Before that I never liked Decca approaches (in the Wessex it was the only thing we had apart from an even worse ADF),
Ah Decca!
I recall doing a night famil for a Newbie at Aldergrove once - 1980s maybe? We were bimbling out to the East of Aldergrove when they told me the weather was socking in - it was that wierd low fog that rolled in unannounced from Lough Neagh.
"Oh" they said, "and the radar's just gone off line and so there's no SRA!"
Never mind methinks - good opportunity to demo Decca approach to Newbie (did all helicopter Stations have to be on a Green 30 Decca lane??).
Decca gets us back, but at whatever DH we had - 300 ft maybe - we were still above the tops of the now blanket of fog on the airfield.
One knew it WAS the airfield, cos sticking out of the clag was the top of the civvy terminal building, with the red neon sign (so true at the time!) saying:
Welcome to Belfast International Airport
Hover taxi across to the terminal, and let down gently keeping building in sight. Land on - shut down. Phew!
ATC: "Well done, we'll send transport - where are you?"
TH: "Haven't a f
clue - on the civil side somewhere!!"
Sorry for continuing the thread drift - 'twas Shackman's talk of Decca and red lights that made me do it!
