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Old 4th May 2017, 05:05
  #78 (permalink)  
Ascend Charlie
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Great South East, tired and retired
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It wasn't just the Vampire altimeter that could be mis-read. In the next iteration, the Macchi, ("Fanta-can", "orange and white dog-whistle") a coursemate was under the hood in the back seat carrying out an NDB approach at GinGin, descending from 20,000' to the MDA of 1100'. He had done the outbound descent, was making the inbound turn when he realised that the MDA was approaching rapidly, so he levelled off and continued inbound.

Once overhead, the instructor took over, and rolled inverted and started to pull through. Backseat student thinks "You can't do this from 1100'!!" and reaches for the ejection handle. But then he pauses, and has a better look at the altimeter, and realises he had been at 11,000'.

It could have been really embarassing for the instructor to return to base without his student, and it may have ruined the student's chances of reaching his eventual rank of Air Vice Marshal.
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