Cancel the two late teas....
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I remember reading the Akrotiri double flame out report when I was engineering Canberras in the 80s. Run and (vertical) break to impress wating for depature Buccs. No fuel recuperators on that mark of Canberra as he found out after the bunt over the top at 5000ft. IIRC the pilot suggested to the nav that he intended to glide back to the runway - a decision which was queried by said nav. They both banged out and the pilot was too busy watching the mighty bomber hitting the sea that he forgot to lower his PSP. He then said he couldn't bail out his dinghy due to a lack of bailer. The report ended with the the statement that 'the bailer was later found in the pocket marked 'bailer'. It really wasn't his day.
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I first encountered the phrase "cancel two late lunches" in relation to the loss of an 43(F) FG-1 in the late eighties.( 1988 I believe, I was squadron groundcrew at the time.)
The Aircraft crashed into the North Sea, with the loss of both crew, having last been seen intercepting a four ship of Buccaneers during an Exercise (Elder Forest I seem to recall).
There was a center spread in one of the papers (Mail or Express I think) shortly after that was either about the Exercise itself or Leuchars and the RAF in general. Part of the piece touched on the crash- and used the quote above. I'm not sure if the quote was attributed to the Crew in this instance (I think it may have been) or was from another source commenting on the incident. From the other posts in the thread it would appear that the phrase had its origins some time earlier.
The Aircraft crashed into the North Sea, with the loss of both crew, having last been seen intercepting a four ship of Buccaneers during an Exercise (Elder Forest I seem to recall).
There was a center spread in one of the papers (Mail or Express I think) shortly after that was either about the Exercise itself or Leuchars and the RAF in general. Part of the piece touched on the crash- and used the quote above. I'm not sure if the quote was attributed to the Crew in this instance (I think it may have been) or was from another source commenting on the incident. From the other posts in the thread it would appear that the phrase had its origins some time earlier.
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re the Akrotiri crash - Pilot became subject of SH song "A little mistake by me and I'm on my way to rotary"
His loss of a year's seniority did't hinder; last heard of as an Air Commodore.
His loss of a year's seniority did't hinder; last heard of as an Air Commodore.
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First Gulf War, 2 yanks chatting on guard, when a very British voice, with helo noise in background, asks if they have quite finished. Suitable apologies from chastised yanks, followed by Brit, now accompanied by various background aural warnings, 'Mayday Mayday Mayday, this is...........'
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My Flt Cdr on my first Sqn had done an exchange tour with the Navy flying Scimitars. He told the tale of a launch that went wrong and the aircraft shot off the front just as the pointy end of the ship was pointing downwards (it was a stormyish day and the front end was going up and down quite a bit). From the deck, it looked as if the aircraft flew into the top of a wave, however, it re-appeared staggering skywards accompanied by the r/t "Thank you God, I have control now"
You mean like this take off from a carrier?
aircraft launched into a wave from a carrier
I hope I never need to be that lucky!
aircraft launched into a wave from a carrier
I hope I never need to be that lucky!
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This brings Maydays home...... Chilling
This audio file of a VFR pilot who has lost control in the clouds is absolutely terrifying. Recorded by the Flight Service Station in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photoga...ightassist.mp3
This audio file of a VFR pilot who has lost control in the clouds is absolutely terrifying. Recorded by the Flight Service Station in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photoga...ightassist.mp3
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re Canberra at Akrotiri.
Sounds awfully like the story surrounding the Canberra (WK116) that gets regular visitors, one wing at 35m down, the rest somewhat deeper.
The nav's seat was brought to the surface a few years back. Current whereabouts unknown.
Sounds awfully like the story surrounding the Canberra (WK116) that gets regular visitors, one wing at 35m down, the rest somewhat deeper.
The nav's seat was brought to the surface a few years back. Current whereabouts unknown.
Capt N N,
The accident to which you refer was in March 1983 at Akronelli. The Bucc OCU was on detachment and had a four-ship lining up. The said Canberra did a showboating low pass along the runway downwind and pulled up over the Bucc formation.
I was on the VAS pan at the time strapping myself and a stude into a Falke motor glider. A cpl and jnr tech from VAS were waiting for the Canberra with a pair of marshalling bats and a set of chocks.
As the Canberra pulled up I lost sight of it as it went into my six o'clock. However, I clearly heard the bang bang as the martin-baker equipment functioned correctly.
The airmen who had watched the whole affair turned to each other and I remember to this day exactly what the cpl said "No point in staying here mate, it's gone in". With that they walked off back to VAS without further comment!
Of course within seconds there were a million heads in local and sirens all over the place. It took me a while to have the temerity to call for taxi!
The Canberra nav was in the bar that evening and the pilot was in dock with a sore back.
In the following days I never heard anyone mention any witty transmission by the crew, so I don't believe this was the apocryphal accident.
The accident to which you refer was in March 1983 at Akronelli. The Bucc OCU was on detachment and had a four-ship lining up. The said Canberra did a showboating low pass along the runway downwind and pulled up over the Bucc formation.
I was on the VAS pan at the time strapping myself and a stude into a Falke motor glider. A cpl and jnr tech from VAS were waiting for the Canberra with a pair of marshalling bats and a set of chocks.
As the Canberra pulled up I lost sight of it as it went into my six o'clock. However, I clearly heard the bang bang as the martin-baker equipment functioned correctly.
The airmen who had watched the whole affair turned to each other and I remember to this day exactly what the cpl said "No point in staying here mate, it's gone in". With that they walked off back to VAS without further comment!
Of course within seconds there were a million heads in local and sirens all over the place. It took me a while to have the temerity to call for taxi!
The Canberra nav was in the bar that evening and the pilot was in dock with a sore back.
In the following days I never heard anyone mention any witty transmission by the crew, so I don't believe this was the apocryphal accident.
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WRT to the Akronelli Canberra, I was on TASF at the time, but off shift. Shortly after the crash alarm went a tannoy went out for any qualified divers to report to 10 Port immediately. I had my gear in the back of the car, fully charged, so pootled off down the beach road. When I got there, the only one to respond I hasten to add, they wanted me to do a rope dive onto what was left. 'What depth?" I asked, 'About 300 feet' came the reply. After picking myself up of the floor and giving them a quick lesson in physics, we stood on the dock and there was this heavy graunching sound as one Her Majesty's finest launchs wrapped it's prop around a 1" hawser in their haste to get out to the scene. Cut to the chase, I got my rope dive, hacksawing through said hawser underneath the launch at a depth of about 6 feet........they did buy me a case of Keo though for getting them out of the sh1t 
I suppose it takes the SH Force to do it the other way round!?
In the Falklands "Gibbo" is reputed to have ordered "4 late meals" on the HF, when he heard that Atlantic Conveyor was sunk!
lsh
In the Falklands "Gibbo" is reputed to have ordered "4 late meals" on the HF, when he heard that Atlantic Conveyor was sunk!
lsh
