WW2 Alcohol limits
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
On one memorable occasion my skipper was sick before take off and slept soundly for the next 4 hours. We had absolute faith in our copilot and departed Goose as scheduled. The Det Com was no doubt aware of our skipper's inebriation though he had help it well until we opened the door and handed the evidence to the groundcrew.
We knew our flight was one of the highest profile ones featuring in the CinCs morning brief. At the very least cancellation would have led to a hats on with the AOC. NO one blabbed and he got away with it. As BEatle said, different times, madness.I
On my first sqn we had an alcoholic; it was the security service that withdrew his clearance that grounded him. We had another in Cyprus, just before BEagles time, who had DTs. No sanctions. And another in the early 80s who chewed Amplex and sprayed breath freshener before getting in to work.
Hard rules set for punishment rather than medical he!p.
We knew our flight was one of the highest profile ones featuring in the CinCs morning brief. At the very least cancellation would have led to a hats on with the AOC. NO one blabbed and he got away with it. As BEatle said, different times, madness.I
On my first sqn we had an alcoholic; it was the security service that withdrew his clearance that grounded him. We had another in Cyprus, just before BEagles time, who had DTs. No sanctions. And another in the early 80s who chewed Amplex and sprayed breath freshener before getting in to work.
Hard rules set for punishment rather than medical he!p.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
Age: 79
Posts: 7,808
Received 135 Likes
on
63 Posts
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Spain
Age: 76
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
DRINK FLYING
One Saturday morning after a heavy night in the bar the crew retired to the bowling alley at Goose. Well breakfast stretched into lunch and, of course, we had few bevvies. I was approached by one of the staff who said that there was a phone call. It was the Det- Com saying there was a big fire threatening the tank farm with the possibility of a large explosion and we needed to get airbourne. I explained that we had all been drinking and was told we could sober up on our way to Scampton!
Fortunately, the wind changed direction, so we retired to the bar.
CB
Fortunately, the wind changed direction, so we retired to the bar.
CB
Within my own time in the mob (I’m still in), I can recall cycling to work because I was too under the weather to drive - within a couple of hours I would be strapping a jet to my back. It was only in the last 20-25 years that it started to get more serious with respect to breathalysers. 1997/98 seems to ring about true.
Within my own time in the mob (I’m still in), I can recall cycling to work because I was too under the weather to drive - within a couple of hours I would be strapping a jet to my back. It was only in the last 20-25 years that it started to get more serious with respect to breathalysers. 1997/98 seems to ring about true.
Hard rules set for punishment rather than medical he!p.
YS
General Le May was being shown around the latest B47 and as usual he had a cigar going. A young Lieutenant asked him to put it out as the airplane might catch fire.
Le May looked at him and said; "it wouldn't dare!"
Le May looked at him and said; "it wouldn't dare!"
Wartime beer was reduced to around 2% ABV, so relatively weak.
According to various accounts, it took a lot to get drunk. From 1940 until 1944,there was literally no whiskey produced, unless illicitly. So one would imagine it would have been rather expensive.
Beer of course was never rationed, being seen as essential for morale.
According to various accounts, it took a lot to get drunk. From 1940 until 1944,there was literally no whiskey produced, unless illicitly. So one would imagine it would have been rather expensive.
Beer of course was never rationed, being seen as essential for morale.
When the inferior VC10 mob were flying OP WARDEN trips from Bahrain, one lot were tested on their way IN to go flying and had to leave the car at the gate as they were over the driving limit. Then they went flying.....
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: second left, first right
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Back to the thread - he admitted to flying an Halifax as an instructor after drinking too much beer and whisky in a maudlin mood prior to the night detail. The book was Mosquito Victory, if I remember correctly.
There is obviously a bit on the net and a farcebook book page, but I'm not a farcebook member so cannot read it.
IIRC, I remember from somewhere that he was a member of 44 Squadron, which must have been postwar.
IIRC, I remember from somewhere that he was a member of 44 Squadron, which must have been postwar.
This doesn't quite answer the original question, nevertheless an intriguing case of ingenuity in challenging circumstances (i.e. mates running out of beer). Would love to see how innovatively the modern day crew would arrange this on, say, F35.
https://www.businessinsider.com/brit...-war-ii-2016-9
https://www.businessinsider.com/brit...-war-ii-2016-9
S/L John Hartnell Beavis in his book Final Flight, tells of how on a Sunday morning pre-war, he would fly through the clouds into the blue above and stand up in the cockpit of his Tiger Moth to 'blow away his hangover'!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Cheese Bobcat, was that when the C124 Globemaster landed in the tank farm? They were lucky, the tanks had just been filled. I saw one tank badly blackened, the wreckage had been removed.
The RN stopped drinking before flying in the mid '70s I believe. Until then it was perfectly normal, according to ex colleagues, to have a pint or two of lager in the wardroom after lunch and then go off on the afternoon flypro. And not just the helo pukes either, Phantoms and Buccs were still in service then. Apparently the signal 'Effective Immediate' was read out in the wardroom before lunch one day by Cdr(F) completely out of the blue and was not at all kindly recieved.
There are myriad tales since then, some of which must be true, of the OOD entering the bar at close to midnight on a friday or saturday, silencing the revellers and telling all SAR rated crews to report to their squadron for immediate launch.
The technique apparently was to go down the line and ask how many pints each had had and pick a crew from the lowest.
There are myriad tales since then, some of which must be true, of the OOD entering the bar at close to midnight on a friday or saturday, silencing the revellers and telling all SAR rated crews to report to their squadron for immediate launch.
The technique apparently was to go down the line and ask how many pints each had had and pick a crew from the lowest.
So when the call came in for the standby crew for a casevac everyone laughed and looked for the standby crew only to find there wasn't one.
Then came the "how many pints have you had Bloggs" selection process!!
Would not happen now ( I hope) - should not have happened then.
12.1.1950- ......The urgently picked crew for Lancaster SW363 was made up of highly experienced Officers and men who had been selected for their extreme competence and abilities – each was an Instructor in his chosen field, and between them, they had the experience and knowledge to carry out the task allocated to them successfully. Due to their positions as Instructors, they were ‘self-briefed‘ before take-off. It was probably unfortunate that on the night of 12th January 1950, when the call came through to find an Aircraft and Crew to ferry Naval Divers from Leuchars to Manston to take part in the rescue efforts for HMS Truculent, all of the Officers had been attending a ‘Dining in‘ night at Kinloss. Although each Officer had been drinking, the Board of Inquiry that followed the crash examined the Mess returns for the evening and decided that no Officer had drunk more than 4 sherrys and that therefore alcohol played no part in the accident. Although in today’s society, driving a Car after drinking 4 sherry’s would undoubtedly lead to complications. Most agree with the Board of Inquiry – the time between the Mess Event and take off, combined with the competence of the Crew and the urgency of their mission, would have left them clear-headed and up to their task. The fault that caused the mid-air fire was certainly beyond their control, and the Officers at the controls of the Lancaster had only seconds to react. Although the Fire Extinguishers hadn’t been triggered, everything else showed that they attempted an immediate ‘wheels-up’ landing.
One cannot today imagine a BOI deciding 4 sherry's played no major part.
One cannot today imagine a BOI deciding 4 sherry's played no major part.