Danny and the Mysterious Visitors'
The first B-50 appeared, flying several low-level circuits to size-up the airfield. The Colonel seemed to have one wingtip in cloud and the other brushing the trees as he banked around. Finally, coming round "hot and high", he made a dirty dive onto runway 16, touching down well up and going very fast. "He'll never make it", we said, in pleasurable anticipation.
Then the engines thundered into life again and a huge ball of spray from the streaming wet tarmac covered everything. "Well, that's it", we said, "he hasn't enough left now to get off again". The engines shut down, the spray dispersed, and the B-50 reappeared, but now moving very slowly up the last of the runway. We looked at it dumbfounded. It was our first sight of reversible propellers, and we could not have had a more convincing demonstration.
The other five (?) aircraft came in in turn, But the weather was improving all the time and there was no further drama. They all got in without difficulty. But their whole detachment was a bit of a mystery to us. To begin with, where did they all live ? Certainly not in our Messes. There was no room for them, and I never saw any of them in our Mess even as visitors.
Presumably Valley, as a Master Airfield, would have some transit accommodation somewhere to cope with a civilian diversion with a load of pax. Did they live there ? Don't know. There would be plenty of technical accommodation around their dispersals; that would be no problem.
As to what they were for, we had absolutely no idea. IIRC, most of their flying was by night, which meant that we kept out of each other's way quite well. We went over to have a look at them, and were awed by their infinitely more complicated interiors. This gave rise to a current local joke: "Why do American aircraft always fly at night ?" ........"because it takes them all day to read the check list !" Naturally we were far too security-minded to ask, and they to answer, any questions about the purpose of their visit, but speculations abounded.
After about six weeks they noticed signs of corrosion on their beautiful polished silver fuselages. This was hardly surprising, as their dispersals were no more than 200 yards from the beach and the lashing salt-laden sea air and rain, (and this might have been foreseen before the decision was taken to base them at Valley). They up-staked and vanished as mysteriously as they had come. Where to ? Don't know.
Until next time, then
Regards to all,
Danny42C
Come one, come all.