In 1972 I was flying for the opposition - BEA - and was fortunate to have 24 hours wandering around Moscow after we went tech.
I was flying as P2 ex Moscow and during engine start the motor didn't turn when it should have done. Just like the sim although it was the only time in "real" life that it happened to me.
The Skipper was ex Lancs (his son frequents these pages) and we had already got rid of the KGB on the aircraft as well as Auntie Betty's couriers (from first class of course) and their diplomatic bags.
Sir, along with P3 and moi thought "what has he" (or moi) "cocked up". It wasn't to be sorted so easily so our traveling engineer was hailed from First class.
IIRC (covers the whole post) we had engine 1 running and it was no 2 in the tail.
There is a procedure for a manual start (opening a valve wiv a stick) but that didn't work so we shut down and got some rickety steps which elf and safety would ban nowadays - even in Sheremetyevo.
The ground was covered in fast freezing slush with a blast coming off the Steppes and I volunteered to be the gofer but was wearing my winter wool uniform - so as a 23 year old I wouldn't be too cold.
We had to refuel as the procedure was going to take around an hour - with APU running and an allowance for engine 2 running for a half hour.
So eng removed no 2 starter and no 3, placed 3 starter on 2 and gave it a go.
Nowt.
The ramp looked a bit like my garage when I'm working on my '66 Bristol so I thought he had mixed up the motors - so off it came and the other went back on.
Still nowt - we had blown two starter motors and Sir calculated that to start the three engines and swap over the starter motor each time plus another 1/2 hour wait for the bowser would take us way over legal duty.
It took another hour to accommodate the pax and we had a briefing from the station chief about the BOAC chandelier incident (you've been watching too much James Bond) including the probability of having KGB with us.
The hotel was much as described - a bit like 1980s french hotel comfort - as was lunch - four hours waiting for watery cabbage and beef stew but we had a whale of a time.
We all met up and I figured (from the TV) that marching around in unknown uniforms - all we had -we could go where we want.
So Red Square, a couple of Orthodox churches (there is one on the south side of Green Park if you have never had the delight) - all of the time ignoring the queues.
This didn't work with Lenin's tomb although we jumped around 300 yards of it a soldier beckoned us into the queue 50 yards before the entrance.
We decided sod Lenin, went to a hotel to get a drink and warm up.
The starters arrived with some blokes to fit them and we departed with a nearly empty Trident 2 back to London.
It was obvious as something had been incorrectly done prior to our flight ex Heathrow as I never had any starter problems in the rest of my career.
IIRC there was a fusible clutch in the starter which broke with over torque and maybe it was just a question of alignment.
We weren't able to spend the Roubles so I bought the lot from the crew and gave them to eng who bought me a couple of Mink hats - I have hung on to mine (still serviceable as excellent quality) but didn't hang on to the wife so no idea where hers is 40+years on (nor her for that matter ;-))
AMSTRONG re Swiss Gva - Rio
while a bit of a thread drift an interesting operation from many aspects and one where I thought an ex meatbox pilot was going to kill us. As a coincidence I received a link from a well known BOAC 707 manager this morning
Le pilote Nicollier - rts.ch - Culture
going back twenty years but still gives an incite into how tough Switzerland can be and how good their pilots are.
I'll post later
rgds