Phoenix From The Flames

[mad_collie]

It looks like they are finally doing something with the facilities we left behind at Saxa Vord.

There will be some rare p1ss ups when Sonny moves the brewery over to the old MT yard.DT_Xtremez_42:

 

[rugby then work]

Had 18 excellent booze and sport filled months in the Falklands of the North. Friday afternoons in the Pengy followed by memory loss 'til around 10 am Saturday morning. A mad dash down the islands to play Rugby against Lerwick a few pints of 70 shilling with whisky chasers followed by another mad dash up the islands to make the last ferry onto Unst.

 

[NotAnIDOYet]

Had 18 excellent booze and sport filled months in the Falklands of the North. Friday afternoons in the Pengy followed by memory loss 'til around 10 am Saturday morning. A mad dash down the islands to play Rugby against Lerwick a few pints of 70 shilling with whisky chasers followed by another mad dash up the islands to make the last ferry onto Unst.

Best kept secret this this airforce once had. Was there Apr 91-Apr 93. Changed remarkably with the introduction of women (not necessarily better!!) but was fun filled. One of my Cpls was up there with me and we were just telling some of the junior members of the shift some stories the other night.

Any veterans of the storms of 91 on here??

 

[Datalink Squirrel]

S**T!! Another good unit bites the dust! Best times were before Shetland Radar started, approx 1979(?).

 

[shettie]

Best kept secret this this airforce once had. Was there Apr 91-Apr 93. Changed remarkably with the introduction of women (not necessarily better!!) but was fun filled. One of my Cpls was up there with me and we were just telling some of the junior members of the shift some stories the other night.

Any veterans of the storms of 91 on here??

Not quite a veteran of the storms - but I know the guy who was duty controller at Task GRSC - sent a flash signal about the radome disappearing over the cliff! (and got in the sh1t!) As a shettie myself - i can remember seeing an article in Newsweek about the islands - when the Braer went dopwn off Sumburgh - an islander was asked if it was always "this" windy - "no" he replied "You know it's windy when you put the cat out, and it blows away!"

 

[Fearless Leader]

Best kept secret this this airforce once had. Was there Apr 91-Apr 93. Changed remarkably with the introduction of women (not necessarily better!!) but was fun filled. One of my Cpls was up there with me and we were just telling some of the junior members of the shift some stories the other night.

Any veterans of the storms of 91 on here??

I was there Oct 88 to Apr 90 when we had 2 female DUCOs and that was it. I remember the first of the blocks had been earmarked for women as it had full length mirrors and slightly different toilet facilities.

 

[The Fact Hunter]

Any veterans of the storms of 91 on here??

Yep, I'll be one of them then well -ish.

I was on GRSC at North Luffenham at the time and was tasked to go up and sort out the TRN26 TACAN that had apparently 'tripped off line'

Well I can honestly say that it had done a just a 'tad' more than that

This thing was normally a pretty robust bit of kit that housed a small-ish rotating glass fibre aerial head. This all sat on top of a tri-pod that was well picketted down and next to a 12 x 12 tent that would house its associated electronics.

When we arrived at the site, all that we could find was a piece of cable sticking out of the ground, the rest has dissappeared down the hill into the sea.

What was even worse, was that the 'hotel' we normally stayed at (Springers) had most of its roof blown off and was shut for repairs.

The alternate 'accommodation' was this bunch of Porta-Cabins used by the oil industry that had been 'glued' together in a horseshoe formation to give sleeping and eating areas.

We were given a bunch of keys and told to 'just make yourselves at home'

Well we got up there, got the rooms alright and then found the kitchen. No food was at all apparent except, for that is, the dregs of some breakfast cereal, a Cardboard TetraPack of 'Condensed Artificial Cream' and a few slices of mouldy bread.

Well we all went to bed hungry that night and were completely famished in the morning. We had been told that someone would be over to cook breakfast but no-one was here yet and it was nearly 08:30hrs

So now I'm just finished pouring this 'cream' over the cereal - in a saucepan - and tucking in with a serving spoon, when the door crashes and someone shouts through that breakfast won't be long.

My lads are in fits of giggles & grimaces watching me 'chewing' through my 'breakfast' awaiting there gourmet treat which was about to turn up and for me to get a b*ll*cking for my table manners.

This then was my turn to laugh out loud when 'breakfast' was just 'toast' that had now pitched up - which was the mouldy slices of bread we'd found last night, but only now with all the mouldy bits pinched out !!

A life on the road - Lush !!