TH, there may be one for any allusions to that picture too.

One of the more amusing examples of a procurement cock-up is, or so I'm told, the impressive drainage ditches / LandRover traps along the road linking RAF Mount Pleasant to Stanley.....:sad:

When they were designed, the contractors asked for the rainfall figure, with which they were duly supplied. They did their sums and advised that these massive structures, rivalling Offa's Dike in size, were clearly needed...:\

Which indeed they would have been, had the rainfall figure been correct. But 'someone' supplied the annual figure, whereas the contractors had in fact asked for the figure for the wettest month....:rolleyes:

BEagle, unless they mixed up the figures for Ascension. The ditch passed Travellers was about a foot or so wide and the same deep.

When it rained it became a little larger, say 4 feet wide and 8 deep. The foundation of one hut was left suspended in thin air.

The new ditch was about 35 feet or more wide, feet deep and lined with a levee. The annual rainfall figure was fine, except it usually arrived in 4 hours :}

They also refused to install solar water heaters on the officers' huts as there was insufficient sun that far south.

Sort of a procurement cockup, but also from FI. When the "quarters" were built at MPA, the first (and biggest) was CBFFI's, although still one of those strange wooden chalets.

Erected by a specialist team from, IIRC, Croydon, it was put up with impressive speed - and a South-facing sun lounge! They were of course meticulous in asking which way South was - without explaining why.

Oh how we laughed ......

Reminds me of this:

Daily Mail: 'I am not in the office': How an automated email reply ended up on a Welsh road sign

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/...50_468x363.jpg

Ah, the pitfalls of amibigous language. I remember a specification for an unmanned vehicle that stated something like, "The system should be capable of autonomous OR manual operation." (i.e. not both simultaneously.)

One of the bidders interpreted this as an option and proposed a system that could only be operated manually.

One of the (older) Leuchars boys may be able to confirm this as truth or myth - when the Officers Mess extension was built in the mid 80's the contract said (words to the effect of) "install television aerial socket in each bedroom". The contractors did just that. However, when the building was handed over it was clear that they hadn't connected said aerial sockets to an aerial as it wasn't listed as a requirement!

They agreed to do so afterwards - at great expense to the MOD as an after-build addition to the contract.:hmm:

But this surely has to be one of the most amusing cock-ups.....
And so many months later, the new paint arrived and the painters set to work......
:uhoh:

And it was known as the chocolate bomber.

Or the Akrotiri Officers' Club whose estimate came in so low that it was decided to proceed with the whole project rather than piecemeal as funds became available.

And 'lo the contract went out to a local builder who stupidly said "Isn't the entrance lobby a bit small at only 3 feet?"

Yes, wonders and blunders had produced plans numbered as metres but specified in feet. And there the project sank without trace.

oxenos

"And it was known as the chocolate bomber."

Only in polite circles :E

Apologies as not aircraft related, but the only road out of Rosyth dockyard led to traffic problems in the town, so it was decided to put in another one on the west side.

A new lorry park and offices was to be provided so that vehicles could be inspected before entering.

Limited site investigation carried out, so the presence of hundreds of tons of blue asbestos removed from German ships (taken from Scapa to Rosyth for dismantling) not noticed. Site totally closed for weeks whilst it was all bagged and removed by hand at great expense.

"The Man Who Bought A Navy" is worth a read btw.

Fire main 100mm dia laid as per spec, only to be condemned by inspector who said it needed to be 200mm dia. All ripped out and replaced yet again by even larger mains at the insistence of the firemaster.

Contractor repeatedly pointed out that lorry park entrance designed as car park. Had trouble building it because of tight radii. All totally ignored until just before official opening when contractor ordered to completely rebuild it at great expense because lorries could not get in.

Access road was superelevated on a curve but gullies and pipework provided on both sides. Apparently it was considered that the rainwater would be going so fast downhill that it would swerve across the road and go into gullies on the high side!

RAF Sharjah 1964, new radar being installed, motor generator to be mounted on concrete base with bolts protruding. Works & bricks provided contractor with wooden base on which motor generator was shipped, holes in base lined up exactly with holes on motor generator base. The contractor happily used the wooden base as a template for the concrete base. When the time came to place the motor generator on bolts in the new concrete base it was discovered that the contractor had the wooden template upside down...

Or on the civvy side; when a brand-new terminal was built somewhere in England about twenty years ago. Just before opening day, the users were shown around, so they could admire the wonder of engineering design.

"Where's the domestic terminal?"
"There isn't one; we don't have any domestic flights"
"Err; Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle" etc. A portacabin was hastily added.

"And this is the aircrew security screening section. All hi-tech and ready to go".
"Err: there isn't any access from it to the actual apron".
Gate installed in the fence the following day.

When the RAF first procured the Wessex Mk 2, the RN were already operating Mk 1s, 3s and 5s - the Mk 2 being very close to the Mk 5. (in them days, there was a rule that if RN and RAF were operating the same type, RN would have odd, and RAF even Mk numbers).

But the RAF were (allegedly) worried by the folding tail on the Mk 5, which meant you could get more in carriers.

"Please Mr Westland, we don't like the idea of folding tails - might be dangerous - please make our Mk 2s without!"

"But Mr RAF, that's the way we make them!!"

"Don't care - please make ours with FIXED tails."

"OK - but it'll cost yer ......"

And so, Best Beloved, the Mk 2s initially arrived without folding tails. Lo and behold, it was then discovered that - had we had folding tails - we could get more in hangars.

"Excuse me Mr Westland, can you please retrofit our Mk 2s with folding tails .... er .... like the Mk 5s."

"OK - but it'll cost yer ......"

So we paid twice for what we could have had for nothing. (never got the big Mk 5 cabin windows though!) :ugh:

One of the idiosyncrocies of El Adem when it was a RAF base. They had to string a telephone line all they way from Tripoli to the base and where it left the coast road they strung it on the right hand side of the El Adem road.
To save time another team strung it from El Adem as well;---on the right hand side of the road.
That was the reason they crossed the road halfway.