One T3 was nearly lost out of Malta at night.
P1 rotated below VR and took out the approach lights with the death rattle going.
It was flown on radio altimeter height, below 50ft, for several minutes with the rattle going in ground effect.
Eventually it burnt enough fuel and began to accelerate.
It was found that the incorrect runway length had been used for the calculation of the T/O data by the office wallahs.
No one had checked it.........no change there then.
Met one of the FOs after he had got his command on the 737 who described the flying as the best he had ever seen.
Re AJ post - there was no 4 engine requirement for BOAC - that was an airtours thing for the 707.
Our BALPA rep, who negotiated the merging of seniority lists fiddled the date so that he could get the 747.
My course was the first to go into BEA after the last course had joined BOAC - which was the correct place to start a joint seniority list - he changed it by two years with the provision that no BEA pilot would be senior to any BOAC pilot re bidding rites!!
Did me a huge favour as I got the Iron Duck - fantastic time.