Events you never thought would happen.
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Events you never thought would happen.
I'm sat in a bar in Buenos Aires, on a work trip, and couldn't help but cast my mind back to 1982.
I was 14 in 1982, but I can recall it like yesterday. The country pulling together, the shuttle diplomacy. The famous words of Brian Hanrahan. Ian MacDonald. Even the text of the signal announcing victory "Be pleased to inform Her Majesty...". All of it through the eyes of a 14 year old Airfix Boy of course. I never thought I would end up in Buenos Aires.
This set me thinking. On my technically last day in the mob (though in reality I had been out for 12 weeks), I was in Moscow. Completely unthinkable when I took the Queen's Shilling 15 years previously.
Perhaps I am getting old! What a sobering thought.Any more out there?
I was 14 in 1982, but I can recall it like yesterday. The country pulling together, the shuttle diplomacy. The famous words of Brian Hanrahan. Ian MacDonald. Even the text of the signal announcing victory "Be pleased to inform Her Majesty...". All of it through the eyes of a 14 year old Airfix Boy of course. I never thought I would end up in Buenos Aires.
This set me thinking. On my technically last day in the mob (though in reality I had been out for 12 weeks), I was in Moscow. Completely unthinkable when I took the Queen's Shilling 15 years previously.
Perhaps I am getting old! What a sobering thought.Any more out there?
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"through the eyes of a 14 year old Airfix Boy"
I didn't know airfix made boys. Did they have as many fiddly bits as the planes? Could they really see?
Credit where its due, you must have put him together well, my models never lasted as long as 14 years, bits kept coming off with every dogfight!
I didn't know airfix made boys. Did they have as many fiddly bits as the planes? Could they really see?
Credit where its due, you must have put him together well, my models never lasted as long as 14 years, bits kept coming off with every dogfight!
Last edited by movin' up; 1st Feb 2007 at 00:46.
One year after standing in the Oval Office at the White House....found myself standing in the Great Hall in Beijing.
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Yep, sitting QRA in Lithuania; and flying around Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia in a semi tooled up F3.
Weird having the guys guarding your HAS using AK's and proper 'russian' style wooly hats with the ear flaps!
Weird having the guys guarding your HAS using AK's and proper 'russian' style wooly hats with the ear flaps!
Walking around Red Square on an Open Skies visit after having spent most of my service career on Nimrods with the consequent indirect day to day dealings with the Soviets.
Then saying ........ enough is enough, both from a country and RAF perspective...... and moving to NZ.
Then saying ........ enough is enough, both from a country and RAF perspective...... and moving to NZ.
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Found myself thinking about being kidnapped and beheaded in Birmingham by some British citizens. Didn't think that was something that I'd see!
Thought the days of wearing civvies to/from work and checking under my car were long gone...
FundaMENTALism. My favourite!
Thought the days of wearing civvies to/from work and checking under my car were long gone...
FundaMENTALism. My favourite!
Bruggen '88 or '89, I recall carrying out a demonstration OTR in my HAS for a group of Russian officers who were on a visit. It seemed very strange to me as I had spent all of my career ensuring that they didn't get far enough to see such things. When, after the OTR had finished, we were introduced to them, I told their leader of my thoughts; he laughed and agreed!
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Saluting the White Ensign at a Ceremonial Sunset on board HMS Fearless stood next to a Russian Naval Admiral (also saluting) in Sevastopol Harbour, moored next to two Sovremeny !! in 1999.
Looking over my shoulder to see two tooled up Polish MIG 29's on my wing as my wingmen during some MFFO training in 2004.
Looking over my shoulder to see two tooled up Polish MIG 29's on my wing as my wingmen during some MFFO training in 2004.
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Being a young SAC in 1982 during the Falklands war, watching from the uk and feeling the elation along with the rest of the country and feeling that the battle was over, and then being there nearly 25 years later still waiting for the Argies to come back over the hill, or at least that was what they told me we were there for???
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Dark Helmet, at the same time, escorting the Russian CAS and the Norwegian VCAS in the E3 Sim at Waddo.
The base commander from Siauliak (Moss/Mainstay) was in attendance. Quite a rigmarol removing all the UK Eyes stuff as the Noggie was not cleared.
The base commander from Siauliak (Moss/Mainstay) was in attendance. Quite a rigmarol removing all the UK Eyes stuff as the Noggie was not cleared.
Ta for that, Radalt - hardly seems any time at all since I put 2 of them in. They might've been heavy, but they flew beautifully all the way down from EGAA. Hope the MAWS didn't keep poking off flares while you were lifting them out - used to keep the sappers on their toes.
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Dark Helmet - must have been '89 as I remember it too - I was conscripted as an 'OIC' in a sports display, and remember noticing that the higher the rank, the larger the hat!
I also remember a staff major at IOT in 1986 declaring that Germany would be re-united in the next 5 years - we all thought he was barking.
Ll
I also remember a staff major at IOT in 1986 declaring that Germany would be re-united in the next 5 years - we all thought he was barking.
Ll
Welcoming 4 x Il-62s to Brize when Gorbachev came to chat with Maggie....then having coffee served by what we first took to be a Rosa Kleb clone - but who turned out to be a jolly matronly type who was i/c several delectable little stewardesses!
Watching 40 KGB peeps in identical macs disappear off to the Gateway for lunch - and 39 come back. They'd missed no. 40 having a leak in the loo and mistakenly left him behind - but the spooks thought he was snooping!
Asking a Russian if it was OK for the AOC to come and look round his Il-62.
Flying BBC, ITN etc....and TASS in a Vickers FunBus to welcome 2 x MiG 29s to Farnborough.
...and watching Scampton and Abingdon and Wattisham being abandoned to their fate as the RAF pulled out.
But learning that Kelvin Rucksack was going to be Stn Cdr at the Covert Oxonian Aerodrome was probably the biggest shock of all time!
Watching 40 KGB peeps in identical macs disappear off to the Gateway for lunch - and 39 come back. They'd missed no. 40 having a leak in the loo and mistakenly left him behind - but the spooks thought he was snooping!
Asking a Russian if it was OK for the AOC to come and look round his Il-62.
Flying BBC, ITN etc....and TASS in a Vickers FunBus to welcome 2 x MiG 29s to Farnborough.
...and watching Scampton and Abingdon and Wattisham being abandoned to their fate as the RAF pulled out.
But learning that Kelvin Rucksack was going to be Stn Cdr at the Covert Oxonian Aerodrome was probably the biggest shock of all time!
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Sitting next to a Kazak Major, in the Mess of a secret Lincolnshire airbase, having coffee after lunch.
He was studying Exchange and Mart for Lada spares.
He was studying Exchange and Mart for Lada spares.
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In a V Sqn F3, escorting the 2 x Mig-29s into Farnboro, along with Beags - around '88, as I recall. The Vickers Funbus provided a smooth platform to formate on, as we had several cloud layers to descend through - the Migs flew close on the Funbus and we flew on the Migs wing....
Having a very boozy, funny and pleasant evening with a KGB Officer at a garden party at the British Embassy in Amman, Jordan.
His wife was drop dead gorgeous as well and I was so disappointed that I did not know anything worth him getting her to shag me for.
His wife was drop dead gorgeous as well and I was so disappointed that I did not know anything worth him getting her to shag me for.
30 Aug 1988, in fact. Fun, wasn't it!
Mind you, the best part (or rather, parts) was having Flight's delightful Janice Low pressing against me as she took her photos out of the left flight deck window....
Ironic that the Fulcrum A was '10' and the Fulcrum B was '53' - both old Brize Norton sqn numbers!
Unfortunately, one of the F3s kept trying to get between us and the MiGs - contrary to the brief. But the films made the 6 o'clock news on BBC and ITV!
Mind you, the best part (or rather, parts) was having Flight's delightful Janice Low pressing against me as she took her photos out of the left flight deck window....
Ironic that the Fulcrum A was '10' and the Fulcrum B was '53' - both old Brize Norton sqn numbers!
Unfortunately, one of the F3s kept trying to get between us and the MiGs - contrary to the brief. But the films made the 6 o'clock news on BBC and ITV!
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Mind you, the best part (or rather, parts) was having Flight's delightful Janice Low pressing against me as she took her panties out of the left flight deck window....
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In a bar in Buenos Aires in 1995 (now employed by UK Charter Airline) and getting ratted with a load of Argies who had been conscripted in 1982. Terrific night out.