I remember when. ....

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Mrs Ex-Ascot
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I remember when. ....

#1 Post by Mrs Ex-Ascot » Thu Sep 10, 2015 12:41 pm

As a retired ATCO I hate to see 'no posts "still. So maybe I can follow GATCO magazine Transmit's example and encourage people to reminice on past events.
I remember the exec jet going off the end of the runway at RAF Northolt. I was on the afternoon shift so missed the action but not the info!Best bit of hearsay was how the Captain sustained his nose injury; the first officer bopped him :))
RAF 32 Sqn B Flt ; Twin Squirrels.

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Re: I remember when. ....

#2 Post by Rwy in Sight » Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:21 pm

Did it count as an accident injury?

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Re: I remember when. ....

#3 Post by Ex-Ascot » Fri Sep 11, 2015 8:46 am

OK, she started it. Great respect for ATCOs have to say that otherwise I don't get my dinna.

Approach controller at BZN cleared a same type heavy four jet (see avtar) through our level. We missed it by 4 secs. Broke out of cloud and it was in our 12 passing right to left. Apparently he had a problem in the morning so they put him back on to regain his confidence :-?

LHR were and I am sure still terrific. Flying 'the firm' everything had to get out of our way, on the ground and in the air. Great line from a BA captain when told to land on take off runway as we wanted to take off on the landing runway. 'I know my place sir'.
'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: I remember when. ....

#4 Post by Woody » Mon Sep 14, 2015 11:36 am

When all else fails, read the instructions.

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Re: I remember when. ....

#5 Post by Lon » Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:44 am

They had some interesting movements at Northolt. Like a PanAm 707

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Re: I remember when. ....

#6 Post by Capetonian » Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:52 am

...... which I believe landed there by mistake.

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Re: I remember when. ....

#7 Post by Alisoncc » Fri Jan 15, 2016 11:05 am

No. No mistake. The ATCO told them to get their butts down there or else. #:-S
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Re: I remember when. ....

#8 Post by Mrs Ex-Ascot » Fri Jan 15, 2016 11:47 am

The 707 incident was before my time; apparently they had to strip it right down and put in about 2 drops of fuel to get it out and to Heathrow. I bet everyone was watching from the Tower. ...so they didn't get involved in any inquiry if it crashed :))
RAF 32 Sqn B Flt ; Twin Squirrels.

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Re: I remember when. ....

#9 Post by OFSO » Sat Jan 16, 2016 3:39 pm

Slightly different, but I remember a guided tour of the Frankfurt a.M. ATC centre way back in the 1980's. The electronics bays were in hand-made wood cabinets (I won't say it was 'oak' but it may have been) and the cabinet-making was of a quality you'd have been proud to have in your living room, beautiful dovetail joints on the corner of every rack. Doubtless it has all been pulled out and thrown away, replaced by 19" metal racking now. (Are 19" racks still used ? In my house they are).

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Re: I remember when. ....

#10 Post by stuart » Sat Jan 16, 2016 3:47 pm

Not ATC but I remember my father flying from Portsmouth airport to the channel islands on a Dragon Rapide Channel Airways iirc, he used to fly over there a lot on business, one day he rang them to say he would be late and they actually delayed the flight so he'd be in time to catch it ! true story.
it's good to be bad.

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Re: I remember when. ....

#11 Post by Capetonian » Sat Jan 16, 2016 4:57 pm

.... I was on a flight from JNB>DUR. I forgot a small item at security and SAA arranged a vehicle from the aircraft, which was on a remote stand, to the terminal and back while the aircraft waited, delaying us.
When my friends met me at Louis Botha, I apologised for keeping them waiting to which they predictably said : "It wasn't your fault."
I ws able to reply that it was my fault that the flight arrived late.

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Re: I remember when. ....

#12 Post by OFSO » Sat Jan 16, 2016 6:09 pm

....Mrs OFSO was on an FR from GRN to STN when the security guys (armed officers of the Guardia Civil) scanned a small but sharp sculpting tool in the lining of her handbag. They said "no problem for us you taking it on the plane, senyora, but you might have trouble on the return trip from Stansted." So I was allowed airside to collect the tool from her (it was expensive) and carry it landside.

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Re: I remember when. ....

#13 Post by Ex-Ascot » Sun Jan 17, 2016 5:44 am

At some Saudi little insignificant airstrip on a Royal arrival ATC extended us 30 nm downwind to delay our arrival because the greeting prince was at prayers. Embassy had screwed up and got the time wrong. Then they tried to slow us down further by giving us a 'follow me' vehicle which went at about 1 kt. When I put the nose of the aircraft over the top of him he speeded up.
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Re: I remember when. ....

#14 Post by Woody » Sun Jan 17, 2016 8:42 am

Love the Speedbird 479 change runway as if it happened everyday :-bd

[bbvideo=560,315]https://m.youtube.com/watch?autoplay=1&v=cCK62U6Fob0[/bbvideo]
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Re: I remember when. ....

#15 Post by Boac » Sun Jan 17, 2016 9:40 am

Hats off to all - ATC well on the case!

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Re: I remember when. ....

#16 Post by Woody » Sun Jan 17, 2016 10:35 am

We heard this when discussing how people are affected by sudden stress, the mayday is actually given for Speedbird 95, not 38.
Glad he got his job back.
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Re: I remember when. ....

#17 Post by limeygal » Wed Jan 20, 2016 1:00 pm

For sheer incompetence, Cairo back in the 1970s takes some beating. We were holding along with I don't know how many others. You could look out the window and look down on everyone circling about. Cairo got overwhelmed very easily and tended to just throw up their hands and let everyone get on with it, or so it seemed. We had been orbiting a while, when a UTA a/c had enough and said he was coming in. He was easy to spot as he was going the opposite way to everyone else-did I mention he was ffrench?

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Re: I remember when. ....

#18 Post by Capetonian » Wed Jan 20, 2016 1:05 pm

For sheer incompetence, Cairo ............. takes some beating.

The most incompetent, rudest, ill-mannered and dishonest chauvinistic pigs I have ever had the misfortune to encounter in my professional life were Egyptians.
The Nigerians are dishonest but charming and smart.
The Israelis are arrogant and unplesant but competent and dedicated.
The French, well, they're just French, they don't come close to the Egyptians.

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Re: I remember when. ....

#19 Post by Boac » Wed Jan 20, 2016 1:42 pm

Yes, trying to get them on HF used to be a bit of a challenge as well.................

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Re: I remember when. ....

#20 Post by MoreAviation » Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:32 pm

Boac wrote:Yes, trying to get them on HF used to be a bit of a challenge as well.................


Biggest mistake I ever made when first flying over to France in a puddle jumper was to address ATC in French (showing off) only to be completely swamped by a stream of totally incomprehensible instructions... with an embarrassing backtrack both in the air and in my vainglorious way.

Was pleasantly pleased to hear the languid tones of an Englishman on Lille approach recently. So steady, so sensibly English. :)

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