What's going on at 72? [Archive]

Floppy Link

1st Jul 2005, 17:26

via "Ronnie Biggs"

Rumours that studes on 72 are wearing the FOLA badge. Now that's OK and in line with tradition etc...but not when the stude is a graduate!
FOLA always has been a non graduate organisation from its inception in tha good/bad old days at Aldergrove. QFIs sort it out!

Floppy "Ah... Wessex..." Link
Green Shielder and proud of it

"Orange Whip?"

Max Contingency

2nd Jul 2005, 07:29

Orange Whip

Ex FOLA only please - lets see how many of us are left!

EESDL

2nd Jul 2005, 10:39

Thought you were a member of FLANGE!

Trouble with the youth of today.....................Could this be blamed with allowing an FTS use the Sqn standing. Would it have been better to let FOLA rest until the Troubles started again?

In Linton bar one happy hour and had the pleasure of some young FOLA Badge-wearing stude telling me where the badge came from - he got it totally wrong of course - that's the trouble when non-wing'd personnel are allowed to wear the badge of truth!!

Roddy was there long enough to shoulder some of the blame, sort it out, otherwise we may have to sort it out for you.

Do not forget that it will be noted on your F5000, such lack of understanding of Sqn history is indicative of the lack of attention to detail prevalent in todays society...........blah blah

Ooh a badge, I want one, don't know the reason, will probably look good next to my mobile phone..................

We even had to check the files of some Scrapers after they were found wearing the Badge, I'm glad to report that no rules were infringed.

Senior member of FOLA, in conjunction with your traditionally closest ally, OC 72 - SORT IT OUT!!!!!

SFOY - Senior Flying Officer Yorkshire

Hueymeister

2nd Jul 2005, 11:16

Orange Whip......

"Have you seen my death dive?"

Sloppy Fink....have the piccies somewhere of you chopping up some bog roll over Y453.....and the infamous tea pot run over the Lake near Killsomewhere-or-other.

Have just found my FOLA Badge...and the one EESDL designed....wine, ardour, gambling and song, with a wessex on the top where the crown should be!

Them's were the days...

God, now I sound like some sad old WIWOW....

[email protected]

2nd Jul 2005, 13:03

There was an even more exclusive club - POLA - in the good old days you could (and I did) make to LCR on 72 as a pilot officer - I had to be promoted into FOLA!

The joys of spending 2 years in the Emerald toilet trying to stop greenshielders (who were being paid twice as much) from killing you was the true apprenticeship that made FOLA what it was. Oh.. and being able to do it after a night on the lash...

Hydraulic Palm Tree

2nd Jul 2005, 13:26

Faster nought to 60 than a Lamborghini Diablo and you can get your ironing board in sideways...didn't you just love Shef and his MG Maestro!!

Happy days. I recall Huey was a member of POLA, along with me, Shef, Spud and Bertie.

Used to love bunting until that fateful day with Charlie Huke and Phil Caudle....only lost 188 rounds of GPMG ammo out of the door!

HPT

Hummingfrog

2nd Jul 2005, 14:44

Getting too old now as I can't even remember what the acronyms stood for. But happy times on 72 when we did 6 week detachments.

JK getting hit by an RPG 7 at Xmaglen which failed to explode. Waiting in the bar for the 1st 747 to land - expected lots of noise so surprised when this large shadow fell across the bar window.

F.O Thirkell was invented who always flew on peri checks but was never available for his interview with W/C NI - he only found out he was figment of our imagination as we were about to board the Herc to go home.

Shame to see the old Sqn is reduced to its present incarnation.

HF

Hueymeister

2nd Jul 2005, 15:10

Who can forget Reggie Mental's bonkers cannons...I blew I hole in the bar with a tennis ball. HPT windowed himself during happy hr and broke his collar bone! JJ's infamous cocktails..the GPMG (gin pernod & more gin) and the life threatening STARFISH...god I barfed alot on that concoction!!!

Or being raftered....and having your chest hair set alight...Matt Nivens eye brows going when Scara-Langer set him on fire. Scott Weir "when I want your opinion, I'll tell you what it is..." Stroby Tode partially dislocating his own shoulder, pissed as a fart on Mad Dog 20/20, trying to pass the the Broom around his body without letting go...and bicycle jousting...the sport of kings...and the SH Force dinner when Fauch disappeared in a puff of talc, OC Eng (hater of aircrew esp FOLA) got 2 litres of water in his lap during Niv's Speech, courtesy of Vera's aeromodelling airbrush sprayer!!!!Nivs (Stn Cdr) then gave him the death stare when he had the temerity to moan!!

Ahh the days!!

ShyTorque

2nd Jul 2005, 15:23

Reading about the young 'uns "good old days" makes me feel really old as I'd long left FOLA. :{

Scott Weir was probably on his second or third go at being a FO by then :p

P.S. I thought the "phantom" pilot's name was "Thirkettle"; is my memory going as well as the eyesight and hearing?? Eh?

Spudley

2nd Jul 2005, 17:42

ORANGE WHIP

We've been here since '69, map and compass doin fine. etc etc

Hummingfrog

2nd Jul 2005, 18:48

ST

It might well have been Thirkettle - told you my memory is not what it used to be:confused:

The old 25pdr was also well used in my time!!.

The old Seco? huts behind the Mess were the haven of the junior pilots though I think the Mess president got a little red about the face when he discovered one of us had decided to turn one of the rooms into a "motor bike repair centre":ok:

The Navy, at Aldergrove, were also good for a laugh even when one broke his leg playing croquet:{

The Boss (Ryle?)was also a good egg as he offered to lend me his landrover to unload my Wessex of various plants, boxes and a washing machine, belonging to my soon to be wife, brought over from Gutersloh:ok: (Don't think he wanted ATC to see me staggering across the pan with a rubber plant)

Happy Days

HF

bigley

2nd Jul 2005, 19:31

I'll have one of those.

More memories:

Mr Blobby, who was a known to be quite religous, unhappily found that a crewman had replaced the insides of RAF Wives with Reader's Wives in the crewroom when showing people around the Sqn and the day when the 2ic (Nobby) told him that he had a black mark on his forehead only to be told that it was a sign of Ash Weds, caused lots of chuckles!!!

EESDL

2nd Jul 2005, 19:34

AJ looked down and the TANS had dumped....
Ooooh, sh1t, where the fock are we

Where's the Puma gone,
He's gone to Monaghan, far far away.

I hear AJ's working Police Ops at Woodvale...........................

Hueymeister

2nd Jul 2005, 19:40

...Wangs pension for diamond white...went to one of his infamous parties where his brother-in-law complained he had hiccups...I told him to stand on his head...he did and promptly deposited his supper and 8+pints on Chrissie's kitchen floor..not happy!!

Sevs driving his (actually it was Heather's)2CV through the Barmy Hair Corps' Mess Bar French Windows.....it got stuck, he carried on with all the predigious power of the 2 hp and took the doors out+frames...

Floppy Link

3rd Jul 2005, 09:52

Banana House parties....

Where's Sponge Woodley these days?

Drinking with Langers and Nivs next weekend.

p.s. Hueymeister ref the PM, night Palma was crap - only 40 more days as a airline pilot, can't wait!

Mules:ok:

zic

3rd Jul 2005, 10:55

FLANGE may have been powerful but the true power rested with CLANG!!!!

Poteen Harvey Wallbangers anyone, awesome especially the day after - IIRC after one critical mass party, we were Wx 7 tasked with the usual VCPs at W553 and I had Langers barfing into his flying jacket - in true FLANG spirit we carried out another 1 hr of VCPs before he could head home for an LCJ, flying suit, jacket and underwear change.

Sadly I can't remember much due to the Becks and GPMG poisoning.

Zic :yuk:

Hydraulic Palm Tree

3rd Jul 2005, 11:33

Sponge was at Colerne with the UAS last time I heard. Still in touch with John Webb, Adders, Fanstop, Wang and Fauch. Perhaps its about time we made a bit of an effort and got together somewhere convenient for a few pints of MACHRIHANISH or STARFISH.

HPT

Hueymeister

3rd Jul 2005, 18:59

We ought to go to the next old boys night....if there is such a thing. Who runs the Sqn Assoc?

jayteeto

3rd Jul 2005, 19:13

STARFISH..... Oh God :yuk: We invented it at EFTS and JJ took it on to 72. One of my coursemates made 3STAR, the doc reckoned he should have died. Sherry, Tequila, Advocaat, Rum, Fruit Juice, IPA Bitter, Southern Comfort and a Harvey Wallbanger times three. He flies for Virgin now and is a reformed character.....

PlasticCabDriver

3rd Jul 2005, 22:01

Mmm STARFISH, go heavy on the fruit juice and light on the IPA it was almost drinkable, less than a minute to Rapid Character Change, I was very happy with that. Managed to avoid the JJ inspired 'full set' (GPMG, SLR, SAM etc) of which STAFISH was the finale.. thank god.

Blacksheep

4th Jul 2005, 04:52

Nice to hear the aircrew were such a bunch of happy party animals. I recall 72's groundcrew as being a miserable bunch of punch drunk louts on Bersatu Padu, who couldn't hold their beer and got fighting drunk like some bunch of illiterate highland pongoes. It couldn't have been an effect of being sent "up-country" in the jungle, since both the resident 103 and 110 wobbly-copter menders were a proper bunch of gentlemen and scholars, who regularly kept us in beer and ice-cream.

[email protected]

4th Jul 2005, 06:03

Did you know that JJ is going to be a Beefer soon, no doubt all his presentations at groundschool will be on drink making.

You youngsters didn't invent getting pissed on 72, you should have been there in the days when FOLA was made up of the likes of Welham, Warner, VDB, Davey, North, Weir(2nd time there I think), SlackDick, Wang (first time round) and many more.

Hydraulic Palm Tree

4th Jul 2005, 07:19

The 2006 72 Sqn Association Reunion date has just been announced as Saturday 6 May 2006. The location is reasonably central so perhaps we should aim to turn up mob handed.

PM me for the location, but I guess those of you that aren't paid up Association Members will have to cough up for the £12 annual subscription.

Anyboby interested?

HPT

teeteringhead

4th Jul 2005, 12:38

Omigawd crab@ what do you think hearing you talk about "youngsters" does to me!! I note that your list of "old hands" includes several wg cdrs and gp capts; discuss!

But you should have seen 72 in the early 70s ...... ;)

Blimey Blacksheep, BP was 35 years ago (IIRC), not nursing a grudge are we??

... and as for the behaviour of some of the pongoes the night before Waterloo .......

Hueymeister

4th Jul 2005, 20:07

OHHHH My God....when are you coming JJ?

Blacksheep

5th Jul 2005, 01:19

I nurse lots of grudges teetering head - I'm an Old Fart, its what I do. ;)

...especially after being fined ten quid for fighting when I was actually bounced without provocation, while popping out into Changi village for a Keema Roti and mug of Milo while on duty fitter. I mean, I wasn't even out on the p*ss or anything. Stone cold sober and in uniform.

Those 72 louts were long gone when the snoops got involved and suffered no penalty. Four onto one was fair enough odds, but it all seemed so unjust. Ten quid was nearly a week's wages for a singly corporal at the time... :(

EESDL

5th Jul 2005, 07:21

Hueymeister

JJ a 'Beefer' - why do think I PVR'd??????:-)

Nice pic of OC POLA trussed up in the bar at 'grove - photo albums still in one piece on 72R. It appears Brim Blunt went through them with a pair of scissors!!

"Aldergrove by the mountain, oh, Aldergrove by the sea,
Just like Odiham, without the grass,
you can stick them both, right up your ar5e,
Aldergrove by the mountain, oh Aldergrove by the sea!"

Floppy Link

5th Jul 2005, 18:07

..JJ at SARTU, miles from the fleshpots. He'll go insane.

Anyway, back to the thread...

FOLA badges, OK for studes who are grads or not?

EESDL

5th Jul 2005, 19:04

Nope, unless there's been a rule change!

FOLA - NI - no studes in NI.

Wings that sings etc etc

FOLA is an NI thing, as is INLA. Unless you have flown in NI Ops, you cannot be a member of FOLA. You may wear the FOLA badge outside of NI if you've previously been a member.

If you're going get picky, unless you've carried out the 5 FOLA Fuch ups, then you aren't a member of FOLA.

Where as the boys and girls on 72(R) may be able to get to the money shot with the Boss' offspring/wife------I'd like to see them try and fly under the Harland & Wolf cranes or the OLD Londonderry Bridge in a Fucano!!

I_stood_in_the_door

6th Jul 2005, 11:49

All the x 72 blokes that have posted,

Fellas, what a great thread. It reminds me of the green machine when one first started. Congrats for the old stories and long may you all reign!!

Again, thanks and mines a STARFISH!!

:yuk:

ISITD

LFOGOOTFW

oldbeefer

6th Jul 2005, 12:12

then there was a very pissed Paul Luker who wrapped a landy around a tree between mess and sqn - insisted on showing his 1250 to the policeman's dog as he felt it had more inteligence than the handler.

Then there was Lex Brown !!!!!

More lookout

6th Jul 2005, 19:09

Crewman's 13600!

Banoffee pie at Omagh.

WSx 1 bouncing thoose troops around all night.

Just a few memories or two.

A great time in our lives.

:cool:

136ish

7th Jul 2005, 10:11

Sorry oldbeefer, P.L. wasn't pissed, Walter swore he'd only had about 2 small glasses of beer! - and anyway it transpired the Landrover didn't exist on any records anyway. Ancient Scottish Rock Apes MTOs can be very useful allies!!!

Good party though!

EESDL

7th Jul 2005, 13:34

More Lookout

I have yet to taste better Banoffee! Sheer heaven and a nice respite from the usual bollac5s. Pie was so nice that had to send Wx off with one pilot whilst I finished my cuppa (allegedly)

Wwyvern

7th Jul 2005, 16:03

Teeteringhead.

Early 70s? Were you in the bar when John S played, on the piano, "My Rhubarb refuses to rise", and several mates did the actions, on the piano, and Graham P took one step too many to his right and came OFF the piano?

Fortunately, he was flying again the next day!

teeteringhead

8th Jul 2005, 07:20

Wwyvern ... most certainly was ... shared a room with him (Paskett) on at least one Det.

... well, I was there on at least one occasion when Vasco de Pasco fell off the piano doing the rhubarb song, but it may not have been an isolated incident.....:ok:

Floppy Link

10th Jul 2005, 18:48

Drinking with Langers and Nivs next weekend.

Nivs was just about to set his chest on fire (again) but was stopped by his missus. :\

dopeonarope

10th Jul 2005, 21:21

:zzz: Sir Thomas falling asleep on Kenny Mac's sofa and Swamping!

10,000' above the Swift at Omagh stood outside on the step shouting get me down quick I can't get back in!

25/30 anniversary ALL the crewmen Pi$$ed in Mess not up to much for mess dinner/party next night.

Bunting and doing Crucifix and knocking my self out!...... How many captions?

Girls playing Hurly at XMG showing T$ts as we make approach... go around again, go round again...... might be a come on....... Yes it certainly was!

JJ in the taxi....

Jock Brown ND with pistol.......

72R wearing FOLA badges ........ No leave that to the real FOLA boys.

Orange Whip........... To Rude for Fixed wing

Those were good days.... at times.

Hoist to crew winching over and Out!

Hueymeister

11th Jul 2005, 05:18

Going to the Coastguard Station at Donaghadee, the tour consisted of the chief coxwain opening the door to the 'kit room' saying "you know what a boat looks like..right boys?", then showing us the bar for 3 hrs...a lot of beer flowed. Picture the scene....Wobbly (floppy link saved his life once when he swallowed his tongue whilst flying...neat trick not to be tried at home by the studes on 72 R please!!) and Gav OVLOV...not a happy pair (they couldn't stand the sight of one another), come to pick up 13 inebriated aircrew, who, once airborne, run en mass to either ends of the cabin making the c of g move...wobbly then decides to quieten us down and bunts....We all do the NASA space walk around the cabin....Nivs swings his arms up to somersault and hits me full in the chops with his expensive BIG watch....smashes my tooth out. I don't feel a thing being anaesthetised....but have the forethought to pick up the bits and put them in a sick bag. Ac lands....starts to hurt....go to sick bay....now really hurting....no duty dentist at R813....must go to Palace Barracks .....in Belfast....no duty driver....HAD to self drive in an MT provided motor.....ah them's were the days!!!

Thud_and_Blunder

11th Jul 2005, 14:14

Quality thread. Was also in what was then called OS(One-Stripe)LA as a Plt Off for 6 months starting Jul 78, when Brin was a sqn shag (tripods in Hamburg - allegedly) and NI was a det from Odious and Yeovilton. Senior member then (for quite some time, too - Scott was a pale emulation) was Pablo "Just Off to Visit My Niece" M. Best sqn to start a career (in the uncontrolled descent sense of the word). Can remember the Bersatu Padu stories - photo albums were a good way to while the time when you couldn't get near the uckers board.

OSLA folded when a visiting Air Commode decided he wanted to be a temporary member; turns out he'd once visited a yooniversity so obviously that couldn't be allowed to continue.

Was outside the office when Lex went to greet A A Nicholson after the latter took over. Must've been hoping for a re-run of Salalah days - couldn't happen in the UK. Lex could see Jock over the ND and raise him one - there must be only one part of the human foot where a 9mm-diameter object could go through without causing any lasting damage, and Lex found it.

Used to go back to the Province after converting to double-headed dump trucks; always found the new NI-bound 72 to be a pleasant, welcoming place. Never wore any badges, but bought the "1000 hours MTV" because it seemed appropriate.

Floppy Link

12th Jul 2005, 08:45

Wobbly (floppy link saved his life once when he swallowed his tongue whilst flying

Wasn't me...Nivs says the wibbly was quietly dying in the LHS on the ground at BBK when Arry V swarmed up the outside with an aircrew knife in one hand and a disassembled Bic pen in the other ready to perform the emergency tracheotomy. The shock of the sight caused the tongue to shoot back up the throat and Wibbly to gasp "I'm OK, I'm OK"

:=

Whether true or not, 'tis a good story. And he didn't die so somebody must have fixed it!

EESDL

12th Jul 2005, 14:21

Floppy
Get back to your studying! blah blah blah is that enough letters yet blah

Floppy Link

12th Jul 2005, 16:00

EESDL :mad:

Invitation Revoked park your Squirrel somewhere else!

Just kidding, natch:ok:

doris day

23rd Jul 2005, 15:15

Ah JJ..................... Bulldozers, Nicking Trains, Mad Shirley, the Barb, infamous leaving party, leaving Vacum cleaners, Ice cream seller, what a boy, and a pilot i most enjoyed flying with. WATCH those Studes !!!!

ProfessionalStudent

28th Jul 2005, 09:22

Ah, throwing a moonie at Balaamy in formation at 2000' out of the door with no harness on (can you imagine the BoI?)

Doing the Pepsi Max with a certain Scottish pilot.

Listening to the PoD snoring on the intercom on the approach to Magherafelt on goggles.

The Crewman Ldr knocking out TCG in the bar and telling eveyone not to say anything.

Blobby hitting a flagpole and denting the engine cowling and not fessing up...

Watching the exploits of "Johnny the Wad" at Dugannon with the boy JJ and the Gusmeister General.

"Have you seen my demo of flap-forward" said the Squid.

Exploring vortex ring, retreating blade stall and recirculation.

Got a lump in my throat just thinking of it all. Great times (most of them). Still look at my logbook now. Much better than the Pussies.

Kim Il Jong

28th Jul 2005, 13:16

Funniest thing I remember was a certain irish pilot who managed to black the bogside out by the ingenious use of his tailwheel and some 250' wires as an arrestor-hook type system.:E

teeteringhead

28th Jul 2005, 13:49

250' wires as an arrestor-hook type system. .... so what was he doing THAT high??? Or was it a typo for 25 ....:E

PlasticCabDriver

28th Jul 2005, 15:12

Not only listening to PoD snoring on the intercom, but also still hearing him snore after he was banished to the other portakabin at Dungannon, and having to go to the crewroom to get any sleep.

That's if we were allowed in the portakabins at all, when the resident pongoes didn't believe we could get airborne in 10 minutes from the scratchers (about 7 minutes actually, then wait rotors running for 20 minutes for the ARF to pitch up, even had time for TSW to give us a bit more fuel - Buzzard was well debriefed after that, and even better debriefed after the inevitable noise complaints came in and the battalion 2ic tried to blame us for taking too long to get airborne...)

And the lovely "right pedal take off" out of Forkhill. 13600 lb? Yeah right!

flowman

28th Jul 2005, 16:05

Sorry to gate crash but I saw the 72 SQN thread and wondered if any of you knows where Phil "Lurch" Collyer (72 circa 1987) is these days.
P'raps one of you could ask him to drop Roger a line on this website.
Cheers
flowman

Hueymeister

28th Jul 2005, 21:05

Did anyone notice that POD had a border proximity warning when asleep in the LHS....he did most of my NVG conversion..and slept through at least 1/2 of it.....but then again so did I! Or when the powers that be found out he was logging wads of hours on his week off teaching civvies...still he didn't send White Noise solo!!!

EESDL

29th Jul 2005, 15:12

Watching a crewman (certain avid Leeds United supporter) curl one down over Cookstown High street - from xx ft

bigley

29th Jul 2005, 17:38

EESDL,

How could you see and why were you watching???

Dunhovrin

30th Jul 2005, 10:53

Of course everone knows the real drinkin' fightin' and flyin' didn't start until the Tiger Mates arrived.....

Wild men like errr Mr Spoons, ummm TCG. Errrr.....Waddo...

I'll get me parasmock.

Have to say always enjoyed FOLAs company - mixed G100 dets were a hoot. Especially when Smufge and Stir beat Paddy and me back from Rosslea. Only 'cos we needed all of Enniskillen Intl to slow down....

Out of curiosity has "Crash Switches" Jim H? been promoted yet?

To F/L I mean..

zic

30th Jul 2005, 11:33

Dunhovrin

The rareified air at FL350 has affected your recall abilities, as far as I recall it was not Jim 'H' (for once) but Hueymeister and Mill Filler that investigated the Wessex Crash swithes at that place to the west of Omagh and had their charge returned courtesy of a Chinook.

Zic

jayteeto

30th Jul 2005, 13:21

Dunhovrin, how could you be so cruel. He is a QHI now, although it was a fantastic saga through the ranks.
Drinking, fighting and flying......... you forgot crashing mate, the Puma needs a tail rotor and you gone and got yours shot off!! :uhoh:

seafuryfan

30th Jul 2005, 19:51

FOLA and even some (then) Flt Lts will remember this location if they partied in the Sgts Mess 'Annex'. Tannoy rigged to a Hi-Fi, murals in the corridors, porn stash in the Fire hose cupboard, 'spinning', and water bombing from the outbound Wessex crew missing the party (gutter pipe lashed to the main u/c leg, 'bombs' ejected singly or multiple - as per STANTA).

One notable party held was the Disaster BBQ, held after a load of tragedys had happened in quick succession. Optional dress was 'survivor' rig, complete with fake blood and stuff. Call it black humour. Typical of the crewmen culprits: Gilly (What Smoke?), Cookie (The King of Spin), Wobbly (now a Bristows 'QHI'), Clarky (waving his 'don't shoot' Tricolour on approach to R650), Martin Marle (Mac Lads), and MOL (SAR BOY!!). Good times.

EESDL

30th Jul 2005, 20:03

Quite easy to sea a white hairy arse out of the cabin door from the starboard cockpit window.....but the mess!!!!

Is KnobJerk still alive?

dopeonarope

1st Aug 2005, 12:59

I seem to recall in the beer haze of a Summer Ball or BoB Party that a certain crewman ("JW ALM News Finningley reporting........") was returning from FOB to Ald and proceeded to give a Full moon from door during fly past....... hilarious..... especially as CMC was giving a very proud salute!

Hueymeister

1st Aug 2005, 15:18

Bang goes my cover..thanx Zic. My back still aches from that 'arrival'. Hey ho, we lived.

Seafury: As I remember you were the man 'spinning' down the back during our IF trip, when we had a 'runaway' down and couldn't raise you for a couple of seconds......kleenex or Bertie B's sleeping bag being re-stowed post warshot/splash.

Ahh STANTA....water bombing the grunts in the towers, and the engineers' Sierra....Sheff put one through the hatchback window! Driving back across the Trg Area on goggs....cool!

Charlie14

2nd Aug 2005, 12:15

What a pleasant thread. Nice to re-live some old memories.
But the papers tell me that that particular war is over now- well done everyone - we won.

seafuryfan

2nd Aug 2005, 20:20

Hi Hueymeister,

Funny thing is, I met a bloke who recently who did the same thing - except he was in the cockpit :eek:

Seems this pilot had a lot of time on his hands while orbiting (the AP doing the flying). The two other blokes were looking at the radar with the curtain down so it was a case of 'crack on!'

Tick vg