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Well, there were many stories like that.
One of my next door neighbours in Aden was a Shackleton captain on 37 Sqn and they were very proud of the fact that they were "37 (Bomber) Squadron" although their main purpose in life was anti-submarine and search and rescue duties.
So, maybe one of the stories needs to be told. (For the moderators, this has absolutely nothing to do with the original thread).
There was an up-country strip called Dhala. Dhala was right on the Yemeni border. The strip was about 3,000 ft above sea level and it had a bloody great mountain at the western end. It was a one way strip. Land towards the hill and take off the other way.
Well, the opposition (who were Yemenis, supported by the Egyptians and, at a lower level, the Russians) decided to build a concrete blockhouse just over the border. In the blockhouse they installed a 155 mm howitzer.
So it was that the opposition started to lob the occasional major projectile at Dhala.
People were getting killed.
The Labour government of the time were into "minimum force". And so it was that 8 and 43 Squadron Hunters were given clearance to attack the blockhouse which was over the border and the concrete was about three foot thick.
The chances of a Hunter getting a rocket through a slot measuring 3 foot by 2 inches was not good.
People were still getting killed and so it was that 37 Squadron were given the task of getting rid of the blockhouse with 1,000 lb bombs.
Now 37 (Bomber) Squadron had not used 1,000 lb bombs in living memory being a coastal squadron. However, being given the chance to use them required at least a squadron raffle.
My mate won the raffle. He got up to Dhala and missed on the first two runs. Then they obliterated the problem. They still had two bombs left.
On the way back to Aden at very low level going down Wadi Habilayn they passed a chap on his donkey.
Sadly ( a bit like Bose-X) the guy on the donkey took a pot shot at the Shackleton. The sergeant signaller on the port beam called the captain and told him that they had an entry and exit bullet hole going through the fuselage but, he didn't think that any serious damage had been done.
My mate did a racetrack on the man/donkey combination and dropped a 1,000 lb bomb on them.
He could never tell anyone (apart from the aircrew) where the bomb went.
Personally, I wish I had been in that situation.
It's similar to the "Crocodile Dundee" movie where the PR kid tries to mug your man and he says "That's not a knife - this is a knife"!
One of my next door neighbours in Aden was a Shackleton captain on 37 Sqn and they were very proud of the fact that they were "37 (Bomber) Squadron" although their main purpose in life was anti-submarine and search and rescue duties.
So, maybe one of the stories needs to be told. (For the moderators, this has absolutely nothing to do with the original thread).
There was an up-country strip called Dhala. Dhala was right on the Yemeni border. The strip was about 3,000 ft above sea level and it had a bloody great mountain at the western end. It was a one way strip. Land towards the hill and take off the other way.
Well, the opposition (who were Yemenis, supported by the Egyptians and, at a lower level, the Russians) decided to build a concrete blockhouse just over the border. In the blockhouse they installed a 155 mm howitzer.
So it was that the opposition started to lob the occasional major projectile at Dhala.
People were getting killed.
The Labour government of the time were into "minimum force". And so it was that 8 and 43 Squadron Hunters were given clearance to attack the blockhouse which was over the border and the concrete was about three foot thick.
The chances of a Hunter getting a rocket through a slot measuring 3 foot by 2 inches was not good.
People were still getting killed and so it was that 37 Squadron were given the task of getting rid of the blockhouse with 1,000 lb bombs.
Now 37 (Bomber) Squadron had not used 1,000 lb bombs in living memory being a coastal squadron. However, being given the chance to use them required at least a squadron raffle.
My mate won the raffle. He got up to Dhala and missed on the first two runs. Then they obliterated the problem. They still had two bombs left.
On the way back to Aden at very low level going down Wadi Habilayn they passed a chap on his donkey.
Sadly ( a bit like Bose-X) the guy on the donkey took a pot shot at the Shackleton. The sergeant signaller on the port beam called the captain and told him that they had an entry and exit bullet hole going through the fuselage but, he didn't think that any serious damage had been done.
My mate did a racetrack on the man/donkey combination and dropped a 1,000 lb bomb on them.
He could never tell anyone (apart from the aircrew) where the bomb went.
Personally, I wish I had been in that situation.
It's similar to the "Crocodile Dundee" movie where the PR kid tries to mug your man and he says "That's not a knife - this is a knife"!
Last edited by JW411; 16th Dec 2011 at 13:43. Reason: Spelling
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You cannot beat JW411s stories - and I am sure they are all true 
I hear one of them every time I go down to the airport for a soup.
LGBL.... you are not flying "GA" down there, surely? I've looked it up - it's military only.
I am not going to Egnatia myself... sorting this out much closer to home. And yes I do compare the metars occassionally
EGKK 151950Z 17005KT 120V220 9999 FEW044 07/01 Q0998
LGBL 151950Z 30003KT 9999 FEW025 SCT180 08/05 Q1017 NOSIG RMK
Greece is not the place to be in the winter. Pretty bleak. It was nice in September.
Egnatia would make a lot of sense for an ME IR. But they do make everybody wear the full Col Gaddafi uniform.
I hear one of them every time I go down to the airport for a soup.
Well in that case Peter, good luck. Perhaps one of my ex FIC course students will be teaching you at Egnatia in the DA42, a few of them work there. No holiday at the moment weather wise though, it's bloody cold. I'm just 'down the road' tomorrow infact, at LGBL.
I am not going to Egnatia myself... sorting this out much closer to home. And yes I do compare the metars occassionally
EGKK 151950Z 17005KT 120V220 9999 FEW044 07/01 Q0998
LGBL 151950Z 30003KT 9999 FEW025 SCT180 08/05 Q1017 NOSIG RMK
Greece is not the place to be in the winter. Pretty bleak. It was nice in September.
Egnatia would make a lot of sense for an ME IR. But they do make everybody wear the full Col Gaddafi uniform.
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Excellent story - a little bit like the story on the Military forum where a local crook stole a laptop from a toy store and ran out to be confronted by four Marines, he stabbed the first one and according to the Police report stumbled off the kerb, breaking both arms, his leg, ankle and jaw plus numerous ribs
I think this is a worthwhile thread for pilots facing any flight test, and especially an advanced flight test like the IR
Examiners are human and range from complete w@nkers to great guy/gals. Get one of the later and you will not only pass but pick up a ton of great information/tips/procedures etc. Get one of the former and you day will be pure misery.
BUT the aim of the flight test, especially a CAA/JAA flight test is not to actually use skills which you will practice every day in real world flying, it is to demonstrate the manoevers specified in the test guide to the standards set out, even though some are patently stupid. Therefore you have to go with the flow. The point of the exercise is to pass the ride.
For commercial pilots changing operators will result in the same situation. It doesn't matter that your old operator did things "this" way, the standard is to do them the way the new operator specifies, even if you don't agree with the procedure and think your way is better.
There are not that many examiners around and they all have reputations. I see no reason to do some research on your examiner and find out what their personal likes and dislikes are. Arguing with an examiner is completely pointless. Everything he/she says is right as far as you are concerned. When asked a question, answer the exact question, with the minimum of explanation and then shut up. Over explaining will likely take you down rabbit holes which gives the examiner a legitimate excuse to pursue with further questions.
Examiners are human and range from complete w@nkers to great guy/gals. Get one of the later and you will not only pass but pick up a ton of great information/tips/procedures etc. Get one of the former and you day will be pure misery.
BUT the aim of the flight test, especially a CAA/JAA flight test is not to actually use skills which you will practice every day in real world flying, it is to demonstrate the manoevers specified in the test guide to the standards set out, even though some are patently stupid. Therefore you have to go with the flow. The point of the exercise is to pass the ride.
For commercial pilots changing operators will result in the same situation. It doesn't matter that your old operator did things "this" way, the standard is to do them the way the new operator specifies, even if you don't agree with the procedure and think your way is better.
There are not that many examiners around and they all have reputations. I see no reason to do some research on your examiner and find out what their personal likes and dislikes are. Arguing with an examiner is completely pointless. Everything he/she says is right as far as you are concerned. When asked a question, answer the exact question, with the minimum of explanation and then shut up. Over explaining will likely take you down rabbit holes which gives the examiner a legitimate excuse to pursue with further questions.
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I am curious, why change schools when you are at 170a point? Your training is pretty much finished other than rectifying the 179a failure shortcomings. Moving schools will just result on more hassle and expense.
A valid point Bose. Hands up here, I failed my CPL 170a quite spectacularly, with similar hours to Peter. So, I took the hit. Dealt with the issues in-house, and went on to a first time full pass. As an approach, it required me to swallow my ego a bit, and not be too vocal about what I felt were some significant deficiencies of the school I'd used, but worked out.
G
G
Ho hum, can't say you surprise me - a bit late to worry about it now; got the licence, use it, life's too short to start whingeing stuff like this several years later. And to be fair, they did teach me well and deliver me to the examiner fit to pass the test - which is what matters most.
G
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Wow, I thought my IR was complicated. It's just a game after all, play it, get your ticket, then go back to doing things the way you've always done them! As I'm sure you fully intend to do...
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There has never been any need to add 50 feet to a precison approach because the 50 feet is already built into the usual OCH of 150 feet which would give a Cat 1 DH of 200 feet if the OCH is 150 ft as it is in most UK airfields
A NPA has never had the 50 feet built in as it was originally a dive and drive approach. When the airlines changed to continuous descent approaches after a few dive and 'loose control approaches' the 50 feet was required to be added on, that is what we were told by the CAA ops inspectorate at the time.
Somebody mentioned altimeters-the 50 feet has nothing to do with altimeters its purely to stop infringement of the approach OCH during a GA
A NPA has never had the 50 feet built in as it was originally a dive and drive approach. When the airlines changed to continuous descent approaches after a few dive and 'loose control approaches' the 50 feet was required to be added on, that is what we were told by the CAA ops inspectorate at the time.
Somebody mentioned altimeters-the 50 feet has nothing to do with altimeters its purely to stop infringement of the approach OCH during a GA
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Position errors on an altimeter? The actually opens up a whole technical argument.
PEC is used as an arbitrary figure where no other figure in the AFM overrides it.
PEC is used as an arbitrary figure where no other figure in the AFM overrides it.
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Position errors on an altimeter?
Must confess though to being motivated by wanting an exchange with the Bose! Been reading your posts for a couple of years now, and I'm a big fan! Sycophancy over, box ticked. Keep up the good work. Off flying now.
Regards, PP.
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On a more pragmatic point - adding 50ft to the DA on the ILS means you can go around at slightly below 300ft on a ILS with a "normal" 200ft DA and still pass the IR skill test - a welcome option if the needles start to move towards half-scale around that point... hey, that is almost as easy as in the the IMC rating skill test...
