All I can say is she had the firmest thighs of any woman it's been my pleasure to hold. ;)

Image removed

A Waddington 2010 departure :-


http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psrdbonwbx.jpg

Tuesday 30 Aug 1988, when the Russians had just started being friendly:


I think the photo was taken by Flight's Janice Lowe? From my flight deck window.

Having been given the task of flying all the various TV crews and journos in our VC10K2, I was told not to tell anyone. So I didn't....

...not even the Boss! When he found out, we had the following conversation:

"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I'd been ordered not to. Besides, if I had told you, you'd only have pinched the trip!"
"I certainly would have!"

Sorry, Jim ;)

http://urbanghostsmedia.com/home/twa...reck-tabuk.jpg

A bit of speed tape and polishing and all will be fine.

http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/...psqn6ijgar.jpg

Taken from a Nimrod off Cyprus, the F3 having been Alpha Controlled for a Stern VID by a Shackleton. This being 1990, it was probably one of the last the Shackleton did.
The Shack also dropped liferafts on us for our dinghy drill. And I do mean on us, not very near us - we had to use miniflares as SAMs to drive the b#ggers off (which tells you how low they were)!

p.s. P6 Driver, if that pic is from 27 April 1989, then I am driving 'DT' and claim my £5 ( B-the-B in the back. I think it is us as very few had white helmets.)

There are some excellent photos appearing here!

Fox3WheresMyBanana - I'm sorry to have to report that I didn't date the photo print but we didn't have too many F3 detachments in Gibraltar while I was there, so I wouldn't argue your point about the date! PM will be sent.

Another of mine - probably taken during one of those interminable Hosam Low trips before GW1 kicked off....:

BEags, re the Mig-29s, which we escorted into Farnborough that day; Tony Pax and self in CT. Some cool form leading by the Funbus that day, if you recall, with a fair bit of cloud to descend through and us all (F3 and Mig-29!) hanging in there. After landing we met Kvotchur, who had the hardest handshake I've ever experienced. Interesting day.

JAJ,
I'm no expert, but I used to hear Tornado folk talk about a "big jugs" fit...would this be it? :E

27mm, I do indeed recall it! It was indeed quite tricky leading that formation with all that cloud and one of the F3s kept getting between us and the MiG 29s, making the job of the journos more difficult. We had BBC, ITN, UPI, AP, Flight, Aviation Leak and TASS all taking turns to squeeze behind me to get their piccies. Janice wriggling into position was rather nice though!

Whilst we were trying to get Anatoly and his buddy to follow us through the frequency changes, we were fighting off London on the other box - we must have caused mayhem in that sector!

But the journos got their photos and the TV crews got their video onto the 6 o'clock news! DCO!!

The sneaky-beakies had a ploy to work out the fuel consumption of the MiG 29 - a Canberra with IR cameras flew over Farnborough not long after the formation had landed to see how much was in the tanks. Then every day they kept a log of how much had been supplied after each flying display... But the Sovs obviously knew of their plan as the final fuel for the trip back to the Rodina was supplied from their own source!

Re. the handshake, DB confirmed that it was indeed a bone-crusher!

Possibly the two best-painted Tornados I've seen

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...ee9acb3275.jpg

One from the good old days of APC dets in Akrotiri:


18:00 in the OM for brandy sours, Chris taxi at 18:30, Chris Kebab at 19:00..."Who halloumi, who liver?"...Chris taxi back at 22:30, last orders in the OM at 22:45, back to the block....

....and at 01:00, 02:00, 03:00 etc etc the patter of urgent feet :eek:!

But http://www.pprune.org/military-aviat...ens-stool.html ??

My arrival check on my first squadron has PD Paphos on it, and my last detachment in the RAF was Cyprus. I defended it during Desert Shield (the nurses were soooooooooo grateful ;)) and I have been more times than I can count - what with the Animal House fridge and jugs of Brandy Sours, that would be twice, at least.
There are times you are glad your jet can be landed by a ham-fisted idiot with a hangover (as is your nav, especially as he paused on the walkout to throw up behind the chocks box). Without even being asked, I ensured my landing woke him up again so he could pretend to be alert on the walk-in

p.s. Halloumi, every time! Despite being in the Back of Beyond,they sell it here, and my neighbour's girlfriend's homemade red wine stands in very well for kokkinelli.

Seems to be no helmet on the backseater BEagle?

What is the story there?

Helmet's in his hands ;)

There was a large photo on a crewroom wall at TTTE Cottesmore in the early 80's showing an in-flight single seat German Starfighter being flown by a pilot wearing a spiked WW1 German helmet.

I wish I'd taken a photo of it now, but photography in the hangar areas wasn't encouraged!

An oldie...
 

P6 Driver, here's a (not very good) picture of Oberst Gert Overhoff, boss of JaboG 31 'Boelcke', wearing a Pickelhuber in his TF-104G:

I may be wrong but I suspect the back seater in the F3 with the funny headgear may be a certain US exchange officer which would make the pilot JW?