Re: Long tradition in the RAF
I was blessed with a NS Flight engineers training back in 1952/4 and can offer the following,
1. On posting from Calshot to Kinloss 3 of us instead of railway warrants we did the math to show it was cheaper to pay our fuel to take my Singer 9 van to Kinloss so got the funding for that!.
2. On completion of our OCU at Kinloss on Shackletons MK 2';s we were posted some 3 of us to RAF Balleykelly in NI.
so it was my suggestion that we had the CO run a Nav ex to take us there!.
all organised.
3 .I was running an Austin 7 chummy at that posting and it was my job to drain the fuel tanks of condensate.
Needless to say it would have been a waste just to pour it away. It ran my car v well to Londonderry vwell to Saturday dances.
4. In our billett we had the RAF regiment NCO and it was a perk to go to the range on Wednesdays to do small arms practice, needless to say it wasnt part of our duties, .
5. On escape and evasion exercises, we had been dropped many milesfrom base and it was pouring with rain that night.
there was an empty house nearby so we forced open a window to get in. needless to say in the morning we checked and found the front door was unlocked!.
6. On competion of my statutory duty i drove back from Balleykelly via Stranraer back to Poole!.The chummy went v well..
so it IS standard practice for aircrew to exercise initiative.
7. Could never afford to fly privately, but when hang gliding came to the UK, well it was for me. Had a great 10 yrs and finished up representing the BHGA at the CAA on air traffic management. Met some great ex RAF types.
Finally, one of the best reads is Fate is the hunter, by Ernest Gahn. Many of you know it?
Ted In Dorset still exercising initiative!!.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
