Wildenrath Air Show 1975. A couple of the lads had painted up a VW beetle to look like a German Polizeiwagen. They also borrowed a couple of Polizei uniforms....
The usual "Will the owner of car reg.... please move his car" over the tanoy, followed by "If you don't move it, we will!". Then a Wessex appears with the 'Polizeiwagen' slung underneath - the lads attempt to chase it in the German Polizei uniforms, much to the amusement of the Kraud.
Predictably, the Wessex then released the VW. But someone had misread the Op Order and it was released from a not inconsiderable height, building up an impressive speed in its terminal descent. Shortly after it struck the ground, a smoke grenade which had been primed to go off when the coffee jar, in which it was concealed, went off as planned in a cloud of coloured smoke.
But the coloured smoke then turned black and became rather intense. Something in the wreckage had set fire to the bone dry undergrowth in the target area, which was now burning quite merrily. The air show was suspended as the fire wagons bounced their way over to the far side of the aerodrome to put out the local forest fire which was rapidly developing....
The punters thought it was all part of the show, but OC Ops was not a happy bunny.