Khe Sanh Approach in a Britannia, what's your scariest flight

[Peter Barron]

In 1977 I was aboard Geminair Bristol Britannia 9G-ACE, we were trying to land at East Midlands Airport to collect cattle for transporting to Milan.
The weather had turned bad and we arrived at East Midlands in the middle of a thunderstorm.
Having a nice Captain I was allowed to just stand in the cockpit for the landing
Twice the Captain had to overshoot and go around as he could not see the runway, on the third approach he came in too high but spotted the runway at the last second.
I still remember his words today " I am buggered if I am going round a third time ", with that said he just pushed the stick forward.
It really was just like a Khe Sanh approach, one second I was looking forward at the storm, the next second I was looking straight at the runway, just a tad worrying that, but he flared out perfectly and did a beautiful landing.
It was scarey at the time but also very exciting.

So what's your scariest flight.

Peter.

[Tiger_mate]

In a helicopter:

I once did a PAR all the way to the ground for with no icing clearance "we" had nowhere else to go. Leveled at 10` agl 30 metres off the runway upon aquiring any references. Morale of that story is this: If you divert and need to go home in a taxi, then do so, for if you dont, it may be a different black car you travel in next time.

We had diverted and later got airborne in a suckers gap followed by a very worrying half hour trying to remain VMC, before conceding to the inevitable IMC recovery.

Unhappiness is an ATC Controller wittling: "Below decision height confirm visual with the ground" and for you to reply "Keep talking".

When faced with a similar story many years later, my crew remained on terra firma until the good Lord was good and ready to let us go.

There are many more "learning points" during my time, which is why I am now a Flight Safety Officer!

Poacher turned Gamekeeper:ok:

[WebPilot]

Without doubt, a flight in a Grumman Cougar from a small grass runway GA field in the UK, flown by my Dad's cousin.

I accepted the offer of a flight in his (own) aircraft as it seemed a good idea and I'm always keen to get airborne.....but I'd never flown with the guy before and I wouldn't do so again. No walk around before the flight - he said he'd checked it first thing and he'd only been up once that morning, no radio call before taxing *across* the active (to be fair he did have a quick peer out up the glideslope) and some very casual RT procedure. The flight itself was pretty uneventful, but to someone used to mil procedures all this over casual GA stuff was quite worrying!

[tinpis]

Im sorry..but whats a "Khe San" approach?

[Tiger_mate]

Khe San is a place in Viet Nam. C130 landings were suspended there and replaced with low flybys during which supplies were kicked out of the back, due to the danger a landing presented.

Therefore I am assuming that the Khe San approach is the C130s 1000`agl over the threshold, dive at the threshold and round out at the last moment. To land or flyby.

If the truth be known, the Horsa gliders had perfected this technique during WWII. The reason is simple, get the aircraft through the small arms threat band as quickly as possible.

Threat bands whilst known by all military forces is not something I want to specify on an open forum, other than 1000`agl is aove it and ground level is generally below it.

[Tempsford]

I reckon Tinny might know where Khe Sanh is.....

[PPRuNe Pop]

It wasn't exactly scary (wasn't time to be scary) but it was hairy! I did a GCA into Goose Bay in a EMB110. It was at night and the viz was neglible to say the least and it was snowing hard and there was no where else to go! When I say hard I mean really wall to wall snow and although I had practised GCA's at Manston in the past, in moonlit skies, or other equally easy circumstances, this was for real.

Getting it right on the GS and on the centre line was exacting but the controller was ace. Made you feel very comfortable and fairly easy to concentrate. He really knew his stuff. I thought I would get the cut-off at 1/2 mile but not at all he put me down on the runway.

The worst bit then was making contact with the 'FOLLOW ME' car - I couldn't see him! Eventually I got on stand and felt much relieved. I put the aeroplane to bed and then went to find mine, but the controller found me first and we spent a few hours in the bar with some RAF guys and a very convivial evening was had by all - I think! The radiators were turned up full (90f) and each mouthful of whatever I was drinking was truly nectar.

Eventually I found a bed and had another 4 legs to do which was to Narssaraqu(?) - Keflavik - Prestwick - Biggin. I had started from Brazil.

I think of it today as tremendous fun but thankful for the training I had received at the hands of an ex Halifax bomber pilot. Who was in WW11 one of the very top pilots selected to drop SOE operatives in France etc., Much decorated too.

[tinpis]

Ah EMA...the nights walking towards the sound of the powercart to locate the aircraft on the tarmac....

[BEagle]

One of my most 'interesting' was having to go-around in a VC10 from about 20 ft at King Khalid International due to other inbound traffic.

The other traffic was an Iraqi Scud missile!

[Captain Airclues]

BEagle

Probably more chance of being hit by 'friendly fire' during the go-around than by the Scud. :ouch:

Airclues

[BEagle]

Which is why the go-around was flown following the Base Defense Zone departure route at 500 ft a.g.l. until we were well away from KKIA!

Funny thing was we were told of the 'incoming' by the colonial cousins before they'd told the 'locals' manning ATC. "Why you go-around?", the Sons-of-Saud asked - and just at that moment we heard the Air Raid warning being tannoy'd to them. "That's why!", was all we answered.

[Blacksheep]

Working as a flying spanner in Nepal. We were returning from Delhi during the monsoon and approaching Kathmandu by the usual route. There was a thick layer of cloud with a cloudbase of six thousand over the ridge (the ridge is at nine thousand) and there were no holes to get down through it anyway.

"Never mind..." says Captain Shrestha (every other pilot was called Shrestha over there) "...I know another way!"

So we headed back west and descended through the cloud, breaking the six thousand foot cloudbase with fifteen hundred to spare. Then we turn north into a valley he knows.

"We just follow the valley until we reach Kathmandu" says Captain Shrestha.

And we did. Up the middle, round the corners and up and down over the ridges in the pouring rain. Yaks watched us from up above, thoughtfully chewing on their cud; farmers waved - I didn't wave back. My first taste of mountain flying. In a Seven-fifty-seven.

Good hand flying skills though, these mountain trained pilots. Those who survive to make it onto the 757 fleet that is...