Gaining An R.A.F. Pilots Brevet In WW11
Danny. Ypu must be right about our "GCA, type at Topcliffe, but it worked for us and always got us down.
Harrym. We enjoyed our Horsa/Dakota flying at Leicester East in 1945. It was never suggested that the Horsa could be "snatched". I could imagine the cockpit being torn off with the pilots and leaving the rest of the fuselage and wings behind. No thanks. My embarkation leave for the Far East Gliders ( Hadrians I suppose ) was thankfully ended by the Bomb.
Opioids
Now at Aldergrove in September 1956. Nutts Corner was the civilian airport for Belfast, Aldergrove only R.A.F. We had No 120 Squadron with Shackletons Mk 1, No 202 Meteorological Squadron with Hastings, County of Ulster Squadron Auxiliary Air Force with their Vampires and a Maintenance Unit with various strange aircraft including a Supermarine Swift. Aldergrove was the only stationing my service when, as Station Duty Officer, I had an armed guard when inspecting at nightConversion to the Shackleton was a one to one with the various leaders and my flying conversion was with Stan Boutell , sadly to be lost with that crew in the South China Sea just two years later.
Soon after conversion the Suez War started and we were engaged in trooping with thirty soldiers sitting on the floor behind the main spar . We did manage to get them home to Lyneham in time for Christmas after the shambles of Suez. A trip to the Elsan was quite a struggle!
In the New Year I was given a Captaincy and conversion to the Mark 2.