Runway Controllers and the Runway Caravan
 

Is there, I wonder, an appetite for "stories from the ‘van' courtesy of all you Runway Controllers out there (RWC). A caveat though, my last shift in a caravan was at Leeming in April ’91 so there might be the odd “misrembering” but things seem to stay fairly solid in your mind after pilots try various methods of trying to kill you, not least of all by a nearly successful attempt (within 3’, measured) utilising the APPROACH end barrier.

Although not formally trained as Air Traffic Controllers, Runway Controllers (RWC) can, (and have countless times) avert almost certain disaster in relation to aircraft departing or arriving. In my time (1969 - 1991) the RWC was a Corporal and his workstation was a caravan mounted on a three tonner (or similar) chassis. If I remember rightly my first caravan was mounted on a Commer vehicle.

The Caravan was sited, according to the AP, on the left side of the runway, 150' from the threshold and 75' from the edge. It was fitted with two Aldis Lamps, with red and green filters, two 40mm Verey pistols, both ALWAYS loaded with red cartridges (but safe/broken) and a pair of 7 or 10x50 binoculars. Comms were usually a Hadley "squawk" box, a phone and a U/VHF box. Strangely enough, while were permitted to fire off signal cartridges to our hearts content, we were not permitted to transmit on the R/T. I can't remember why but I did, on rare occasions, use it when I thought the situation warranted it. Most importantly the caravan had an electric kettle, and on later models both Air Conditioning and a 'fridge.

The Air Con was most definitely needed in the middle of a hot summer when you consider that the RWC was working in what was essentially a greenhouse. The latter caravans also had roof mounted fittings for two Verey pistols which meant that they could be not only permanently loaded but ready to fire. And, of course, being on rotating rings they could swiftly be brought to bear on those pesky aeroplanes trying to sneak up on you from behind!

So that was the work area. But what about the job itself. A RWC had to educate her or himself not only on the station aircraft but also visiting aircraft i.e. panels that should closed, orifices that could be open or closed, holes that could drip and places and things that most certainly should NOT drip, lights that should be on etc, etc. This is where the binoculars come in. Depending on the airfield and the taxiways you would either get a view of both sides of the aircraft as it passed you on the far side of the runway and turned right onto the runway. If the aircraft was approaching from your left you would only get a view of the left hand side. I don’t have any recollection of an airfield where the caravan was on the right hand side but, either way, sometimes you got to inspect both sides of an aircraft, sometimes only one side.

There are countless stories out there about ‘things’ happening, as viewed from the caravan and, of course, aircraft sometimes got a bit bigger in the window than they should have. It is nice though when a case of something alcoholic arrives courtesy of the pilot who you stopped from making an arse of himself through forgetting the Dunlops or trying to land on a populated runway while forgetting to overshoot from a “Continue” clearance. I never did though, get anything from Staneval when he tried to land gear up with a reporter from a well known flying magazine in the back seat.

I hope other RWC’s will add to this. There are, i’m sure, lots of interesting stories out there, and most probably a lot with a flight safety slant that is still relevant today. I’ll finish this off with a recollection about a man I had a lot of respect for. A 4 ship of Jags (White section, IIRC) on the runway for departure and a further four ship (Rose section?) awaiting line up. While inspecting White 2 I noticed a lot of fluid on the ground below the a/c. I called a hold on the Hadley box and informed local what I could see. When the local controller informed White 2 the reason for the hold, Rose Lead transmitted that it was fuel streaming from the “Donkey Dick” (Jag cognoscenti will know what that is). When I offered a forcefully contrary opinion, I was overruled by the duty pilot (the morning stream was building up by now with at least another three sections citing their turn) and White section was cleared to take off. I should mention here that it had been raining and there was quit a bit of standing water on the runway.

After about 20 minutes all the morning aircraft had launched so I obtained clearance to go out onto the runway and check that particular pool of liquid. I touched it, smelt it and dragged my almost empty pack of No6 fags through it. When back in the caravan I called local on the Hadley box and asked if the duty pilot was listening. On hearing that he was I asked him what colour fuel was. He replied “any colour I wanted other than red” sure enough my packet of No6 was covered in hydraulic fluid. The duty pilot initiated a recall for White 2 on Guard. Whilst recovering to base White 2 declared a pan call with Clutch Radar with a Hyd. 2 failure. Shortly thereafter I was awarded my first “Good show” by the pilot concerned up in Local in the tower, and enjoyed a couple of glasses of bubbly stuff with him and SATCO and took another one home to share with my wife.

Cheers Rocky, we both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Slightly more light-hearted, Mrs CGB tells me that she had occasion to fire-off a red one day at Cranwell. The flare did it's job and then dutifully drifted downwind, setting fire to the wheat field in the undershoot and closing the airfield whilst the RAF's finest firefighters dealt with a rather large crop fire. :)

Not a trafficer, but I saw the remains of a caravan after the controller somehow fired a Very INSIDE the greenhouse :eek: She was found curled up in a ball under the table and the inside of the office looked like it had been cluster bombed, scorch marks all over the place. Somehow, she was completely unscathed, although she didn't go back to RWC again.

Saw a Jag off in Deci, several going to a pis...... Errr... meet and greet the locals in Gib, on walk round noticed hydraulic fluid on the underside of the door, rigger Chief cleared it, after start up checked again and was dripping, gave him signal to shut down as rest departed... Talk about spitting his dummy out.... Door opened and full of fluid... Probably would have ended up swimming.


Well done on the Good show, got one, was getting put in for three in total, though laziness meant paperwork never got processed, but end of the day, I was doing my job... One that even surprised me was when hopping over the spine from one side of the aircraft to the other stub wing on a VC10 and seeing a crack in the skin on the fin, it wasn't the fact it was cracked, it was the fact it was about 3 foot long lol

Bruggen we also had a guy check them before they departed the Sqn site, I did call up ATC once while waiting at the lights at the end of the runway as the Jag departing went overhead with the airbrakes out!


..

Departed from Cottersmore (Tornado base) in a C130 many Moons ago, a bit of a crosswind so had a touch of into-wind aileron. We aborted for something minor & taxied around for another go when we had a call from ATC - the caravan was reporting that '3 of our flaperons were down & one was up'.

Runway Controllers.
 

ACW342 (#1),
- Yes, there is - Bring it on ! (we're all going to enjoy ourseleves hugely with this - or I'm a Dutchman). For openers:
I deduce that you spent '69-'72 at Leeming.

I was a Controller at Leeming and later a Supervisor and deputy SATCO from 1967 till retirement at end of 1972. I take it we were both there '69 -'72 ? In that case, my callsign should identify me to you.

According to my F 5994, my SATCOs were Sqn Ldrs Talton at the start (we had been Instructors together at the School at Shawbury), and Randell (I am not sure of the reading of that signature, my memory of names is terrible, and getting worse - perhaps you can help, is that right ?)
So RAF(G) ? I was at Geilenkirchen '60-'62. Your dates in Germany ?

Tons more, but will keep till later.


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Cows getting bigger (#2),

The farmers also started fires to burn off the stubble. At Leeming, the smoke often drifted across the A1 and disrupted traffic.

As it was (presumably) a big crop fire, and important to put it out ASAP, ATC would've committed both primary and standby crews and vehicles to the task (what was the local brigade doing, it was their responsibility, not yours ?) and so the airfield could not operate.

No blame to the RWC ...... "the wind bloweth where it listeth".


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Green Flash (#3),
Wrote a Post once (cannot trace it now) based on a Tee Emm story from WWII. No aircraft movements, some airmen were larking about in the top tower. One got hold of the Verey pistol, did not check if it was loaded (it was) or if the safety catch was on (it wasn't). A WAAF got the flare in her mouth, and died a horrible death.

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Much more on the stocks.

Cheers to all, Danny42C.

Thank you to the RWC at Acklington who prevented my (at that time quite short) flying career coming to an abrupt end. Thank you also to the QFIs who insisted that all the students did solo circuits on New Years Day whilst they (the QFIs) suffered from mighty hangovers and hid in the coffee bar (no such thing as Christmas/New Year standdowns in those days - 2 days was yer lot!).

From the air conditioned comfort of the Tower, I'll just say "Bless them all". I have no RWC tales to tell, but was alway grateful that they were there.

We didn't have a Caravan at Tengah. You would have thought that would have been essential on such a busy, multi-type, airfield. Perhaps it would have been impossibly hot? And so it fell to me, at a range of about 2,500 yards, to spot the lack of wheels on an approaching Hunter and invite him to overshoot ... ;)

Our RWC at Farnborough used to monitor the PAR frequency (243.9) even when PAR was not being used. One day he reported he'd heard Nugget 63 (based Canberra) call Mayday wth a double flameout.
'63 was at that time over the Bay of Biscay (it was an MRF aircraft) and had transmitted on 243.0.
By the way, '63 got one re- lit and landed safely at French AF base.

ACW342 (#1),
No doubt about it, you were in an exposed and hazardous position. After all, 75 ft from the runway edge is well within the "margin of error" of most 'Bloggs', and as I have previously noted here somewhere: "the sight of a Hastings on approach coming at you in a bumpy crosswind, wallowing about like a galleon in a heavy sea, is enough to make the stoutest heart quail". No surprise that the weaker brethren ran for their lives, or sought refuge under the caravan !

Yet I believe there were remarkably few collisions (wasn't there a Vulcan crash which wrote off the caravan en passant, as it were ?) To balance that, you saved many an aircraft from disaster by spotting "something wrong" when they were stationary at Marshalling point outside your door. The fact that you sometimes raised 'false alarms' was accepted as normal by all sensible pilots, who appreciated that you were only trying to help them, if only mistakenly.

As I have told you in response to your PM, we lectured our baby Controllers at Shawbury thus; "Your Corporal in the caravan is a pain in the bum to you 364 days in the year. On the 365th, he is worth his weight in gold !" - he is the Local Controller's "long-stop": the best of us make mistakes, a second pair of eyes is always valuable, and sometimes priceless.

"Electric Kettles and Air Con" - where did you get the power from ? Obviously the site was wired up, but as you had to change ends with the runway you would have to break the connection (and pull up an earthing spike) every time. Stirs memories of the old MPN-1 "Bendix" GCA trucks, mostly self contained with their own diesel-electric sets, but some (never met one myself) reliant on the dreaded "100 Amp Socket", lying balefully in the wet grass, waiting for some unsuspecting new Radar mech to plug in his Hundred Amp Plug (and producing a dazzling pyrotechnic display and a bit of a tingle even if he were wearing rubber gloves and gum boots). As with the old radars, the very first Vital Action (after you'd got power) was to Put the Kettle On, and brew-up !

Needless to say, in Shawbury's "Mock Control" scenarios, you could always rely on the "Runway Controller" to but in at some point to try to throw the wretched student "off his stride", as it were. Added to the realism.

Surprised to hear that you got no formal training for the job (and certainly no extra pay). It was like the "Tracker" in the old MPN-1 Bendix GCA, who was doing every bit as skilled and as responsible work as the (officer) Talkdown beside whom (and feeding Glide Path information to) he sat in the Truck. They were (in my day) just ATC Assistants who learned "on the job".

Could go on for ages, but you'll have plenty more Posts on this, I'd think.

Cheers, Danny.

I think the caravan wipe-out was the Syerston Vulcan disaster, 3 killed on the ground /caravan. :sad:
There are a few tales of caravan evacuations. One was the Wildenrath F4 ripping the barrier out and flying about with it. :ooh:
I think the caravan crew certainly deserved danger money but, I bet they never got it! Thanks to all you caravan RWC's!

OAP

Ignorance is Bliss.
 

Funny (?) Story in which Runway Control Caravan plays a minor part (excerpt from my Post on "Pilot's Brevet" p.205 #4085).
"Collapse" (as Victorian "Punch" used to say) "of Stout Party". :ugh:

Danny.

It was the laziest job in trade group 9 and Marham was a prime example. RW 24 was almost a permanent sleeping watch and RW06 was an armchair watch. 1st at supper and last back again.
I'm really pleased I avoided it by going to Topcliffe for NCO Aircrew training.

Lindholme, fog rolling in from Hatfield Moor and just getting dark. RWC awaiting stand down.
Suddenly a knock on the door, but no vehicle seen to drive up. Looks out of window and sees a shapeless white mass. Bearing in mind stories of 'Lindholme Willy', he bursts out of the door and legs it away across the airfield.
It was a USAF F100 pilot who had banged out, landed on the airfield, collected up his parachute and trying to find his way off the airfield, found the caravan instead!

Have my crew come back yet?

Tours and earthing spikes
 

Danny,
With reference to Leeming, I was there, not as a RWC, '81 to almost '84 whereupon I got a really great posting to SCFCU at Benson and the finest Flt Lt. I've ever met, (and who I hope is still with us) and his greeting to all, be it the lowest or highest in the service of "You F*c*ng Wanchors"

The second tour was '90-'91 and the ferry back home to civvy street and a mortgage paid for by Auntie Betty, God bless her. . The most entertaining incident at Leeming was when a Sqn Cdr (no sqn numbers- no pack drill!!) as No1 in a pairs approach to 16 landed perfectly on the numbers, thereby allowing the no.2 to land in the undershoot with a massive cloud of red dust, soil and pebbles. After arriving on the runway itself no.2 stopped fairly sharpish turned off the runway and proceeded at a lick back to dispersal completely ignoring the instructions of the duty pilot to stop and shut down! I have no knowledge of what transpired back at the dispersal but I bet there's someone out there who does. C'mon tell us all!

Swanton Morley, home to No 1 ASS (how unfortunate!!) and its fleets of Percival Prentii (Prentice plural:)) and the mighty Ansons. Set up for 'widget' training, these machines both incorporated trailing aerials - some hundreds of feet of fine wire at the outboard end of which was a collection of lead 'beads' - (7/6 fine if not present at sortie end!). Airfield perimeter was a wire strand fence, supported on wooden posts at intervals. Trailing aerial extension was required on most details and pre-landing checks were likely to be a bit compressed, trying to make that last couple of contacts. Result? - arrival over the hedge with trailing aerial meeting top fence wire and, finally, lead beads being forcefully removed and 'sprayed' at unfortunate caravan occupant!! Belated apologies on behalf of the culprits - not me, of course!!:O

Monitors
 

5ADAY,
Not so. Try a 24 hour shift in monitors on an MDA Week-End shift, For busy try, one armed paper hanging in the caravan during a survival scramble, counting 38 out but only 37 back.

ACW342 (#16),

Retired December 1972, so before your time, I'm afraid. But RWC stories are timeless ! Another one soon !

Danny.

Good Shows and Caravan Controllers
 

I was always a bit sceptical when it came to Good Shows and Caravan Controllers. I my view 99% of them handed out were for things the Caravanner was paid and trained to do and spot.

Only one award, in my 12 years as a RWC stood out.

Topliffe, the Bulldog and RNEFTS.

The RWC was new to Topcliffe and the Bulldog and had just been cleared to caravan solo.

A Bulldog taxied out and stopped at the holding point doing his pre-takeoff checks.

The RWC heard an unusual noise and informed the Local Controller over the Hadley Box.

The Local Controller informed the pilot of the RWC's observation. After a bit of too-ing and fro-ing, the aircraft returned to the Bulldog line and the Engineers.

The Engineers couldn't hear anything unusual, neither could the crew and the aircraft was behaving normally. So, the Bulldog taxied out again. At the holding point, the RWC heard the same unusual noise again and reported his observations to the Local Controller. In turn, the aircraft was informed.

This time the too-ing and fro-ing was a touch more vehement and 'subtle' comments were made as to the RWC's suitability both over RT and the Hadley Box.

To give him credit, despite being belittled by the Local Controller, the Instructor in the Bulldog as well as the Duty Instructor in Local, the RWC stuck to his guns, and seeing that the RT too-ing and fro-ing was all recorded, common sense kicked in and the Bulldog returned to the Line for a second time.

Whereupon it was discovered the the aircraft starter motor had not disengaged from the engine and was very close to meltdown.

How do I fit into the picture?
I was the one who cleared the new RWC fit solo.
I was in Local observing when all this occurred.
I was the one who informed SATCO Leeming (on the QT) as to what had happened.

As well as triggering, to my mind one, of the best Good Show awards given to a RWC, much good came of this incident. The realisation that the lone guy in the Caravan is not there just for his health................

The Dishforth Caravan
 

The sleepy hollow of the Vale of York. Early '80's.

Never was an airfield manned by so few and used by so few.

Two Controllers and two RWC's.

The two RWC's split the day, one worked the pre lunch shift, t'other slept the post Molly from the Feeder lunch.

The heady day's of a Dishforth summer, Radio 4 tuned to the test match special, the caravan armchair positioned outside the caravan to allow sunbathing. The clag from Teesside guaranteeing no horizons therefore minimal traffic.

Enter our hero. Luncheon taken, check. Sunshine, check. Armchair outside, check. Local frequency monitor volume to Max, check. Zed's time, double check.

Within minutes, out hero is in the land of nod.

However, due to the crappy weather, the DI at Leeming decides that Dishforth is surplus to requirements and can be stood down.

So MSig Butch W, the ATCO i/c gets the call to stack. OK he says Lets go home.

Buzz Buzz on the Hadley box to the caravan to tell him to up sticks. No reply. Buzz Buzz again, still no reply. A quick look the the binoculars to the 16 threshold shows our hero RWC fast asleep in the armchair slowly going pink in the hazy sunshine.

Bugger him, says Butch. And so the 3 awake guys go home.

Six hours later, our hero slowly awakens from the arms of Morpheus and re-mans the Caravan.

An hour later, Hmm it's getting gloomy he thinks and checks his wristwatch. BARSTEWARDS he cries. It's almost 2100 and he's due at the Leeming Bar Motel pumping fuel from midnight until 6am as his unofficial 'secondary duty'.

As an aside, this same guy, on his discharge, hired the PSI minibus (sans seating) to move his furniture from his AMQ to his new civvy abode. After his return, a week later, subsequent PSI minibus renters complained out the crappy performance of the said Sherpa minibus. Investigations revealed a different engine number however nothing could be proved.......................



Dishforth Tales continued

The Dishforth Caravan lived in 3 hangar and toddled to the thresholds of whichever runway was agreed on for that particular day. So the milometer hardly moved. OK the Carrier Bantam struggled to Boroughbridge garage for refuelling once a blue moon, but the milometer was barely exercised.

Then one day a telephone call. Leeming MT wanted the Caravan for a service. Would the Corporals deliver it to MT at Leeming on Friday cease flying and swap over to the Command Spare?

Come Friday stack time our two (different) hero's man the van and set off to drive the whatever miles up the A1 to Leeming.

Bearing in mind that the Caravan, at best, gained a mile per day and usually travelled at 15 mph, to give it the open road was asking a lot.

But onwards and upwards, and it was a Friday and bars were beginning to open, so best accelerator foot forward and slowly, slowly the old Carrier Bantam gained speed. After 5 miles or so the T's and P's were just reaching normal operating limits. We were just about to hit V1 (30mph) when all of a sudden we were enveloped in smoke and steam. A rapid abort on to Baldersby Services (convenient) was initiated, and abandonment commenced successfully.

It was decided that No 1 RWC would find a telephone to declare a Pan to Leeming MT whilst No 2 RWC would stand guard over this vital piece of UK Defence Equipment.

However, No 1 RWC returned, post haste, being chased by a rather large dog. No 1 RWC having opened the wrong gate.

No 2 RWC, in the meantime, safely ensconced in the cockpit of the Caravan, laughing like a drain at the predicament of RWC1 until RWC 1 opens the cockpit door allowing the dog unprecedented access to RWC2.

After much hand to paw fighting, RWC1 and RWC2 gain the upper hand (paw) and regain control of the cockpit of the Carrier Bantam and attempt a hot relight.

Thankfully, the only operational spark plug does it's thing and we manage to creep further northwards. Then a remarkable thing, all the plugs and cylinders got there act together and after much backfiring and smoke rings causing zero vis on the A1, we fare whizzed to Leeming.

On arriving in the MT yard, the duty gadge opened the door and moaned about the amount of dog hairs!

How we laughed.

Bob O'n**** where are you?

Dishforth and the Chinaman
 

Sat (laid out, really) dozing at the 34 end of Dishforth runway. The usual soporific afternoon shift in the Caravan post a 'Molly the Feeder' lunch. Air Traffic nil. Ground Traffic one.

A knock at the Caravan door. Enter one very excitable Chinaman. Self, suddenly awoken from a deep sleep and suitable armed with 40mm pistol to repel the Yellow Peril (OK, I appreciate PC, no offence intended).

Having calmed the guy down and having realised he wasn't the 1st Regiment of the Peoples Republic Shock Troops (or whatever) intent of invading Boroughbridge, nor was he offering No 32 and Fried Rice at a discount to Caravanners, I slowly twigged what he was yapping about was a Volvo 245 size hole in the airfield hedge that formed the boundary between the A1 southbound and RAF Dishforth.

To confirm my suspicions, there, 20 feet from the Caravan (and 300 feet of skid marks from the boundary hedge ) was a Maroon Volvo 245 Estate car which was occupied by half a dozen small Chinese people (ie children) who were rather upset to have there journey rudely interrupted by a 45 ton articulated vehicle nudging them through the boundary hedge of one of Her Majesties Premier Defence Sites.

Common sense prevailed.

Rather than alerting NATO to a possible invasion threat and bringing US Forces to DEFCON2 we decided to task Joe, the Airfield Electrician, to tow the rather battered Volvo and it's occupants off the Airfield and through the Dishforth main gates and freedom in the West. After that was accomplished, we could all go back to sleep.

And of course this one that I posted on the Thread of Threads.

Danny

Your mention of Dishforth earlier, together with your experiences of S**tehawks, goats, rats etc

What about the Dishforth Swan? Does the following ring bells? It must have happened in your time in the Vale of York.

RAF Dishforth in the '70's. RLG for 3FTS Leeming. This particular day the weather was dog. Heavy rain, low cloudbase, the works.
Four AirTraffickers sat in Local playing uckers waiting for the stack word from Leeming. "Hey, look at that" pipes up one of the 4.

There, on finals to a very wet runway 16, was a swan. The swan drops it's undercarriage over the threshold and alights on what it thinks is a lovely stretch of river/canal/lake etc.

In a blur of white and a cloud of feathers the swan becomes worse off and ends in a crumpled heap on the runway. Apparently Cat 5.

Crash One is despatched to recover the 'remains'.

The Crash Crew collect the swan and take it back to the Crash Bay. A couple of minutes later, they report via the Hadley Box, that the swan is only stunned and recovering quite nicely on the sofa in the Crash Bay crewroom.

Amazingly the swan is quite docile once it recovers.

The problem was that swans require a stretch of water to take off, Firemen know everything. The ensuing discussion as to what to do with the bird came to the conclusion that the swan needed transport to the canal at Ripon to join it's pals and return to nature.

Clearance from the Lords and Masters at Leeming was obtained to despatch Crash Two, with swan onboard, to the canal at Ripon. So Dishforth went Black with no Crash Cover.

The uckers game resumed.

Some time later a telephone call was received from North Yorkshire Constabulary basically informing the ATCO i/c that his Firemen were now 'assisting the police with enquiries' as to the matter of 'stealing a swan'.

Apparently, Crash Two had arrived at the Ripon Canal and the crew had carried the swan down the bank to join it's pals. Job done, the crew returned to Crash Two. However, the pals were not too keen on the 'new' member and turned on it. Amidst a cacophony of honking and clouds of feathers, the Dishforth swan made a beeline for Crash Two and safety, overtaking the returning crew.

A new plan had to be hatched.

In the mean time, the obligatory 'little old lady' had looked out of her window to see 'big, burly men stealing a swan from the canal' and promptly called the Ripon Constabulary.

After much explaining by the ATCO i/c, all became clear. Swan released to river (not canal), Crash Crew released to Dishforth. Endex.

Or so was thought.

Some time later, the Daily Telegraph got hold of the story and reported it 'big time'. The headline 'Swan closes major RAF base' caused some pride in the total complement of RAF Dishforth personnel. All 12 of them (4 ATC, 2 GRSF, 5 Firemen and a Medic). RAF Dishforth, a MAJOR RAF Base.

Does it ring bells?

Had two real scares in the van at Leuchars. F4 roars off Rwy 27, suffers a double hyd fail and electrical fail, cant talk to anyone, who then turns downwind, turns finals and arrives at a hell of a rate into the approach end cable. It really was not his day because the cable decided enough was enough and promptly broke, the sound as it whipped past the caravan haunts me to this day. the bang from the electrical box that powered the van was even better!! Meanwhile our mighty F4 staggers back into the air and if memory serves me right went into the 22 app cable successfully.

The other time was an F4 returning from some foreign jaunt late on a Friday in really ****ty weather, 09 was in use and the vis was so ****ty i didnt see him the first two times, i did the third time, I saw an F4 well left of the centreline, low and very nose up, I commonly had the van door open and, following a quick "overshoot" call on local I was off and running!! Yes it probably would not have done me any good should the unthinkable have happened, but you got to try! The BCU man was about 50 meters away on the grass unaware of the unfolding drama and he assured me later it was a very close call. I called Local and the DP explained to them what i had just seen, and the aircraft buggered off to somewhere with better visibility and a Caravan Controller who had a more normal heart rate than mine!!

Good Shows, Swans & now DUCKS!!??
 

TaxyDual,
You embarrass me with your praise at #20. I tried to turn this "Good Show" down, as like you it seems like praise for doing your job. Did the cooks in the airmen's mess ever get praise for a fine cake they baked? (emm.. did we get cake?).
I didn't know about the Swan but early one grey winters morning, low cloud, occnl. snosh. Caravan parked up (Hoping not to have to put it out but to return it to it's lock up and back to my Officers type 5 MQ complete with avtur fired central heating) when out of the gloom comes Duck formation, a flight of three, downwind for the larger of the two ponds at the back of the tower.

Alls well until, at short finals, Duck lead notices that all is not well with the intended landing site and hits the TOGA button and instructs Duck 2&3 to overshoot. Downwind again with a slight increase in seperation, Duck lead on base leg to finals and every available feather hanging out, wing tip feathers working ten to the dozen to maintain a slow approach and, with legs outstretched, makes contact at the very edge of the ICE COVERED pond and slides gently off the end into a small stretch of clear water on the other side. Duck two emulates leads perfect arrival but Duck 3 (Junior Pilot?) arriving a bit slower, stumbles on touchdown, comes off his undercarriage and slithers to a halt short of the water. It was quite funny watching it get to its feet, waggle its backside and try to walk nonchalantly to the clear water to join his two mates who must have been laughing their beaks off at him. It was all go at RLG Dishforth!

p.s. I always thought that those two ponds, just the other side of the fence, behind the tower, looked a bit too man made and could possibly have been constructed by the Luftwaffe some time in the early 1940's but I found this on a Wiki about Dishforth:
"RAF Dishforth was so successful in its night operation bombing raids that Hitler himself ordered a raid against the airfield. The raid was completely unsuccessful as the bombing party was shot out of the sky over Gloucestershire" I wonder did maybe one manage to evade and attack? we'll probably never know. A342

As an ex-RWC of many years.. what goes on in 'the van' stays in 'the Van' :ok:

To call it the laziest job in TG9 5aday however, is doing the role and all that do it and have done it a major disservice.

Many many potential incidents have been stopped due the sharp eyes of the Runway controllers. Its always safety first above and beyond anything else, but it was always nice to get a 'Thanks' from the aircrew afterwards. One well known very angry Bucc/Tornado guy even made the effort to come down to the van to thank me in person once.

p123,
It's not the first time a case of 'Dorty or similar has made its way to the 'van bur in one infamous circumstance was accompanied by a pack of new underpants.

Thanks Dickie!

All Creatures Large and Small ........
 

taxydual (#23),
Of course ! - had completely forgotten the Swan (what a story). Now that we've added Swans to our menagerie, perhaps Pigeons might be allowed into our Ark ?

Excerpt from one of my Posts:

Ah, Danny, the days when the Approach Room would be IMC in tobacco smoke :)

At Tengah we had nice ashtrays, fashioned from 'spare' domed taxiway lights, mounted in a circular aluminium strip-metal base. However, the ultimate sin was spilling you Coca-Cola on the desk, as it would permeate the mini-comms landline switch panels and, when it dried, apparently created an electrical circuit. Ground Radio then had to replace the unit, and perform detailed and delicate cleaning processes. Curiously, we had a Coke machine in the tower, so the peril was ever-present.

Undoubtedly everything is banned nowadays. :(

Just a reminder of when I was stuck in Xiamen owing to a PLAAF exercise.

All together now ...

#There is nothing like a SATCO, Nothing in the World ...# :)

MPN11 (#29),
How else could we calm our shattered nerves ? And when the WRAF came in, Mark Twain (?) came to mind:

"First, God made Man - then he made Woman - then he felt sorry for Man and made Tobacco !"

Coke machines in Towers ! What next ! Ain't tea good enough for the likes of us ? What are WRAF Assistants there for except to brew tea for the Lords of the Universe ? Who got the profit from the machines ? NAAFI, I'll be bound !

Have heard that "Coke" is good for cleaning bumpers and loosening rusted-up nuts and bolts, too. Just think about what it must be doing to your guts !

Sounds like yours were posh ash trays. On the Squadrons we made use of sawn-off engine pistons, which for some reason seemed in plentiful supply (about five in dia).

(#31),

Too right ! - and just as well, too ! (only jealous).


Danny

Colas contain Phosphoric Acid. A quick look at what it is used for.

Which Industries Use This Chemical? How is the Chemical Used in This Industry?

Electroplating Acid Metal Cleaners - Oxide Removers
Integrated Iron and Steel Mfg - Pickling Acids
Laboratory - Chemicals Acids
Machinery Mfg and Repair - Clean wash agents
pH Regulation Agents - pH Adjustors for Water Treatment
Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing - Making PCB Holes Conductive
Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing - Outer Layer Etch/Plate - Print Circ Brd Mfg
Semiconductors - Wet Chemical Etching
Welding and Soldering Agents - Corrosive Flux Ingredients

Danny said "Coke machines in Towers! What next! Ain't tea good enough for the likes of us? What are WRAF Assistants there for except to brew tea for the Lords of the Universe? Who got the profit from the machines? NAAFI, I'll be bound!"

No idea who operated the system, but Coke machines were everywhere at Tengah: 20 cents a nicely chilled bottle, IIRC. I don't think we had any WRAF Assistants: our Tower 'cleaner and gofer', Frank Goh, did the brews, and would pop downstairs to get your Coke if you were stuck on a console.

Fareastdriver quoted ... "Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing - Making PCB Holes Conductive ".

That sounds like the issue! It dried like a brown varnish on the circuitry.

Hadley Boxes and coffee
 

Working in the tower on an East Anglian fighter field one day (before my days in Caravans), staff had been read the riot act about coffee constantly being spilt on the Hadley Box, you know the one with switches labelled from left to right such as "Stn. Cdr, Wg. Cdr Ops, OC xxSqn OC xxxSqn,OCEng" etc etc, and which required constant cleaning/repair by the guys down in Ground Radio, when Baseball comes up to local to chat with local controller and sets coffee cup down right next to said Hadley box and... yes, you guessed it , with a sweep of his right arm, gesturing to something or somewhere on the airfield the contents of an almost full cup disappears into the device. It went very quiet for a few seconds before I was instructed to call Ground Radio and get the box changed before a very red faced SATCO quietly got up and departed downstairs to his office. Oops

The following day a missive was promulgated which forbade all staff and visitors from placing drinks on the pedestal containing the Hadley Box, and a large sign screwed next thereto.

We had a NATO exchange officer arrive at Odiham once who was taking up a flight commanders position. He was briefed on the Hadley box and one of his questions was whether you could set it so that you could hear conversations on the other side.

Never Volunteer !
 

MPN11 (#34),
ACW342 (#35),
I believe NAAFI pianos were supposed to have "pitched roofs", to discourage use as parking places for pints of ale. Can't say I noticed them myself - but many others must remember ?

Very Old Joke: "Any of you play the piano ? .... (two or three eager sets of hands are raised) ......"Right, come over to the NAAFI with me, they want theirs shifted across to the Barrack Store ... (a quarter-mile away !) :sad:
(only works on recruits with less than 14 days service).

Danny.

For 5 very happy years i was that guy in Ground Radio but only once in that time did I experience a coffee mincoms coming together. Hadley Box downstairs squawked, I answered and was requested to get into approach sharpish with a screwdriver. Minutes later I was ripping boxes out and offering the useless advice that frequencies would be lost but I'm clueless which ones and on which consoles. Poor lad responsible hadn't been there long (Laarbruch, 75ish) and I have a feeling it was the start of his first tour. Warm soapy water eventually returned everything to normal and no harm done but we were all sworn to secrecy so SATCO didn't find out to protect young lads thus far very short and noticeable career.

Fast forward to the fortnightly beer call which was downstair's turn to host and there's an extra slab from somewhere. SATCO gets up to wish the young lad a very happy birthday, goes on to praise his fledgling career thus far and finishes with a, 'Oh, and don't spill your coffee on a console again.' Can't remember if the lad went bright red or whiter than white but a great lesson delivered for all to learn from.

Regrettably I can't recall the 1975ish SATCO's name but he ensured that ATC and Ground Radio were one team. A GREAT bloke, father to many and despite being the most junior of junior techs I always felt and was made entirely at home anywhere in the tower. There followed another 35 years in uniform but only 1 more Ground Radio, El Adem with grass. I don't think any other tour touched Laarbruch for comradery.

Sorry, the above is a little off topic and I can't even remember if Laarbruch had a caravan. It did have a hole in the ground at each end called a cupola but I don't think that counts.

It's Not Working (#38),
All right, I'll buy it - WTF is this "Cupola" and what did it do ? Was at Geilenkirchen '60-'62 and we didn't have one.

Rescued one of your Canberras one dirty night with our CPN-4; Mission XX A had landed with you, one u/c folded, a/c reclined gracefully on runway on one ear.

Mission XX B up creek without paddle (would take 30 mins min to clear runway, he'd got 20 mins fuel). We were the only diversion, got him down no trouble at all with five mins fuel remaining.

As "Talkdown", felt glow of self-satisfaction. Pilot's "Thank you" all the reward I needed.

Happy Days ! Long ago now. Danny.

Sorry Danny, the capola (capoli?) was/were a concreate room sunken into the ground at both ends of the runway. The only part of the structure at ground level was a hatch for the unfortunate occupant to open and climb down into and a glass capola big enough for one person to look outside to see if his world still existed - Cold War RAFG etc etc. As ground radio the bunker had to be fettled once a month but all it contained was some basic furniture and a couple of ARC52 UHF sets, there might even have been a CADF in one of them. Given the frequency of mini, maxi and tacivals Laarbruch enjoyed in the 70s I image ATC occupied them at similar intervals. I recall one being designated as Local and the other Approach but I can't remember if they swapped roles if the runway swapped directions, given only one had a CADF, IIRC, I'd imagine not but it was a long time ago.