Air Display 'C*ck Ups'
Wildenrath 1975 airshow.....
It has been arranged that the usual "Will the owner of car registration ....... please move it as it is causing an obstruction" spoof is put out on the tannoy system. Eventually a Wessex appears with a mocked up German police VW dangling underneath; this is then dropped in front of the crowd as 2 lads dressed in German police uniforms set off shouting and waving.
2 errors though. The Wessex crew misread the order and the VW is dropped from 2000 ft, not 200. It flutters down and demolishes itself in a very spectacular manner! The coffee jar in the back with a primed smoke grenade breaks, allowing the grenade to go off as advertised, but then the smoke turns from white to dense black as half of the wooded target area begins to crackle merrily. Cue Captain Flack and the Trumpton team in their fire wagons who give an extra dimension to the display!
But even better was the AAC Beaver. This mighty warrior, during the practice, released its massive airdrop (a couple of water filled jerricans on coloured parachutes) with remarkable accuracy - one of which smites the passenger side of the gucciest ATC Landrover's cab, somewhat totalling it. Never mind, the good old Army sorted things out ("Leave it to me, Sir...") and a 'ringer' is soon produced from the 'war stock' with all the ATC bits and bobs back in place - even the same registration, I was told. Just a twin fuel tank changeover switch to give the game away!
It has been arranged that the usual "Will the owner of car registration ....... please move it as it is causing an obstruction" spoof is put out on the tannoy system. Eventually a Wessex appears with a mocked up German police VW dangling underneath; this is then dropped in front of the crowd as 2 lads dressed in German police uniforms set off shouting and waving.
2 errors though. The Wessex crew misread the order and the VW is dropped from 2000 ft, not 200. It flutters down and demolishes itself in a very spectacular manner! The coffee jar in the back with a primed smoke grenade breaks, allowing the grenade to go off as advertised, but then the smoke turns from white to dense black as half of the wooded target area begins to crackle merrily. Cue Captain Flack and the Trumpton team in their fire wagons who give an extra dimension to the display!
But even better was the AAC Beaver. This mighty warrior, during the practice, released its massive airdrop (a couple of water filled jerricans on coloured parachutes) with remarkable accuracy - one of which smites the passenger side of the gucciest ATC Landrover's cab, somewhat totalling it. Never mind, the good old Army sorted things out ("Leave it to me, Sir...") and a 'ringer' is soon produced from the 'war stock' with all the ATC bits and bobs back in place - even the same registration, I was told. Just a twin fuel tank changeover switch to give the game away!
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OOps
Far too many years ago I heard of the Vulcan display crew authorised for a fly-by at a small display. There had been a few cancellations at the display and so the vulcan was asked to do a couple of circuits to fill in for about 10 minutes. In sympathy the captain gave the crowd his full display provided that nobody told his base about it.
He would have got away with it had the trophy for best display not been forwarded to him via the Stn Cdr at Waddington!!
He would have got away with it had the trophy for best display not been forwarded to him via the Stn Cdr at Waddington!!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Oldenburg, Commemoration Day and Station Open Day about 1980.
B***** cold and we had our Shacklebomber parked right in the middle of the static display and a veritable host of people entering via the main door and exiting down a ladder out of the forward parachute exit.
Shame about the cold but even so there were some amazing sights.
Anyway, about mid-afternoon there was a strange sound from one of the engines and an odd smell. One of the crowd had managed to fire an engine fire bottle.
Now the rules required the engine to be run within, IIRC, 90 minutes otherwise it would become corroded and seriously sick. We asked for permission for an engine run (no fire bottle of course) and in the middle of the static area with no barriers. NIEN. So we immediately started calculating delay times for an engine change and extra DMs.
Shame. They flew in a spare bottle Monday and gave us a red line permit for a direct transit home - at least it spared us at least 6 hours ear battering. Mind you with my headache I would not have noticed.
B***** cold and we had our Shacklebomber parked right in the middle of the static display and a veritable host of people entering via the main door and exiting down a ladder out of the forward parachute exit.
Shame about the cold but even so there were some amazing sights.
Anyway, about mid-afternoon there was a strange sound from one of the engines and an odd smell. One of the crowd had managed to fire an engine fire bottle.
Now the rules required the engine to be run within, IIRC, 90 minutes otherwise it would become corroded and seriously sick. We asked for permission for an engine run (no fire bottle of course) and in the middle of the static area with no barriers. NIEN. So we immediately started calculating delay times for an engine change and extra DMs.
Shame. They flew in a spare bottle Monday and gave us a red line permit for a direct transit home - at least it spared us at least 6 hours ear battering. Mind you with my headache I would not have noticed.
Thought police antagonist
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On the subject of para dropping. Passing through MAN when they held a commerative drop from 3 / 4 Alberts and the Parachute Regt's finest. The female element of our party getting decidely moist at the prospect of seeing so many hunks in one place--the male element, being 100% ex Mil, taking bets as to what would go wrong and when.
Albert duly drops the guys and most manage to land on the airfield--however---one decided he wants to have a look at Knutsford and heads off in that direction--but the real star was the one who made a dead heading for the roof of the Fire Station-and plonked himself right on top !. It has to be said that (a) there was lots of sympathy from the females and (b) the bets as to whether he would hit the hangars went into double figures pdq !. No injuries btw.
Alberts departure from MAN was " interesting and entertaining"
Albert duly drops the guys and most manage to land on the airfield--however---one decided he wants to have a look at Knutsford and heads off in that direction--but the real star was the one who made a dead heading for the roof of the Fire Station-and plonked himself right on top !. It has to be said that (a) there was lots of sympathy from the females and (b) the bets as to whether he would hit the hangars went into double figures pdq !. No injuries btw.
Alberts departure from MAN was " interesting and entertaining"
Left Behind!
Hey, Shytorque!
You left me behind that day, I'll explain:
I was crewman on the static Wessex and was pilotless (potless!) as he had gone away for the weekend.
It looked as if one of the Mig's had gone into the village so I grabbed my helmet and ran over as I heard you start, you lifted as I got about 30m away!
Then I ran to the Chinook, but they were crewed (using a crewman from the Sea-King!).
Then ran back to the Wessex, reconnected the batteries (static-proofing!),
removed blanks/covers etc etc. "Jevens" (I think it was him) came over from the static Gazelle and we decided to get airborne with him flying (ex-Wessex) and me reading the FRC's!
Thus yours was the only properly constituted crew, apart from the SAR-boys of course!!
The TV room that night was packed!
One of the Bucanneer navs was very complimentary about the fact that helo's were lifting from the static park and the jets could only stand and watch, he came through the OCU later.
There were some good stories from the Herc/Blenheim crews about near misses too.
Some Weekend!
lsh
You left me behind that day, I'll explain:
I was crewman on the static Wessex and was pilotless (potless!) as he had gone away for the weekend.
It looked as if one of the Mig's had gone into the village so I grabbed my helmet and ran over as I heard you start, you lifted as I got about 30m away!
Then I ran to the Chinook, but they were crewed (using a crewman from the Sea-King!).
Then ran back to the Wessex, reconnected the batteries (static-proofing!),
removed blanks/covers etc etc. "Jevens" (I think it was him) came over from the static Gazelle and we decided to get airborne with him flying (ex-Wessex) and me reading the FRC's!
Thus yours was the only properly constituted crew, apart from the SAR-boys of course!!
The TV room that night was packed!
One of the Bucanneer navs was very complimentary about the fact that helo's were lifting from the static park and the jets could only stand and watch, he came through the OCU later.
There were some good stories from the Herc/Blenheim crews about near misses too.
Some Weekend!
lsh
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lsh, Indeed, a good weekend, sorry to have left you behind that time!
However, on my return to base I was called to explain to the Staish why my Puma, not on SAR standby, appeared on the 9 o'clock news, apparently in that capacity. I was asked what on earth I thought I was doing...... Words failed me, really.
A good story came afterwards. A certain ex-RAF female air trafficker, now with the AAC, trying to be friendly, naively asked a pilot in a blue flying suit at her hotel, if he'd had a good day. After drawing hard on his cigarette, he forced a smile through thin lips and said slowly, in a heavy Russian accent: "Not Ecksackly.....!"
He was now without his Mig!
There was a great set of pics, taken with a motor drive, of the vertically falling and nose-less Mig, just before it took the tailplane off a Belgian C-130. In one of the pics, there were three aircrew standing on the fuselage, below the fireball. In the next pic there were only two, then one, then none, as they all jumped off! One of them, a female crewmember, was later rescued as she was hanging off the HF aerial cable on the side of the Herc!
I spoke to a shaken RAF engineering officer as we surveyed the debris in the aircraft park. He told me what a narrow escape he'd just had. Watching the crash from below, he'd been chased along the concrete by the complete canopy of the first Mig. He jumped high in the air just before it hit him. It shot underneath him and embedded itself up the jetpipe of a Patrouille de France Alpha jet (Vive la France!).
However, on my return to base I was called to explain to the Staish why my Puma, not on SAR standby, appeared on the 9 o'clock news, apparently in that capacity. I was asked what on earth I thought I was doing...... Words failed me, really.
A good story came afterwards. A certain ex-RAF female air trafficker, now with the AAC, trying to be friendly, naively asked a pilot in a blue flying suit at her hotel, if he'd had a good day. After drawing hard on his cigarette, he forced a smile through thin lips and said slowly, in a heavy Russian accent: "Not Ecksackly.....!"
He was now without his Mig!
There was a great set of pics, taken with a motor drive, of the vertically falling and nose-less Mig, just before it took the tailplane off a Belgian C-130. In one of the pics, there were three aircrew standing on the fuselage, below the fireball. In the next pic there were only two, then one, then none, as they all jumped off! One of them, a female crewmember, was later rescued as she was hanging off the HF aerial cable on the side of the Herc!
I spoke to a shaken RAF engineering officer as we surveyed the debris in the aircraft park. He told me what a narrow escape he'd just had. Watching the crash from below, he'd been chased along the concrete by the complete canopy of the first Mig. He jumped high in the air just before it hit him. It shot underneath him and embedded itself up the jetpipe of a Patrouille de France Alpha jet (Vive la France!).
Last edited by ShyTorque; 13th Nov 2006 at 12:44.
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A very lucky display parachutist was the guy who drifted into a parking area as a P51 Mustang (ignoring the 'no turning props while parachuting in progress' rule) was warming up. His canopy caught in the blades and he was rapidly 'wound in' by the suspension lines, as onlookers frantically signalled the pilot to cut. The very last compression 'donked' him gently on the helmet, resulting in nothing worse than a headache....
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On the subject of para dropping. Passing through MAN when they held a commerative drop from 3 / 4 Alberts and the Parachute Regt's finest. The female element of our party getting decidely moist at the prospect of seeing so many hunks in one place--the male element, being 100% ex Mil, taking bets as to what would go wrong and when.
Albert duly drops the guys and most manage to land on the airfield--however---one decided he wants to have a look at Knutsford and heads off in that direction--but the real star was the one who made a dead heading for the roof of the Fire Station-and plonked himself right on top !. It has to be said that (a) there was lots of sympathy from the females and (b) the bets as to whether he would hit the hangars went into double figures pdq !. No injuries btw.
Alberts departure from MAN was " interesting and entertaining"
Albert duly drops the guys and most manage to land on the airfield--however---one decided he wants to have a look at Knutsford and heads off in that direction--but the real star was the one who made a dead heading for the roof of the Fire Station-and plonked himself right on top !. It has to be said that (a) there was lots of sympathy from the females and (b) the bets as to whether he would hit the hangars went into double figures pdq !. No injuries btw.
Alberts departure from MAN was " interesting and entertaining"
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I once marshalled a US Navy SH3 over a row of newly installed and plumbed portaloos at an airshow. In my defence I'd had words with the SNCO i/c bogs and advised him of the late arrival of said helicopter, but he outranked me.
It was rather amusing to see a row of loos on their backs, even more so when one trap door opened and the chappie i/c climbed out covered in something unmentionable.
It was rather amusing to see a row of loos on their backs, even more so when one trap door opened and the chappie i/c climbed out covered in something unmentionable.
To set the Bournemouth record straight - The pilot didn't 'mess it up'. The ac was one of 2 F4s departing and left the runway during takeoff - no 'first landing', no burst tyre. The pilot continued the takeoff and eventually landed at Lyneham.
Soz bunta about the timing
Soz bunta about the timing
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F15s at RIAT Greenham Common 1977.
Saturday display, F15 on landing keeps nose up for aerodynamic braking but Tail scrapes it all along the runway with loads of sparks very impressive.
Sunday display, Takes off full chat straight into a high half Cuban comes back along the display line low and very very fast but with the wheels still down.
You can almost hear ATC telling him. Very subdued throttle back and climb to downwind and landing followed by the services.
Saturday display, F15 on landing keeps nose up for aerodynamic braking but Tail scrapes it all along the runway with loads of sparks very impressive.
Sunday display, Takes off full chat straight into a high half Cuban comes back along the display line low and very very fast but with the wheels still down.
You can almost hear ATC telling him. Very subdued throttle back and climb to downwind and landing followed by the services.
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Africa
Two that readily spring to mind!
Scene - small rural up country African airport, mid nineties after years of civil war. They have just finished their first, in recent memory airshow, acts from neighbouring countries there to help celebrate the peace settlement, decommissioned warbirds, crazy flying and some biplane aerobatics. Populace from miles around walk to airshow.
Local traffic held whilst the small show takes place (Nottamed but almost impossible to access unless you were in the Capital).
First aircraft out is a DC4, laden with food-aid for the hinterland - accelerates down the runway, a chap taking the familiar short cut home steps onto the runway and gets eaten by P&W#4. Time is money and the '4 lumbers off to make its delivery.
Second aircraft out is a C206. Our hero, a national has been so transfixed by rolling and spinning aircraft, now realises that he is a sky-God. Take off, nose up, haul her round onto downwind, level at 600'agl and attempts his first ever barrel-roll. The first part of the roll happens - as it gets to knife-edge it is so apparent to some observers that he's not going to get all the way round. Aircraft descends inverted, down 45 and takes out a mud hut killing all 5 in the hut AND all four on-board. Nice chap, liked him but WTF was he thinking when he decided to "join-in".
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Africa's busiest airfield.
The 1994 Annual Airshow at Johannesburg's Lanseria.
Silver Falcon SAAF display team showing off their Saai Machetti jets. Lead solo popped into a loop and suddenly a wing fell off. Pilot ejects and follows stricken aircraft to the same grid reference. So sad.
Scene - small rural up country African airport, mid nineties after years of civil war. They have just finished their first, in recent memory airshow, acts from neighbouring countries there to help celebrate the peace settlement, decommissioned warbirds, crazy flying and some biplane aerobatics. Populace from miles around walk to airshow.
Local traffic held whilst the small show takes place (Nottamed but almost impossible to access unless you were in the Capital).
First aircraft out is a DC4, laden with food-aid for the hinterland - accelerates down the runway, a chap taking the familiar short cut home steps onto the runway and gets eaten by P&W#4. Time is money and the '4 lumbers off to make its delivery.
Second aircraft out is a C206. Our hero, a national has been so transfixed by rolling and spinning aircraft, now realises that he is a sky-God. Take off, nose up, haul her round onto downwind, level at 600'agl and attempts his first ever barrel-roll. The first part of the roll happens - as it gets to knife-edge it is so apparent to some observers that he's not going to get all the way round. Aircraft descends inverted, down 45 and takes out a mud hut killing all 5 in the hut AND all four on-board. Nice chap, liked him but WTF was he thinking when he decided to "join-in".
--------------------------------------------------------
Africa's busiest airfield.
The 1994 Annual Airshow at Johannesburg's Lanseria.
Silver Falcon SAAF display team showing off their Saai Machetti jets. Lead solo popped into a loop and suddenly a wing fell off. Pilot ejects and follows stricken aircraft to the same grid reference. So sad.
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Possibly apocryphal...
During the bush war an exuberant Zambian pilot in a mil jet flew a few aerobatics over Livingstone, completed the excercise and set up on final to land, where his brothers then promptly shot him down. Appears they weren't convinced he was local as the flying exceeded anything they'd ever seen. 
During the bush war an exuberant Zambian pilot in a mil jet flew a few aerobatics over Livingstone, completed the excercise and set up on final to land, where his brothers then promptly shot him down. Appears they weren't convinced he was local as the flying exceeded anything they'd ever seen.
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airshow c**k ups
Re the incident with the 2 x F4s it was as i recall 1984, earlier a light aircraft was towing a banner advertising the airshow, this was dropped on the runway and rolled up on the grass just off of the active r.way. Shortly after a C130 took off and it would appear that the prop wash blew said banner on to the r.way,the next departure was the pair of F4s one of which snagged on the banner,causing a braking effect on the port side u/c of one of the F4s & it took to the grass. just as he managed to get the thing airborne the back seater banged out, sustaining the usual ejection injuries,thankfully not serious. It was later put out on the public address system that the aircraft had made a safe landing at Lyneham,after a somewhat draughty trip! Alas i was changing the film in my camera at the time, but someone somewhere must have some pics.