Pontius. I bow to your superior memory and withdraw the Photoshopped charge.
Slightly off, but mention of OC Ops and Displays.....
Finningley, 1976 Press Day. (The Friday before the main event). Aircraft inbound from all points of the compass. ATC pretty maxed out. Aircraft stacked everywhere. Organised chaos.
Enter the Patrouille de France with their Magisters.
'Finningley Tower, Good Moaning, Patrouille de France 10 kilometer to ze North to join"
'Patrouille, Finningley Tower, join Runway 21. QFE 1021. Cleared straight in to land, VC-10 at 8 miles finals, Victor at 12 miles finals, etc etc ' Basically, every man and his dog wanting to land.
'Finningley, Patrouiile, Request 10 mineetes display practeece'
'Patrouille, Tower, negative, straight in to land please'.
'Tower, Patrouille, roger' then various French mumbles on freq.
'Tower, Patrouille, finals'
'Patrouille, clear land, surface wind 200 at 10 knots'
Then
'Tower, Patrouille, overshooting, overshooting Go'
and straight into a display practice.
The whole of the Arrivals Timetable goes to rat****. Aircraft are scattered all over the Yorkshire/Nottinghamshire skies. The SMO's cat has kittens 2 minutes before the SATCO does. OC Ops is apoplectic, the Local Controller is a gibbering wreck.
After 10 minutes of 'practeese', the Magisters finally land and taxy in.
OC Ops Mini breaks the sound barrier from ATC to the other side of the airfield to 'interview' the Patrouille Leader, only to find a French Air Force 2* (General de division Arien), complete with lit Gallouise cigarette and cockpit ashtray, grinning at him from the rear seat of Patrouille One.
How do you b@llock a 2*?
Did 'rank' overcome 'leadership'?