Great anecdote, SSD. I'm going to nick "Pre-flit" by the way. :-)

Doing Aeros in a Vampire T 11 over a quiet bit of Norfolk ( I thought ) with my student. As we came over the top of a loop, looked forward to see the Lightning’s of the Firebirds ( the RAF aerobatic team then) in close formation opposite direction, dead ahead at the same height and VERY close. Grabbed the stick and pulled hard which flicked us into an incipient spin as we shot underneath them. Shut the throttle and centralised the stick and we flopped over into a dive. Long shuddering breath and sweaty palms!

First solo cross country.

Landing at first stop and float down the runway despite 40 degrees flaps on c150 aerobat.

Go around back into pattern and notice downwind is taking forever so I leave pattern and re-enter for landing opposite direction.

After landing, I walk over to tetrahedron and it's stuck pointing the wrong direction. No unicom for advisory.

Vacuum failure on way back to SIU carbondale flight school.

Piper arrow........retract gear.....plane yaws and dips a wing.

Instantly put gear back down and flew back around for landing.

Something about worn bushings, and groove in a rod.

I now wait even longer when retracting gear.

We were stood in aviation fuel from a leaking cargo plane trying to sort it out, when some eejit came out of the hanger smoking, or as Basil Brush would say it could have been boom boom!

Close call?

As an RAF Padre once said in his dinner night speech: "Let us drink a toast to our wives, girlfriends and mistresses - and hope they never meet!"

As Foster Brooks once said in a pilot skit with dean Martin,

"Why yes when they moved the men's room down the back of the airplane!"

Not too original: it's the standard Wardroom Saturday night toast:

'To our wives and sweethearts', rejoinder 'May they never meet'

Unfortunately overtaken by PC and replaced with 'Our families' since 2013. Tuesday night's toast of 'Our men' was also replaced with 'Our sailors'.

Bah humbug :rolleyes: