What did you screw up in the RAF?

[metimmee]

On det in Lajes with the Mighty Hunter, the AF refuel had been done by a sumpy and on the day of the flight back the crew asked for an small uplift. CSM metimmee duly added fuel to one of the fuselage tanks and signed it up....except I only checked the Magnetic Fuel level Indicators (MFLI) for the tank I'd uplifted...very bad, I should've gone around all of the tanks.

Aircraft takes off and in transit I get a rude awakening from the Air Eng with a sharp finger point into my sleeping shoulder. He beckons me to the stbd beam window where the stbd 4A MFLI is extended and bent at an inconceivable angle in the airflow...it didnt last the whole flight. Immediately I knew I hadn't left it out...but couldn't say because I should've checked it. I learned a lesson that day...

 

[Past Engineering]

Another from the mighty Hunter, on detachments in the mid 70’s once the aircraft had landed the aircrew would normally leg it to the applicable messes and leave the ground crew to put the aircraft to bed, on one detachment to Cyprus the Air Eng decided to stay and help.

He decided to start with emptying and refilling the bog, and when the truck mounted bog trolley arrived and after the advice from the driver/operator about the higher pressure that the truck operated at was duly ignored by said Air Eng, all was well until a lot of shouting was heard with the poor driver/operator getting the blame for the copious amounts of Racasan mix that had filled the toilet floor and overflowed into the entrance way and underneath the flooring, we pointed out the error of his ways to the Air Eng and after he helped a little bit with the clean-up he was politely asked to just leave us to it and if he felt inclined to get some beer in as an apology and also try and find the driver/operator who drove off rather miffed and apologise to him as he was the only one who could help with that job at the time.

It took some time to lift flooring, clean up underneath and refit so it cut down our beer time, not happy bunnies, I might add that the Fairies legged it as soon as the could, nearly as bad as the Aircrew for that trick, although in fairness they had got the beers ready this particular time.

 

[Rigga]

On det in Lajes with the Mighty Hunter, the AF refuel had been done by a sumpy and on the day of the flight back the crew asked for an small uplift. CSM metimmee duly added fuel to one of the fuselage tanks and signed it up....except I only checked the Magnetic Fuel level Indicators (MFLI) for the tank I'd uplifted...very bad, I should've gone around all of the tanks.

Aircraft takes off and in transit I get a rude awakening from the Air Eng with a sharp finger point into my sleeping shoulder. He beckons me to the stbd beam window where the stbd 4A MFLI is extended and bent at an inconceivable angle in the airflow...it didnt last the whole flight. Immediately I knew I hadn't left it out...but couldn't say because I should've checked it. I learned a lesson that day...

Ah! those gremlins were all about those older fleets. Even on Whirlwinds; I was pulled out to an earlier BF that I'd done to be shown 'some' Tail Pylon fasters had sprung undone.....my biggest first lesson.

 

[Late & Tired]

Any Nimrod Sumpy will be able to tell a tale or two around 5 tank not filling as fast as 6 tank. 6 is near the tail....5 is near the nose. I nearly did this once and the chief in the Line control rang my pan phone (miracle I heard it over the noise of the bowser and power set, 'Vim... I'm on the bino's and I can see way too much of the nose wheel oleo...check 5'. It's quite surprising how fast you can yell at the bowser driver to stop flow whilst legging it to the right fuel panel!

That's why the good FLMs and DE Sooties were taught to fill No1 centre tank first...

 

[vim_fuego]

That's why the good FLMs and DE Sooties were taught to fill No1 centre tank first...

Feck it, smash them all on so you get back in time to watch Neighbours.