Was RAF Akrotiri the first Flight Safety Black Hole

[OKOC]

I passed through RAF Akrotiri many many times as crew--I am now certain that that part of Cyprus aka the Aki peninsula was a "Black Hole in Space" in that I remember nothing from chocks in to TOC on chocks out. Did anyone else experience this out-of-body experience whilst resting in Block 101?

[Pontius Navigator]

OKOC, I can't remember. I do recall one occasion when the aircraft was unfit to fly due excessive alcohol.

[Out Of Trim]

Probably the Kokinelli !

[Tankertrashnav]

I dont know about black holes but I do remember the magic taxis in Limassol. In my day these were Merc 190 diesels. You piled into the left hand door in the back, somewhere in down town Limassol, closed your eyes for a second, slid across the seat, opened the right hand door and you were at the guardroom at Akrotiri - total journey time (it seemed) about 15 seconds.

Did anyone else experience this out-of-body experience whilst resting in Block 101?

Block 101 ? Luxury! We dreamed about Block 101 as we sweated in the non-air conditioned blocks nearby, which were reserved for tanker trash and other forms of low-life!

[ricardian]

I dont know about black holes but I do remember the magic taxis in Limassol. In my day these were Merc 190 diesels. You piled into the left hand door in the back, somewhere in down town Limassol, closed your eyes for a second, slid across the seat, opened the right hand door and you were at the guardroom at Akrotiri - total journey time (it seemed) about 15 seconds.
Block 101 ? Luxury! We dreamed about Block 101 as we sweated in the non-air conditioned blocks nearby, which were reserved for tanker trash and other forms of low-life!

I spent 2.5 years at Akrotiri (1965-67) and the only air-conditioned area I encountered were the telephone exchange (because the equipment was heat sensitive!) and the ops room. It was 2 miles from the accommodation to the ops room/commcen, the WRAF got a crew bus but we mere mortals had to walk; I did buy a push bike for the last 18 months but in the summer it was sweltering and in the winter it was cold and frequently very, very wet!
On the other hand the social life was good, at various times I was treasurer, secretary & chairman of the Cpl's Club.

[Pontius Navigator]

TTN, they were indeed magic taxis. I do remember leaving the Mess one night to go to bed. Unfortunately there was a taxi outside and I fell into it. It was full but no idea who the others were.

As you say, after a 15 second journey I joined my crew in Niaziz's. Truely magic. Equally magical was the quicker return journey.

And indeed the following morning the jet was indeed intoxicated, as was the RAFP guarding it.

[langleybaston]

Digression, for which apologies. This is an itch that I want to scratch.
I served at RAF Nicosia from 1961 to 1964 as very very jumior Met Man .......... National Service observers with me until about half way.
Now here is an extraordinary thing [to me at least]. I absolutely completely have no knowledge that RAF Akrotiri existed in that time. I can recall nothing about them using us as a Div, or us using them. I cannot of course recall if they had a Met Office . My wife [wife of] also has no recollection on the social or sports side.

As far as Met Nicosia was concerned, there was a Main Met Office Cyprus up the hill [still on the station], with over-arching East Med and NEAF responsibilities, and a menial office [LB] next to Ops and ATC where the real work was done. If RAF Akrotiri existed, its over-arching Main office would have been Main Met Cyprus. I did detachments to that office and nobody ever mentioned Akrotiri.

Is this further evidence of a black hole?

[Pontius Navigator]

LB, curiously I have no recollection of any Met at Akrotiri either :). I think, suspect, that only the captain and plotter went to met as we were more interested in fine detail such as D-factors rather than the necessarily overview from Met.

[langleybaston]

LB, curiously I have no recollection of any Met at Akrotiri either :). I think, suspect, that only the captain and plotter went to met as we were more interested in fine detail such as D-factors rather than the necessarily overview from Met.

Thank you ............. however, at Nicosia I provided D factors [for the first time in my career, and almost the last].

I have searched diligently via Google and Wiki, but nowt!

[ricardian]

Digression, for which apologies. This is an itch that I want to scratch.
I served at RAF Nicosia from 1961 to 1964 as very very jumior Met Man .......... National Service observers with me until about half way.
Now here is an extraordinary thing [to me at least]. I absolutely completely have no knowledge that RAF Akrotiri existed in that time. I can recall nothing about them using us as a Div, or us using them. I cannot of course recall if they had a Met Office . My wife [wife of] also has no recollection on the social or sports side.

As far as Met Nicosia was concerned, there was a Main Met Office Cyprus up the hill [still on the station], with over-arching East Med and NEAF responsibilities, and a menial office [LB] next to Ops and ATC where the real work was done. If RAF Akrotiri existed, its over-arching Main office would have been Main Met Cyprus. I did detachments to that office and nobody ever mentioned Akrotiri.

Is this further evidence of a black hole?

In 1967 a few Cypriot lorries deposited large quantities of rough hewn stone outside the Ops Block at Akrotiri where I worked in the commcen. Over the next few weeks a gang of locals used hammer & chisel to form the stone into rectangular blocks of roughly the same size. These blocks were then used to build the Met Office which opened just as I was tourex and bound for 38 Group Support Unit at Tangmere.

[2 TWU]

Met at Akrotiri? On the windows of the Ops Room of the fighter dispersal there were 2 chinagraph squares drawn. Under the left hand square was the script "today's weather", under the right hand square, "tomorrow's weather"

[langleybaston]

Thanks to all .......

1967 it is, so I did not blank an Akrotiri office under the influence of Keo, Brandy Sours and Koki for the years 1961 to 1964.
That is a relief!