One mans tale of his battle to recover from his F3 Ejection.
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One mans tale of his battle to recover from his F3 Ejection.
A link that was posted over on the Flypast forums narrating the recovery of Ian Weaver from his horrific injuries incurred during his ejection from his F3 In January 96, written in his own words.
My Accident | Ian Weaver
Makes some sober reading.
My Accident | Ian Weaver
Makes some sober reading.
Severe pain and unable to communicate fact. Nightmare!
I guess he's ex 360 ("you wanted to cross over to the RAF").
Ref people's comments; whilst in RAF, lying in bed one morning before going in to work and listening to radio news " . . crash . . RAF xxx . . all killed . . " Up until that point I'd thought that an involuntary physical reaction to news was made up fillum stuff.
I guess he's ex 360 ("you wanted to cross over to the RAF").
Ref people's comments; whilst in RAF, lying in bed one morning before going in to work and listening to radio news " . . crash . . RAF xxx . . all killed . . " Up until that point I'd thought that an involuntary physical reaction to news was made up fillum stuff.
I can remember when Ian "Wibble" Weaver came into the bar for Happy Hour for the first time and I was truly amazed at what an incredible recovery he had made - a truly herculean effort. He was perfect for the simulator as well as he gave very good instruction on ejection techniques and what not to do!
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Now he has even written a couple of pretty good novels!
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Thought I'd register and make an appearance only to find I'd registered in 2000 and never posted!!!! Thanks for putting the link up NutLoose and thanks to all those that have taken the time to read it. Thanks also for the comments, and yes Basil; whilst in the RN I did a tour on 360 - great fun for a helo backseater.
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Jeez. Deep, deep respect.
When I read the blog the one thing that stood out was the attitude of mind and approach to life that most of us that have served or are serving in the RAF have.
When I read the blog the one thing that stood out was the attitude of mind and approach to life that most of us that have served or are serving in the RAF have.
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It would be easy to suggest you were extremely lucky to survive that horrific incident, but once those two aircraft collided was it luck, was your guardian angel hovering over you? Did the grim reaper have their greedy paws on some other unfortunate soul, who knows??
You have said many words that have described this incident, the unbelievable injuries which should have seen you presented with a new set of virgin white angelic wings, but to me what has not been written is the other type of equally painful ordeal you no doubt went through.
One minute you were a highly qualified instructor in a position us mere mortals can only ever dream of and within a blink of an eye that career had ended! Coming to terms with that must surely not have been as 'easy' as waiting for bones to mend and I am guessing there were more than one or two very dark days on your road to recovery?
I dread to think of the anguish your next of kin had to go through, not knowing hour to hour whether you would survive and then when you found out your career was over! That to me is possibly the bigger issue to come to terms with. We tend to think about the casualty but without the support of those 'back seaters' then perhaps we might not have this same ending.
Finally I commend your ability to accept what happened, 'happened' and life moves on. Your attitude does you immense credit and in my opinion it is the only attitude to adopt, feeling remorse, angry or bitter is always a recipe for a very poor quality of life, and no matter what we have been through, what we have suffered, there is ALWAYS a whole host of people far worse off.
I wish you every success with your books, the after dinner speaking and who knows, maybe even a film. Respect to you, to the gentleman farmer that must have seen a sight that he had never seen before but somehow managed to deal with and respect to ALL the docs, medics etc that stuck you back together again.
Yours very sincerely,
John
You have said many words that have described this incident, the unbelievable injuries which should have seen you presented with a new set of virgin white angelic wings, but to me what has not been written is the other type of equally painful ordeal you no doubt went through.
One minute you were a highly qualified instructor in a position us mere mortals can only ever dream of and within a blink of an eye that career had ended! Coming to terms with that must surely not have been as 'easy' as waiting for bones to mend and I am guessing there were more than one or two very dark days on your road to recovery?
I dread to think of the anguish your next of kin had to go through, not knowing hour to hour whether you would survive and then when you found out your career was over! That to me is possibly the bigger issue to come to terms with. We tend to think about the casualty but without the support of those 'back seaters' then perhaps we might not have this same ending.
Finally I commend your ability to accept what happened, 'happened' and life moves on. Your attitude does you immense credit and in my opinion it is the only attitude to adopt, feeling remorse, angry or bitter is always a recipe for a very poor quality of life, and no matter what we have been through, what we have suffered, there is ALWAYS a whole host of people far worse off.
I wish you every success with your books, the after dinner speaking and who knows, maybe even a film. Respect to you, to the gentleman farmer that must have seen a sight that he had never seen before but somehow managed to deal with and respect to ALL the docs, medics etc that stuck you back together again.
Yours very sincerely,
John
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Again thanks to those that have read and responded to this post.
John - a more detailed reply. Yes, I did see my career fade before my eyes but it was easier to come to terms with than you may think. For the first year I really thought of nothing else but recovering from the injuries and coming to terms with the pain. The thought of flying again filled me with dread, even on airliners for holidays, so I didn't really 'miss' it. I was soon teaching part time in the simulator and eventually given a full time job there. This meant 2 things; firstly I was still able to use my knowledge and experience which gave a meaning to my life and a drive to be as good as I was before the accident. Secondly and more importantly, I still had the camaraderie of a community that I respected and cherished, and that respected me.
Of course I do miss the job sometimes - especially on blue-blue days when I see jets flying overhead (I live near Waddington), and often think about where I'd be if it hadn't happened. I've never been an angry or bitter person and what happened never changed that, so overall I'm happy with my lot and just thankful that I recovered well enough to lead a normal life.
Right, off for a quick round of golf,
Ian
John - a more detailed reply. Yes, I did see my career fade before my eyes but it was easier to come to terms with than you may think. For the first year I really thought of nothing else but recovering from the injuries and coming to terms with the pain. The thought of flying again filled me with dread, even on airliners for holidays, so I didn't really 'miss' it. I was soon teaching part time in the simulator and eventually given a full time job there. This meant 2 things; firstly I was still able to use my knowledge and experience which gave a meaning to my life and a drive to be as good as I was before the accident. Secondly and more importantly, I still had the camaraderie of a community that I respected and cherished, and that respected me.
Of course I do miss the job sometimes - especially on blue-blue days when I see jets flying overhead (I live near Waddington), and often think about where I'd be if it hadn't happened. I've never been an angry or bitter person and what happened never changed that, so overall I'm happy with my lot and just thankful that I recovered well enough to lead a normal life.
Right, off for a quick round of golf,
Ian
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Ian,
Your story makes a very humbling read; you are one of life’s fighters and a true hero. I recently had the privilege to meet a RM who had suffered injuries in Afghanistan that took both of his legs and his right arm. He had that same steely and determined attitude to life and was resolute in not letting his injuries get the better of him. I wish you, him and all who have suffered in the defence of our freedom all the very, very best. I take my hat off to you all; total respect.
Your story makes a very humbling read; you are one of life’s fighters and a true hero. I recently had the privilege to meet a RM who had suffered injuries in Afghanistan that took both of his legs and his right arm. He had that same steely and determined attitude to life and was resolute in not letting his injuries get the better of him. I wish you, him and all who have suffered in the defence of our freedom all the very, very best. I take my hat off to you all; total respect.
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An amazing story that I was on the edge of, and have sent Ian some info to fill details in.
One of the biggest initial concerns, following the (then) recent loss of Tornado ZE789 was the risk of death/ injury to Navigators. Fortunately for the fleet, the causes were different.
sw
One of the biggest initial concerns, following the (then) recent loss of Tornado ZE789 was the risk of death/ injury to Navigators. Fortunately for the fleet, the causes were different.
sw
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Wibble, a horrific tale of bravery and determination, well done! I hope that your handicap improves, regards Fras
ps flying airliners is mind numbingly boring compared to F3 days, so stay on the golf course!
ps flying airliners is mind numbingly boring compared to F3 days, so stay on the golf course!
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There was a computer model of the accident made, using the ADR data from each aircraft and put together by the guys at Cranfield. Does anyone have any connections in that area as Ian hasn't seen it?
sw
sw
