Whats your shortest flight ?
 

Just to stop the FJ crews from being left out (although some Tornado`s crew have done uncomfortably long flights strapped to the seat with AAR), What is the shortest flight you have completed? Only one rule, Martin Baker did not do the landing.
I will start with 10 minutes on a Nimrod doing a pilots solo on the Nimrod, why it was called solo with 17 crew strapped in down the back was beyond me !

32 seconds - a 'fastest cct' competition.

19 Minutes
 

In the days of the F4 in 2ATAF the standard northerly departure from Wildenrath was via JHQ Rheindahlen, through the SAM sites to the POL at The Wesel. It took about 10 minutes at low level. On an exercise sortie we found an 8 ship coming the other way. After some (simulated) head-on shots and a bit of turning and burning (yes I was on 92 Sqn so beware) we fired out and RTB'd. A total of 19 minutes from wheels off to chute popped and not much fuel left.

The other notable day was when we had to demonstrate maximum sortie rate during APCs in Malta. The only way to do it was to fly ACT sorties just off the coast. As I climbed out of an F4 at 1030 AM after my 6th 20 minute trip (special dispensation from GASOs), SENGO asked me if I'd had a rough night on the pop because I looked tired.

Two minutes - multiple birdstrikes on take-off in a Lightning and a tight circuit.

05 Mins Wessex General Handling sortie, weather abort

10 mins in the (very plush) back of a Gulfstream 5 positioning from FFD to BZN during RIAT a few years back - much better than RTB'ing in a Sherpa!

Lyneham - Keevil, TALO'ing with Albert

Wessex, Aldergrove, lift into hover, engine run down, land on. About 5 seconds!

1971 - Herc - Lyneham - Kemble - 5 minutes. Start of a great week supporting the Reds around the country.

About 10 seconds - cable break on take-off, South Cerney summer 1960, Kirby Cadet Mk 3.

But I suppose that dosen't really count!

O-D

Kinloss and Lossie RW are aligned such that with the wind from the east you can just take off, left hand down a bit, and land.
In the 80's Kin bolthole to Lossie meant movement of ac happened at weekend so no danger of FJ in your way. Our illustrious pilot, always one to try the unusual, tried to do it in less than 5 mins so he could put 0 mins in his log book and be correct. I think we failed and 5 it was.

10 seconds, relocating from ships deck to jetty for flight deck maintenance. :rolleyes:

5 minutes (rounded up) from Lyneham to Colerne - delivery on Duty Working Crew.

Then back by road . . . deep joy.

Shortest Flight
 

Less than 5 seconds carrying out my quarterly SCT with one of my instructors who clearly hadn't read the Flying Order Book etc. In a Viking he pulled the cable release on me just after the wheels left the ground - not allowed to do that until 100'. P1llock!

ACW

3 mins 20 seconds, a circuit of Kirknewton in 1979 in a Cadet ! But we were there all bleedin day for our 3 mins !!

Boscombe to Brize in a VC10 - rounded UP to nine minutes.

6 mins 37 seconds, Kabul to Bagram.

I recall a long standing competition for Dishforth (RLG) -> Linton in JPs after a detached day, with the results coming in about 3:30? Not too sure about the time, but sure someone will remember...

NoD

Having had another look...
 

....nipped in to Deci at the end of an exercise sortie to replenish LOX; then gear down Deci to Elmas, 2mins cracking on a bit.

The Ancient Mariner

Shortest Flight(s)
 

After reading previous posts I wouldn't claim the shortest. However, I did 3 seasons of display flying (1 on Lightning F1A & 2 on the Phantom) and have quite a number of 10 minute sorties logged, and at least one 5 minute sortie on each of those types. But one claim I will make is that of taking the greatest number of sorties to achieve 1,000 hours on the Phantom.
But you may be interested in the story of 2 junior pilots on 92 Sqn, who were scheduled for a 1v1 combat sortie on the first wave of the day (0830 take-off) in F2As (big ventral). The Boss, a gruff Scot, arrived in the Ops Room after morning met brief (also 0830) to see the 2 JPs busy filling in the auth sheets. Said Boss inquired none too gently why the .... they hadn't walked yet, to be met with the sheepish response that they were signing in! Since the Boss was hot on getting the monthly hours as well as a stickler for punctuality, the resulting conversation was decidedly one-sided.

ED,

I can't remember a "Gruff Scot" boss of ninety-blue in the F2A era. Please elaborate.