The Capetonian WOE Thread

[om15]

I am struggling with this one, are we in Greek Islands? or Med area.

[Woody]

Clue time. I am sure some folk on this forum have been close to this location.

Well that’s helpful on an aviation forum

[Ex-Ascot]

I am struggling with this one, are we in Greek Islands? or Med area.

Not Europe OM but it is salty water, Let us get it on this page. This is the Municipal Airport, there is also an International one.

[FD2]

Are we 'down under'?

[Ex-Ascot]

Are we 'down under'?

Northern hemisphere.

[Ex-Ascot]

It is used for island hoppers.

[Ex-Ascot]

Hundreds of islands off shore only some with airstrips of course. Very popular area for diving. Going off line until the morning.

[Ex-Ascot]

There was a Royal Air Force base nearby with a weekly VC10 schedule. Surly that should give it away.

[FD2]

I've been checking islands in the Caribbean but nothing found yet. Will try Cyprus next!

[Ex-Ascot]

I've been checking islands in the Caribbean but nothing found yet. Will try Cyprus next!

Stick with the Caribbean. I said that there 'was' a Royal Air Force base there. RAF Akrotiri is still operational.

[larsssnowpharter]

Sir Barry Bowen Airport

[Boac]

Well done, Lars - I had no idea that airport existed, having thumped my Harrier in and out of the 'real' airport a few hundred times!

[larsssnowpharter]

I certainly didn't know it existed either and am pretty sure it wasn't there in '76. Seems to be out past the Bellevue. Was it you who had the 'crabstrike'?

Open house.

[Boac]

No - certainly wasn't there in '81 either. My only 'claim to fame' was to find and snap some smugglers on a caye somewhere and then fail to be able to direct the army to the right quay.

I guess you refer to Bernie Scott's birdstrike on an airtest? I didn't hit Belize (10,000 flies cannot be wrong... ) until '80.

Happy memories of a great experience, though, and fabulous 'Sunday trips' to a rum-soaked caye on a mess outing, for snorkelling and being savaged by mossies (and Montezuma's revenge, of course - no fun strapped into a Harrier at 35 degrees....) and the odd 'trip' with the Puma guys, huge steaks and occasional visiting ladies in the mess and....

[Ex-Ascot]

Lars is of course correct and has declared O/H. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Barry ... al_Airport. Not sure when it was built. Must be mid 80s it was very small then. Can't remember why we went into Belize International once for three nights. Maybe they didn't have the room for us to park at RAF Belize. We took a puddle jumper out to one of the cayes from the small airport and stayed there. On the way back to save us getting a taxi the pilot took us into the International and parked under our wing!

O/H

[larsssnowpharter]

I double checked and found I was there in 78 when Hurricane Greta hit. Went back in the 80s when Jim xxxx had the Belize Air Wing.

The crabstrike was when a Harrier hit landcrabs on the runway. Recollection is of a surge tide and crabs getting to the high ground and meeting their demise thanks to a Harrier. Burst tyre and engine change?

[Boac]

Ah - Crab sandwiches in the mess, then? PM sent.

[FD2]

Could you cook them if you hovered over them for long enough Boac? Were they an edible variety if cooked normally? Just about my favourite food - better than lobster i.m.o.

[4mastacker]

My next door neighbour at Odiham was on 230 and his wife wasn't at all impressed with the crabs he brought back from Belize - cue: one vacant MQ next door in short order but not before some very loud female utterances including the words "You bastard" and other less than complimentary terms.

His luck was really out as just before he went to Belize, he had bought one of them Lancia Betas that rotted away in front of your eyes. By the time he got back from Belize, the car went the same way as his marriage.

[Ex-Ascot]

In Reykjavik a bottle of duty free scotch would be chucked into the boot of the handling agent's car on the apron and a huge fresh salmon got chucked onto the aircraft. A great deal both ways.