Unpleasant surprise and Any Port in a Storm,
(Danny is still at Hawarden)
One day the Flap Gremlin nearly had me. Half way round on finals I put the flaps down. I had always thought that the pair were interlocked, though I suppose there is no reason they should be. They're not - and only one came down. The effect was to roll me out back level (about a quarter turn) in a flash, before I could react. I promptly put flaps up and took it round to come in flapless, 10 mph faster and even more float.
I'd got back to the crewroom before the thought struck me. What if the other flap had stuck up? I'd have been upside down in a moment, wheels down and throttle closed. The early Merlins didn't run inverted. I might have managed to roll out before I hit the deck, but it would have been a very close thing, with perhaps 300 ft to play with. Nobody seemed greatly bothered by the story! I never heard of that happening again.
I've a soft spot for the Wellington, even though one did cut me up. Not that I ever flew in them, but one proved a good friend. It happened this way. I've mentioned Station Defence Days, we had two while I was at Hawarden. To avoid wasting good flying time, we had them at night, and each time it was raining.
A truck dropped off little groups of us at points round the taxiway. What the nature of the "threat" was, and what we were supposed to do about it, I can't remember. The main thing was that we had to be there, for the Orderly Officer would come round at odd hours during the night to check. Skulking back to our quarters was not an option, they had Service Police posted to foil this. So a miserable little group huddled together, the rain dripping off our caps and groundsheets. But nearby a Wimpey was parked on the grass, awaiting delivery.
Why not get under a wing? It'd be dry there, and you could see the (masked) lights of the Orderly Officer's van in plenty of time to man your "post". No sooner said than done. Then, "I wonder if the fuselage door is locked?" We tried it, it wasn't. "Bingo!" All aboard except for a lookout. Not only were we four snug and dry, but there was a canvas bunk down the rear of the aircraft.* Now we were really set up for the night, all we had to do was to work out a roster for the bunk and the lookout!
* Calling all Wimpey experts, why, on an operational aircraft with no spare crew?
More later,
Danny.
Please, Sir, I'm not lost - it's just that I don't know where I am!
Last edited by Danny42C; 26th Mar 2012 at 19:48.