Ahhh the wunnerful Poles and their Mi8s....I was lucky enough to do a stint on the DZ, flown there and back in one of the beasts. A grand day out, but with an alarming amount of Wodka quaffing going on. After the last drop, the Herc boys came round for a 'DZ inspection' which drew much applause and cheering from the 2 pilots I was with. It was then our turn to leave and we sharply wheeled around and soundly wired the joint. Sadly a bit too soundly. We bounced off a slight raise in the ground in a cloud of dust and the big fan up top made a very strange noise. We climbed away with a lot of yelling and turned for Addis. I think in an attempt to shut me up, the skipper hoofed his FO out of the right seat and let me fly it back to Addis. I suspect in 1984 there weren't many flying officers whose first flight at the controls of a helicopter was in a Mi8 !
Anybody remember that bar we drank in that resembled the strange bar full of aliens in 'Star Wars' ? was it in/near a station ?
