Air drops and pick ups to Falklands in 80s
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Air drops and pick ups to Falklands in 80s
Would anyone care to admit to a part in these exercises where mail was apparently picked up without actual landing. These episodes of the campaign have evaded me up until now.
I participated in the trials of 'The Snatch' as we called it but did not participate in any of the live trips down south. The idea was to airdrop mail and then to take the homeward bound mail via the snatch. I have put up several pics of the trials on the Hercules thread.
Alan Batty, 78: Boy soldier turned SAS officer who raised funds for Ethiopia
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/53...1-6517026e24df
Looks like this chap had some involvement with it.
Perhaps AA62 knew him? Bit before my time on Hercs.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/53...1-6517026e24df
Looks like this chap had some involvement with it.
Perhaps AA62 knew him? Bit before my time on Hercs.
I recall the tale of Roger Waitout, that well-known gormless naval wireless operator bobbing up and down in one of HM Grey Funnel Lines' war canoes somewhere in the sun-soaked South Atlantic, conversing with Albert Airlines who were en-route with the long-awaited mail...
"Hello *****, this is Albert!"
"Ahhh...Roger, Wait out..."
"Hello *****, this is Albert - again!"
"Ahh...Roger. Authenticate Zulu Tango Mike" (or whatever)
"Sorry, can't - are we cleared in?"
"Ahhh….Authenticate November Delta Bravo" (or whatever)
"I authenticate DO YOU WANT YOUR BLOODY MAIL???"
"Ahhh...Roger, Albert is cleared in"
"Hello *****, this is Albert!"
"Ahhh...Roger, Wait out..."
"Hello *****, this is Albert - again!"
"Ahh...Roger. Authenticate Zulu Tango Mike" (or whatever)
"Sorry, can't - are we cleared in?"
"Ahhh….Authenticate November Delta Bravo" (or whatever)
"I authenticate DO YOU WANT YOUR BLOODY MAIL???"
"Ahhh...Roger, Albert is cleared in"
BEagle .. pretty near the truth 
Actual cause of the "problem" ?? Grey Funnel Lines using local time authentication table...... Albert Airlines using GMT ....... result .. total confusion... which was resolved in the way you describe !!
Actual cause of the "problem" ?? Grey Funnel Lines using local time authentication table...... Albert Airlines using GMT ....... result .. total confusion... which was resolved in the way you describe !!
What goes around comes around:
Similar circumstances in a way (recent battalion changeover in S Armagh, all resupplies flown in by heli) - call goes to ground station "Two Zero this is Whiskey 63 Lima, your location 2 minutes, over". After a pause while the XMG op scrabbled for his BATCO: "Unknown callsign, authenticate Golf Bravo". Immediate reply was: "I authenticate - do you want your rations or not?". Dates back to mid-70s - perhaps one of the Albert crew had been on SH in a previous life.
Similar circumstances in a way (recent battalion changeover in S Armagh, all resupplies flown in by heli) - call goes to ground station "Two Zero this is Whiskey 63 Lima, your location 2 minutes, over". After a pause while the XMG op scrabbled for his BATCO: "Unknown callsign, authenticate Golf Bravo". Immediate reply was: "I authenticate - do you want your rations or not?". Dates back to mid-70s - perhaps one of the Albert crew had been on SH in a previous life.
I can remember a report on TV of a C130 return flight from Ascension without stopping just after the surrender. They dropped pallets of cement to fill the craters on the airfield. I worked at the factory where the cement came from and we had a letter on our noticeboard from the MoD thanking us for the help..
mmitch.
mmitch.
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Just had a look in my log book for Ascension-Stanley-Ascension. 13 Aug 82 - XV200 24hrs30min, drop and snatch, 19 Aug - XV200 25hrs50min, drop and snatch, 22 Aug - XV196 24hrs 45min, drop and snatch, 26 Aug - XV200 25hrs50min, drop and snatch. Only one snatch missed but successful at second attempt. After that we all seemed to have just 'dropped'. On the radios, a true story. The codes changed so rapidly and the experience level on the subject was low. Solved by getting an AEO to join the crew. Those were the days.
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Re Mail
Gentleman Aviator
Long time ago!
