Wikiposts
Search
Military Aviation A forum for the professionals who fly military hardware. Also for the backroom boys and girls who support the flying and maintain the equipment, and without whom nothing would ever leave the ground. All armies, navies and air forces of the world equally welcome here.

"Any fuel Sir?"

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 1st Jul 2012, 16:04
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: In the clouds
Posts: 125
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
"Any fuel Sir?"

Though primarily fixed wing I am required to fly on rotary from time to time. On Friday during a long low level sortie we called into a regional airfield for fuel and an obligitory coffee. The airfield in question is about to close up shop for good within a few weeks so all the facilities other than fuel and crash rescue are gone.
Right so, out the gate to the petrol station for coffee it is .
Filled my cup at the machine and presented it at the till. "Any fuel Sir?" says the guy behind the counter. His eyes lit up as I smiled and nodded towards the Heli behind the chain link fence and said "Yeh, 1500 Litres"

Despite growing increasingly fed up with my job after 20+ years it's times like this that make me smile .

BW
Bubblewindow is offline  
Old 1st Jul 2012, 17:32
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Southern Europe
Posts: 5,335
Received 17 Likes on 6 Posts
I love it!
Courtney Mil is offline  
Old 1st Jul 2012, 19:42
  #3 (permalink)  
622
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Hants
Age: 55
Posts: 1,572
Received 18 Likes on 14 Posts
Only coffee....?

I thought a Magnum was compulsary these days!
622 is offline  
Old 1st Jul 2012, 19:48
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: England
Posts: 576
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
A helicopter pilot fetching his own coffee?
Don't you have servants for that sort of thing?

P6 Driver is offline  
Old 1st Jul 2012, 20:07
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Kammbronn
Posts: 2,122
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
Originally Posted by P6 Driver
Don't you have servants for that sort of thing?
Perhaps Bubblewindow was dispatched to get the brews, although the pilot would have to be very trusting.
diginagain is offline  
Old 1st Jul 2012, 20:22
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: In the State of Denial
Posts: 1,077
Likes: 0
Received 146 Likes on 28 Posts
I once was tasked into a small airfield not far from Trenton in Canada in a C130J - the airfield was just big enough for us although most of the concrete wasn't strong enough to hold the weight. We parked up outside the Flying Club to load our pax & refuel. The club was running a special offer - something like 'a free steak with every 100 litres of fuel'. We took on about 8000kg of fuel - the man looked a little distraught, didn't have the couple of cows to give us.
Ken Scott is offline  
Old 2nd Jul 2012, 04:26
  #7 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Why oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?
Posts: 1,305
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Dropping in to Paynes Find (Western Australia) in a 172 one day for fuel I tramped over to the adjacent road house for a coffee (no airfield facilities whatsoever - the fuel is in a drum trucked in from the roadhouse).

There was another guy sitting there having coffee with a backpack.

"Any chance of a lift to Perth mate?" he says

"Sorry, just going to Northam" says I.

"That'll do for me" he says.

To say his eyes opened wide when I offered the RHS for the trip was an understatement. He's probably still dining out on the story.
sisemen is offline  
Old 2nd Jul 2012, 04:54
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Australia - South of where I'd like to be !
Age: 59
Posts: 4,261
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
siseman

"the fuel is in a drum trucked in from the roadhouse"

With the hand pump that takes ages to fill up a tank of anything ?
500N is offline  
Old 2nd Jul 2012, 05:29
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Taif-Saudi Arabia
Age: 64
Posts: 229
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Reminds me of the old Neil Williams story. Flying back from somewhere east of the iron curtain at all of his fuel stops the bowser was a horse and cart with 45 gallon drums on the back. All of the "bowser drivers" produced a fuel sample before filling him up. On his first refuelling stop in West Germany he was met by an ultra modern state of the art fuel bowser and was filled up. About 10 minutes after getting airborne he suffered a partial engine failure due to... water in the fuel.
AGS Man is offline  
Old 2nd Jul 2012, 05:39
  #10 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Why oh why would I wanna be anywhere else?
Posts: 1,305
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
With the hand pump that takes ages to fill up a tank of anything ?
Got it in one!
sisemen is offline  
Old 2nd Jul 2012, 07:09
  #11 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Canada
Posts: 2,895
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Brindisi 1994. Light aircraft ferry so only about 70 gals needed.
Fuel place took only cash or Eurocheques. Had to take a taxi downtown to get the cash on my credit card. Banks were useless, but eventually managed to get cash by pretending to buy about 80 pizzas at a very helpful pizzeria.
As I paid, another pilot came in looking to pay for the fuel in his 727 and waving an Amex card about......

I died laughing. I wonder how many pizzas that was?
Fox3WheresMyBanana is offline  
Old 2nd Jul 2012, 10:07
  #12 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: In the clouds
Posts: 125
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
A helicopter pilot fetching his own coffee?
Don't you have servants for that sort of thing?
Not a driver, they chauffeur me!! We all walked for coffee anyhow, everyone's equal on our crew (just put that in there for CRM purposes )

I thought a Magnum was compulsary these days
It was a crap drizzly rainy day, very humid in the cab , they would have melted all over the console
Bubblewindow is offline  
Old 2nd Jul 2012, 10:13
  #13 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Location: Location!
Posts: 2,300
Received 35 Likes on 27 Posts
There was another guy sitting there having coffee with a backpack.

Was his name Billy No-Mates?

Jack
Union Jack is offline  
Old 2nd Jul 2012, 13:29
  #14 (permalink)  

"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: England
Age: 77
Posts: 4,141
Received 223 Likes on 65 Posts
UJ. Now you're doing my trick (but funnier). "Mildly eccentric".
Herod is offline  
Old 2nd Jul 2012, 13:47
  #15 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Location: Location!
Posts: 2,300
Received 35 Likes on 27 Posts
UJ. Now you're doing my trick (but funnier). "Mildly eccentric".

Why thank you, kind Sir. I try, in fact my current NOK has been heard to say that I'm very trying!

Jack
Union Jack is offline  
Old 3rd Jul 2012, 09:03
  #16 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: England
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
A helicopter pilot fetching his own coffee?
Don't you have servants for that sort of thing?
In my many years as an SH Crewman I have made tea and coffee for literally hundreds of Pilots. All have received the same, faultless, standard of service. However, those who cast me in the role of servant and treated me as such always had a little more care and attention lavished on their beverage; you could say that 'a little bit of me’ went in there.

Happy days.

Last edited by St Johns Wort; 3rd Jul 2012 at 10:06.
St Johns Wort is offline  
Old 3rd Jul 2012, 09:27
  #17 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Richard Burtonville, South Wales.
Posts: 2,339
Received 61 Likes on 44 Posts
'a little bit of me’ went in there.
A tiny bit from what I heard!

CG
charliegolf is offline  
Old 3rd Jul 2012, 09:39
  #18 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: England
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
A tiny bit from what I heard!
Heard or tasted CG? You always were a quantity type rather than quality

Who makes your tea in the staff room?
St Johns Wort is offline  
Old 3rd Jul 2012, 09:59
  #19 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Richard Burtonville, South Wales.
Posts: 2,339
Received 61 Likes on 44 Posts
Never go in the staffroom, Sinjun, full of oiky teacher types!

Hope all's well

CG
charliegolf is offline  
Old 3rd Jul 2012, 10:05
  #20 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: England
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Tip Top mate. See you in November?
St Johns Wort is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.