Portsouth Airfield
A friend's dad ( Robin Milne ) was a T.P. at Portsmouth; in the book 'Mosquito' by C.Martin Sharp & M.Bowyer, the following little incident - with a happier outcome - is related.
Robin Milne & Ron Clear had for some wartime reason to collect a couple of Mosquito's and bring back to Portsmouth.
As Robin's merlins were overheating, he made takeoff checks brief; as he took off, the overhead hatch, which wasn't secured, blew away.
He thought he'd better do some handling checks, all that happened was at very close to the stall the vacuum tugged on his helmet straps - he thought ' fine' & carried on.
On his first attempt to land on this short strip with a little wall on the approach, he had to go round as he wasn't going to make it.
Eventually he came in right on the edge of the stall, using the 'helmet suction technique'.
Ron Clear eventually got down after a few attempts, but landed on way past Milne.
When Clear ( they were very good friends ) asked " how the hell did you do that ?! " Robin just shrugged, " Sorts the men from the boys ! "
It was quite some time before he owned up.
The point is, though a great pity nothing is left for historical reasons except road names - ' Airspeed Road ' or similar, this was obviously a dodgy airfield.