Skyhooks, big watches, lace panties and other aviation myths...

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Pontius Navigator
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Re: Skyhooks, big watches, lace panties and other aviation myths...

#21 Post by Pontius Navigator » Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:08 am

This is as good a place as any: potential of death and other near death experiences but survived through sheer ignorance?

I will start with low level flying, backwards and no windows. Our AEO, after tours in Shackletons and Vulcans, decided that it was not for him and grounded himself. He was accused of LMF or an abundance of common sense.

Then there was a trip where we landed 1,500 lb below minimum fuel, landing at a strange airfield, and did it again the next day.

A 2300L departure after a 12 hour delay. Two hours later, over Tehran, everyone except the nav plotter was asleep.

Another early daylight departure, low level below cloud but in murk, large granite mountain. We were clear but not that much.

Same flight over a mirror smooth Lake Garda. Rad Alt indicating we were well below its minimum reading.

An airmiss with a Soviet aircraft at 400 feet. We pulled, he pushed.

In a Cb, at night, over the Atlantic, out of any comms, multiple lightning strikes, we continued in the Cb.

On exercise doing a low probe on a US warship, porpoising at 100 feet and gentle banking.

Flight into distant airfield, fuel sufficient for an instrument approach, visual circuit then RTB. Minimal viz, low cloud, snow showers and captain pressed on to a second instrument circuit.

Flight where an F4 did a close visual inspection of #2 engine for an oil leak. It was night, the navs torch was for map reading, the F4 radome appeared to be between #1 & #2. Of course the black oil on dark grey on a black night .....

Any others?

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Re: Skyhooks, big watches, lace panties and other aviation myths...

#22 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Fri Apr 16, 2021 11:02 am

Pontius Navigator wrote:
Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:08 am
This is as good a place as any: potential of death and other near death experiences but survived through sheer ignorance?

On exercise doing a low probe on a US warship, porpoising at 100 feet and gentle banking.


The warship or the aircraft? Are you sure you hadn't fixed on a large porpoise or a whale? What was the porpoise of your mission?
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

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Re: Skyhooks, big watches, lace panties and other aviation myths...

#23 Post by Boac » Fri Apr 16, 2021 11:16 am

I expect they did it on porpoise - OK..................

Pontius Navigator
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Re: Skyhooks, big watches, lace panties and other aviation myths...

#24 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri Apr 16, 2021 12:01 pm

We were, so the wing tip would have been about 50 feet. What had it worse was the sqn cdr, standing down the back, badgered the captain (and AEO) to accept a verbal authorisation. This was based on a decision matrix that required authorisation at 3* level.

Had it turned to ***** the pilot would have copped the blame. The sqn cdr made 3* himself a few years later.

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