Happy days
QRA tales. Walking to the HAS (or housey) in the FI every 6 hours or so to keep the INs company and warm them up...Pilots never volunteered for this one!
Being sat on a camp bed in VAS at Honington having just woken up. Pilot tells me he has spoken to those on high and all is quiet...as he reached the letter 't' the hooter went! Airborne in the required time but without my morning pee!....amazing how much an 'Aircrew Bag Relief' can hold. Then flew for several hours...overhead Lossie we went, then back again as we RTB to Honington, land, only to turn the jet and fly back to Lossie for the 8: 8 : 88. Hence we made a late arrival at happy hour!
Flying QRA in the gap to be told high speed contact closing from the West. Much consternation!...beak to beak we go, pick it up on the bogle scope and yes he is fast, very fast! At TESS range the pilot centres the black dot, I make out a fighter type, and we end up with us doing a 'Top Gun' style canopy to canopy pass with a fully armed F14 off a far distant USN carrier! Interesting.
The only time I ever did a Phase Three Visual ID for 'real' was when we were sent off on a 'jolly' mission to escort 2 Bears inbound to Fairford Airshow. What started off as a jolly jape ended up with us sat off the wing formating on the flashing red light to be followed by a breakaway manoeuvre and a re-attack! The pilot in the other F4 (I cannot tell you that it was the Sqn Boss for obvious reasons) had an airmiss filed against him!!...no worries though he made Air Rank!.
I always like to relate the tale told to me of the young thrusting first tourist pilot who, on first QRA at night, tells the hairy old Nav that he is going to have some fun with the Bear and proceeds to turn his lights off. Feeling smug for a few seconds until the Bear does likewise! Young pilot yelps and the Nav quietly tells him 'Stop being a Numpty and put your bl**dy lights back on' to which he did and then...so did the Bear.
Finally, in one liners one Friday afternoon at 1/4 past five and QWI Leader states that the Squadron "Should be doing more 'Lights Out' Practice Intercepts" At which point a gruff voice from a hairy old Spec Aircrew Pilot in the back replies "Lets see if we can get it right with the 'Lights On' first!!"
Happy Days! : o )