RAF Odiham - 27 Squadron Chinooks

[Head in the clouds.]

Indeed, however my photography is at the same level as my modelling, still on the pan waiting to get started

[tonyot]

3 hours ago, Latinbear said:

 

Thanks for the compliments - much appreciated. I have to say that I'm quite partial to a green and grey camo scheme much like the Tornados, Jaaags, Harriers etc used to wear.

My son has recently started university and having joined the OTC (which is he thoroughly enjoying) he got trip in a Chinook from Yeovilton to Salisbury Plain and back once the aircrew had flown a Land Rover and trailer on a couple of circuits of the plain. He and his colleagues were kept well away from the front as that was where the hook was located. Although he had ear defenders on it was pretty loud inside and out of curiousity he lifted the ear cup and it was deafening.

As he was on duty he got paid for his flight whereas his father would have gladly paid to do the flight!

 

 

You must be very proud,......my son is hoping to go to Oxford next year but after seeing what the forces did to his dad he won`t be touching the OTC with a barge pole unfortunately! Back in the day we didn`t get ear defenders,......which is probably a contributory factor as to why I have tinnitus now!  Would I change a thing though,.......no way and it was much more exciting before health and safety got involved!

In my case, I was sat right next to the open hole in the floor when the pilot suddenly banked,.......my SMG slid off my lap, bound for a forest 500 feet or so below us,.......I instinctively jumped forwards after it as losing a weapon isn`t exactly looked upon lightly (especially when we were fighting the IRA at the time!) ,.....I caught it,......but then found that due to momentum I was swiftly going to take it out with me anyway,........the thought ran through my head that I might just catch hold of the tank swinging below us but then I made a star shape and made myself just about big as the hole,....... quite a frightening few milliseconds without a parachute on!   I saved the gun and myself and when I negotiated the hole and got up the entire mass of blokes inside the fuselage were Pi-ss-ing their sides laughing! They would probably have laughed if I`d gone out too,...but that is Para`s for you!!

 

Cheers

             Tony

Edited December 18, 2016 by tonyot

[Pete in Lincs]

Nice pictures of the old place.

I was a newbie at Odiham forty years ago.

It was Wessex and Puma's back then.

I see it still rains there though.

 

Regarding the hole in the floor,

on my second tour there around 1990

while glueing Velcro to the ceiling in

a Puma for the soundproofing, I

forgot the hole and fell through! Doh!

A couple of banged up ribs and a hand

covered in evostick was the result!

 

Chinook night ops can be fun,

there's a huge red glow down the

back when the rotorbrake is applied!

 

Oh yes, tinnitus, occupational hazard it seems.

[Latinbear]

21 minutes ago, tonyot said:

You must be very proud,......my son is hoping to go to Oxford next year but after seeing what the forces did to his dad he won`t be touching the OTC with a barge pole unfortunately! Back in the day we didn`t get ear defenders,......which is probably a contributory factor as to why I have tinnitus now!  Would I change a thing though,.......no way and it was much more exciting before health and safety got involved!

In my case, I was sat right next to the open hole in the floor when the pilot suddenly banked,.......my SMG slid off my lap, bound for a forest 500 feet or so below us,.......I instinctively jumped forwards after it as losing a weapon isn`t exactly looked upon lightly (especially when we were fighting the IRA at the time!) ,.....I caught it,......but then found that due to momentum I was swiftly going to take it out with me anyway,........the thought ran through my head that I might just catch hold of the tank swinging below us but then I made a star shape and made myself just about big as the hole,....... quite a frightening few milliseconds without a parachute on!   I saved the gun and myself and when I negotiated the hole and got up the entire mass of blokes inside the fuselage were Pi-ss-ing their sides laughing! They would probably have laughed if I`d gone out too,...but that is Para`s for you!!

 

Cheers

             Tony

 

I did have a chuckle reading your account and no wonder the rest of the unit was laughing so much! Very quick thinking though to adopt a star shape to save yourself and the weapon. Did you sit closer to the ramp from then on?

Funnily enough we hear plenty of what he's up in the OTC but relatively little about the academic work. The exams in January will be enlightening.

Fingers crossed for your son's chances at Oxford. What a great place to study. 

[tonyot]

14 minutes ago, Latinbear said:

 

I did have a chuckle reading your account and no wonder the rest of the unit was laughing so much! Very quick thinking though to adopt a star shape to save yourself and the weapon. Did you sit closer to the ramp from then on?

Funnily enough we hear plenty of what he's up in the OTC but relatively little about the academic work. The exams in January will be enlightening.

Fingers crossed for your son's chances at Oxford. What a great place to study. 

You sit where you are told,......I just put the seat belt on from then on no matter how short the flight and always held my weapon (gun that is!) very very tightly,..haha!! 

Good luck to your son too,.....hope his studies are going well. We used to play awful tricks on the OTC lads and lasses when we had them for training!

Cheers

             Tony