SimonK - I think I may well have been in that gaggle...

Kintyred - a given we've flown together...the Cresta Run was always fun..

A few from ops; as a junior CR captain in Skopje (Jun99) having the 'boss' leg it past us with a paraphrased 'don't just stand there...get one up..'. No auth, no brief and signed for the cab whilst starting it...14 helicopters lined up ready to go in less than 4 minutes....

Taking a VSI Iraqi kid the same age as one of mine, on my birthday, from Al Amarah to Basrah with his very emotional dad trying to get into the cockpit to throw dollars at us...kid survived...:)

Picking a double amputee Royal off the field in Afghan less than 15 minutes after he triggered the IED...he survived..:)

Being asked by ATO if I minded taking 3500lb of improvised explosive in the back of my cab in Fermanagh....I said 'no'...my first op Sortie with Swampy Traill (I got lost...) and delivering the RUC into the middle of a melee at Drumcree...

On training a few stand out. For sheer, unadulterated fun, a 2v2 with a Puma against a pair of GR7s in Scotland - Jets said they could fight for an hour, the Puma broke on start and so MG and I just had a fab fight...still the only time I've had to climb at the guns break to avoid the jet....

In the FI, hammering an F3 crew so badly on an Affil sortie that their Boss sent them out of Happy Hour and challenged OC78 to a duel - imagine how we laughed when OC1435 couldn't find OC78 in a yellow sea king on the Stanley Road....great guys though - we all debriefed in The Goose in good spirits..

Doing a StanEval check teaching HvH...much more fun than USLs or IF.....

A good thread, it is fighting off the Alzheimers.

We were on finals into Crossmaglen with the doctor on board when a RM was shot walking out the gate. We had him in hospital in Belfast 30 minutes later.

Margaret Thatcher and Dennis in the back, again going to Crossmaglen, Xmas eve. We gave her a clockwork helicopter as a present and she sent Dennis to the tail end and then sent the toy up and down to each other. You needed to laugh sometimes.

Every successful casevac!

Rolling to 135 degrees of bank and seeing 4 HE LGBs in close formation that we had just tossed at Garvie Island, then, pulling like fark to get out the way when I realised that all the wires and stuff hanging off them were the arming devices that were arming the fuses. Then rolling the other way and seeing all four of 'em going BNAG as they hit the rock under the guidance of the friendly Bucc behind us! :E

Many flying moments, mainly in Army helicopters, but the biggie for me was watching a radar talkdown on a Hunter in rapidly deteriorating weather (heavy rain and a crosswind). On descending on the glidepath for his first radar approach he declared a PAN with fuel shortage. He didn't get visual, so overshot.

At that point, the SATCO told me "You're in the seat for the next approach". The Director positioned the jet for a short pattern GCA. Downwind, the Hunter declared MAYDAY and stated that if he couldn't land of the next approach he wanted vectors over water to eject.

Colour state Red, the aircraft was turned in inside 6 miles - drove the Hunter down the glidepath and helped him land - no pressure there then! A pat on the back from the Boss. Hard to beat for me.

Best moments?

- 870KIAS (M1.35) at low level with missiles over the sea ('kin quick)
- M1.2 at low level over the US desert
- M2.15 at high altitude (didn't look that fast but it was great to do it)
- Watching a Jindivik go 'bang'!
- Being grounded on Red Flag for a couple of days for being attached to a tanker that flew in Salt Lake City airspace (I don't have a full recall of the 'couple of days' :E)
- Firing a 50cal out the side of Sea King
- Firing a 'General' out the back of Chinook
- Shooting a 50cal Barrett sniper rifle

Biggest regret?

- Not being able to fire the minigun out the side of the same Chinook!
- Not pulling the Barrett properly into my shoulder!

I wonder what I'll do in the remaining 13 years? :ok:

Leon look what you missed out on

Aug 68 "Its confirmed- you're off to Cranwell in September
Jan 69- "It's confirmed - you're off to University in September.
Sep 75- " It's confirmed - you're off to Germany in March
May 78-"It's confirmed - you're back to University in September.
Jan 92- "It's confirmed- you're seconded to Spain in March.
And a lot of great times in between.
NO REGRETS .

Yesesss! Not sure we stuck to the rules there!

For me, two things stand out:
First night of the first Gulf War, egressing in excess of M1.0, TFR after having had an open-loop pull up after dropping our JP233. After we landed, the engineers were on shift change, so both shifts were there when we got off the bus to sign the jets in. I'll never forget the cheering and the good wishes that we were all back safely.

Much later, in another world, navigating two Chinooks on Operation Maidenly In Sierra Leone to pick up 23 UN observers, including 1 UK officer, who had been isolated by the RUF for a couple of months. The weather was so bad we couldn't see one side of the river bank from the other and we had over a dozen birdstrikes as we slowly made our way toward the target. Finding the two targets for the Indian SF troops that we were carrying and then finding the UN compound, having been given coordinates in the wrong format, in weather that I shall never forget, was hugely rewarding.

SimonK, you never did get out much, did you?!:)

Nutty

What an idiot. It looks like he's shooting over about 2-300m, the Barrett needs at least 500m to shoot it safely or a very deep sand trap! He's lucky he caught it on the ear cup of his ear defenders - he could have lost an eye if it hit him in the face.

I took my shot over about a kilometre and some of the guys had taken shots at 1.5 - 2kms! It really is quite a beast of weapon.

LJ

74's boss, Ken Goodwin turning up at the hangar ( Tengah days) ,at one in the morning with a cold crate of Singapore's best.A true gentleman.

Coming back safely with nine other blokes from somewhere tricky in 1999. The sense of relief was only overwhelmed by that of achievement.

In close second place was the day I left the RAF, looking back on a fantastic 23 years.

Evalu8r yes you were there my friend, happy days long gone :ok:

MG - yes I agree I don't get out much, but when I do the sparks fly, last time in your office I remember when I had a sense of humour failure :O Enjoy civvie street, it rocks!

Perhaps a tad "old fashioned" but I think the common thing that comes through, loud and proud, in this thread can be summed up in one word, comradeship. Whatever branch, trade activity, we all seem to remember them in connection with our fellow servicemen of the time. I for one can guarantee that my time was made more enjoyable by the many superb people I was lucky enough to serve with. With that in mind I raise my glass to old friends, both living and departed, and wish our current replacements the same luck that we had.

Smudge :ok:

Only one thing could be better, 100 yard CPA on the Bravo buoy as well.

Right seat T7A WV318 with 208 mid '80s. LL Moon Country for 57 mins.

Not below 2,000' ..... Yeah, right! :ok:

That would be showing off!:)

YS

Being taught to fly Whirlwinds as an 18 year old LAC at Tern Hill - "If we can teach LAC Rigga, we can teach anyone!"
20hrs in all...and hovering into the corners of Chetwynd - brilliant.

As a Sgt, being told my Chinook was next for an NI Det and was needed in five weeks - re-planning the Minor (with 2 Cat 3 repairs) and stopping 18 from robbing it to death. Best of all - delivering it on time and from only one Air Test. "My Team did that!"

Hell's teeth. :D:D:D:D

This is the best of PPrune. Keep them coming.:ok:

March, '45.

The signal said: "Posted to No. 1340 (Special Duty) Flight, Cannanore, with immediate effect, to command with acting rank of Flight Lieutenant".

Head double the size for 24 hours (Lasted 12 months - my First Command - and my last !)

Could I please be a pedant and point out that I served in the Royal Air Force for five years in war and 23 years afterwards. Not in any Military.

"Military" is an adjective, not a noun. You can speak of a Military Objective, and in the US (as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S.A.A.F.), I was bidden to move about, and do everything else, for that matter, in a "Mil-it-ary Manner".

Away with "Military" as a noun !

D.

Sitting on the grass on a pleasant summers day idling away my time while doing a see off on an OCU Wessex, it was excruciatingly slow as the Student tried to remember the prestart checks,
(some see off's had been known to take an hour, I kid you not)
When in frustration the instructor says over the intercom, "for gawd sake... Nutloose, what is the next item on the check?" And straight back like a shot I replied "2 inches of right pedal"....... Poor guy, he really got it in the neck then when it was pointed out even the ground crew had memorised them, although 3 years plus of listening to it being recited, you couldn't help knowing them.....

Being told, halfway through the dreadful Winter of '63, 'you're posted to Akrotiri'.:ok:

Hearing the mechanical 'thunk' as I made contact on my last VC10/VC10 prod. 19 years of pleasure summed up in a few milliseconds sound

:)

Being at Binbrook for a Mineval as a young aircrew cadet. Watching a long line of Lightnings start & disappear into the dawn sky.

Going to Australia for the 200th anniversary celebrations & Fincastle as lead dry on 201Sqn - best and longest party I have ever attended!

Sitting in the Intercon gardens in Muscat with a post-sortie beer watching the KLM hosties in the pool who were stranded there during the buildup to GW1

Receiving my VR(T) Commission 10 years after leaving the RAF and putting on a blue suit again!

Arriving at Butterworth in 1968 and experiencing Asia for the first time - it changed my life.

Being selected for GV in 1972 and being devastated when it was cancelled.

Over the moon when GV 1980 was confirmed after being in doubt.

Military
 

Danny, I was using the word "military" as a general term so that the Army and Navy lads and lasses didn't feel left out. :E

Leon, I would loved to have a go with a Barrett although my cadet times did allow a little SLR and Lee Enfield's. Missed out on a mag from a Bren, we had run out of rounds before my chance came along.

Our cadet supplied weapons were SMLE Nr4's but my best grouping ever was with a Nr1 stamped 1918 and still with a dum dum cutter fitted. Did wonder if it have ever been used in anger.

Clicker

Ah, the good old SLR. So much better for stopping people in their tracks than the replacement.

I only put a single round down with the Barrett and when the chap with a beard asked if I would like another I politely declined - it felt like Johnny Wilkinson had just kicked a penalty on my shoulder! The 7.62 sniper rifle that he had was more of an officer's weapon!

LJ :ok:

Probably the minute or so preceding the recovery from a strafe run in Helmand, with a Brit patrol only 300metres away.

There were other good days, but I think I may saved some lives that particular day.

Barksdale

I was in that room when GV72 cancellation was announced, gutted. I had moved on by 1980 and was not considered, still as per my first post Black Buck made up for it.

Ahh yes, the Enfield No.4, I cut my teeth on that and I still partly blame that rifle for me having to go on Churchill's funeral. Having only passed out a few weeks before the event, that, and the fact that my hair was still short enough to see the blood running through my head made me a dead ringer.

The SLR was a better rifle, good enough for me to make the station shooting team so I had my own. What I didn't understand was that when I got the chance with a SA80, it was in a cinema !!!!!

LJ

So, the 7.62 was more of an officers weapon than the Barrett .5. Shorter, not as bulky and and less penetrating power, I think I tend to agree. ;)

For some bizarre reason I was made Bren gunner on the mdf at Leuchars.
Great fun lining up on the berm that ran along the road that disects the camp and blasting two l/rs full of intruders who'd just attacked a Sanger and thought they were getting away with it.
As the umpire said "Alright lads. I think you got 'em!"


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OK, I'll ask: GV 72 and 80?

Oops, my bad, the other rifle was 8.59mm calibre. Pretty good over the same sort of range but a lot more gentile on the shooter!

clicker, (your #105)

Nothing personal, young fella ! I was merely voicing my irritation about the general practice in recent years of using nouns as verbs ("access") and adjectives as nouns ("military").

As for the other services, "Armed Forces" used to do very well, (and is only a couple of letters longer !)

But then I suppose I'm just a nattering old git !

Cheers, Danny

MG
 

GV =Giant Voice

You haven't lived until you have told your Wing Co Nav squadron commander that his UA60 box isn't working because he hasn't selected the I/c ON. (If looks could kill)!!!!!!!!

Loved the SLR, but always thought it was the wrong weapon for Airfield defence, all you had to do was parachute into the centre of the airfield, lie prone and allow the Squadrons to shoot sh*t out of each other across the airfield. :E


Bren or Notbren (LMG).
You have to admit the regiment and the GDT section did like their naming rules, it's not a gas mask it's a Respirator, it's not a bullet, it's a round, it's not a Bren, it's an LMG :p

I work with a retired Regt Sgt. Always good sport to drop in the odd reference to guns, bullets, or gas masks - and watch him go puce.

Winning the Gilroy Trophy.

MG]

Giant Voice, the SAC bombing competition, the USAF would invite RAF Vulcan crews to compete against the B52s as visitors, probably the pinnacle detatchment for any Bomber Command aircrew or groundcrew. It was heavily weighted in their favour as visitors were excluded from winning certain key trophys. The UK equivalent was Double Top when the Buffs were invited over here, they used to park themselves at Marham.

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