Boots and brakes
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 1:12 pm
OK - will give it a 'public' go, then, if some are interested. My bit first:
Me, RAF QFI at the 'College of Knowledge', Cranwell. Student - capable young man but easily phased by a busy circuit, so in order to get him off solo I 'negotiated' with my boss to take him away to Hawker Siddeley (as it was then) Bitteswell, then a Vulcan and Buccaneer overhaul airfield, and VERY quiet. I had had a few jugs with the SATCO there while I was on an Air Cadet Gliding instructors' course, so he 'helped' with access/costs etc
Got Bloggs on his last circuit at Bitteswell before I sent him off to do his first top-gun' stuff. Partly to blame here with what happened as he flew his landing, since I was watching things that might kill me like airspeed, line-up, rate of descent and engine rpm, and did not notice that his feet had ridden up on the rudder pedals and he was applying full brake pressure as we flared to land (there is a triple pointer gauge low on the panel in front of the instructor showing master and L/R brake pressures which I always regularly checked on final).
A nice touchdown, and confirmation to me that he was 'ready', when I was thrown forward in my straps with a horrendous screeching noise from 'below' as the locked wheels skidded on the runway. What to do? Tyres probably about to burst, no maintenance at the field, might miss tea and crumpet in the Occifers' Mess at Cranners etc etc. Fortunately (late 60s), Woke/PC and all that guff was not yet in our order books, so I gave him a swift but firm karate chop with my left hand under his chin. This surprised him just a little , and his limbs 'withdrew' from all controls, releasing the brakes. I taxied the choking Bloggs off the runway and we 'debriefed'. He was pretty certainly not going to do that again, and to his amazement I told him he was going off solo AFTER I had checked for any flat spots on the wheels.... Good ol' Dunlop had done a good job and there was no problem, so off he went (and landed 'normally'...) .
I think he went on to be an excellent 'truckie', but I cannot remember.
Me, RAF QFI at the 'College of Knowledge', Cranwell. Student - capable young man but easily phased by a busy circuit, so in order to get him off solo I 'negotiated' with my boss to take him away to Hawker Siddeley (as it was then) Bitteswell, then a Vulcan and Buccaneer overhaul airfield, and VERY quiet. I had had a few jugs with the SATCO there while I was on an Air Cadet Gliding instructors' course, so he 'helped' with access/costs etc
Got Bloggs on his last circuit at Bitteswell before I sent him off to do his first top-gun' stuff. Partly to blame here with what happened as he flew his landing, since I was watching things that might kill me like airspeed, line-up, rate of descent and engine rpm, and did not notice that his feet had ridden up on the rudder pedals and he was applying full brake pressure as we flared to land (there is a triple pointer gauge low on the panel in front of the instructor showing master and L/R brake pressures which I always regularly checked on final).
A nice touchdown, and confirmation to me that he was 'ready', when I was thrown forward in my straps with a horrendous screeching noise from 'below' as the locked wheels skidded on the runway. What to do? Tyres probably about to burst, no maintenance at the field, might miss tea and crumpet in the Occifers' Mess at Cranners etc etc. Fortunately (late 60s), Woke/PC and all that guff was not yet in our order books, so I gave him a swift but firm karate chop with my left hand under his chin. This surprised him just a little , and his limbs 'withdrew' from all controls, releasing the brakes. I taxied the choking Bloggs off the runway and we 'debriefed'. He was pretty certainly not going to do that again, and to his amazement I told him he was going off solo AFTER I had checked for any flat spots on the wheels.... Good ol' Dunlop had done a good job and there was no problem, so off he went (and landed 'normally'...) .
I think he went on to be an excellent 'truckie', but I cannot remember.