Coach trip tales..............Bournemouth 1986
Oct 26, 2017 23:17:30 GMT 1
buryspotter, tony1965, and 2 more like this
Post by wadoki on Oct 26, 2017 23:17:30 GMT 1
Back in those halcyon days when there was an air show with proper planes every weekend between May and September I decided to try this south coast event.
It turned out to be more eventful than I could have imagined...................for all the wrong reasons!
The show itself was a good one with a surprisingly large and varied static display.I think it was organised by people involved with the Air Tattoo at Fairford,and it showed.The Spanish Air Force attended with a C101 and a C212,the jet being from a regular training unit and not the formation team.
The field itself was littered with old 707s and 727s destined never to fly again.
..............and then there was the Flight Refuelling ramp!!
Back in the mid-80s they had a contract with a US firm(Flight Systems?) to provide target towing facilities with Super Sabres.A ramp full of airworthy F-100s,how cool is that?
Trouble was that the FR hangar and ramp was separated from the public show compound by a fair ground.I skirted around the kiddie rides and walked between the traveller caravans accompanying them.Mistake!!
...........it was like being tackled by Pat van den Hauwe.
I was on the floor trying to shake off what looked like a Jack Russell on steroids that had attached itself to my leg.
Fortunately,the wretched animal was chained to the underside of one of the caravans so I was able to roll out of its effective kill range.I couldn`t run,at that stage I couldn`t even stand.I was bleeding copiously and my pants were in shreds.And the amazing thing was the attack had been utterly silent.No warning growls or barks.Nothing.
I staggered to the first aid post were I was patched up and vaccinated.
The nurse asked................."what do you do for a living,luv?"
.............`errr I work for the RSPCA;with dogs`
The poor girl then collapsed in hysterical laughter............"you`re kidding??"
`No,no joke`.
I was having difficulty seeing the funny side.
It turned out to be more eventful than I could have imagined...................for all the wrong reasons!
The show itself was a good one with a surprisingly large and varied static display.I think it was organised by people involved with the Air Tattoo at Fairford,and it showed.The Spanish Air Force attended with a C101 and a C212,the jet being from a regular training unit and not the formation team.
The field itself was littered with old 707s and 727s destined never to fly again.
..............and then there was the Flight Refuelling ramp!!
Back in the mid-80s they had a contract with a US firm(Flight Systems?) to provide target towing facilities with Super Sabres.A ramp full of airworthy F-100s,how cool is that?
Trouble was that the FR hangar and ramp was separated from the public show compound by a fair ground.I skirted around the kiddie rides and walked between the traveller caravans accompanying them.Mistake!!
...........it was like being tackled by Pat van den Hauwe.
I was on the floor trying to shake off what looked like a Jack Russell on steroids that had attached itself to my leg.
Fortunately,the wretched animal was chained to the underside of one of the caravans so I was able to roll out of its effective kill range.I couldn`t run,at that stage I couldn`t even stand.I was bleeding copiously and my pants were in shreds.And the amazing thing was the attack had been utterly silent.No warning growls or barks.Nothing.
I staggered to the first aid post were I was patched up and vaccinated.
The nurse asked................."what do you do for a living,luv?"
.............`errr I work for the RSPCA;with dogs`
The poor girl then collapsed in hysterical laughter............"you`re kidding??"
`No,no joke`.
I was having difficulty seeing the funny side.