Danny, I too have felt the pain of taking an aircraft on a last flight, not mine but its! The end of the line for the Hastings came suddenly, when all talk of it lumbering on until the long awaited and wondrous HS681 appeared was suddenly replaced with the bargain basement deal announced by Harold Wilson for the Hercules. AOC Parades to bid it farewell, postings to OCUs to tackle the clever but complex systems of the new machine, were followed by the bitterest pill of all, disposing of our trusted steeds. £60 was all it cost an "authorise body" to obtain a fully serviceable aircraft, not for flying but for fire training purposes.
My last flight on type was to Strubby. We taxied to the apron but a Chief Tech emerged from the line hut with his arms revolving in "keep them turning" indications, climbed up the ladder put down for him and asked that we taxy back the way we had come in, but before getting to the runway we would see a gap in the hedge to our left. "Take it across the field beyond and in the far corner are the remains of a burnt out Canberra. Just shut it down there, I'll follow with a LandRover and bring you back here, to await your aircraft home".
So all unsuspecting this faithful and loyal old girl (not laying it on too much I hope) made her final taxy to her final resting place.
The thought of having to do the dirty deed as well would have been simply beyond the call of duty. You did the right thing Danny, to insist that others do it. Its one thing to shoot a horse to put it out of its misery, quite another to do so because it has passed its usefulness. There should be sanctuaries for old aircraft like old horses. Come to think of it there are, and a few Hasties ended up in museums, but I could never have put one to the torch, how could that possibly be a lawful command?
Last edited by Chugalug2; 9th Nov 2012 at 21:35.