Coffman,
like many of her species Mrs aa has a natural air of command. There is no one finer at supervising whatever the task ! On that note I will cease this thread drift less trouble lurks !

Coffman,
there is the tale of a co dropping his ciggie down said console in flight.
The captain informed the staging post en clair to embarrass the co. On the next leg the captain dropped his ciggie. So the co broadcast this to the whole world.
Not a happy flight deck !

AA62,

Your mention of the ciggies brings back a thought. When I first worked on Albert in 1971, each crew station had an ashtray fitted, and, if my memory serves me correctly the After Flight schedule required the emptying of the ashtrays. Fast forward to Smudge the GE circa 1988 and, though the mountings were still there, the ashtrays were no longer there. When did they disappear ? I do remember one Captain who managed to salvage one of them, and, respect to him, took it away with him after landing. I was a smoker throughout my time as a GE, and certainly struggled on a 12 hour leg and a Captain who forbade the evil weed. Many the delayed refuel due to "GE essential nicotine fix". Glad to say I'm smoke free for five years now, and can't think what ever attracted me to it. Anyway, ashtrays, when did they disappear ?

Smudge :ok:

As a youngster, in final term at the Towers and doing a fortnight with 114 on Argosies flying as supernumary crew. "Gear up, flaps up, coffee up" - and straight down the throttle box as the Q tripped on the steps

Smuj,
I don't recall the ashtrays being there in 85 when I did my tanking course, but I do have memories of the "clear first class" call on board the tanker. Always puzzled me that one!
Talking tankers did anyone else take pleasure in pouring water down rear urinals when the receiver was plugged in or was that just me?

I though the throttle quadrant cover was to stop scrabble pieces falling down....

Ksimboy,

"Talking tankers did anyone else take pleasure in pouring water down rear urinals when the receiver was plugged in or was that just me?" - You naughty boy, if taken short I'm sure you can be excused, but surely you didn't have a deliberate discharge :rolleyes: I have a tale of the urinal drain, that will forever remain in my memory. Here goes;

I believe it was my second "improver" as a GE (after completing the course we did three trips with experienced GEs to ensure we were "safe") and we landed at gander with the RH urinal half full of pi$$. There was obviously a downstream blockage and despite giving it a few minutes to allow for ice etc, it did not clear. My "checking GE" advised me that holding my thumb over the RH urinal drain with the GTC running could cause a back pressure to relieve the blockage. I duly sat behind the probe and blocked the drain with my thumb. After a few minutes of this, he shouted to tell me to remove my thumb. Yep, half a urinal all over me:eek: it wasn't pleasant, but a lesson I learned, always stand to one side when dealing with urinal blockages. Considering my experience as an Airframe man on Albert, I was really taken in. Having confessed to this now obvious trap, I hope you blokes won't take the pi$$. Thankfully, I managed to get the Co to pay the laundry bill for the overnight cleaning of the growbag. Perhaps the less attractive side of Albert.

DC Thumb. Obviously did a few ASI/ MPA trips!

Smudge:ok:

smudge,
from the compressed view of memory it seems as if they were removed sometime in the mid seventies. As a lifelong non smoker I welcomed the major shift towards non smoking that took place around that time.
Shortly after the 'K' came into service we began to have a lot of air con/pressurisation problems. The groundcrew found that various components in the system, especially the valves, were coated in a dark brown gunge.
In those days pax were allowed onto the flight deck to smoke. Smoking was obviously the culprit in respect of the problems. They brought some samples of the components around to the squadrons and they were not a pretty sight.
If that did not encourage people to give up nothing would.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps027b0279.jpg

I have been asked what piggy back means in respect of MSP loads. As a pic is worth a thousand words here is a typical piggy back training load as displayed at a Lyneham Famlies Day with Mrs aa doing her Alfred Hitchcock act.
A pound for every time I have airdropped a Landrover !

I wonder whether the 'nav turning his oxygen mask into a blow torch' incident had anything to do with it?

nimbev,
I remember that incident ! But I think there were others who came very close to immolation !

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps1ee1c515.jpg

The sunsets could be spectacular but some of those night legs seemed to go on for ever.

Well done to all involved at Brize over the last 48 Hrs :D:D:D:D

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/...psc0e0dc06.jpg

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/...psb873ac73.jpg

Image Credit : MOD RAF

I see that cardboard honeycomb 'crush' packing is still in use ... simple, economic and effective ... Drag will be pleased ;)

Seconded Coff,

Well done chaps, you are the spearhead of a long tradition, as this thread testifies. I'm sure we all wish you good missions and a safe return.

Smudge :ok:

Coffman,
that simple 'crush' packing had a posh name. Energy Dissipating Material (EDM). But whatever we call it it works. Looks like the US type A22 or something similar. I wonder who is running the DZ.

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps024300eb.jpg

Pic taken at Akrotiri. No doubt the relief airdrop 'J' will be staging through there.

AA62, when on OP Bushell I seem to recall the Hercs collecting this EDM (or something similar) from AKR on a weekly run, it being manufactured in 48Cyp Workshops.

PM

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psf6411a4e.jpg

Pic of the day. An inside shot with a difference. Could almost be a caption competition. Myself despatching paras. The paras were on garrison duty in Berlin so to keep them current we used to pick them up and drop them in West Germany. They wanted some publicity pics and had authorisation to bring a professional photographer. He was using a large flash system which blinded me first time . So we agreed he would use a small pilot light to indicate when the main flash was about to go off. I would then close my eyes for the instant it took the main flash to fire. He got his pics and I saved my vision !
My caption is MALMs can do it with their eyes closed !

Hi guys, enjoying reading your thread and was reminded of another regular Herc destination..... Benbecula in 84 or 85, and just back from another relief drop somewhere?
http://i465.photobucket.com/albums/r...ula/ben24a.jpg

Initials,

Great picture of a lovely place to visit on a sunny day, beautiful scenery. I see 295 is yet to acquire a refuelling probe in this shot. I always believed they all had them just after the Falklands conflict.

Smudge:ok: