What DML said.

Sadly though, I've been controlling at a UK mil base for most of the past 17yrs & had 1 ten min flight in a gazelle; aircrew are seen in the tower as often as a blue moon and then they just get what they need & leave. Sad. Doesn't help that all the ATC personnel are civvy therefore not just Dark Side, but Dark, DARK Side! ;)

I knew a WWII Spit pilot (Len Brett RIP) who often said "as a pilot you got posted to Air Traffic if you'd been naughty" ... another one of his phases was "Air Traffic ... purely an advisory service young Coff." Times gone by ...

Coff.

Nah ... Snotty bit if fablon covered ex ERS stuffed in knee pocket ... with a big red line under the 15Kts component line :ok:

Am I the only one who finds it amusing that one so verbose on the radio should be complaining about RT brevity? Firstly, there's no need to transmit your life story, no matter how helpful you think you're being and secondly, since you've admitted to regularly operating from the same airfield and getting the same response each time, why continue in the same manner if you know it's going to end up with the same thing being said three times? What was that saying about the definition of insanity? :)

The Deci PARs were always good because of the way they chatted you down the slope: "Vixeeen, how many sheeps are you?" "Okay, you're a leetle bit high, you come down a bit. Ah, a thatsa a better, now youra looking okay". As for the UK PARs, Yeovilton had it by a mile. With so many skirt-wearing ATCOs (and quite a few of them being female), we were totally spoilt for the most sexy sounding, sultry talkdowns. One in particular had us clamouring for a PAR even when it was blue +++ (and she was fun in the Wardroom jacuzzi :mad:)

Some proper RT (latter half) and some splendidly well-spoken chaps and chapesses...

Pontius
 

I know when I am beaten ! I now don't bother to keep the conversation down to two short transmissions that leave any one on the frequency in no doubt on my intentions and clearance limit , it being clear that there is the time and inclination to have three transmissions that say less.

I will leave the brevity for Newark, Boston, Gatwick and Amsterdam.

You should know by now not to argue with the mil! Just agree then carry on doing what you've always done....:ok:

Try JFK, LHR and ORD for real fun and, if you're ever searching for the ultimate in anal retentiveness, you'll go a long way to beat SYD :ok:

Where is Decimomannu?



















c'mon don't let me down!

Southern Sardinia. NATO range place.

A c away from Decimomannu. :cool:

Has the Deci supersonic line reached Menorca yet? Every year it seemed to creep further and further west....

"Confeeermm canopy a-closed!"

Deci - you knew when it was getting lively in the Quadraplegic Club when the poor unfortunate Italian SDO came in and gave a ceremonial Reading of the Rules in his immaculate uniform, complete with leetle peestol. One year J** D**r, our navigator of dark hue, disarmed the poor chap, before pointing the gun in his general direction and yelling "No-one moves - or the n****r gets it!".

I guess the RAF doesn't do Deci anymore?

Is he out of nick yet, BEags?

Not only that Beags but one night the SDO actually fired his pistol through the ceiling!! Made to boys run for cover:ok:

"Seeeeeeea state seeeeex. The range, she is clozed". Music to my ears. :)

My favourite was a day the range was closed because 'the diver, he is a-sick'.
The yanks actually started the full rigmarole of filing flight plans to do the 2000' 'low level' route, one every twenty minutes (which was the max. allowed ISTR). The Italians were now faced with having to process these - real work(!). One hour later 'The range, she is a-open! The diver, he not sick'

Middle of summer, eight eights blue. Call to the Ops desk, "The airfield she is a closed!" Why? Fog!

Take sqn mini to the met office where I am shown the fog! Turns out that someone has lit a bonfire which has obscured one of the eight visual reference points!

When it is observed that seven other reference points were clearly visible, guess what?

"The airfield she is a open again"

Just one range slot lost!!:ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh:

Figure of Merit:

@ 9 miles (ish): Call talkdown on #.

Talkdown: Read back QFE. Call localiser established.

@ 3.5 miles: Check gear down (acknowledge).

@ 2.5 miles: Surface wind is .....


:ok:

Stopstart

What a great bit of film. The night launch of the four ship is just the bees knees. Didn't one talk funny in those days ???:ok:

Reminds me of a certain deployed airfield in the Balkans where ATC was Italian. We took off in the small hours, field ops before ATC had crewed in. Shallow fog up to about 30' then ginners all the way up.

I recovered for refuel at about 8am for refuel. ATC crewed in as I was refuelling.

I Called for a VFR departure to the East.

Got "negative sir, the airfield eees a IFR"

Replied: "I've been airborne all morning, and I'd to go VFR"

Got: negateeeve, airafeeld isa IFR.

Replied: Ok, I'd like IFR departure, 50' direct to the East.

I heard the microphone drop and then get picked back up...

Got: owakay, youa goa VFR...

You bunch of wasters............my 1000th post and you let me down.... The correct reply is:

next to Decimoputzu!