19 Minutes
In the days of the F4 in 2ATAF the standard northerly departure from Wildenrath was via JHQ Rheindahlen, through the SAM sites to the POL at The Wesel. It took about 10 minutes at low level. On an exercise sortie we found an 8 ship coming the other way. After some (simulated) head-on shots and a bit of turning and burning (yes I was on 92 Sqn so beware) we fired out and RTB'd. A total of 19 minutes from wheels off to chute popped and not much fuel left.
The other notable day was when we had to demonstrate maximum sortie rate during APCs in Malta. The only way to do it was to fly ACT sorties just off the coast. As I climbed out of an F4 at 1030 AM after my 6th 20 minute trip (special dispensation from GASOs), SENGO asked me if I'd had a rough night on the pop because I looked tired.
Last edited by Geehovah; 16th Dec 2010 at 17:00.