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wessex boy

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January 16, 2006 at 1:40 pm in reply to: Things spotters (don't) do #410557

wessex boy
Participant

I guess that nobody here is going to ‘fess up to being a number-taker?

No, just liked watching & Photographing until I did it for real (civvie & military)

My Dad and I got arrested and taken to the Sherriff’s office for being on the ramp at Ft Lauderdale in 1980 (trying to photograph a drug-impounded C46) The sherriff was so amazed that we had come all that way just to see ‘his’ airport he gave us a letter of introduction to give to airfield operators to allow us air-side….

I also got my hands on the controls for the first time at the age of 9 whilst at the ’78 Auster Pilot’s Club meet at Old Warden. The owner of a Piper Cub (what was he doing there?) asked my Dad if I would like a quick trip… 😀

January 16, 2006 at 12:16 pm in reply to: Things spotters (don't) do #410715

wessex boy
Participant

It’s strange that at my Model flying club, the toffs get derided as ‘all the gear, no idea’ whilst the oiks are thought of/think themselves God’s gift to aviation.

I still can’t understand how some of them can afford the £4,500 to get their jets in the air (whilst complaining that club membership has gone up £2 this year…) I know that I earn considerably more than some of them, and there is no way that I could afford it, priorities I suppose

And when I point out that they could have got their PPL for that…I tend to get a very short response!

Each to their own!

January 16, 2006 at 9:06 am in reply to: PPL #410809

wessex boy
Participant

If you are an air-cadet, try and get a flying scholarship, I did and got my first 30 hours free at age 17, I ended up with my PPL before my driving licence!

I was only able to keep it up for 3 years though, I last flew when I was 20 and then acquired wife/mortgage and could never justify getting back current again (although looking back I wasted so much cash on other stuff…)

sooo 17 years on I am aiming to give it another crack this year…..

January 16, 2006 at 8:58 am in reply to: Things spotters (don't) do #410814

wessex boy
Participant

Just a little tip.

The guy who says “I’ll take a free flight” is likely to be a long way in the queue behind the guy who says “I can’t afford a formal cost share but I’m sure I could find the price of a landing fee, or an all-day breakfast.”

Rob P

I am assuming that the all-day breakfast is higher value currency than the landing fee? (easier to get the landing fee receipt past senior Management!)

January 14, 2006 at 3:20 pm in reply to: Are you ex RAF #1338872

wessex boy
Participant

Thanks for your comments, I made plenty of mistakes at the time so am not viewing this as one sided, in fact the opposite until I joined the forum last year and found that other people had had similar treatment.

The biggest issue was that I was not politically savvy enough to know when to keep my mouth shut (what 19 year old does?) and being the only direct entrant on the course meant that I was also the youngest by a long way.

In the long run, with 20:20 hindsight and all that it probably did me a favour…I view it as useful as a university degree, the beer was as cheap, I got paid a lot more than being at Uni, wore a flying suit every day, I got 130 hours in the back of a Wessex and a hell of a lot of life education, what more can a young man ask for? 😀

January 14, 2006 at 3:12 pm in reply to: Did Dakotas ever drop SOE Agents? #1338893

wessex boy
Participant

My Grandfather leapt out of a Hole in the floor of a Wellington whilst with Paras & Raiding Forces (LRDG/SAS) in Northern Africa.

I believe that there was some SOE/Lysander activity from Somersham in Cambs? I haven’t really dug around too much, but as my daughter is at school there I would be interested if anyone has some info to hand?

January 14, 2006 at 3:06 pm in reply to: Things spotters (don't) do #411194

wessex boy
Participant

Trinny,
We are all probably missing the real point here, and it has nothing to do with aviation or the spotter hobby.

An English Gentleman never partakes of an activity unless suitably attired, and being posed the question whilst espying your sartorial elegance, probably made them feel unprepared and under-dressed for the occasion, thus the only Gentlamanly response is to decline politely whilst making a mental note to wax one’s moustache and wear a clean cravatte next time, should a dashing young lady offer one a flying lunch in the future… 😉

January 14, 2006 at 2:58 pm in reply to: Things spotters (don't) do #411204

wessex boy
Participant

First thought was how you were getting four into a Chipmunk, but the rotor got me on the right track. :p So rotors are queasy producers?

Part of the problem is that on the Wessex someone thought it was a good idea to put the Port exhaust right in front of the door, apart from seeing everything laterally through heat-haze, you invariably got some fumes in the cabin (your first 2 weeks on Wessex usually involved a bout of the runs…)

The other issue was they weren’t used to sitting sideways, and if it was cold we either had the door shut (lack of visual clues) or the cabin heater on, which was right underneath them and very fierce!

On one particular trip, we dropped into a field to let one off to throw up, not knowing that the field was covered in bovine excreta, which was covering her boots when she re-embarked….being right in front of the heater blower it wasn’t long before we had to land again to let all 3 students off….

At least by the time they got qualified and into the Control Tower they had an appreciation of our side of the business…

January 14, 2006 at 12:13 pm in reply to: Baby P-51B Mustang #411226

wessex boy
Participant

Looks great, how about taking the concept to the next level and doing a Twin Mustang?! 😎

January 14, 2006 at 12:10 pm in reply to: Things spotters (don't) do #411228
wessex boy
Participant
There are those that do, and those that watch……

Maybe they felt that they would get berated by their better halves if they committed aviation (& lunch) with a woman (powerful or otherwise!)

On the other side of the coin, we used to have to give experience flights to the ATC students at Shawbury, they used to invariably be female, and we would fly 3 at a time. They always followed the same pattern:
- Stare at me with Doe eyes for the whole flight, ignoring everything else
- Fall asleep as soon as the rotors were turning, and not wake until they had stopped
- Turn Green as soon as lifted into the hover, We would then normally do an impromptu confined areas landing(s) to lose their breakfast
When we did Rock-Ape abseil training, they would start off fairly bullish, but once I had scared them witless in the hangar safety brief, they would normally be fairly subdued for the flight…..
January 12, 2006 at 6:25 am in reply to: How about a forum Fly-in in 2006? #411382

wessex boy
Participant

I drove past North Weald at about 7ish in the morning on my way to go flying, but we had no problem with the vis…

Well I was a Passenger in a Virgin 747-400 going to Las Vegas, and the vis is pretty good here! 😀

January 9, 2006 at 6:27 am in reply to: Chipmunk's 60th – are you a fan?? #1345164

wessex boy
Participant

Jump Jump John!

January 7, 2006 at 8:49 am in reply to: General Discussion #371372

wessex boy
Participant

Paternal Grandfather: RAF, entered Halton in 1926 on Propulsions apprenticeship, did an attachment to the Fleet Air Arm during the ’30s serving on Carriers. Finished RAF career on 19 sqn Duxford, with Bader, left to run engineering section of flying school. After the war became Technical Director of Channel Airways.

Maternal Grandfather: tried to Join Royal Monmouthshires at 14, lied about his age, was found out and sent home! Joined TA in 1930s, and then went back to Monmouthshires when old enough.
Was one of the only survivor of his regiment in the battle for Crete, was then placed into Black Watch and was in the siege of Tobruk. Following that was selected to join the Paras in North Africa, served for a while and then was selected to join Stirling’s new Raiding Forces. Undertook a RAID on a german airfield behind lines and then had to wait 2 months in enemy territory until the lines caught up.
Following that, he became Secretary to Lord Jellico in N. Africa, (later creator of the SBS) where he acquirred a taste for fine wine and Polo!

Was then posted as a weapons instructor (RSM by this time) to Newcastle upon Tyne whereupon he met and married a Midwife, left the Army at the end of the war and bought a shop in a village outside Neath in Wales…

January 7, 2006 at 8:49 am in reply to: WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR DADDY? #1953294

wessex boy
Participant

Paternal Grandfather: RAF, entered Halton in 1926 on Propulsions apprenticeship, did an attachment to the Fleet Air Arm during the ’30s serving on Carriers. Finished RAF career on 19 sqn Duxford, with Bader, left to run engineering section of flying school. After the war became Technical Director of Channel Airways.

Maternal Grandfather: tried to Join Royal Monmouthshires at 14, lied about his age, was found out and sent home! Joined TA in 1930s, and then went back to Monmouthshires when old enough.
Was one of the only survivor of his regiment in the battle for Crete, was then placed into Black Watch and was in the siege of Tobruk. Following that was selected to join the Paras in North Africa, served for a while and then was selected to join Stirling’s new Raiding Forces. Undertook a RAID on a german airfield behind lines and then had to wait 2 months in enemy territory until the lines caught up.
Following that, he became Secretary to Lord Jellico in N. Africa, (later creator of the SBS) where he acquirred a taste for fine wine and Polo!

Was then posted as a weapons instructor (RSM by this time) to Newcastle upon Tyne whereupon he met and married a Midwife, left the Army at the end of the war and bought a shop in a village outside Neath in Wales…

January 7, 2006 at 8:33 am in reply to: How Low Can You Go?? #1347273

wessex boy
Participant

Just found this photo taken from a Wessex as we flew under some powerlines.

The usual teqhnique was to come into the hover with the wires at the pilot’s eye level, check the radio altimeter, and then drop to allow at least 10′ clearance above the disk, and then transition under…
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Viewing 15 posts - 781 through 795 (of 1,048 total)

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