Dans la Merde......
Join Date: Oct 1998
Location: Kalgoorlie, W.A. , Australia
Age: 86
Posts: 458
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It was not just one way traffic from North Ireland. We were due for an afternoon navex from 2 ANS, route the usual triangle Thorney - Point of Ayre - Alnwick - TI. However we were told that we were to take a passenger to Aldergrove. Whoever he was or why I know not but it only cost R.A.F. about an extra 80 (statute) route miles.
It was only the time I've been to Ulster and all I saw was a solitary hare on a damp airfield.
P.S. Obviously we used Aldergrove not Point of Ayre as our turning point.
It was only the time I've been to Ulster and all I saw was a solitary hare on a damp airfield.
P.S. Obviously we used Aldergrove not Point of Ayre as our turning point.
The Puma CAAP programme was a Godsend.
The Components Advanced Ageing Programme was a joint effort between Aerospatial, The French Army and the Royal Air Force to prove that the gearboxs could run well in excess of their 800 hrs. overhaul life. This was to enable the manufacturer to place the aircraft on the civil market where 1,800 hrs. TBO was the norm.
The aircraft, XW203, was required to fly 100 hrs. a month. At certain periods the gearbox would be lifted and replaced with another that was part of the program that had been inspected for wear. The normal ST98 rate was about 30 hrs. a month so finding things for it to do was a bit of a challenge.
Machrihanish for kippers, at the same time take one of our airman on leave to the Hebrides and land him on the beach a few hundred yards from his parents house. Regular trips to Gutersloh to load up with Deutsche Sekt for formal and semi-formal occasions; we had an 'arrangement' with the blokes in the portcullis hats at Manson.
We even had some take it to Aberdeen for job interviews.
Unfortunately on a bog standard training flight it decided to attempt a barrel roll just after take off from a field. It only managed 80% of it but luckily the crew waded out of it although it was burning quite badly.
The Components Advanced Ageing Programme was a joint effort between Aerospatial, The French Army and the Royal Air Force to prove that the gearboxs could run well in excess of their 800 hrs. overhaul life. This was to enable the manufacturer to place the aircraft on the civil market where 1,800 hrs. TBO was the norm.
The aircraft, XW203, was required to fly 100 hrs. a month. At certain periods the gearbox would be lifted and replaced with another that was part of the program that had been inspected for wear. The normal ST98 rate was about 30 hrs. a month so finding things for it to do was a bit of a challenge.
Machrihanish for kippers, at the same time take one of our airman on leave to the Hebrides and land him on the beach a few hundred yards from his parents house. Regular trips to Gutersloh to load up with Deutsche Sekt for formal and semi-formal occasions; we had an 'arrangement' with the blokes in the portcullis hats at Manson.
We even had some take it to Aberdeen for job interviews.
Unfortunately on a bog standard training flight it decided to attempt a barrel roll just after take off from a field. It only managed 80% of it but luckily the crew waded out of it although it was burning quite badly.
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Fairford, Glos
Age: 99
Posts: 155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Extra value from local flights.
There was (is?) a large grey area between what is 100% legal in the narrowest sense as against positively venal, as per that wise dictum: “.......rules and regulations are for observance by fools, but for the guidance of wise men”. Between the two extremes lies a wide space which those possessed of discernment can use to their own advantage, without any disadvantage to the public good and often of honest benefit to others.
Take for instance the situation where a type-conversion cross country flight was routed 'up north', giving the chance to carry out an instrument approach at Machrihanish (unfamiliar airfield, thus good training value) where a local fish merchant was waiting with a van full of previously ordered fresh fish. Thus at no cost to public funds the local economy was enhanced, while a significant number of families at Brize were able to enjoy the healthiest of foods – and yes, the fish (especially the kippers) was just divine!
Then there was the occasion at Abingdon when, faced with the prospect of a dreary six hour drive home for the weekend, I learnt that a Beverley was shortly to leave for Dishforth; so, with the help of a friendly movements staff (and good training for them too!) my car and I were soon on our way in comfort at 8000ft instead of enduring the horrors of a long pre-motorway journey. Was it sinful of me? - perhaps, but it harmed nobody.
Take for instance the situation where a type-conversion cross country flight was routed 'up north', giving the chance to carry out an instrument approach at Machrihanish (unfamiliar airfield, thus good training value) where a local fish merchant was waiting with a van full of previously ordered fresh fish. Thus at no cost to public funds the local economy was enhanced, while a significant number of families at Brize were able to enjoy the healthiest of foods – and yes, the fish (especially the kippers) was just divine!
Then there was the occasion at Abingdon when, faced with the prospect of a dreary six hour drive home for the weekend, I learnt that a Beverley was shortly to leave for Dishforth; so, with the help of a friendly movements staff (and good training for them too!) my car and I were soon on our way in comfort at 8000ft instead of enduring the horrors of a long pre-motorway journey. Was it sinful of me? - perhaps, but it harmed nobody.
Machrihanish 'fish runs' were quite common in the 1970s.
The idea being to collect a bag of Dublin Bay prawns, then bring them back for a feast at one's station.
There was plenty of room in a Hunter Sabrina for quite a big bag of prawns; however, one idiot decided that he'd fly back from Machrihanish to RAF Brawdy at 250ft rather than flying a prawn-chilling high level bore-ex. This was the Summer of '76, so by the time he got home he had a warm, smelly bag of part-cooked prawns in the Sabrina. No-one wanted anything to do with them, so they ended up in the nearby drain. What a mistake to make!
My late father told me of a 'fish run' to RAF Merryfield in the early 1950s. One fine day, a 236 OCU Lancaster arrived from RAF Kinloss and bounced its way along the runway, to be met by some of the local Vampire QFIs. The rear door opened and a large Speyside salmon was handed over, it was to be the centrepiece of the Officers Mess Summer Ball buffet. The Lancaster didn't even shut down and was soon its way North again!
The idea being to collect a bag of Dublin Bay prawns, then bring them back for a feast at one's station.
There was plenty of room in a Hunter Sabrina for quite a big bag of prawns; however, one idiot decided that he'd fly back from Machrihanish to RAF Brawdy at 250ft rather than flying a prawn-chilling high level bore-ex. This was the Summer of '76, so by the time he got home he had a warm, smelly bag of part-cooked prawns in the Sabrina. No-one wanted anything to do with them, so they ended up in the nearby drain. What a mistake to make!
My late father told me of a 'fish run' to RAF Merryfield in the early 1950s. One fine day, a 236 OCU Lancaster arrived from RAF Kinloss and bounced its way along the runway, to be met by some of the local Vampire QFIs. The rear door opened and a large Speyside salmon was handed over, it was to be the centrepiece of the Officers Mess Summer Ball buffet. The Lancaster didn't even shut down and was soon its way North again!
Last edited by BEagle; 1st Jul 2017 at 06:00.
After I finished the NBS course at Lindholme I did a few trips as nav in the Hastings while waiting for my Victor OCU. One was a trip to Stornoway whose sole purpose, as I recall, was to bring back various items of seafood.
All went well until on the return trip someone called out that some of our "passengers" had got loose. Much scurrying around the rear of the fuselage ensued as we collected up live lobsters which had escaped from their crate and were making a bid for freedom.
All went well until on the return trip someone called out that some of our "passengers" had got loose. Much scurrying around the rear of the fuselage ensued as we collected up live lobsters which had escaped from their crate and were making a bid for freedom.
Null,
your recollections are spot on. I think by then the VIP Andover had departed although it was on 48's 'books' as FEAF Comms Flt had disbanded. Thankfully I was too lowly for such a prestigious task ! As I recall the poly sheeting had a not unexpected consequence. It may have lessened the chance of a hydraulic drip on the pax but it allowed the humid air to condense and drip water into the cargo compartment in rather greater amounts than normal.
Shortly after that I went home to the UK.
your recollections are spot on. I think by then the VIP Andover had departed although it was on 48's 'books' as FEAF Comms Flt had disbanded. Thankfully I was too lowly for such a prestigious task ! As I recall the poly sheeting had a not unexpected consequence. It may have lessened the chance of a hydraulic drip on the pax but it allowed the humid air to condense and drip water into the cargo compartment in rather greater amounts than normal.
Shortly after that I went home to the UK.
Certainly when 360 still had B2s rather than the shiny "new" T17s, we used to go land away in Germany with a bomb bay box that hooked to the bomb carriers full of lamb. TOD you would pass the current contents - so many legs, so many shoulders, and an orderly queue would be waiting on landing
Last edited by Wander00; 2nd Jul 2017 at 10:14. Reason: Oh, oh, oh!
Whilst on MPC at Valley, I heard that my daughter back at Coningsby had contracted meningitis. The Sqn boss gave me a jet to fly back, for which I am eternally grateful. Daughter recovered fully.
School of Refresher Flying (SORF) Manby in the late 60s:ten bob into the coffee swindle gave you a JP4 for the weekend. I remember 'borrowing' one to take to Coltishall but, because Colt decided to close early that Friday, arranging to go to Norwich where I landed on a green from ATC because JPs were UHF only.
Who would authorise that nowadays!
Who would authorise that nowadays!
Back before - way before - the U.S. embargo of Cuba, my father, a Commander in the United States Naval Reserve, was instrumental in the legal if somewhat surreptitious importation of Cuban rum. His choice of transport was the venerable DC-3; in Naval nomenclature, an R4D-2. The craft flew VIP's - Admirals and their (lady) companions - regularly between Miami and Havana. These sturdy craft had a fuel capacity of 822 gallons U.S. Dad greased the proper palms of the appropriate authorities and arranged to have the starboard wing tank filled with 400 gallons of high-proof rum. After a number of successful and highly profitable forays, Dad decided to go along on a flight to enjoy the bountiful beauty of that then-unspoiled Caribbean paradise. And he did...
Two days later he boarded the "Pack Rat" to fly back to Miami. He noticed a line boy mounting the starboard wing, laboring under the weight of the shoulder-slung fuel hose. Suppressing a grand mal epileptiform seizure and an inexorable urge to follow through, Dad lept from his seat and ran out of the plane onto the apron. "STOP!", he screamed at the top of his lungs. Too late! The line boy, missing a number of teeth, smiled broadly. He chortled: "Señor Capitan! Ju weel be glad to know that I have topped off jour right tank! Eet was theerty gallons low!" Ron Rico plus 100 LL do not a fine drink make, orange slices and miniature umbrellas notwithstanding. And thus came to an inglorious end my beloved and clever father's career as a rum runner!
- Ed
Two days later he boarded the "Pack Rat" to fly back to Miami. He noticed a line boy mounting the starboard wing, laboring under the weight of the shoulder-slung fuel hose. Suppressing a grand mal epileptiform seizure and an inexorable urge to follow through, Dad lept from his seat and ran out of the plane onto the apron. "STOP!", he screamed at the top of his lungs. Too late! The line boy, missing a number of teeth, smiled broadly. He chortled: "Señor Capitan! Ju weel be glad to know that I have topped off jour right tank! Eet was theerty gallons low!" Ron Rico plus 100 LL do not a fine drink make, orange slices and miniature umbrellas notwithstanding. And thus came to an inglorious end my beloved and clever father's career as a rum runner!
- Ed
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
Age: 79
Posts: 7,807
Received 135 Likes
on
63 Posts
School of Refresher Flying (SORF) Manby in the late 60s:ten bob into the coffee swindle gave you a JP4 for the weekend. I remember 'borrowing' one to take to Coltishall but, because Colt decided to close early that Friday, arranging to go to Norwich where I landed on a green from ATC because JPs were UHF only.
Who would authorise that nowadays!
Who would authorise that nowadays!
!
When (ex) President Hollande took his first holiday excursion to the South of France, the man of the people forsook the Presidential jet, and took the TGV instead. This humble act of travelling as ordinary folks do actually caused chaos and cost millions. By law, every bridge, crossing and tunnel had to be protected by police, and thousands of them were diverted from ordinary duties.
When he finally arrived, his jet was waiting for him at Toulon, having flown down empty.
When he finally arrived, his jet was waiting for him at Toulon, having flown down empty.
A similar story just after the War in Europe.
An RAF pilot had a contact at a USAAC unit and could get hold of unlimited supplies of coffee. This would fed into a tank of a Mosquito and he would transport it to Germany where others would decant it for the black market.
The weather socked in over Germany so he had to return to Manston.
Whoops.
An RAF pilot had a contact at a USAAC unit and could get hold of unlimited supplies of coffee. This would fed into a tank of a Mosquito and he would transport it to Germany where others would decant it for the black market.
The weather socked in over Germany so he had to return to Manston.
Whoops.
When he finally arrived, his jet was waiting for him at Toulon, having flown down empty.
Meanwhile his driver would be hurling this Jaguar along the country roads of Suffolk so as to get to Honington so the AOC could step out of his Anson and into his Jaguar and go and have pre-inspection tea with the wheels in the Mess.
Reasonable, I suppose. You wouldn't expect an Air Officer to be tossed around in the back of a Jaguar like a rag doll.
When Kelvin Rucksack was Stn Cdr at the covert Oxonian aerodrome, he decided that he needed a lift back from Cranwell one Friday afternoon, rather than being driven back.
No problem, he'd be driven to Waddo and would be picked up by VC10K on its way home after an AAR trip.
But the aircraft (ZA142), knowing that its service days were numbered, in rather a petulant mood decided to blow an engine at around FL100 after take-off from Brize, so we dumped fuel and landed on 3. We naturally assumed that Kelvin would be taking his fast-black home from Lincolnshire instead.
But no. He demanded another aircraft as he wanted to fly back for some 'urgent reason'. So at no little trouble to the groundcrew, already faced with a #2 engine change on the first jet, another was B/F'd and prepped for the task and a crew was rounded up from amongst those who hadn't already scarpered. Thus 90 min after landing back off the first trip, we were off to collect him - and an air wheel who was with him - finally getting back at 18:40Z.
Was there some urgent service reason for this extra 1:05 of VC10 time, plus an additional Friday A/F for the lads? Yes indeed - Kelvin wanted to take his air wheel to Happy Hour...
...to be driven home when his driver eventually made it back from Waddo.
Much as I like flying and it was a nice early Spring afternoon/evening, I was acutely aware of the utter buggeration this would have caused the groundcrew at the start of their weekend. Fortunately though, we were in ZA150 (now languishing at Dunsfold) and true to her normal behaviour, she was fully serviceable on landing!
It was probably the last engine change ever needed on a VC10K2, because around 3 weeks later we flew it to Scrapheap Challenge St.Athan, the last flight of an ex-airline 'standard' VC10.
No problem, he'd be driven to Waddo and would be picked up by VC10K on its way home after an AAR trip.
But the aircraft (ZA142), knowing that its service days were numbered, in rather a petulant mood decided to blow an engine at around FL100 after take-off from Brize, so we dumped fuel and landed on 3. We naturally assumed that Kelvin would be taking his fast-black home from Lincolnshire instead.
But no. He demanded another aircraft as he wanted to fly back for some 'urgent reason'. So at no little trouble to the groundcrew, already faced with a #2 engine change on the first jet, another was B/F'd and prepped for the task and a crew was rounded up from amongst those who hadn't already scarpered. Thus 90 min after landing back off the first trip, we were off to collect him - and an air wheel who was with him - finally getting back at 18:40Z.
Was there some urgent service reason for this extra 1:05 of VC10 time, plus an additional Friday A/F for the lads? Yes indeed - Kelvin wanted to take his air wheel to Happy Hour...
...to be driven home when his driver eventually made it back from Waddo.Much as I like flying and it was a nice early Spring afternoon/evening, I was acutely aware of the utter buggeration this would have caused the groundcrew at the start of their weekend. Fortunately though, we were in ZA150 (now languishing at Dunsfold) and true to her normal behaviour, she was fully serviceable on landing!
It was probably the last engine change ever needed on a VC10K2, because around 3 weeks later we flew it to Scrapheap Challenge St.Athan, the last flight of an ex-airline 'standard' VC10.
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: The Deep South (Sussex)
Posts: 783
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I can but hope that today's Air Force still pull out the stops to help fellow servicemen, of any or no rank, when they require compassionate travel. In my day I saw many heartwarming examples where rules were bent to the general increase of loyalty to the Service by all involved.
Regarding the uplift of soil from Kenya to the certain VSO's garden in Aden: Whilst our Hastings was being loaded with the stuff by disgruntled groundcrew, I suggested that a few litres of hydraulic oil might help the mix. One NCO looked at me in horror, took me to one side and explained that they wouldn't dream of taking such action. Having spent hours collecting leather jackets to put in the soil they certainly weren't including something that might harm them!
And as to the use of H.M's machines for recreational use: Many ex Herc crews will remember G.O's private landrover. He bought an ex-army vehicle and deliberately left all the camouflage and fittings in place. When the crew went off on a jolly no one ever noticed that the Land Rover driving off the back at various RAF stations had civil number plates!
Regarding the uplift of soil from Kenya to the certain VSO's garden in Aden: Whilst our Hastings was being loaded with the stuff by disgruntled groundcrew, I suggested that a few litres of hydraulic oil might help the mix. One NCO looked at me in horror, took me to one side and explained that they wouldn't dream of taking such action. Having spent hours collecting leather jackets to put in the soil they certainly weren't including something that might harm them!
And as to the use of H.M's machines for recreational use: Many ex Herc crews will remember G.O's private landrover. He bought an ex-army vehicle and deliberately left all the camouflage and fittings in place. When the crew went off on a jolly no one ever noticed that the Land Rover driving off the back at various RAF stations had civil number plates!
204 Squadron Ballykelly 1961/62 and block leave was the order of the day for the 3 squadrons based there.
2 Shacks were prepped and flown, one on a southern route and the other a midland and northern route, each for a Navex mind you.
I must admit that it was easier getting from Manston home than bus, train, boat, train, train and nearly 24 hours
2 Shacks were prepped and flown, one on a southern route and the other a midland and northern route, each for a Navex mind you.
I must admit that it was easier getting from Manston home than bus, train, boat, train, train and nearly 24 hours