Just Another Day At The Office
Nutloose, yes indeed. Piece of Gucci kit was removed and now over 27 years later, I expect that it is still doing sterling service in the Happy Eater (I wish i could remember what it was!!)
Anyway, enough of this tower talk already… This thread is in recognition of those stalwart fellows who will sit in their caravan 75’ from the edge of the runway and trust in their binoculars and verey pistols to stop those aircraft from taking off that shouldn’t ought to and to stop those aircraft from landing that shouldn’t ought to. (Wheels up landings are very noisy and very expensive, as can be Lightening departures with a ruptured ventral tank. Somebody tried to bollock me on that one, but I stood my ground).
Another time, yet again at Brüggen, one Tonka crew found out who their friends were. Tartan formation (I use Tartan as a generic c/s ‘cos there’s lots of different colours in there) a flight of 4 Tornados lined up on 27 and went through the usual things with the throttles and things prior to departure. As the lead pair got to the bit where they went to full dry and just before the brakes off/ burner in bit, the no2 aircraft port wing tank (the big ones, 1500 litre?) ruptured with an impressive oomph and sprayed Avtur everywhere. I made a call on the R/T - “STOP,STOP,STOP Tartan 2 your port tank has ruptured!”
Well, I tell you, it was like the Tartan 2 crew had rung a bell and called out “Unclean - Unclean” as Lead rapidly moved up the runway and off at the first exit while 3 & 4 managed to turn around from where they were and scuttled off somewhere safe.
Meanwhile our unclean crew had shut down and raised the canopy, discussing, I should imagine, as to whether it was better to drop off the aircraft or wait for Crash 1. AFAIR Crash 1 got there pretty swiftly and got a ladder up to the crew who were taken back to the sqn, 17 or 31, as I seem to remember they came from the north side.
As for me, I managed to convince the DATCO that It wasn’t really safe sitting less than 150’ from 1500ish L of AVTUR and where I was safely able to have a drag on one of my No6 fags. As your man says on the TV program “The Chase”. Just another day at the office.
ACW342 or McG