This is my last Op Vigour posting before I leave for Ozz. The main tale of the VVIP trip will have to wait until I return as I need to upload the pics.
The pic is of Mogadishu.
One day during the det the boss took his only day off leaving me as chief 'office boy'. Usual early start for a first light launch of the fleet, all two a/c. Brief the crews, met check etc and authorise the trips. Once they have gone it was a cup of coffee, admin and a walk round the site. After lunch I had to go to talk to the USAF about common problems and then I came back to our ops.
The ops clerk said he had a phone call from the crew that had gone to Mogadishu, they had a snag and were unable to start one of the engines. They would call back in an hour.
There was no way of getting a spare to them that day as all the USAF a/c were out as ours were. The GAF were doing their own thing and seldom landed anywhere but back at Mombasa. To retrieve the a/c that day it would have to be a three engine ferry.
I rechecked the auth sheets but merely to confirm what I already knew, it is an all instructor OCU crew, who teach such things.
Next step was to look in the det orders that group have issued us with.
Big snag. Only Group Captain AT at group can authorise a three engine ferry.
The comms were very difficult out there but I eventually get the Group Ops Controller on the phone and asked to speak to the Group Captain.
I was informed that he was out for the day but I could speak to his deputy.
He turned out to be the W/C Air Movements. I explained the situation but not surprisingly he does not know anything about three engine ferries and it appeared that there was no one there to advise him !
Time was pressing so I said that unless he rang me back to forbid the three engine ferry from Mogadishu to Mombasa, having considered all the circumstances, I was going to authorise it. I never did receive a phone call back from group one way or the other.
So I authorised the three engine ferry in the auth book with a note that I had spoken to group.
When the captain rang back I checked the details with him and authorised him to fly the a/c on a three engined ferry, basic crew plus G/E and empty of cargo and pax. I did mention coming back the sea route in case of further problems but of course they had already thought of that !
Back they came without drama or fuss, and the menders performed their usual
magic and we had two frames on the line ready for work the next morning.
That night over dinner I briefed the boss on the days events and he said I had done the right thing.
So life went on as usual on the det until we received THE signal informing us that a VVIP would be visiting and that is where I will pick up the story when I return, with plenty of pics.