GSXR750 K1

[Waspie]

Be interested to read that. Are you not flying anymore then? I see the historic flight wasp go over my house ever so often

It's a bit of a tome!! TBH, it's more for the kids, (HA - they're 49 and 46 now - kids!!!). I spent a long time away from home and hardly spoke about what I did when away, partly because ASW would take too long to explain to youngsters!!. The other side could be unpleasant, (SAR).

Edited bit. If you ever read a book called 'Wasp an operational and retirement history' By Terry Martin and Larry Jeram Croft, an ex RN Lynx pilot and author of several books of an aviation bias. I contributed quite a few pages of my Wasping experiences both as a maintainer and as aircrew.

Terry Martin is just one owner/pilot, A good friend JB or John Beattie owns one of the other flying Wasps, both under the umbrella of the RN's historic aircraft now!!

As for flying now, no, last time I flew was over 30 years ago now. Some good and some bad memories. Fifteen years in military aviation kicks up some 'events' that some folk would find unbelievable!!!!

[Mini Me]

You can say that again.....and I'll add to it, after 47 years in aviation, 30+ in commercial aviation, I wouldn't cross the street to board a commercial airliner these days......and I get FREE passes for life.

[Waspie]

You can say that again.....and I'll add to it, after 47 years in aviation, 30+ in commercial aviation, I wouldn't cross the street to board a commercial airliner these days......and I get FREE passes for life.

I often chat with another ex aircrewman who trained as a pilot after the Navy. He would tell me of the training and 6 monthly checks, never at home. (Although he did say the trolley dolly's could be a nice perk at times!!!! So staying away from aviation was a neat move for me!!! He nearly lost one flying job as he walked down the aisle on one flight with his sports para chute on his back!!!! Many complaints from the pax nearly cost him dearly!! Weird sense of humour. Came from being a diver as well as a aviator I reckoned!!!!

[Guest]

I have also drafted a book, (probably never to be printed - more for family)

You can get books printed in very small runs (a single copy if you want) these days, at reasonable prices. The more you buy, the cheaper they get per copy, but if you want to have a proper book printed of your memoires for your family to put on a shelf rather than only have as computer files or home-made print-outs, you can.

[Waspie]

This thread gave me some feelings of nostalgia today. I had to go up to the loft to store a few bits this morning. Opened the storage box with my old nav kit, found the second ¼ mil map and all my navigation kit, Dalton nav computer, (that's a circular slide rule for TDS calculations), dividers, specialised measuring stick, (rule in miles, nautical miles and kilometres of differing scales), A circular nav grid for navigating at sea when you have no landmarks to use! Then finally my Douglas protractor. No buttons or Sat Nav then!!!! TANS or tactical navigation system never appeared until the mid 80's for me!!! (When I transferred to Sea Kings).
Strange thing is the nav computer is a scaled down version of what they used in WW2. Confirmed by an old gent who lived in the next street. He was a Lanc navigator during the war years. We were chatting one day and the subject came up and he just disappeared!!! Reappeared a few moment later with this wooden box and his Nav Computer. Mine was plastic and aluminium and ⅛ the size!!!
OK, back to ground level!! Nostalgia over!!!