Just a couple of funnies before leaving Aldergrove. One day I had to take the GC to Bovingdon for a conference and then go on a navex's before returning to Aldergrove. He sat in the right seat and off we went. We had just coasted out when there was a bad smell of petrol. The engineer checked the overload tank in the bomb bay and there was a bad leak. The GC said "what are you going to do" so I told him that I was returning to base. He said "you can't land, you are overweight" so I told him that I would put her down gently. All was well, and off we went in another aircraft. Again, on coasting out he asked for his brief case.No brief case!! So messages to and from Aldergrove to get his case on civil from Nutts Corner, then Belfast Airport. We landed at Bovingdon to let him off. No staff car, only a three toner! Then he asked for his bowler hat - underneath the parachutes on the rest bunk. Not his day.
The next one was when the Duke of Edinburgh was in Gibraltar and a 120 aircraft was sent from Aldergrove to fly him on an exercise with the Navy. This upset the resident Gib Squadron of course. The exercise went well and he was pleased.
The next trip the aircraft did, the wheels would not lower. The French airfield at Port Lyautey was "foamed" and the aircraft landed without harming the crew. A party went from Gibraltar, jacked it up, replaced the propellers and brought it back to Gib.
I was told to get a skeleton crew and was taken by Shack to Gibraltar to bring it back to Aldergrove. When I saw the poor old Shack the following morning I was told that it was cleared for one flight home, but the wheels were locked down, the bomb doors wired shut, no hydraulics, no flaps and " don't attempt to ditch " . I am not sure what happened after it was brought back. It was lucky that the Dukes trip was without incident. There!