Guys and Girls
Its the 35th anniversary this year, so in order to celebrate lets hear those amusing (or otherwise) stories abut being on, or working with, The Wing!
So I'll begin!
Lipa 98, Seahawks from Dwight D are practicing valley flying whilst they are alongside. Nice bunch of chaps and chappesses until.......
They come in to drop off crews, I ask do they want fuel, they say "No", me and my oppo go back to bulking some MWADS up at the TFHE end (aprrox 150m away). Now next to the Fuel site we have a couple of full bo11ocks and some 150 kit that we are using up, post exercise, in order to send back to Split. As the chopper takes off I glance at the fuel site and I think to myself "dash it we've left the pump running" (they used to blow from the exhuast a bit) "Hang on" thinks I again "we didn't turn the pump on, the feckers have set fire to me HLS". I managed to cover the 150m in a time that would have put Jesse Owens to shame, then I realise that I only have a large foam fire extinguisher to put the flames out, oh by the way, it's August and very, very hot, dead grass etc! I managed by a combination of foam and MT drivers stamping on it to contain it until the RLC lads ran a hose about 250m in order to get water on it.
Walking the site I realise that ground is covered in little tinfoil discs, yep the pilot blew off chaff on take off!
30 Mins later the Seahawks come back and as we are waving them away (I don't want them on the site) Boof! chaff flies out of the side of the fueslage (fortunatley onto the road this time).
My oppo wants to kill the crew, I calm him down and approach the chief pilot, who turns out to be the ships XO, first he tries to pull the "avionics problem, be fixed in a jiffy" routine until I point out I am RAF not Army and am well aware that an avionics problem can't be "fixed in a jiffy!" He then admitted that the pilot hit the chaff button on the stick (the cyclic I think) by accident, twice. "Fair one" says I "but you don't get fuel until you promise me he doesn't fly the thing" "Erm, says the XO, he's a she". Bonny wee thing as well! Shame about the driving.
Those of you who were on the Wing at that time will now know who me and my oppo were!
Its the 35th anniversary this year, so in order to celebrate lets hear those amusing (or otherwise) stories abut being on, or working with, The Wing!
So I'll begin!
Lipa 98, Seahawks from Dwight D are practicing valley flying whilst they are alongside. Nice bunch of chaps and chappesses until.......
They come in to drop off crews, I ask do they want fuel, they say "No", me and my oppo go back to bulking some MWADS up at the TFHE end (aprrox 150m away). Now next to the Fuel site we have a couple of full bo11ocks and some 150 kit that we are using up, post exercise, in order to send back to Split. As the chopper takes off I glance at the fuel site and I think to myself "dash it we've left the pump running" (they used to blow from the exhuast a bit) "Hang on" thinks I again "we didn't turn the pump on, the feckers have set fire to me HLS". I managed to cover the 150m in a time that would have put Jesse Owens to shame, then I realise that I only have a large foam fire extinguisher to put the flames out, oh by the way, it's August and very, very hot, dead grass etc! I managed by a combination of foam and MT drivers stamping on it to contain it until the RLC lads ran a hose about 250m in order to get water on it.
Walking the site I realise that ground is covered in little tinfoil discs, yep the pilot blew off chaff on take off!
30 Mins later the Seahawks come back and as we are waving them away (I don't want them on the site) Boof! chaff flies out of the side of the fueslage (fortunatley onto the road this time).
My oppo wants to kill the crew, I calm him down and approach the chief pilot, who turns out to be the ships XO, first he tries to pull the "avionics problem, be fixed in a jiffy" routine until I point out I am RAF not Army and am well aware that an avionics problem can't be "fixed in a jiffy!" He then admitted that the pilot hit the chaff button on the stick (the cyclic I think) by accident, twice. "Fair one" says I "but you don't get fuel until you promise me he doesn't fly the thing" "Erm, says the XO, he's a she". Bonny wee thing as well! Shame about the driving.
Those of you who were on the Wing at that time will now know who me and my oppo were!
DT_Xtremez_15: