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Hi there
We were under strict instructions not to touch the Royal Flight aircraft, in the 80s/90s, not even to place chocks at the wheels.The first crewman off did that.We were absolutely forbidden to go near the aircraft, which was strictly enforced, not even for the usual photos or nose-around of visiting foreign aircraft.RAF staff did the refuelling themselves.
When the men in black arrived, they usually took over a hangar or the gym and everyone was excluded, unless they had the direct authorisation to be there from the GoC Air Corps.
On a few occasions, aircraft originating from Norn Iron were locked into a hangar and guarded (even, on at least one occasion, by armed RAF aircrew.Saw it myself) and aboslutely nobody was allowed in, except the MiBs and the RAF crews.
The State can put on quite heavy security when it wants to.
regards
GttC
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere***
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Just watch for when its Prince Charles, he's know for putting the aircraft down hard ... and breaking it
Yehh but it was the poor Captain that got the rap for it, not Charlie!.
Prince Charles was not blamed because, despite holding the RAF rank of group captain, he was regarded as a passenger who was invited to fly the aircraft. The inquiry can pass judgement on the crew.
It was not in dispute, however, that the Prince was at the controls of the BAe 146 when it landed awkwardly and too fast in high winds on the Isle of Islay. slewed off the Port Ellen runway and came to a halt with its nose buried in mud. Six crew and five passengers were on board but no one was injured.
The RAF report concluded the jet was flying 32 knots (40mph) too fast when it crossed the runway threshold. Only 509m (557yds) of the 1,245m-long (1,362yd) strip remained when all the aircraft's wheels touched down, causing a tyre to burst and another to deflate.
The captain, Squadron Leader Graham Laurie, was negligent "in the final stages of the flight".
Charlie since then has not got behind the controls of any Royal Flight aircraft!.
Im aware that in 2007 he was ex- Squadron Leader Laurie!.
He continued to fly after the incident but may have lost the position of an instructing or supervising pilot.
He must have been fairly senior (length of service wise) to have been posted to the Royal Flight. It would be a shame if his record was blemished by an incident for which he very probably had zero control.
Hi there
From what I've read, Charles turned in his own license as a tacit admittance that it had been his fault.Unfortunately, Laurie took the hit because he did not intervene sooner.Still, there's always civvie flying...
regards
GttC
I know it's easy to be wise after the event, but Charlie as an experiended pilot should have just gone around and had another attempt at the landing or hand control to Laurie for the second attempt, rather than trying to make the landing. Nothing more useless then runway behind you and your wheels not yet down when landing !!!
I know it's easy to be wise after the event, but Charlie as an experiended pilot should have just gone around and had another attempt at the landing or hand control to Laurie for the second attempt, rather than trying to make the landing. Nothing more useless then runway behind you and your wheels not yet down when landing !!!
Somewhere on the net is the full RAF Board of Inquiry report. It makes for interesting reading and it's in pdf format.
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