"No - really - I wasn't chopped - honestly!"
Yes, Him
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There was a driver at Finningley in the 1960s with RAF Wings on his uniform, which was that of Leon Motors, the village bus company.
Someone (Station Commander?) at RAF Finningley objected and it ran in the local papers. Can't remember how it ended, but there were an awful lot of ex WWII Polish aircrew settled in the Donny/Finningley/Lindholme area, I think he was one of them.
Someone (Station Commander?) at RAF Finningley objected and it ran in the local papers. Can't remember how it ended, but there were an awful lot of ex WWII Polish aircrew settled in the Donny/Finningley/Lindholme area, I think he was one of them.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
FZ, that might have been the time when an officer (and a gentleman) returning to the Mess one Saturday saw a naked lady run through the entrance hall.
Shocked, he was considering how he was going to report this when a naked OC AW was seen following. By now, thoroughly startled, he was considering calling the station commander when who should run naked in the other direction.
He turned about smartly and went for another round of golf.
Or so I have been told.
Same time, the staish allowed the local hunt to take over the entire mess for a hunt ball. We mere livers-in were confined to a scruffs bar in one of the TV rooms.
Or so I remember, especially the monumental headache the next day and the batty, peering under the bathroom door to see if I was OK.
Shocked, he was considering how he was going to report this when a naked OC AW was seen following. By now, thoroughly startled, he was considering calling the station commander when who should run naked in the other direction.
He turned about smartly and went for another round of golf.
Or so I have been told.
Same time, the staish allowed the local hunt to take over the entire mess for a hunt ball. We mere livers-in were confined to a scruffs bar in one of the TV rooms.
Or so I remember, especially the monumental headache the next day and the batty, peering under the bathroom door to see if I was OK.
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
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In many ways you highlight what has always been the problem for service personnel who leave after long stints. They have become so Institutionalised that coping in the outside world becomes impossible so solace is sought in the demon drink.
Some end up in prison which is just another institution they can cope within.
Some end up in prison which is just another institution they can cope within.
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I found this in an article about the Breitling Jet Team in the current issue of Pilot magazine:
Dan Tye writes: "I left the RAF during my fast jet training on the Tucano, I was seduced by Skiing"
I'm not sure that's the full story but the article describes this as a story about flying with the world's only civilian jet formation team.
That bit is definitely not correct.
Dan Tye writes: "I left the RAF during my fast jet training on the Tucano, I was seduced by Skiing"
I'm not sure that's the full story but the article describes this as a story about flying with the world's only civilian jet formation team.
That bit is definitely not correct.
Join Date: Oct 2003
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The benefits of being chopped
Speaking one day to my Son's father in law, A Group Captain fighter controller, he let slip that he had failed pilot training. "What do you think you would now be had you not failed" I asked? "A Flt Lt pilot" was the reply.
A friend of mine got chopped, and so retrained as an ATCO. After leaving the RAF, he became a civilian controller, and now earns more and has a much better and healthier lifestyle than most of my friends who are civilian pilots.
Avoid imitations
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I found this in an article about the Breitling Jet Team in the current issue of Pilot magazine:
Dan Tye writes: "I left the RAF during my fast jet training on the Tucano, I was seduced by Skiing
Dan Tye writes: "I left the RAF during my fast jet training on the Tucano, I was seduced by Skiing
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I like the one about the baby siggie at FY in the early 80's, who photocopied the whole exercise plan for the "comms trainer" one evening whilst on 'keys.' Our hero then proceeds to plaster the inside of the "trainer" with all the correct, word-perfect, staff written replies to all the exercise injects (radio calls etc.) once inside ready to commence said exercise. Only trouble was, he got out of sync and started giving the next-but-one answer, whereupon the Staff (might have been P*te L*ng*n,) threw the door to his cubicle open to reveal the cheating b*st*rd.
Same guy was overheard later in the Mess on the phone to his girl, confidently predicting that he wouldn't get chopped, as he was far too good... he was gone within the week...
Same guy was overheard later in the Mess on the phone to his girl, confidently predicting that he wouldn't get chopped, as he was far too good... he was gone within the week...
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
A Bomber Command Bombing Comp had a comms coding element. Each aircraft would receive a coded question. Each crew had to decode the question, determine the answer, encode it and transmit it. The shortest time got the highest score.
Our heros, with Dave *r*m as the AEO, prepared a series of coded replies to the standard range of questions. The AEO took down the coded message; the plotter decoded the message and the Nav Rad selected the correct encoded reply.
No sooner had DA acknowledged when he started to send the reply. The time was brilliant butit was the wrong message
Dan Tye
Our very own mini David Hasselhoff lookalike!
He was on my course. Weirdly, I then bumped into him in Banff a year or so later when he was on his skiing odyssey. Small world.
BV
He was on my course. Weirdly, I then bumped into him in Banff a year or so later when he was on his skiing odyssey. Small world.
BV
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Hi Beags,
Just checked him out on Friends Reunited. Initials "CL" Flying B777 out of OMDB
Just checked him out on Friends Reunited. Initials "CL" Flying B777 out of OMDB
Join Date: Sep 2007
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ULAS 1985-1986, being a speccy was not going Aircrew anyway, but got a few hours with Mike Blee in a Bulldog. I was airsick almost every trip, and I can't honestly remember if Mike told me I wasn't any good or I worked out myself I wasn't any good. Eitherway, didn't get any more flying.
If the subject ever came up in conversation, my answer was always "I just wasn't good enough". Unlike some peaches I have heard from people who evidently didn't cope with being fallible.
Fast forward 20 years and the missus gets me a flying school gift voucher, PPL, CPL, FIC with Patt Plunkett at On-Track, 1000 odd hours later and no airsickness.
Trouble is, not enough work to stay current (1-2 hours a fortnight), so voluntarily off flying until instruction work picks up.
In raw ability, capacity, spatial awareness etc, I'd never have made QSP. But knowing that , helps my judgement, which in some way make up for my average flying skills.
cheers!
If the subject ever came up in conversation, my answer was always "I just wasn't good enough". Unlike some peaches I have heard from people who evidently didn't cope with being fallible.
Fast forward 20 years and the missus gets me a flying school gift voucher, PPL, CPL, FIC with Patt Plunkett at On-Track, 1000 odd hours later and no airsickness.
Trouble is, not enough work to stay current (1-2 hours a fortnight), so voluntarily off flying until instruction work picks up.
In raw ability, capacity, spatial awareness etc, I'd never have made QSP. But knowing that , helps my judgement, which in some way make up for my average flying skills.
cheers!
Not chopped exactly but I asked to be taken off the Gazelle low level phase, (lead-in to Chinook course), at Shawbury, as I really wanted SAR.
I was allowed to swap with another student, Rick Cook, who had been nominated for the SAR course. He was very keen to get onto Chinooks.
I was allowed to swap with another student, Rick Cook, who had been nominated for the SAR course. He was very keen to get onto Chinooks.
Avoid imitations
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Lucky break, Bertie.....