Guetersloh to Topcliffe as a civvy Met Man, totally unauth. c. 1967 ......... a Topcliffe Varsity. My family were still in Thirsk after a 10 week wait for an OMQ at Guetersloh.
But how I got back to work I know not!

I as lucky in the 80s, ex GD and posted to Command Accounts at Brampton. Command Accountant (first non GD winner of the Sword at the Towers) not known for sense of humour. Nevertheless I suggested that as I had the budgie on my jumper I should inspect flying stations. The WO who did the programme agreed and so I visited all the Support Command flying stations. Flew in something at nearly all of the, Valley managed to get me Hawk (with Stn Cdr who had been my QFI for Ex 1 as Gnat stude) and rotary. I did Bedford-Farnborough-Boscombe Down by air then flew in the Harvard. It was one way of assessing the relationship of usually a first tour OC Accounts with the waterfront, I did the accounting stuff in the evening, and a good time was had by all, especially me. Thanks to all who fixed it 30 years ago, but bet it would not happen now. When I got back after the Harvard flight my wife said I had the widest grin on my face she had ever seen.

During my last few weeks as wpns tm on the RAFs premier fighter squadron I was taken up on a sidewinder live firing at STCAAME, one hell of an experience.

I don't know if they still do it, but back when I was flying KC 135s SAC had a program where we could take our wives along on a refueling mission. I got to do it twice at different bases. I actually got a little respect around the house for a couple of days after.

TTN, me too. I was bomber ops at Tengah when the call came from 74. After a long search for a guy on 44, well 5 seconds i guess, I was on my way. My ops role really was to receive the codes when the Vulcan returned. No sweat and I was back in good time.

Got a rollicking from the flt cdr but as he wasn't in my CoC I couldn't be added to even apologise :)

RAF Benson 1962; a small but vociferous section of the population of Benson village and Wallingford town were complaining about the noise that the new Argosys were making.

So, one Saturday, we had an open day and anyone from the area was welcome to come up to RAF Benson for a visit and go for a ride in an Argosy. I was escorting 40-odd locals out to one of our 267 Sqn machines. One of them was a vicar complete with dog collar. He earnestly told me that he had a confession to make!!!

"I don't really mind the noise but I have always wanted to go for a trip in an Argosy". I assured him that we didn't mind that at all and that I was sure that his AOC in C would also forgive him.

Come to think of it, I can remember a 53 Sqn reunion at Brize where we were all taken for a tour of SW England in a VC-10 flown by ex-53 crew members. (I was flying DC-10s for Fred Laker at the time).

Former colleague of mine was in the MT at Binbrook.....Lightning needed an air test. Young pilot comes into the office where my colleague was. Asks if anyone fancies a quick trip.....former colleague says "no thanks...I'm off to play football". He's bitterly regretted that decision ever since! Hercules visits LBA back in the late '80's to drop the Red Devils over the Great Yorkshire show ground in Harrogate. My mother worked at LBA.....had a word with her boss who in turn was a friend of the airport chief exec (G.D.). Next thing I know, I'm in the back of the Herc with some airport firefighters being thrown around the sky over Harrogate, trying not to barf! I had asked if I could sit on the flight deck and was right royally f*@%ed off and sent down the back. It was only when I getting off, I noticed the 2 or 3 babes still on the flight deck!!!!!!! Understandable really!!!! :)

As an Air Cadet in the late 80s I used to make a regular nuisance of myself writing away to squadron commanders asking for trips. Every letter started with the line, if you don't ask you don't get. Don't think my CO was very approving but that wasn't going to stop me.

I received the full gamut of responses from "Sure, delighted to have you!" to a couple of pretty vociferous rejections. Most were in the positive however.

The odd one required that I go for a medical at my local station or get my ears syringed, but others not. Of course I had to do bang seat familiarisations and was invited to throw myself out of the odd cockpit trainer.

My very first attempt as a humble 15 year old, I was accepted for a trip with the Jag OCU at Lossie. Sadly upon arrival, I was advised that all their 2 seaters were U/S (did they really only have 2?). That has bugged me ever since but I still lucked out to an extent. The FRADU boys were visiting and I managed to bag a trip in one of their Falcon 20s. Pity all the Hunters seats were spoken for.

I subsequently managed trips in a JP3, Canberra, Victor, Shack, Nimrod (XV230!) and Wessex.

I even blagged a trip in the Sentry during my first employ which was with the MoD. Appropriate checks were apparently made from NATO High Command!

I also did a rapid decompression in the chamber at North Luffenham.

Sadly that fast jet trip eluded me. Still happy days though!

Cooch

During my time on the C130K we used to have families days for all the squadrons and the various supporting wings at Lyneham. My late father in law had his one and only ever flight with us. We still have the framed autographed print. Usual route was down to the Severn bridges and back via Cheddar gorge. When my father in law flew we came back over the village where we lived so with the ramp and door open he had a very good view. If you read the Hercules thread you will come across the tale of the alleged 'Captain's friend' ! My brother was the squadron clerk on the Lightning training Flight at Middleton and got a trip in the T4. I may never forgive him. I worked on Javelins, Hunters and Lightnings and never came close. Do they still do Families Day flying ?

In 1966, a month before I was due to end my tour on 105 sqn in Aden, I was rostered to fly an Argosy back to Benson for servicing via Jeddah, El Adem and a night stop in Luqa. I put in a request to take my wife and two year old son with me and much to my surprise it was approved by MEAF HQ with one condition - the British Consul in Jeddah must agree to accommodate my family if we went unserviceable during the refuelling stop. This was a problem, but as luck would have it a couple of weeks before departure I met the Consul during a series of trips to Jeddah carrying 30mm canon shells to the Saudi Air Force. We did a deal - covert Pork Sausages and Bacon from Aden in return for a bedroom at the Consulate if we broke down. The return flight went smoothly and the offer was not taken up.

Finningley did in the 90s, Lyneham didn't in the noughtys, and Cranditz didn't even allow cockpit access last year although we blagged access for the grandchildren from one of the AAC studes after an RAF stude said no but then went for a break.

Doc at Lossie fancied himself as a psychiatrist and tried his hand at curing a 'wife of' of aviophobia. As part of his kill or cure treatment the victim, sorry patient, was strapped in to a beam seat in the Shackleton which then started engines and taxied with the door open.

I don't think the cure worked.

Eng Wing Families Day '85:-

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f8...pspvwdi2su.jpg

Was fortunate enough to get a pax ride in a Sea King from RAF Boulmer in the mid 80's as an ATC cadet-a prize for having the highest marks in one exam.


I also managed an AEF trip in a Chipmunk the previous year (pilot was a Sqd Ldr Leathers IIRC)


There endeth my military flying career.....

We must have been pretty lucky in my CCF days, the AAC were positively itching to get us airborne. I was treated to multiple rides in Scouts and Lynxes; one of the Lynx rides was quite sporty, but the highlight was a ride in the front of a Gazelle over West Berlin, some time in the early 80s. Exciting stuff for an impressionable schoolboy on his first trip outside the UK!

It can still happen.
As recently as 2008 or 9 my wife and a small number of her friends flew in a Herc whilst the Red Devils did a practice drop over Akrotiri.
A call had gone into TPMH that there would be spaces available as a thank you for being there in case they were needed.
Some uniformed types took up the offer and selected friends went along too.

LL, I recognise that view ! But not on that exact trip. After being rehoused from our 'slum' (the description on the letter my parents received) I was very lucky to find myself 100 yds from RAF Usworth, now the Nissan car factory. My friend worked there as a tarmac hand waiting for his RAF joining instructions. So in my ATC uniform and armed with my parents permission I did a lot of flying in Ansons Chipmunks and Oxfords. Almost got a night flight in the Harvard after cleaning it but the ungrateful thing went u/s. Another cadet complained about my 'hogging' but it was just a case , as we have seen above, of right place right time. And as I spent most of my free time there cleaning pushing polishing and sweeping I was always available. The ATC CO forbid me to do any more flying. But I did keep up the flying but just did not log it. I was aided and abetted in this by all concerned at Usworth.

I have recently read Tony Blackman's excellent book, Vulcan Test Pilot. I know it isn't RAF but, during his displays of the Vulcan at Farnborough, members of the Avro office staff were invited to sit in with him. On the flight back to Woodford, his wife sat in the righthand seat. How things have changed?

If we are happy to talk about unauthorised military pax - one of the most famous ones must have been Roly Beamont CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar - he was court-martialled for transporting a WAAF to a dance at another RAF station in his single-seat Hurricane, and was severely admonished.

West Falkland (Cape Orford), 1983. Army chopper lands at Cara Cara radar to deliver Senior Officer for a visit. I am tasked with looking after the pilot and getting him some lunch.
I ask pilot (Army Major) for a trip up the coast. Lectured about how it isn't a a fairground ride blah blah blah.
Had lunch and Major asks if I have a spare cigarette as he left his in Stanley. Yes, say I, I have a store room with loads of them. Long story short, 200 Benson & Hedges and a drop of fuel (As a JO, was trained in refuelling due to our location) later, I am whizzing about at not a lot of feet for 20 minutes.
Also got 30 minutes in a Gazelle in exchange for some oranges.

Those were the days. :ok:

I managed to get a ride in a Hunter at Thumrayt, 40 odd years ago. Bugger nearly managed to make me use the sick bag but not quite, beating up the wadis and up and over the escarpments. It'd taken umpteen gallons of Amstel down his throat the previous evening though to give the flight to me! Brilliant time there, brilliant people, brilliant place.
PS, I didn't wear blue shorts to work.....

court-martialled for transporting a WAAF to a dance at another RAF station in his single-seat Hurricane, and was severely admonished.

so, just out of interest, you understand, who sat on who's lap?

Would the pole not get in the way?

Circa 1978,aged about 15,I walked through the gates at Southend airport with my pedal bike to see the BBMF Lanc up close as it taxied in( you could do that in those days). The pilot came out and I, never scared of being forward, asked if there was any chance of a ride? He smiled but said alas no. Fast forward to 1981, at Conningsby UAS summer camp and our adj Mick Mills (X 49 Squadron Lanc rear gunner) blagged a ride in the BBMF Lanc in his former seat. When he saw the Hurricane and Spitfire format up, he recalled that he thought they were a couple of Messerschmitts! He was turning the rear turret manual wheel like mad to train the guns on them.Many years later I spoke to the pilot that day, Jacko Jackson and he remembered the flight. 'That bugger',he said,'kept turning the bloody turret and ruining the trim of the aircraft!' Priceless....

I was fortunate enough to listen to 'Bea' tell the story about that Hurricane sortie. I think that it was between Pembrey and Castle Martin (although one of the airfields may have been Brawdy). The reason was to go to a party and he did sit on the WAAF's lap. The WAAF later became his wife! I cannot do the story justice as he was a great story teller of tales such as this.

Not strictly on topic - as I've never been in uniform, but a UH-1H ride with the RNZAF sometime in the late eighties comes to mind.
At a training camp as a civilian in the South Island with teams destined for Antarctica that summer.
Have a vivid memory of being strapped into one of the sideways facing fold-down seats with a full load of pax - rear door all the way back as we were hover-taxying, and thinking how extraordinarily quiet it was inside even with the doors open - compared to the Huey drum beat that you always heard from the ground.
Talking to the young pilot afterwards, and he told me that 50 foot rotor had so much inertia that he could auto-rotate, touch down, then pull collective and rotate the aircraft through 180 degrees to touch down again with engine still at idle.
Amazing.

In a similar vein what about VSO's who have flown jets without proper type training/auths.

A couple of my mountaineering friends got a lift in an RAF Sea King, but it wasn't exactly a 'joy ride'!

Scroll back to Cranfield in the early '80s.

A young commercial instructor who was 100% civvy blagged Sandy Topin (not an easy thing to do) that he had RAF Vampire time despite obviously being at least a decade too young and flew several displays at Cranfield and elsewhere. He was renowned for finishing a loop over terrain lower than the airfield and disappearing from sight still going down which created quite an impression I'm told. I'm pretty certain he'd never flown a jet before, just boned up on the pilot's notes and did it.

Sadly, predictably, such a wayward spirit as this did not make old bones and is doubtless right now blowing up a hoolie on his Sax on that great airfield in the sky. Much loved by all that knew him.

WIWO Nimrods two brothers-in-law visited, one on leave from Binbrook and one from Culdrose. I gave them leave cancellation forms and a 9 hour hop in a Nimrod. Back home the RAF one was duly returned one day's leave. The PO tore up the sailor's one.

One of the funniest stories that I can remember; we are in Bahrain after the withdrawal from Aden at the end of 1967. I am a training captain on Argosys. We now have two Hunter squadrons in Bahrain; 8 and 208 (Naval Eight).

One of the Hunter wheels asked me in the bar one day if he could come and fly something bigger, so I arranged that he could come flying with me on a training flight on a Saturday afternoon. He did very well; I set the power and told him what speed to fly and all was well.

Later, he came "up-country" with me round some strips in Oman and (what is now) the UAE.

In return, he offered me a trip in the Hunter T.7.

First of all, I was a very busy individual and, to be honest, I was not all that bothered about getting in a Hunter. Apart from anything, there was a long list of deserving candidates already waiting for a Hunter ride.

So. one Saturday lunchtime in the bar at Muharraq he had another go at me to take up his offer. It so happened that one of my good mates had just been posted back to UK (to Belfasts) and he had always wanted to get in a Hunter.
So I suggested that he take my mate instead of me - that way, honour would be satisfied.

And so it was that my mate got airborne in a T.7 first thing on the Monday morning. It is winter and the weather is not great but they are going to "punch up" through the clouds and do some "aeros".

On the way up, my mate asked if it was normal to have smoke coming from behind the instrument panel?

So, we have a Pan Call and a request for a radar recovery. Then we find that the compasses are not working so we update to a Mayday. Finally by using "Left a bit" "Right a bit" they break cloud only to discover that the gear won't come down! After a lot of "G" pulling below a low cloud base, the wheels finally come down and they land safely and they are duly towed off the runway with a tug.

They are now in the Hunter crewroom and my mate is thanking God that he is back on the ground in one piece when my Hunter friend walks in.

"I have just spoken to the Chiefy and he tells me that he can have 562 ready in half an hour".

My mate left instantly.

By the way, my Hunter friend went on to lead the Sparrows.

As for A VSO attempting to fly an a/c when not qualified to do so I seem to recall the tale of a certain AOC and a VC10. Perhaps Beags can shed more light on the matter.

No, I cannot - that's news to me!

When I was flying the VC10, there was a specific brief for VSOs who were to fly in the aircraft and the captain had to be a current QFI. The VSO would be given a brief and a short session in the simulator.

If they wanted to fly the take-off, we practised the abort scenario in the simulator. This was to a different SOP than the normal take-off; the QFI would call "ABORT - I HAVE CONTROL!" and the VSO would take hands and feet off. As the QFI, I would close the throttles (if the Air Eng hadn't already done so), extend the speedbrakes, select reverse on whichever engines were still producing thrust and start braking and steering to a halt. It was a blur of activity, but was the safer option as it would have been all too easy for the VSO to forget a crucial part of the drill.

The only questionable aspect of flying a VSO was if he wanted to do some prodding. Fine if he'd flown big aircraft before, but if not....:hmm:

Do AOCs still do type training? It was certainly the case in 1 Gp, and I presume 3 Gp, for the AOC to do a short Vulcan Conversion Course. Usually flew to Cyprus for the better, more reliable weather. Probably avoided distractions from the office down the road though I understand there may have been other distractions there.

Mis-use of high rank
 

Ref #73 & #74, one March day many years ago I was informed the AOC would be passenger on the weekly Dulles schedule that I was shortly due to operate; however, on phoning his PA to enquire if he would like to take the jump seat, I was somewhat peremptorily informed that he would be flying the VC10 himself.

Of course, there could be no question of this – how could any sane person expect to fly a passenger-carrying aircraft, of a type on which he was totally unqualified, into a busy international airport in the depths of winter? Not only that, the idea was totally contrary to all rules and regulations (which we were both sworn to uphold) and simply could not be allowed to happen - but how to sink it, preferably without trace? My initial idea of waiting to see what happened on the day was soon abandoned; visions of violent confrontation on the flight deck, with flight plan already filed and passengers boarded, were unpleasant to contemplate and so I took the easier option of passing my objections up the chain of command.

The result was interesting, to say the least. My CO backed me 100%+, although I got the impression that the higher up my refusal went, the more wobbly the support although nothing more was heard from Group HQ .

Came the day, the great man boarded along with the rest and the flight over the Pond proceeded without incident; I even spoke with him while visiting the passengers, I don't recall what was said other than any conversation was short and rather terse; I hoped that was the end of the matter, but nature decided otherwise.

We were due to stop briefly at Ottawa, but the forecast was dire and did not improve as we got closer; furthermore the ILS was unavailable, though whether due to being u/s or on the wrong runway I can't remember, but it left us with only PAR as an alternative – an aid that, in my opinion, was always inferior to a well set-up ILS. Inevitably, nothing was visible at decision height so it was off to Trenton, our diversion airfield about 200 miles to the SW, from which we got away again asap on the short hop down to Dulles.

When our crew finally got to the terminal I was rather dismayed to find the passengers still milling about, our AOC among them. Unfortunately he saw us and, beckoning me into an empty office, proceeded to conduct a rather one-sided discussion on my shortcomings as an officer relating to a superior. Nothing was said on the topic of who flew what & when, no just that I was ill-mannered and disrespectful in not personally appraising him of the fact that we had to divert - despite that (obviously) the passengers had all been informed by PA. How I was expected to abandon my responsibilities as aircraft captain in order to speak to him was not explained, while that he said nothing on the subject which started it all, would perhaps indicate he knew he was on rather thin ice – or had he been made aware of an accident involving a VSO in a very similar situation about thirty years previous? - which, being highly relevant, please read on:-


Sometime during the late 1940s a York inbound to Nairobi was carrying a number of pax among whom was the AOC of the group to which the aircraft belonged. At a later stage of flight the VSO appeared on the flight deck (if one could so describe the York's crew space) demanding the captain relinquish his seat, saying he would now take the aircraft in to land; and, although even then there were strict rules & regs concerning qualifications and suchlike, the captain acceded. However during the final approach it was evident the York was lined up to land at Nairobi West rather than its proper destination of Eastleigh, but when the captain pointed this out he was told to shut up and the approach continued – with inevitable results. After over-running the too short runway the aircraft was damaged beyond repair, though miraculously there were only very few minor injuries. Other than being posted shortly afterwards, I don't think the VSO responsible for this display of arrogant stupidity was ever sanctioned.



Re #39, the carriage of dependants on an aircraft where the head of family was a member of crew was (in my time anyway) streng verboten and strictly enforced - in the shiny fleet at any rate, although I never actually saw any written rules on the subject. Did different rules apply at Lyneham in the old days, indeed do any still apply today at Brize?


harrym

harrym, the rules ref the carriage of ones own dependents were laid down in GASOs and were exactly the same for the Hercules. Even on families flights this rule was enforced. It was amended later on I think. The VC 10 incident to which I referred must have taken place around the early 1970s. With the usual caveats of hearsay , memory etc I will tell what little I know. It was at Bahrain (was it still RAF Muharraq ?) that the AOC told the a/c captain that he intended to operate the leg home including the take off and landing. The captain demurred as the AOC was not qualified on type and not only would it be dangerous but also illegal under the 38 Group regulations. When the AOC forced the issue the a/c captain said in that case he would get off the a/c and be followed by the rest of the crew as they had no wish to perish to satisfy someone's ego trip. The AOC must have backed down otherwise the VC 10 might still be there now ! There are similarities here with harrym's story so they may be one and the same. However given some of the VSO that we had it could well be a separate incident.

On family and crew, that was effectively true at 6FTS where the crew were on the Jet Stream whereas we were all Dominie crew. However we were allowed to fly as cabin escort.

Just to lighten the tone, the P.R. side of the R.A.F. have been instrumental in awarding some unexpected moments of gratification for the crew. On a Falcons drop to Weston Super Mare we were asked to take the presenters of Blue Peter along. "As long as they leave the animals behind" we said. After the team jumped and in the descent with the freight bay full of orange smoke, the presenters were invited to the flight deck to observe the fly past. One stood either side of the Engineer's chair with one standing behind him. At precisely one minute and fifteen seconds after the "Last man down" call we arrived at the impact point and the captain rolled left then applied a 2G pull which caused the presenter in front of the Nav station, known as "Princess Tippytoes" to lose her hand hold above the Copilot's head and she was delivered in a tousled state of embarrassed confusion into my lap. I comforted her," there, there and possibly there" and advised her to stay put until we offloaded the G. For some reason that memory has stayed with me all these years.

Without wishingto add too much thread drift , in the early 70's the Blue Peter team visited the Fleet Air Arm Museum, which at the time had the Camel from the I.W.M in custody.
John Noakes was puzzled as to how ,in reality, one clambered into a Camel in WW1 . Haraka Senior explained to him one technique being to straddle the rear fuselage and hand walk up the decking before swinging your legs forward one at a time and easing down in to the cockpit. Noakes though this a splendid item for the show and asked if he could be filmed doing it.
This was duly instigated and he got as far as just starting to swing his legs in when he promptly ripped the backside out of his trousers
(on some attachment left over from when the IWM hung the beast from the roof in South Lambeth apparently).

I can't remember her name, but a very popular Stn Cdr's secretary at Wattisham was treated to a trip in a Lightning T4 many moons ago.