Hastings Wheels Up at Khartoum.

[Rossian]

Only because I'm curious....

.....what did the OP do to get banned? Was because of something in this thread or for misdemeanours elsewhere? Seems strange.

The Ancient Mariner

The reason that another maritime BOF like oxenos has ventured into these hallowed halls is as follows:

1953 east coast floods. My F-i-L was at Aldergrove and was summoned to a meeting in London and was flown there in a Hastings from the Met Flt. At the conclusion of the meeting he went back out to Manston expecting to fly back home. Instead they were commandeered to take sandbags (empty) to Holland. They filled the aircraft right to the back door and he then closed the door and sat encased in sandbags until they arrived at where they were required. Unload then back to Manston. They did this for three days on the trot and finally arrived back at Aldergrove in a snowstorm, filthy, dishevelled and hungry. Only one mainwheel came down; the other completely refused to budge. The pilot elected for a one wheel landing which he executed immaculately. My F-i-L reckoned he owed his life to Flt Lt Ignatowski, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at a dining-in at Ballykelly many years later (210 Sqn 50th anniversary maybe?)