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Old 4th Apr 2014, 13:07
  #19 (permalink)  
taxydual
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Well, Lincolnshire
Age: 69
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If it is the same aircraft as the Corgi model, an old friend of mine (Sqn Ldr Bob Jones, sadly departed) used to tell a tale from when he was on 22Sqn at Chivenor in the 70's.

They were tasked with an urgent Medevac from somewhere on Exmoor to wherever. The weather was dogs***. After much probing through fog, mist, low stratus they eventually got to the patient and managed a successful uplift. The snag was that all the probing etc had used up a considerable amount of fuel and Bob wasn't happy about his reserves. The weather was still not playing. The patient was getting worse.

At this point, following a main road at 50' agl, a petrol station came into view. Bob landed on the road, dropped off the crewman to ask if the petrol station sold paraffin. They did, so Bob shut down and they pushed the Whirlwind toward the Pink Paraffin pump and took every last drop the petrol station had. Bob signed a chit and away they went to complete the tasking.

Bob wasn't a 'lineshooter' so I have no reason to disbelieve him. He kept the Corgi model of XJ729 on his desk for years.

His only moan was that the petrol station owner was so gobsmacked by the proceedings that he forgot to give Bob the Green Shield stamps for the paraffin.
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