10/- shillings return out to 150 miles, and 15 bob return beyond that.
I daresay that sort of activity would be frowned on these days.
One bitterly cold winter Saturday morning at Gutersloh, (The) "Porky" RVA Munro (RIP) asked me to drop him to the hangar in my car as he wanted to go to a Ball at one of the "clutch" airfields ( Bruggen, Geilenkirchen, Wildenrath).
He had asked the Boss if he could borrow an aircraft for the weekend. (one could borrow "non operational" aircraft for this type of thing). The Boss said he could go providing he could persuade a few airman & a Sergeant to push open the hangar doors etc & sign the Form 700, a favour normally repaid with a crate of beer etc.
The Meteor T7 was pushed out & Porky was on his way, he thought. Unfortunately the igniters in one engine were not making their usual click click noise & were u/s. There was no way that anyone was going to repair them. The Sergeant was in an awkward situation. I saw him have a quiet word with one of the airmen - who ran off into the hangar & returned with a handful of "cotton waste" (probably with a little paraffin soaked into it ?).
The Sergeant told Porky to wind her up & open the HP cock when he told him to. The sergeant stood by the jet pipe as the revs built up, lights the cotton waste with his lighter, shouts "NOW" - and throws the burning cotton waste well up the jet pipe !!
BERWOOOOOOOOMF !!!!!!!
I get a brief glimpse of the waste flashing past me to goodness knows where. They revs build up normally to idling & Porky is on his way.
"Put her u/s when you get there yells", the Cheefie.
We next saw a Very hungover Porky about the following Wednesday !!
P.S.
Porky had a chequered career. At AFS (Finningly) on his First ever solo flight he was given reciprocal steers & ran out of fuel - resulting in Banner Headlines the next day (
Daily Express ?) - " Jet Ace Saves Manchester !!"
On his last flight, at the end of the course, His tail was knocked off by a coursemate who was trying to rendezvous with him over the Humber but was blinded by the sun at the wrong moment. He then was nearly drowned in the river .
After a tour on 79(FR) Squadron he was involved in writing the First pilots notes for the Harrier. Later he went to Muharraq (Not sure whether he was still in the RAF or not ?). I could go on & on about those great (flying) days.........