Apologies in advance if this upsets anyone but I just wanted to pass on what I expierenced in a low level 'tactical flight' in a Chinook.
Summer of 1985, RAF Spadeadam. I had applied for ALM and indeed had always wanted to fly and work on the Puma. Something about it just made me want to fly her.
Anyway, a chinook pitched up during some exercise and my boss got me a trip on it, appealing to the crew to give me a jolly as I was applying to Biggin Hill.
Time distances a lot of things but not the memory of that summer day. We flew non tactical ( ie 1000 feet) out to Boulmar to refuel. On the way back we went low level and followed a river (Irthing ?) back to Spade.
The loadie let me listen in to the RT.
There was no other chatter except the curt calls of height and obstacles coming up. Indeed I remember the crew up front saying something like ‘Low Level – banter off’
The loadie was all business. He was hanging out the back (we had the flap down) constantly looking, advising the crew up front, passing advice and info etc.
Point is there was none of the banter that appears to be going on in the BBC tape of the CVR.
Was my experience standard of the SH crews back then ?