And another!
Early 70's, late one wintery Sunday night and a l-o-n-g way up North on AEW Shack watching the Russians do something interesting. At the appropriate fuel level we start our weary way back to Lossie (due south), updating our ETA accordingly with Buchan Radar on HF. Quite surprised to get back an instant grade 1 diversion (pretty well mandatory) - to Wattisham! Now actual and TAF for Wattisham are OK, but fuel is a 'bit' tight - in fact I initially decline their kind invitation and state we will return to Lossie. At which point the senior controller comes on and says it is straight from AOC and the Sqn Cdr that we are to try. So we proceed down the coast past Lossie, past Leuchars and past Leeming (the only other open mil airfields after midnight) all the time being assured the weather at Wattisham is wonderfull, and by minimising fuel burn keeping enough to just make it but with nothing spare. All is sweetness and light 'til just about abeam the Wash, when we go into cloud (at lowish level) which also appears to have snow. We are now committed to Wattisham; there are no other airfields open anywhere closer. First call to London radar elicits a certain amount of concern - 'we're on route to Wattisham' says I, 'oh no you're not' says London, 'they're Red with heavy snow and have had to close!' Once we got through to them it was there or nowhere certain alarm bells begin to ring and we are grudgingly vectored for a PAR, where the controller kindly informs us 'it's quite bad down here you know'. I tell him to keep talking down to touchdown point which luckily he does. At that point I closed the throttles, saw a light go under the wing and prayed I was on the runway. I was. The follow me truck came to find us, couldn't, went off the side of the runway and got stuck, so they sent out a snowplough with a crew bus behind, and we left the aircraft there, with almost no fuel, collecting it the following day when more of the runway was cleared and they could get a bowser to it.
So, why the diversion? The AOC wanted to personally see the information we had gathered. He couldn't get through because of the snow!
Why the snow? The met man offered profuse apologies (thank you!) - they had seen a developing low over the North Sea but didn't think it would affect them, and even if it did it would be long after anyone would be airborne!
