I've heard a few daft stories from my dads time in the RAF... maybe not all hilarious but you'll hear them anyway. You probably heard 'em before.
First with 11 Sqdn. Lightnings -
The 'ole stories of the Russians with the Playboys has been heard loads of times, the 'ole thumbs up from the RAF pilots while the Ruskies were probably jacking off in the rear seat. Well one time was different, someone had left summat on the Lightning (can't remember exactly what) ... bring bright orange rod. They go up to intercept this Bear ... and the Bear's crew ain't p*ssin' about no more. The cameras come out and they're frantic about this new addition to the old Lightning...the pilot of the Lightning couldn't be more confused 'til he lands and realises the addition... the Ruskies probably thought it was a new aerial or summat.
Another intercept in the middle of the night ... there's a single aircraft travelling extremely slow over the North Sea... so 11 Sqdn. sends a Lightning out to say hello. The Lightning is directed to the area and reports nothing ... there's nothing in sight. Air traffic keeps reporting it there so the Lightning circles around, goes up and then down to look for this "stealth" aircraft ... then all of a sudden there's an almighty smash...the pilot has to change his underpants and heads back home. On his way back, air traffic notice the original signal has gone.
The Lightning makes it home 'n lands safely with almighty scrapes and scratches to the underside of the aircraft. Long story short, in the field below the Lightnings 'crash' was a Cessna 152 with drugs aboard ... and two dead pi*sants ... probably the only Lightning intercept that resulted in an aircraft 'shot' down !
Another Lightning taking off on a routine flight - the lads see it off and all sit back in the crew room ... the last bloke comes in a little while after checking his pockets..."Shi*t! ... !!!" - "What?!?!" - "I've lost my spanner !" ... the aircrafts quickly called back down and lands safely ... the spanner was found planted sideways against the first set of stators. Lucky b*stard !
Dumbass greenie in the control tower makes a big fuss when a Lightning is on fire ! A rigger is recharging a Lightning's AVPIN ... when he's shocked to be surrounded by firemen with their hoses pointing at his face. "What?" ... the daft WAF in the tower had seen this rigger in full face mask 'n suit surrounded by 'smoke' which was infact the mist from the AVPIN ! She calls the fire brigade out ... much to their annoyance.
My dad got a nice "surprise" when driving a few tanks of AVPIN around ... the trailer they were on overtook him 'cos the JT with him didn't hook it up right... the trailer kept to stop in the field and nothing blew up... Which is better than can be said for one of the other lads when AVPIN was allowed to be carried around in the Land Rover ... hot exhaust fumes ignited the stuff and this Land Rover went boom ... the lad driving it was seen running away with sh*t rolling down his leg. I know a lad who used to work for BAe ... who had his infatuation with puttin' AVPIN in peoples zippo lighters... - makes its own oxygen, does not go out when you close the lid!
Malta ! - the RAF used to share their base with the Civvie airport...and the Lightning pilots used to sit there and rate the civvie landings as they taxiied by them. One day ..normal day.. an aircraft lands - horrible landing ... as he taxys by the lads they hold up C R A P ... the pilot rolls his eyes and laughs.
Well , there's the prime minister (president ...whatever) of Malta's son onboard...or someone high ranking. He didn't find it funny... infact he took personal offence and 11 Sqdn. had to apologise.
The RAF also apparently likes to replicate westerns ... as my dads friend jumped from power set to power set toward the tug at the front... six in total as it was buzzing around the airfield.
First with 11 Sqdn. Lightnings -
The 'ole stories of the Russians with the Playboys has been heard loads of times, the 'ole thumbs up from the RAF pilots while the Ruskies were probably jacking off in the rear seat. Well one time was different, someone had left summat on the Lightning (can't remember exactly what) ... bring bright orange rod. They go up to intercept this Bear ... and the Bear's crew ain't p*ssin' about no more. The cameras come out and they're frantic about this new addition to the old Lightning...the pilot of the Lightning couldn't be more confused 'til he lands and realises the addition... the Ruskies probably thought it was a new aerial or summat.
Another intercept in the middle of the night ... there's a single aircraft travelling extremely slow over the North Sea... so 11 Sqdn. sends a Lightning out to say hello. The Lightning is directed to the area and reports nothing ... there's nothing in sight. Air traffic keeps reporting it there so the Lightning circles around, goes up and then down to look for this "stealth" aircraft ... then all of a sudden there's an almighty smash...the pilot has to change his underpants and heads back home. On his way back, air traffic notice the original signal has gone.
The Lightning makes it home 'n lands safely with almighty scrapes and scratches to the underside of the aircraft. Long story short, in the field below the Lightnings 'crash' was a Cessna 152 with drugs aboard ... and two dead pi*sants ... probably the only Lightning intercept that resulted in an aircraft 'shot' down !
Another Lightning taking off on a routine flight - the lads see it off and all sit back in the crew room ... the last bloke comes in a little while after checking his pockets..."Shi*t! ... !!!" - "What?!?!" - "I've lost my spanner !" ... the aircrafts quickly called back down and lands safely ... the spanner was found planted sideways against the first set of stators. Lucky b*stard !
Dumbass greenie in the control tower makes a big fuss when a Lightning is on fire ! A rigger is recharging a Lightning's AVPIN ... when he's shocked to be surrounded by firemen with their hoses pointing at his face. "What?" ... the daft WAF in the tower had seen this rigger in full face mask 'n suit surrounded by 'smoke' which was infact the mist from the AVPIN ! She calls the fire brigade out ... much to their annoyance.
My dad got a nice "surprise" when driving a few tanks of AVPIN around ... the trailer they were on overtook him 'cos the JT with him didn't hook it up right... the trailer kept to stop in the field and nothing blew up... Which is better than can be said for one of the other lads when AVPIN was allowed to be carried around in the Land Rover ... hot exhaust fumes ignited the stuff and this Land Rover went boom ... the lad driving it was seen running away with sh*t rolling down his leg. I know a lad who used to work for BAe ... who had his infatuation with puttin' AVPIN in peoples zippo lighters... - makes its own oxygen, does not go out when you close the lid!
Malta ! - the RAF used to share their base with the Civvie airport...and the Lightning pilots used to sit there and rate the civvie landings as they taxiied by them. One day ..normal day.. an aircraft lands - horrible landing ... as he taxys by the lads they hold up C R A P ... the pilot rolls his eyes and laughs.
Well , there's the prime minister (president ...whatever) of Malta's son onboard...or someone high ranking. He didn't find it funny... infact he took personal offence and 11 Sqdn. had to apologise.
The RAF also apparently likes to replicate westerns ... as my dads friend jumped from power set to power set toward the tug at the front... six in total as it was buzzing around the airfield.