We had been treated to a meal during the transit to the exercise area of curried chicken. I unlike my 2 fellow passengers managed to hold on to my meal during the exercise (very low over rough seas in a severe gale)

That has jogged a warm memory of mine. In the early 1990s an aircrew friend of mine arranged for us both to go on a short detachment to Keflavik from Kinloss. On the transit, our mission was changed to an ‘Ops’ flight, and we were diverted to look for a Russki sub. At the time, I was told I was the only civilian to have flown on such a mission.
The cloud base dictated that the pilot kept the aircraft at around 200 feet, above a sever gale, and the highest sea state the crew had ever seen. The rougher it got, the more I enjoyed it, and to keep me out of the way, my friend found me a spot near the toilet, where I could ‘keep a look out for a periscope’. My intercom was taken away from me, so I couldn’t hear what the crew were saying to each other – my security clearance only covered me to ‘Top Secret’ (!).
My mate rustled me up a couple of bacon butties, and I was a happy bunny standing there munching on these while scouring the Norwegian Sea for Commies, flying boot firmly wedged against the opposite wall.
Anyway, I upset all the guys in the back, who were already going green with the very tight manoeuvres and severe turbulence, when they started to smell my bacon wafting back through the fuselage!
Later in the detachment my mate and I unintentionally upset the crew even more. One evening in the base ‘Marines Bar’, the crew had finished another mission, and were sitting drinking at a table, ogling four flirty Icelandic women on another table. When we realised that the crew weren’t actually going to anything about it, we both got up, and started chatting to these ladies. Imagine the look on the crew’s faces when we left the bar arm in arm with all four women! The bartender, a big black guy, said “How the hell did you manage that – I’ve been here three years and never got me any tail!”.
Just to crown the whole episode, two of the ladies drove us back to the base the next morning, and dropped us off at our billet exactly the same time as the crew were emerging to be picked up for their next mission! Some very bad language and veiled threats were uttered.
The story circulated around Kinloss for quite a while after that…

You have a very good eye for a great image Elliott…

We’ve come back to banging on about oil again, now……you know it’ll run out one day, soon..;)

Sooner rather than later, judging by the amount of oil my old Harley marks its territory with – the RAF are planning to bomb it to stop the oil spreading…:eek:

This is the official line…
“No RAF aircraft of any sort has suffered engine failure, or indeed any kind of engine malfunction or flight safety incident. No aircraft has been forced to divert due to engine problems as a result of volcanic ash.

Routine investigation showed that, in the case of two typhoon engines only, deposits had accumulated within the engine. While there are no airworthiness concerns with regard to Typhoon operations, and the aircraft has not been grounded, non-essential training flying for the aircraft has been curtailed until our analysis is complete

Analysis conducted on other Fast Jet types operating in the same areas has not shown any similar accretion although dust deposits have been noted in aircraft intakes”.

Yup, get the wall re-erected, man the barricades and see if more go North or more come South!;)

The more that go south the better – means a higher oil revenue/head of population ratio…;)

Thanks, Al – we will. Do you have a Public Holiday on St Andrews day or are the Irish the only lot that get a holiday for their patron saint?

Nope, but that might change come the revolution…:cool: