Missed Flight Opportunities

Mine was the Grace Spitfire.

When I was about 14 or 15, I went flying with a friend who had a Cessna 172 at Bodmin and we flew down to St. Merryn, where upon landing we were taken by the farmer Bob Partridge into what I thought was an old shed.

Inside was a Fairey Firefly Mk.6, two Piston Provosts, a Stampe and in the corner being worked on by Nick Grace was the Spitfire. He asked me what the aeroplanes were and have correctly indentified them all (I didnt get out much when I was a child!), I enquired about a ride in the Spitfire.

The sum of £200 was suggested and so for months after, I scrimped and saved, cut neighbours grass, painted walls, dog walked, you name it to save my pennies. And then……

the Spitfire moved to Goodwood and not having the means of getting there, I duly spent the money on my first stereo system. This of course lasted more than 20 minutes which would have been the duration of the flight, much to the annoyance of my parents!!!

I have since flown in a lot of warbirds and classics and at times think how lucky I have been. If I had been a little bolder when younger, perhaps I would have added the Spitfire to my list. Oh well…..

Best wishes to all,

Martin

Someone I know missed out on a 2 seat lightning ride when the aircraft went U/S whilst taxiing out (with him in!) – or so the story goes. I think I would need counselling.

Rich

Missed a go in the back of a Sea Fury at North Weald in the 90’s

Me to 🙁

Many years ago a Mil Mi-6 was at RTM on a sales tour. We assisted in transporting people to and from the helicopter and assisted the crew with steps for engine checks etc. At the end of my shift I went home. Next day I was told that my collegues were offered to come along on a 20 minute flight with some ‘interested buyers’ 15 minutes after I went home, as a thank you for the services provided…:mad: 😡 😡 😡 When I think of it, the thought still hurts! Oh man….

Tillerman.

Missed a go in the back of a Sea Fury at North Weald in the 90’s

In Holland, while sitting in a Dutch Navy Neptune, the right engine went into the red while standing already on the runway. It started to move, but insted of getting airborne, it taxied to the hangars. When the oil was tested, it was full with metal. As the Neptune was retired weeks later, there was no second chanche.

In Spain, I was invited to shoot the last 4 Caribous on a farewell flight. Thought it was a good idea to shoot the starting up of the engine while hanging out of the cockpit window. Unfortunatly, a Spanish general saw the civilian in he machine, and had me removed within a minute, overruling the SQ commander who gave me permission.

In the USA, a flight in a C-123 went wrong fter the engine overheated while we were underway to the runway.

And in the seventies, I choosed to fly from Gran Canaria to Tenerife and back. I had two choices, with a DC-6 or with a DC-9. Guess what, I optioned for the DC-9 because I thought that propliners were trash (at that time). I always regretted this choice. So far I never flew a DC-6 😮

BW Roger

I was a cadet on annual camp at RAF Abingdon and we were pencilled in for a trip upto Brize Norton to fly in a VC-10 tanker.

Visit got scrubbed the morning of our flight and was replaced with………well I cant remember what but it certainly was’nt a flight in anything else thats for sure. 🙁

Being offered a flight for peanuts in Stallion 51’s two seater poontang in the late 80’s by Lee lauderback when doing some flight training in FLA. We’d just pityched up at Tom Reillys facility in a put put and then my worst nightmare unfolded as the sound of a Packard Merlin approached…….
Imagine,being a teenager and being skint and then being offered a flight in a TF51 and having to say no because you couldn’t afford it. I would give my right dangly bit now for the oppurtunity.
Thanks for the offer though Lee…if it still stands for $200 I’d love to give it a go!!!;)

1)Getting to know the Red Arrows pilots when they flew Gnats at Kemble and being offered a flight with them, only to turn up and be told there had been a crash and the MoD had banned passengers in the back seats!

2) During filming of “Piece of Cake” at South Cerney and being offered a flight by the pilot of the B-25 Mitchell camera ship, only to be told by the Director there was no room for the camera crew + me! (there was LOADS of room!)

I ‘chickened out’ from a chance to fly in one of the Marlborough Pitts Specials during a practise for one of our annual air displays at Brawdy back in the 80’s 😡
Then, once I had arrived at Gutersloh on a short detachment also from Brawdy, me and a colleague were awaiting the arrival of 2 of our resident JP4’s which we were to look after – and which included flying with them to another base whilst there; only to find that sadly one of ours had crashed in Wales and the detachment was cancelled. Crew were ok, but JP wasn’t 🙁
So all the preparation including medical and getting fitted out for flying kit was in vain….. 🙁

Never mind – all the other oppurtunities made up for it 😀

Three trips I missed:

1> A USN R4D trip to Floyd bennet Field New York in 1963, I should have been on the second flight but this was cancelled due to fog, details here:

2> Was a second trip over the Atlantic to Pensacola, Fa when a Hurricane had ripped into the state again that was 1963 that would have been in a Shack of 201 sqn via The Azores

3> A trip in a T5 Lightning of 29 Sqn Wattisham, my name had come to the top of the list but I was ‘grounded’ from all flying due to a healing perforated ear drum, I also missed two detachments to Akrotiri and Luqa for the same reason

An opportunity arose to photograph/video the Mew Gull from a B-25 at Reno but the B-25 went tech. By the time it was fixed ‘XF was just about ready to be dismantled for shipment back to Blighty.