How´s this for a starter ?
In the 1970´s I was seconded to a North African country that had a route to Moscow & return the same day. If we were on time approaching Moscow we were usually 5 minutes behind a scheduled BEAline Trident & we were usually parked alongside each other. After the Trident called for startup clearance for his return flight, I too called. We were both told to "Standby". Some 10 minutes later BEAline asked when they could expect clearance. He was told. "Startup clearance in four and a half hours"(!!) I was given one 5 minutes after the BEAline.
I asked the reason for the Long Delay, only to be told that "The President of the Soviet Union (Brezhnev) is in the air". I then asked if he was flying into Moscow ? They replied that he was airborne over the Soviet Union & No flights were to take off anywhere until he had landed. Eventually we got our clearances as promised.
Meanwhile a little private soldier who was always allocated to a visiting foreign aircraft stayed in his usual position throughout, in front of the nose, with his machine gun ready (to shoot out our tyres ??). The temperature was about minus 25 degrees Centigrade. Snowing, dark & windy.
OK. Story No 2.
These return flights to Moscow landed half way at Sofia, Bulgaria some days & thus had 4 sectors, each of about 3 hours, so we took 2 cockpit crew due to the long day. I didn´t know the other crew very well - but they were to fly the return flight, whilst we had a meal & rested down the back. Passing through Sofia we had been told that no passengers were booked from there for our return flight &
therefore we could fly back home direct from Moscow.
I knew the Moscow route well & was aware of the need to contact ATC before crossing their border 10 minutes beforehand asking for permission to cross it. The trouble was that the frequency was always Very overcrowded in those days & the quality was like Bad HF with continuous heavy static - ALWAYS !! Their ATC didn´t seem interested in you if you were holding outside & calling. Only when you were on the border, or just inside it, did they respond. It became practice not to hold outside - but to continue calling as you crossed it. Only then did ATC show an interest in you & reply with your onward clearance to Moscow. Never a problem.
On landing at Moscow I submitted a new Flight Plan for a direct flight home & was told that the Chief ATC officer wanted to see me. I was taken to his darkened office & came face to face with this frightful looking man with a monocle, in army uniform complete with breeches & medal ribbons. Something Evil out of a James Bond movie. He demanded to know, via his interpreter, why I hadn´t got clearance 10 minutes before the border. I replied truthfully about the situation with their overcrowded frequencies & no replies - unless you were nearer the border. He went over to his window & was silent for a while - looking out at the night scene of the airport.
"Why are you not going back via Sofia", he asked. I explained. "Change of flight plan approved", said he.
I decided not to tell the other crew members of these events. Having finished our meal on the way back we snoozed until my co pilot decided he would go up front to see how the flight was progressing against the headwinds - & if we were likely to make it back direct to base, or have to stop & refuel somewhere en route. We had been airborne for about three & a half hours. I thought we might be around Geneva ???.
Copilot comes back, "You´ll never believe where we are !! We´re just coming up to top of descent into ......MOSCOW !!!". The other crew had been turned back towards Moscow -then reversed every time they got anywhere near the border, going West. No Explanations. Eventually the other captain said he would have to land & refuel at Moscow if he wasn´t given permission to exit the border immediately. Finally they got the onward clearance (in unusual phraseology -"The Chief Air Traffic Control Officer of Moscow authorises you to exit Soviet airspace" etc) but soon after had to land at Vienna to refuel to get home.
Monocle man got his revenge for me being "cheeky" - criticising the setup/radios etc. ( & Yes I do feel sorry for the run-around the other crew had. I never told them the reason, I´m sorry to say.). They must have been tearing their hair out in unknowing exasperation !! Poor guys !!
