Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

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Rwy in Sight
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Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#1 Post by Rwy in Sight » Sat Dec 26, 2015 9:23 pm

As the winter season is at its plainest I am starting a new thread about your worst/stranger airport turn-around as crew. Feel free to include any stories that will stay in your memory for ever from having no ground crew to wait for you to arrive to the airport and see the aircraft blocked by another one....


Thanks in advance.

Sisemen

Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#2 Post by Sisemen » Sun Dec 27, 2015 5:55 am

Not a turn-around as such but we were due to depart from Akrotiri to Gan and were nose on to another VC10 which was scheduled to depart before us with a full pax load of grunts heading back to the UK. Shortly after the last of the pax had emplaned they all started getting off again and assembled in ranks of 3 with a couple of NCOs whizzing around furiously counting heads. Then the air movers pitched up and started counting again having referred to papers on clip boards. Then the NCOs had another shot and following that they were all marched back onto the aircraft by the front door only with the NCOs and movers each doing head counts. By this time our pax had emplaned. A radio conversation with the other crew revealed that they were "one extra person missing" !! A cock up with the figures and a resolution that only the Army could come up with!

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#3 Post by Rwy in Sight » Sun Dec 27, 2015 7:14 am

[quote="Sisemen" A radio conversation with the other crew revealed that they were "one extra person missing" !! A cock up with the figures and a resolution that only the Army could come up with![/quote]

Nice story and thanks for taking the time to share it. The first smile of the day!

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#4 Post by Alisoncc » Sun Dec 27, 2015 11:34 am

Enroute Butterworth (Malaysia) from RAAF Amberley (Brisbane) in an Ozzie C130, circa March '67. Lobbed into Darwin to refuel. C130 on next pan was first casevac of Australians out of Saigon. It was that time. Our C130 carryng a few unofficial pax, self included, found waving a thumb for a lift to Singapore.

Chatting with crew told them I was heading for Changi. Captain says "no probs", "will do a touch and go at Changi". Called tower, T & G approved, and proceeded to drop me off on the peri track. Changi at the time was both RAF base and international airport - with customs and immigration officials. So yours truly wanders across the airport and knocks on door of terminal - from the air side, requesting entry. Was in civvies at the time, so story not believed, until supervising erk rings tower to get confirmation of my story. They was not happy chappies, but let me go, organising a couple of snow drops in their Landrover to come and collect me. Fun times indeed.

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#5 Post by Ex-Ascot » Sun Dec 27, 2015 12:14 pm

RIS my dear chap where do I start? Could write a book on it.
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#6 Post by Rwy in Sight » Sun Dec 27, 2015 3:08 pm

RIS my dear chap where do I start? Could write a book on it.


Thanks for the 'trailer". Now tell me about your airline job particularly in your old beloved Athens airport...

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#7 Post by Ex-Ascot » Tue Dec 29, 2015 9:01 am

OK RIS now I am on a keyboard: Novosibirsk. Scheduled refuel stop en-route Korea to Moscow with the foreign secretary. I had asked the Air Attache to be there to ensure a smooth and rapid turn around. He had done this for us before. He refused saying that there was a new British Consulate there one of the staff would attend. Landed at about midnight and was directed to quite a remote spot. There were no steps, ground power, start unit but more importantly fuel. I opened the door and down there on the tarmac was one of the foreign office's finest. 'Is there anything you need''? she said. I said something along the lines of 'no we just popped in to say hello'. Three hours later and out of crew duty time we left. The FS got out of bed during that time put on his suit and tried to say hello but the Russian guard wouldn't let him off the aircraft without a visa, despite him saying, 'but I am the British FS' about 10 times.

Gets worse. Approaching Moscow they said that the airport was closed. We had a slip crew there to continue to LHR. If diverted we would have been stuck for about 12 hrs with the FS. They were adamant that we couldn't land. By sheer luck my nav spoke Russian. I asked him to have a go. Turned out that they were closed for a VVIP arrival - us.
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#8 Post by A Lutra Continua » Wed Dec 30, 2015 5:48 am

High speed offload of Nepalese troops in the DRC just after the fighting kicked off again a few years ago and some observers got eaten. Got around a hundred of them off the ramp, doors closed and lined up ready to go within four minutes of touchdown with loadies shepherding them straight off the back and into the terminal at a jog.

Had to go back two days later to fetch them so they could be reunited with their kit which had gone to their intended location somewhere in the Middle East. Usual UN fustercluck.

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#9 Post by 500N » Fri Jan 01, 2016 10:24 pm

On a little weekend exercise / range shoot / blow up anything at Murray Bridge in South Australia.

At the end of the weekend we were to assemble at the dirt airstrip and fly back to Melbourne,
RAAF Laverton on a DHC-4 Caribou or two.

Everyone gathered at the strip, blazing hot sun, wild windswept place with no shade. waiting, waiting,
straining to hear the sound of an aircraft engine or a call on the radio. Nothing.

Eventually, the boss (Major, OC Company) and myself decided to drive over to Range Control
and find out what was going on. Duly did that and told aircraft was on it's way in and we better
high tail it back to the strip. We did, driving flat out in the Landy, kit, webbing and guns
bouncing around in the back.

Now, the airstrip is sounded from where we were coming from by slightly raised ground,
I think partly from the scrapings to make the strip flat. The end result was we couldn't
see the strip or the aircraft.

Now the fun begins.

Theey had loaded the 'bou and were waiting with engines going, ready for take off.
As the boss and I crested the higher ground, the crew of the aircraft applied full power
and started trundling down the strip, land rover and two officers driving flat out parallell
to them. Gracefully (as much as a 'bou can, taking off and banking towards Melbourne,
the boss and I having stopped and got out, hands on hips wondering WTF was going on :D

All of a sudden, radio cracks into life, they are coming back for us but not stopping !
I didn't really understand what that meant but the boss said grab your gear and started
running for the strip. As we were doing to, the aircraft landed, trundled along with ramp
lowered and the loady beckoning us frantically to hurry up. All the time, the aircraft still
moving at a hefty pace down the runway, dirt and crap flying everywhere, the boss and I running
like mad with packs, webbing and guns. It was a case of we go faster, they ain't stopping !

Sweat pouting off us, what seemed like ages, we eventually made it to the ramp, half
threw pack and us onto it where we were grabbed and hauled unceremoniously inside.
The loady obviously passed word we were in because you could feel full power being
applied and the aircraft lift off.

The whole cabin had smiles on their faces and both the boss and I thought they had
pulled a good one :D

The alternative was a 10 - 12 hour slow drive in a landy to Melbourne !

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#10 Post by A Lutra Continua » Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:17 am

Ramp is part of the structural integrity of a Caribou. Saw one that landed with the ramp partially unlatched. Bent the entire tail section and it never flew again.

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#11 Post by 500N » Sat Jan 02, 2016 7:32 am

How oes the Caribou fly with the ramp open then ?

Be gentle, not an aircraft person ! LOL

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#12 Post by A Lutra Continua » Sat Jan 02, 2016 8:43 am

In a straight line, no problem. Same as a C130. Landing or taking off with the ramp open or even a lot of rudder input or steep turns with it open will damage the rear of the aircraft.

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#13 Post by 500N » Sat Jan 02, 2016 9:18 am

Thanks, you learn something everyday.

I have been told not to sit on the ramp during C-130 take offs and landings and was told
it was in case they have to jettison it for whatever reason.

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#14 Post by A Lutra Continua » Sat Jan 02, 2016 9:22 am

Ramp can't be jettisoned on a C130. In fact it's one of the load areas where a pallet can be secured.

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#15 Post by 500N » Sat Jan 02, 2016 9:26 am

Maybe he was talking cargo ?

So why can't you sit on the ramp ?

Or lie as we tended to with head resting on packs as rushing on an aircraft was generally a bit
of a pig sty and people / gear everywhere.

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#16 Post by A Lutra Continua » Sat Jan 02, 2016 9:48 am

No passenger restraints I guess. Can't see any other reason. I'd prefer to be strapped in for take off and landing. Might be macho as hell not bothering to strap in but being in a full body cast after being bounced off the walls during a rejected take off or other emergency makes admiring the magnificence of your manhood somewhat awkward.

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#17 Post by Fox3WheresMyBanana » Sat Jan 02, 2016 11:44 am

Brindisi - doing a delivery of a Cessna 152 (with extra tankage - a humongous 50 gallons ;) ). I refueled easily enough and then attempted to pay. They would accept cash (Lira) or Eurocheques, nothing else. I eventually ended up back in town pretending to buy 50* pizzas on a credit card, then getting 'refunded' in cash. The restaurant owner was happy to conduct this little fiction for a 5% take. In fact this yielded a better exchange rate than the banks, which were of course all closed on a normal business day for no apparent reason.
I paid for my fuel. An American co-pilot of a DC-9 appeared behind me, waving an Amex card..........he's probably still there.




*..-ish

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#18 Post by Rwy in Sight » Sun Jan 03, 2016 7:25 am

Thanks for the answers so far. And nice stories about the C-130. Fox3 thumbs up for quick thinking regarding pizza vs fuel!

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#19 Post by 500N » Sun Jan 03, 2016 8:48 am

A little exercise (raid) where we flew into a little town on the coast here in Victoria, called Portland.
A little town with an even smaller airport !

C-130 and all the troops, Land Rovers etc. The majority head off out of the airport to conduct some
raid on some industrial installation. My job was to defend the C-130 and surrounds so we had some
means of extraction (on the basis that it would be a foreign country).

Anyway, all quiet all night long, too quiet ! orders were to get the Herc fired up ready to go when
we saw the headlights of the raiding party returning to the airport.

So at some god unearthly hour in the morning, headlights appeared on the road coming into the airport.
Asked the pilots to fire her up and got ready to go, ramp down ready to take vehicles etc.

Then all hell breaks lose, the returning raiding party / convoy was ambushed on the road in and
a running gunfight was heard and seen - which made interesting viewing from afar. I suppose the
nearby town got a few jollies out of it.

Anyway, it was probably 15 - 30 before the raiding party arrived and all the while the Hercs engines
were turning and burning. A side benefit considering it was the middle of winter, a nice warm exhaust :D
I did ask how much it cost and they said about $6000 per something so an expensive engine run !

Anyway, troops loaded, vehicles driven up, defense party rolled up into the Herc, ramp closed
and plonked down on the floor - to be told stay off the ramp until airborne.

Only thing I can remember after that was falling asleep on the warm ramp and waking up as
we came into RAAF Laverton frozen stiff with a very numb bum !
Last time I slept on the ramp of any aircraft :D

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Re: Weirdest/ most memorable turn around.

#20 Post by John Hill » Sat Apr 14, 2018 5:44 am

We stopped at Kuwait en-route to Baghdad at a time when things were a little exciting around there. We checked in to the Kuwait transit hotel waiting for a call from the folks who were going to fly us to Baghdad only to get a message delivered from reception that our plane had gone to Oman and we were to wait, so we waited, and waited, until early afternoon the next day when a small pickup truck appeared from out of a cloud of dust and the driver seeing us and our 15 cartons of stuff in the foyer waved urgently to us.

Will all the cartons somehow loaded on the back and us in with the non-english speaking driver we were off again bouncing across taxiways and parking bays until we reached an Antonov-12 moving slowly down a taxiway, the driver ran alongside waving and the aircraft stopped with the rear ramp almost down. While the engines poured out indescribable heat the cartons were thrown on to the ramp and we scrambled after them. We were shown to the forward passenger compartment where there was just one person who said he was from the US State Department and most reassuringly asked if we were going to Baghdad, frankly I had no idea but i said I hoped so.

We landed at what was still ORBS (I think) and parked miles away from anywhere. We put all our cartons on the ground and our fellow traveller stood by his 3 4wd vehicles he had bought from Kuwait wondering where he could get fuel. We were all sort of lost for a few minutes then the captain asked if we had a satellite phone, which we had and he made a call to Kiev then those big turbo props were wound up and they were away. Soon a group of Aussies came by and they took us to, well they took us to where we wanted to be.
Been in data comm since we formed the bits individually with a Morse key.

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