MPN11 (#9715),
"Ahh, Night Flying......doing Night Flying Suppers..."
How well do I remember them - both as an aspiring and (much later) refreshee aviator (but never did any apart from that), and of course in ATC. (As 'watchkeepers', it was up to us to arrange our own mealtimes, so we were excluded from the feasts).
They were usually laid on in the interval between the first (dual) phase of the programme and the second (solo) phase. On the first night, the diners were unnaturally quiet. The QFIs tucked-in with gusto, they had foiled their Bloggs' best efforts to kill them both. They would see another dawn.
Bloggs was not at all sure that
he would. The JP (or whatever) he was happy with by day now sat in silent menace under the cold pan lights, waiting for him. The sadist under whose vocal lash he had suffered these past weeks was now magically transmuted into a "Guardian Angel" figure. Bloggs thought of the empty seat soon to be beside him and shuddered.
"
Go not gentle into that dark night".....Bloggs had lost his appetite, he picked at his food. "
If you don't want that last rasher, old chap", said his Instructor cheerfully, "
I'll finish it for you"......
Strange things happened in this Limbo. It was in just such a time that I spotted the "UFO that never was" at Leeming and the No.1 Hangar Ghost put in an appearance on one occasion.
Only birds and fools fly, and the birds pack it in when it gets dark. (Anon).
...............................
speke softly (#9718),
What a palace the new Local looked to be ! (you could fit a full size billiard table in there).
Had they moved up from the 'Elsan', btw ?
Thanks, both.
Danny.