What oddballs have you flown or been flown in?
 

I am an engineer - never flown for a living but military aviation has been my life and my first love.

When I was about 7 years old I flew in a BOAC Super Constellation from LHW to Kano via Paris, Rome and Tripoli. I have the flight logged and signed by the captain in my BOAC Junior Jet Club log book (even though it wasn't a jet!).

When I was 16 I soloed in a Sedbergh and a Kirby Cadet (at Catterick).

When I was 17, and in the Air Training Corps, I was lucky enough to get a Flying Scholarship from the RAF and learnt to fly powered aircraft at Carlisle Flying Club. I did my circuits and stuff in a Cessna 150 but I learnt my aerobatics in an Auster Aiglet.

Later that year I managed to get on to an International Air Cadet Exchange and was flown from Northolt to USAFE Rhine Main (sp!) in a RAF Britannia and from there to Lisbon in a Spanish Air Force Junkers 52 (the 3 engine jobber made out of corrugated alloy). I persuaded the Captain to let me have a go and can claim 15 minutes flying a J 52. It was surprisingly light on the controls (well surprising to the 17 year old me!).

We were flown all over Portugal in a Portugese Air Force DC3 in vip fit - it was magic.

Then I joined the RAF and in 1969 was taken out into Akrotiri bay in a RAF marine branch launch and dumped into the sea, only to be rescued by the valiant winchman of an ancient Whirlwind. When we were about 10 ft above sea level the ac suffered a major hydraulics problem and we were dumped back into the sea. The marine branch launch turned round and picked us up. Later that evening I experienced my first (of many) brandy sour in the Akro mess.

So I list the gliders, the super constellation, the Auster, the Junkers 52, the VIP DC3 and nearly the Whirlwind (and the brandy sour - not an aeroplane but it did make me fly).

What about your oddball aircraft?

Rgds SOS

Don't think anyone would be able to better that oddball aircraft. :E

Ju-52's left the factory with 3 engines didn't they? It was careless of you to lose one.

Unusual aircraft? Hmmm, Papua New Guinea Defense Force DC-3 in 1976 as a young tacker. Have flown in and taken the controls for a short period of a DeHavilland Caribou in 1988 as a young subbie.

F-28 flying from Port Moresby to Lae over the Owen Stanleys was an interesting trip - climb like buggery, 5 mins of level flight with hosties throwing out OJ at the rapid fire rate, then decend like a brick into Nadzab. Pesky mountains.

Unusual? Perhaps for our Uk lads but:
Ch53 Super stallion with the USMC.
C141 MAC Starlifter dropping USN Seals from some ridiculous height.

Non military, CAP10 and an Extra 300.

As an ATC cadet, a USAF Fairchild C119 Packet, when we landed with 30 less souls than we took off with. Apart from that, an air test in a stripped out Avro Lincoln. Both from RAF Llandow.

I did 15 minutes in the prototype Edgeley Optica including the landing (at Farnborough) and I once owned and flew a Monnet Moni all metal homebuilt (30hp 2-stroke engine cruised at 90mph IAS).

I did a night jump out of an MC-130H in Florida - does that count ;)

First helicopter flight ... Belvedere!!

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/i...ZRJ2HF22cbhkx2

Not odd ... but the only one in the RAF ... check ride Sep 1978 with Boss John Shelton.

http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/airshow...onII/Husky.jpg

Balloon up to 800' at WOTG, one way ticket.

CG

Couple of Jollies in a Catalina out of Dunsfold.

I'll raise you Hankley Common and Hullavington from the blimp plus three jumps before breakfast from the Mighty Wokka.

When Southampton UAS was based at HMS Daedalus at Lee on Solent we were neighbours to the Hampshire Police Optica, and at least one of our studes had a shotty in that.

Not flown in, but I spent about an hour on the Vickers Varsity when it was on a ground display at Bruntingthorpe. It was only a coule of weeks before the tragic accident.

Again not really oddball...
 

...apart from the empennage arrangement. Two hours display practice with the Patrouille de France along the north cornish coast in the days when they flew the Fouga Magister.
Absloutely mind blowing.
The "get out in a hurry drill" didn't inspire one with confidence; static line fixed to bulkhead behind one "OK I roll inverted you get rid of your canopy then undo straps and I push - d'accord?"
I loved it.

The Ancient Mariner

G-APFA Turbi Sport at Pendeford.

T5 Lightning at Wattisham.

JP 3a and Mk5 Linton-on-Ouse

Varsity at Oakington.

RAF Hastings, flown by my bro-in-law when I was an Air Cadet. Interesting stuff. We even had a real engine fire in flight.

Argentinian Pucara after the little nastiness. An Airspeed Oxford when I was a CCF cadet and biked up to Kenley on spec one summer hols. A primary glider (Looks like a Bleriot but with high wings) towed up to 2000ft behind a Chipmunk at Dishforth. Grass had just been mowed, I wasn't wearing goggles, got grass in both eyes so couldn't see and couldn't locate the release knob. Just in time got slight vision in one eye so here I am! A Heron (four engined Devon).

At the risk of thread drift, I must emphasise that a number and variety of these experiences have been as Air Cadets.

Much has changed in the Air Cadet Organisation (ACO) since some of the posters (or me!) were cadets, but much hasn't.

Cadets still solo in gliders at 16, still get flying scholarships when they are 17 or 18, and still get the chance for overseas visits with the International Air Cadet Exchange, which now includes more exotic destinations such as Israel, Ghana and the Phillipines!

Cyprus camps can still include SAR helo rides, but one hopes without ditching!

But the ACO can always use more volunteer support to make these things happen - so think about it!

I would say that, wouldn't I! ;)

An experience trip in a Wasp shouldn't end with a dunking, but for a Dark Blue mate who was on a pre-joining warship acquaint it ended with a tie.

The embarked pilot decided a would-be WAFU needed a fright so showed him a torque turn, except he over-cooked it and they both had to swim for it. Dougie deployed his kit and received a tie for his efforts. Made for some odd looks at CU when he wore it as a Midshipmite on 705 :ok:

No doubt about it - RAFGSA Fauvel flying wing glider at Bicester ca. 1974. The deal was that you only got to fly the Grunau (which was a beautiful, if chilly, experience) if you also flew the Fauvel - it otherwise spent long periods in the hangar . Pitch trim was very important, especially loads of nose-down for take-off or you'd end up oscillating in and out of the ground effect as it gathered speed. I was tasked to brief a certain Very Important 1* (his view, not mine!) for his first flight in it, he decided to ignore the 'advice', and set off behind the tug. Lift off and he immediately started oscillating up and down like billyo before the tug pilot pulled the release on him. The thing is - I got a bo*****ing for not briefing him properly and I flippin' well did! 1* word versus Fg Off word - no contest! Still, as I was bo*****ed, I did get a sly wink from the CFI!