20 Course RAF Church Fenton 1984 Reunion

[Facilitator]

There will be a 20 Cse Reunion sometime in late Sep / early Oct 2014 to mark the 30th anniversary. Details are fluid at the moment but likely to be a Thursday or Friday boozy lunch in West End followed by a pub/club crawl round Shepherd's Market, Dover St etc. If you were a member and interested in attending please PM me for details. Rgds DC (Crinkle!)

[just another jocky]

I can remember guys off my own (18) course, but the junior course......:confused:, nope far too long ago. :}

Hope you guys have a good one. :ok:

[Wander00]

So is this guys who went through IOT 83/84? Any off B Sqn?
Dep OC "B"

[Facilitator]

Yes, a few of us survived 75 IOT - D Cranstoun, A Griggs, N Parfitt, T Jones, R Glover & C Stroud. Would you be IG, PY or PK? Happy Days! DC

[Wander00]

Me - I am IG. Now retired retired, having run a large Yacht Club after leaving the RAF, and now living in France and gliding again (in UK) after 45 year break. There are some familiar names in your list. Regards to all. There was a guy called Jones - fighter controller I think, who made a name (Hands Together) for himself at the wine tasting. Dismayed to fine we were both going to Neatishead, but me on promotion!

[langleybaston]

please who was/ were Met instructors and forecasters at the time?

[thunderbird7]

A bloke with a goppin tie :8

[langleybaston]

sounds like Eric Buckley who went on to Coningsby as SMetO ...........

smallish, fair hair as I recall?

thinks oooooooooo

I thought we all had ties like that.

[Wensleydale]

boozy lunch in West End followed by a pub/club crawl round Shepherd's Market,
Dover St etc.


Doesn't sound much like Church Fenton to me.... what about the Flyer, The Junction, the Ash Tree in Barkston or even the Blacksmith's Arms in Biggin? (My Great Grandfather used to own the Blacksmith's, but he sold it in 1895).

[SOSL]

Ahh! the Fenton Flyer - a few pints and some sandwiches then hop on the train to Leeds for the best Chinese ever. Hope you don't miss the last train back, take out if necessary and finish up en route. Then stagger up the country lane and climb in through the ground floor window you left unlocked; unless some security checker has locked it!

I was on Eng Wing there - 81 to 83.

Rgds SOS

[Scruffy Fanny]

Seem to think I was on 20 cse - have an airgasm? IB

[Facilitator]

Hi IB. You were indeed but left us early for greater things. 7 signed up so far, would be good to see you there; PM me for an E-Mail if you're interested. Missed you in PVG with MW a while back! Rgds DC

[Facilitator]

Me - I am IG

Great to hear from you. Ali Jones was on B-Flt with me, Flt Cdr Russ C-B. I remember you giving me a damn good rollicking after my feeble SMEAC attempt at Senior Set Leader - something about everyone falling asleep during the Saturday morning viewing of 12 O'Clock High. Halcyon Days! DC

[Wander00]

Aah, I am told 12 O'Clock high now replace by BBC "Shackleton" (sir Ernest, not the growler) series. Hope you are all well - all still serving, in senior posts? Have a good reunion and Bonne Chance to you all

Ian

[Facilitator]

Only one still serving - Air Cdre. The rest of us, 4 BA, one Monarch. I'll always be RAF at heart though. Great to hear from you and thanks for your guidance all those years ago.

[Wander00]

Who is the AC?

Lovely day here in France -

Do you by any chance know BA captains Laurie Keene or Simon Sullivan?

Ian

[Facilitator]

Terry Jones, Director of Flying Training. I know Laurie - good man - don't know Simon. Stay in France, summer looking like it's going to be the same as last year. Au revoir. DC

[Scruffy Fanny]

DC - MW didn't say it was you in PVG ! Did you destroy him ?
Yes I did indeed leave 20 CSE For 19 Cse shame , still have fond memories of Ziggys ! And generally bad behaviour - I was in touch with Billy P but seem to have lost contact again - Is Stumpy S in BA ? I had coffee with Nige B in HKG and he tells me Robin G is a big Wheel in BA - hope all this has confused lots of people !!!
I assume Mike V the OC has departed the fix ? I came back from SYD and Sav was passengering back to UK - he had a strange cockney Kiwi accent god to hear from you !

[Facilitator]

I was standing in the cafe at Fen ****e Market about to order a coffee and MW walked in who I hadn't seen for 20 years - cancelled the coffee and we went on a Tsing Tao frenzy - Mutually Assured Destruction was the order of the day; shame you didn't join us. Stumpy S on BA Airbus, he's coming to reunion as is Rob G (wheel almost bigger than the London Eye), Smithy MBE as of today, Pinky Parfitt, Puddle & hopefully you so far?? Have traced several of the others thro the net and waiting to hear back from them. Did you mean Ted V? No idea his whereabouts but good boss - to me anyway. I met Sav in NZ whilst he was on exchange in 1989, he still had his Cockney accent then. My mum & dad brought some long term stowage photos down last week and there are some crackers of us all at CF looking as young as we do now! Anyway, I won't let you see them unless you come along. Cheers DC

[smujsmith]

Pardon my interruption, but if D Cranstoun is the Dave Cranstoun of 47SF fame, 70 Captain, then my regards if you should bump in to him. Many happy memories of a great bloke to be "down route" with.

Smudge

[Facilitator]

Smudge

I know him well. He recounts a story of being in a bar in Chania in Crete and a certain GE with Cyalume stained popcorn in an upturned bowl on his head suddenly made his leg very wet! How are you? DC

[smujsmith]

:ok: And the helicopter follow me in the Carribean. I'm not bad for an old bloke young Cranners. Hope you are well and not missing Fordy. All the best with your reunion. Ahh the good thing about the cyalume juice, I had no hair for it to get stuck in, hope the leg is dry now. :oh:

I hope your not driving that 777 low level on NVGs, it's a big beast for that sort of treatment. All the best.

Smudge

[Facilitator]

Forgot the helicopter follow me - Guyana if I remember correctly. Re the wet leg I believe the conversation went something like: "Smudge, what are you doing?", "Having a pee sir!", "You do realise that if you'd done this to any other captain you'd be on a fizzer and punched, not necessarily in that order!", "You do realise sir that I wouldn't have done it to any other captain!" - Respect! :{

[Endless Ground Tour]

Crinkle! Not seen you since you we're chucked out of a bar in Goose for playing catch with beer glasses! The problem as I remember it was that you were the only one in the game (except for the bouncer who joined in pretty quickly). The thread says that I'm the only one still in. Are you sure Badger isn't still hanging around? I was sure I saw him not too long ago. I was flying at Church Fenton last Friday (in a Chipmunk) so was only thinking about the 20 Course days very recently. Count me in for the reunion and let me know if I can be of any help with access to RAF facilities etc. Anna sends her love. Spaz.

[smujsmith]

Aahh, those were the days. I have to say I know not what came over me, it could have been the regular heavy dose of Guinness that we were taking to ward off the evil thirst. :hmm: Anyway, nice to hear that you're still operating, and wish you well. As an official old bloke now, I've had my Guinness rations severely curtailed but still have some great memories.

All the best Dave

Smudge

[Facilitator]

Indeed those days were the days. It was always a pleasure to have such a resourceful and hilarious GE even if you did treat me like a lamppost! You always kept the aircraft flying - as did all the other 'SF' GE's - despite the places and environment we were in but I'll never forget your luminous brain in Chania! Where are you in Wiltshoire, I'd like to buy you half a Guinness. DC

[smujsmith]

Dave, PM inbound.

Smudge

[Scruffy Fanny]

good to see your still in "Spaz" ! My lasting memories of CF will be that tanoy system to our crew room with the immortal " stude for a job" by and large the QFIs we had I think we're pretty good - sadly my memories seem to be more about nights in York chasing totty than flying the JP - happy days indeed

[Endless Ground Tour]

Nice to know you're out there Blackie. Still flying?

[SiClick]

Check your PM, I think I was a visitor to 20 cse

[Scruffy Fanny]

Still making the Cows get smaller - only I no longer have the joy of getting into a chippy or JP - think a friend of mine Den B flies out of CF and was saying what a top chap you are Terry- sadly my flying now involves a side stick, 4 engines and 368 tons of various bits and bobs!
Please Terry tell me you haven't gone grey my memories of you are always a boyish face with jet black hair !

[Facilitator]

Tango Sierra, check your PM's. Cheers DC

[Endless Ground Tour]

Still got all my own hair and most of it is black! This is going to be a great reunion if we can get the boys together.