Having had trouble getting my ticket for a flight to Kai Tak, due to certain ground LHR staff not recognising an RAF ID (they had only ever seen an Army one before) I finally was allowed to board.
I recognised the name of the captain and asked one of the cabin crew if he was the same person who was a JP QFI at Linton when I did my basic jet course there.
She went to ask him - he was. I received an immediate invite to join him on the flight deck and sat in the jump seat for almost the entire flight, including landing via the "checkerboard" approach into Kai Tak.
It's not what you know.....
But that one flight made me give up my desire to fly airliners because I knew I would be bored silly after a very short while on long haul - not enough to do for my liking.
Rotary wing stuff is much more interesting.
