Actually food is a very important part of the memory of the Nimrod, the bomb bay often being joked as being the ‘crumb tray’.
One of the flights I went on, I eat a cheese pasty before take off, and was eating up a lamb casserole on descent to land – and I was forced to do it you understand!
For many years I was a member of the Royal Observer Corp and one of our perks being the occasional flight from Culdrose on a Jetstream or St Mawgan on a Nimrod.
On one particular Nimrod flight that I remember vividly we departed SM mid afternoon on a sortie that involved simulated attacks on an imaginary submarine somewhere in the Western Approaches. This also involved some evasive manoeuvres from imaginary missiles fired from the imaginary submarine.
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).
My reward on the return leg was a fresh jam and cream sponge which my fellow passengers declined to share and I eagerly demolished.
The crunch came that on our return we became subjected to 3 approaches and overshoots at night in which I believe the pilot took great pleasure in throwing the Nimrod around like a fighter.
We finally landed on 13 and left the runway at the 31 threshold. Between there and Treloy my chicken curry, fresh cream sponge (In paper bag), and I parted company much to the amusement of my fellow passengers.
I will miss the Nimrod (but certainly not flying on her).
Sign In
