Anecdotes

JohnC · Administrator

RE: Anecdotes

JohnC · Administrator

In October 1956 I flew as a passenger from Lyneham to Singapore in a Hastings. The flight took 5 days but was uneventful, although my eardrums never fully recovered from sitting a few feet from No 3 engine all that time!

Bob May

JohnC · Administrator

I recall my flight home to the UK in a Hastings aircraft that had departed RAF Changi and was attempting to land at Katunayake, the Hastings had a reserve crew (slipping crew), the pilot made three attempts at landing, aborted the first two and when finally landing on the third attempt, the (reserve) crew stood up and clapped and cheered!

John Joyce

JohnC · Administrator

I dont remember how I found this site but as ex RN I travelled in a Hastings as a passenger from Lyneham to Maralinga in 1958 it started in February, foggy, cold, hangar doors frozen, a fuel of some sort was splashed around and lit, it worked so we set off to El Adem, noise was not a real problem as we were mostly engine room staff and used to it, ear defenders came a lot later, bit of a bumpy landing but the pilot managed to get the other wheel down in the end, not sure if we stayed the night but next stop was Cyprus, RAF were living under canvas and it was raining we were expected to join them, but we found the spare crew quarters were unoccupied so we moved in this proved to be unpopular with the senior officer of the camp so I received an official bollicking and off we went to get over the Turkish mountains this was unsuccessful, we iced up and couldnt get sufficient height to get over so we had to come back, we kept a low profile and next day had another go successfully, had another stop but can't remember the name then it was off to Karachi and a hotel . Boxed meals still the same though boiled egg, chicken leg, bit of lettuce it didn't change. The whole trip to Maralinga took seven days, coming back a year later started out the same, Hastings to Changi we developed an engine problem but struck lucky a Comet was going to UK and was able to take us, so instead of days it was hours, I still like flying in propeller driven planes, it was a real life times achievement for a Submariner.

My regards

Don Lawrence

JohnC · Administrator

I have found my log book, but not the photos, (I'll keep looking) On the 19/7/61 in TG507 we were on our way up to Kimpo in Korea. On the leg Kai Tak, to Kadena, we were out over the sea, clear blue sky. I had gone forward from the galley, just aft of the rest area, to get the drinks order from the crew, Frank Chapman, the engine fitter, was making some soup. I was stood between the pilots, when all of a sudden, I just seemed to hover for a second and then was thrown forward on to the throttle quadrant knocking the throttles forward! both pilots, Ted Anderz and 'Ash' Hugget, grabbed me and threw me bodily off, and I ended up on the floor almost back in the galley! Poor old Frank was covered in hot soup, and the Air Quartermaster, Ken Gorham, who was in one of the lounges knocked his head on the cabin roof. Once I recovered, I went forward again, and the Skipper, Ted Anderz, said we had hit a massive air pocket and lost 800'! I had knocked the throttles forward to full power, and the engines were screaming! The engineer, 'Hank' Han****, thought he was seeing things when he saw the throttles shoot forward for no apparent reason. the rest of the trip was uneventful.

Pete Flounders