Gutersloh, 1980's
Gentleman Aviator
Great place, Gut. Land of wobbly, bratties, charlies, schnellies.....all now just a distant memory.
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I had the pleasure of Gutersloh from Apr 85 to Apr 89, went there as a married man and returned as a single one; says everything really!
It was far and away the best station in RAFG at the time, good CO, good mates, good job = good morale. There was a spate of accidents (Harrier & SH) in, I think, about 88 that drew a bit of a cloud at the time but really all I can remember are the good times.
It was far and away the best station in RAFG at the time, good CO, good mates, good job = good morale. There was a spate of accidents (Harrier & SH) in, I think, about 88 that drew a bit of a cloud at the time but really all I can remember are the good times.
I remember walking to work early one Saturday morning in the late 80's, and spying a NAAFI shopping trolley a good 40 feet up in the trees at the side of the car park and thinking 'How?'.
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Growling, the saving grace to the taceval part one was that it was called at OMG on a Wednesday morning, that Wednesday fortunately being a German bank holiday. I recollect that we managed to taxi a few aircraft simulating a survival 'scramble' but couldn't fly due to the holiday. The staish (Tony McKeown) certainly had little sleep, if any. As an ops bod, I can say that we managed to meet manning requirements but there were those who happily sept through the whole exercise, including endex declared sometime early afternoon.
Mid 87 to 91, 18 sqd, great times, great people, great functions/beer calls, the beer, the BBQs, the detachments, did I mention the beer and food as well. Wanted to do the 5th year to move with 18 to Bruggen but was not allowed, which is what happens when you upset the boss.
that taceval
I seem to remember that prior to the taceval we had just finished a station minival hence everyone getting particularly leathered at the Mess bash! I can remember the execs pondering on who to crew up just in case we had to launch! Tiger tiger
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MGD:
Unlucky ! Who did you pi¤¤ off ?
Gut 88 - 90. 230 (tiger tiger ggrrrr ) Sqn
Would love to tell more - but I was too drunk to remember
As Sat came after Fri eve = the mess / a sqn / the mally / the pizza wagon behind blk 32 =
I remember walking to work early one Saturday morning in the late 80's
Gut 88 - 90. 230 (tiger tiger ggrrrr ) Sqn
Would love to tell more - but I was too drunk to remember
As Sat came after Fri eve = the mess / a sqn / the mally / the pizza wagon behind blk 32 =
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Apa, apo ndi kulikonse!
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1989-1992. HSS, which became the SHFHQ. Life in the tasking cell with Jolly Geoff and Schultz (and Syd Hutch and all of the MAOTS)
Best RAF tour by far. Best 3 year period of my life probably. Life was truly great there for us. Job great (working for Sam Hunt) and socially just perfect.
I had forgotten about the Pizza wagon, the Chicken Inn and Kegelbahn until I read this.......
Hard to list the great times - but tiger meets, heading to Ramstein to pick up 16 camp cots that I borrowed (and thus needing a Puma to collect that day) - bribing EVERYONE on the way with one of the then new to most American Cots. Flying with George Duncan over the Mohnesee 'fairly low' in a black puma with a yellow tiger down the side and paws over the sponsons. I ended up with 6 left after my dodgy dealings but ended up with spare gore tex (rare at the time!) a SUSAT (don't ask!) and an aircrew watch ;-)
Also tasking a puma to pick up AOC RAFG from Wegberg VIP Helipad... but putting the Wegberg strip grid ref in the tasking sheet.... and Sam Hunt sending me to the Stn Cdr to explain the err!! (I still remember him grinning at me saying "best take your hat....!")
Happy days.
Best RAF tour by far. Best 3 year period of my life probably. Life was truly great there for us. Job great (working for Sam Hunt) and socially just perfect.
I had forgotten about the Pizza wagon, the Chicken Inn and Kegelbahn until I read this.......
Hard to list the great times - but tiger meets, heading to Ramstein to pick up 16 camp cots that I borrowed (and thus needing a Puma to collect that day) - bribing EVERYONE on the way with one of the then new to most American Cots. Flying with George Duncan over the Mohnesee 'fairly low' in a black puma with a yellow tiger down the side and paws over the sponsons. I ended up with 6 left after my dodgy dealings but ended up with spare gore tex (rare at the time!) a SUSAT (don't ask!) and an aircrew watch ;-)
Also tasking a puma to pick up AOC RAFG from Wegberg VIP Helipad... but putting the Wegberg strip grid ref in the tasking sheet.... and Sam Hunt sending me to the Stn Cdr to explain the err!! (I still remember him grinning at me saying "best take your hat....!")
Happy days.
431 MU Det '83-'84 Chinook and Harrier Cat 3's - Living in the MU Attic and drinking Wobbly - Bliss!
18 Sqn and PCSF from '89 to closure in '92 (handover) - absolute heaven - except for 10 months away from home in the first year!!!
Moved down to PCMF at Laarparts. 92-93
18 Sqn and PCSF from '89 to closure in '92 (handover) - absolute heaven - except for 10 months away from home in the first year!!!
Moved down to PCMF at Laarparts. 92-93
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Trips down town to the 'Rends Ici' - the only uniform I didn't go in was my 1's - remember one of the gateguards coming over to explain to 3 of us in the phonebox by the Main Gate that it was necessary to put more than 10pfg in to get a dial tone - we may have been socially confused, but were certainly resplendent in our 5s! Not sure if we ever got to our destination..........
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HSF '81 - '84. Best tour of the lot. Being posted from Odiham I had a lot of friends on the heli side as well so even arriving on a bank holiday was good
I've got some photos scanned and ready to load but my profile excludes that permission. Any suggestions?
Exrigga:
Just as well, they went to Laarbruch (or RAF Vell as they called it) and didn't seem overly happy when I was there.
R
I've got some photos scanned and ready to load but my profile excludes that permission. Any suggestions? Exrigga:
Wanted to do the 5th year to move with 18 to Bruggen but was not allowed,
R
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Camping and Rugby
Camping
Handy Forge
Hard Frost
Hazel Flute
S10 Respirator trial 24 hours in the thing...Backseaters looked very pale after a trip ! Culminated in a Wild boar found dead in a tent containing fullers earth bags, which it had been gorging on. All sugestions to BBQ it denied.
Being woken up on a hover pad, after a rather hard night by Dog handler and his charge...the latter licking my face until I moved !
Deployment to Mengeles hospital grounds...."No digging chaps"..
Maggie Thatchers visit to 4 Sqn site ?
Site completed all hides under wraps everyone hunkered down....apart from Sootie pal and myself partaking in a chewing gum (Not a euphemisim) out in the open. Jet does overhead photo run to check site camouflage. Photos posted outside mess tent. Big red letters...Who are you ? and an arrow pointing to us !
Rugby
Away game 17th/21st Lancers .."Your ball Sir".....Several Pikes (Later described as Lances) liberated, along with half a tank track ! The track we can keep but could we have our Lances back ?
Gorillas cellar bar...if I short changed you I'm sorry...I was a boy amongst men and one very large WRAF.
Best years in the mob no doubt
Handy Forge
Hard Frost
Hazel Flute
S10 Respirator trial 24 hours in the thing...Backseaters looked very pale after a trip ! Culminated in a Wild boar found dead in a tent containing fullers earth bags, which it had been gorging on. All sugestions to BBQ it denied.
Being woken up on a hover pad, after a rather hard night by Dog handler and his charge...the latter licking my face until I moved !
Deployment to Mengeles hospital grounds...."No digging chaps"..
Maggie Thatchers visit to 4 Sqn site ?
Site completed all hides under wraps everyone hunkered down....apart from Sootie pal and myself partaking in a chewing gum (Not a euphemisim) out in the open. Jet does overhead photo run to check site camouflage. Photos posted outside mess tent. Big red letters...Who are you ? and an arrow pointing to us !
Rugby
Away game 17th/21st Lancers .."Your ball Sir".....Several Pikes (Later described as Lances) liberated, along with half a tank track ! The track we can keep but could we have our Lances back ?
Gorillas cellar bar...if I short changed you I'm sorry...I was a boy amongst men and one very large WRAF.
Best years in the mob no doubt
Last edited by ARINC; 4th Jun 2011 at 18:11. Reason: More
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85 - 88
HSF. Field Repair Teams. Holding up all the civie lorry drivers with our old, underpowered heaps crawling down the motorways. JFX Hunt was Flt Sgt 84 Sqn in the late 70s. A man who could speak a whole sentence in initials and acronyms. Schledebruck Strasse flats. The painting in the HSF tea bar (I still have photos of that). the Mally. What fun.
