Kick the tyres and...

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#21 Post by Rossian » Mon Jun 21, 2021 9:06 pm

I had the services of the LGW to LHR helo when I was a Comp A pax from Naples to ABZ when my mother was dying. Tarmac transfer and off we went (no customs or immigration) shuttle up to GLA another tarmac transfer to a 748 to ABZ. As we waited for the other pax to get on I asked the FA if I could make myself a cup of tea, she looked at me quizzically and I explained that the galley was exactly the same as the Nimrod one - OK go ahead.
The system was sooo smooth, I was met at every stage by an RAF person who took me to the next step at every stage and I didn't have to think about any of it. The taxi driver who met me at ABZ when asked how long I had him for said that I was his passenger until I told him to stop. Fantastic! My mother died in the early hours of the next morning after I'd seen her. Without that helo shuttle I would not have made it.

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#22 Post by 1DC » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:13 am

I used it three times and was sorry to see it stopped, mind you, when I used it their were only three or four passengers each time. I wonder if it was really cost effective.

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#23 Post by 4mastacker » Tue Jun 22, 2021 2:27 pm

Rossian wrote:
Mon Jun 21, 2021 9:06 pm
I had the services of the LGW to LHR helo when I was a Comp A pax from Naples to ABZ when my mother was dying. Tarmac transfer and off we went (no customs or immigration) shuttle up to GLA another tarmac transfer to a 748 to ABZ. As we waited for the other pax to get on I asked the FA if I could make myself a cup of tea, she looked at me quizzically and I explained that the galley was exactly the same as the Nimrod one - OK go ahead.
The system was sooo smooth, I was met at every stage by an RAF person who took me to the next step at every stage and I didn't have to think about any of it. The taxi driver who met me at ABZ when asked how long I had him for said that I was his passenger until I told him to stop. Fantastic! My mother died in the early hours of the next morning after I'd seen her. Without that helo shuttle I would not have made it.

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Getting Comp A pax to where they need to be is one activity where the services excel - nothing is too much trouble.

Two in particular that I remember from years ago both occurred at Gutersloh. In the first, the Prime Minister (Wilson) was passing through and his Comet was held until the pax arrived and was whisked up the steps. The other case was a young lad from our section who's mum was VSI in Hull Royal Infirmary. The trip in 19 Sqn's T-bird to Leconfield, followed by a ride in a Whirlwind saw him at his mum's bedside in short order.
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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#24 Post by Pontius Navigator » Tue Jun 22, 2021 2:36 pm

4ma, welcome back to the fold, you had us preparing a search party up and down ton canal "anyone seen 4ma?"

On Comp A, "by the men, for the men" you never know if you might be next. I didn't get it when my mother died. By the time we found out I was refused. My bank manager played merry hell with the MOD and I got B. In the event my father cut his wrists and didn't go to the funeral.

Once en route I shared a taxis with a A to Manchester and thence to Birkenhead.

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#25 Post by k3k3 » Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:57 pm

In 1976 my mother was taken very ill and the doc asked if she wanted anyone contacted, she said my son, doc asks "Where is he?" in the RAF in Germany. Doc thinks a bit, phones the local CIO, they call Innsworth, they figure out who and where I am, and set things in motion. I was on evening shift that day in the NAVWASS Bay at Brüggen and when I got back to my room to prepare for work there was a note on the door "Pack a bag with civvies for a week and report to work in civvies immediately", when I got to work the flight commander took me out to the pan where a 60 Sqn Pembroke was waiting, I was flown to Lee-on-Solent where an RN car took me to the hospital in Portsmouth.

My mother recovered and lived another forty years, but it is being helped when things go to ***** that make it worthwhile.

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#26 Post by Pontius Navigator » Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:04 pm

Getting back to work after a Comp the details I don't know but the rest of the detail is stuck in memory.I hired a Ford Capri and took my aunt, then mid 70s and the budgie (i can't remember about the dog) at 90 mph up the M6 an route Berwick when the accelerator failed on. I disengaged the gear, pulled the pedal up with my foot and crossed from lane 3 to an exit, asked the police car directions to the garage. 30 minutes later, back on the road. Arrived at her cottage , bundled her in and sped off to catch the London train in Newcastle.

Round the first bend the road was blocked by a tree. The council workers helped get the car passed. At the Hertz office the guy was on the phone, very impressed phone call to his girl friend. I threw the keys and the bill at him and said sod your paperwork. I got to the platform about a minute to spare. This BR chap confirmed my train, took my bag, and said don't rush. He took me into the carriage and our my case in the rack. He knew the train would not go as he was the driver.

In London I checked into the Club and learnt my flight was delayed. I needed to send a signal to my sqn which was deployed on exercise. Where else but MOD? I got in and was eventually escorted 5 floors down to the DCN - the Defence Communications Network. I was not however permitted to authorise my own signal. Quite an adventure and apart from grabbing my kit at Akrotiri during the Herc turnround, uneventful.

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#27 Post by CharlieOneSix » Tue Jun 22, 2021 10:32 pm

A civvie story from almost 30 years ago but it impressed me at the time. The 20+ something son of one of our retired pilots was somewhere in the US, I forget where, and was critical in hospital following a road accident. For various reasons the pilot had fallen on hard times in retirement but was still technically a BALPA member, just paying for The Log. Our Company had no staff travel concessions and BALPA were approached to see if they could help. They contacted Richard Branson direct and he authorised a free first class return for the pilot and his wife to the US. The son survived after a long time in hospital. The bearded one may have his critics but he came good on this occasion.
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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#28 Post by llondel » Wed Jun 23, 2021 2:57 am

I remember a time when my desk was close to the CEO's office. We had someone travelling in the US whose wife went into (very) premature labour and I overheard the CEO telling his PA to get him back as quickly as possible by any means regardless of cost. Some places were very good to work at.

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#29 Post by ian16th » Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:10 am

Not on the scale of some, but the SAAFA managed to bully Big Airways into coughing up a bussines class ticket for a D-Day Veteran glider pilot, for the 70th anniversary.
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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#30 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Wed Jun 23, 2021 8:26 am

ian16th wrote:
Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:10 am
Not on the scale of some, but the SAAFA managed to bully Big Airways into coughing up a bussines class ticket for a D-Day Veteran glider pilot, for the 70th anniversary.
That was a very nice story ian16th.

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#31 Post by CharlieOneSix » Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:23 am

CharlieOneSix wrote:
Mon Jun 21, 2021 1:33 pm
A website that TGG will enjoy: https://www.ashpole.org.uk/. It's the extensive blog of Bill Ashpole detailing his aviation career and who I knew when he was with British Airways Helicopters in Shetland, in Penzance and later when both BAH and BCAL ran the Gatwick-Heathrow Airlink. He was also the Mormon Bishop in, I think, East Grinstead. A very pleasant guy, he writes a good blog which includes his time in Borneo.
I was sad to hear today that Bill passed away on 10 July due to a heart attack. He was 82. The photo is of Bill at age 40 in front of the S61 Airlink helicopter G-LINK.
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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#32 Post by Boac » Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:26 am

Sad, indeed, but his memorial will last, on finals for the westerly.

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#33 Post by CharlieOneSix » Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:46 am

Boac wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:26 am
Sad, indeed, but his memorial will last, on finals for the westerly.
Indeed - very distinctive!
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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#34 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:59 am

CharlieOneSix wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:23 am
CharlieOneSix wrote:
Mon Jun 21, 2021 1:33 pm
A website that TGG will enjoy: https://www.ashpole.org.uk/. It's the extensive blog of Bill Ashpole detailing his aviation career and who I knew when he was with British Airways Helicopters in Shetland, in Penzance and later when both BAH and BCAL ran the Gatwick-Heathrow Airlink. He was also the Mormon Bishop in, I think, East Grinstead. A very pleasant guy, he writes a good blog which includes his time in Borneo.
I was sad to hear today that Bill passed away on 10 July due to a heart attack. He was 82. The photo is of Bill at age 40 in front of the S61 Airlink helicopter G-LINK.
Bill Ashpole at 40 copy.jpg
You are/were correct C16, I thoroughly enjoyed reading through Bill Ashpole's site and am so sorry to hear of his passing. I do hope that his site will be preserved as much for its aviation historical value, as well as being a tribute to a very interesting and accomplished man.
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More tactile than tactful

#35 Post by Undried Plum » Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:43 pm

Image

Appended to add: It's the first time I've noticed that wimmin in the army don't have breast pockets. Where do they keep their 1250s (or Pongo equivalent)? Or shouldn't one ask.

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Re: More tactile than tactful

#36 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:50 pm

Describing how he won the under 15 silver medal in the 100 meters breaststroke back in the day at Gordonstoun! =))
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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#37 Post by Undried Plum » Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:01 pm

They didn't have girls at Gordonstoun in those days, so they had to improvise ....

His Graeco-Danish-German-German father would have approved that sort of thing, y'know. ;)))

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#38 Post by Boac » Thu Jul 15, 2021 4:03 pm

C16 wrote:Indeed - very distinctive!
And floodlit at night to help some of us. I always used to use it as a localiser check................

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Re: More tactile than tactful

#39 Post by Undried Plum » Thu Jul 15, 2021 4:27 pm

Undried Plum wrote:
Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:43 pm
Image

Appended to add: It's the first time I've noticed that wimmin in the army don't have breast pockets. Where do they keep their 1250s (or Pongo equivalent)? Or shouldn't one ask.
Her Flying Badge is a bit off level too.

Kindalike a LookyHere sorta thing.

Izzit the Teenyweenyairways equivalent of a Kiss-Me-Quick hat?

Don't they teach sewing at Middle Wallop any more?

Not even to their wimmin?

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Re: Kick the tyres and...

#40 Post by Boac » Thu Jul 15, 2021 4:52 pm

Surely it is obvious Charlie was just itching to put then straight?

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