MoD Contract / Chartered Aircraft

mbriscoe wrote:

They were met as they approached the Falklands by a RAF fighter escort, they had heard there were civilian aircraft coming with real air hostesses so were holding up cards with their names and phone numbers apparently!

Aw c'mon now, the RAF had some very nice stewardesses on their transport fleet (mind you I'm talking 1970s Britannias). Uniforms almost as tight as a Virgin Stewardess one.(they always seem to be issued with uniforms half a size small)

One evening at Gutersloh the 737 trooper went US . The pax and the crew were taken to the airmens mess for a meal. At the mess were the firemen also having their duty supper. They let the stewardess's know that they were quite keen on them and would like to take them home to meet their mother, or something like that. Any way when they were getting back on the coach one of the girls shouted over to the firemen "get a load of this boys" and flashed at them, its the only time Ive ever heard of RAF firemen being shocked!!!

canberra wrote:

One evening at Gutersloh the 737 trooper went US . The pax and the crew were taken to the airmens mess for a meal. At the mess were the firemen also having their duty supper. They let the stewardess's know that they were quite keen on them and would like to take them home to meet their mother, or something like that. Any way when they were getting back on the coach one of the girls shouted over to the firemen "get a load of this boys" and flashed at them, its the only time Ive ever heard of RAF firemen being shocked!!!

You had to be very careful in the airmen's mess if a fireman sat next to you; turn your head away for even a second and half your meal would be gone!

In 1985 I was the BA manager in Oman, when one day out of the blue I was phoned by the BA Operations Director (he was the no.3 in BA). Phone calls from Head Office were most unusual in those days, normally signals were sent. His words were to the effect that a British Airtours B737 on charter to the MOD was operating via RAF Akrotiri into the SOAF base at Thumrait in southern Oman. I was not invited to ask any questions but merely told not to be surprised when a fuel invoice originating in Thumrait made its way through the system to me for approval. A day or two later I had a phone call from the 1st Secretary Political (MI6) at the British Embassy confirming that I was aware of the flight. To this day I have no real idea who the passengers on the flight were though I suspect Special Forces.

John wrote:

In 1985 I was the BA manager in Oman, when one day out of the blue I was phoned by the BA Operations Director (he was the no.3 in BA). Phone calls from Head Office were most unusual in those days, normally signals were sent. His words were to the effect that a British Airtours B737 on charter to the MOD was operating via RAF Akrotiri into the SOAF base at Thumrait in southern Oman. I was not invited to ask any questions but merely told not to be surprised when a fuel invoice originating in Thumrait made its way through the system to me for approval. A day or two later I had a phone call from the 1st Secretary Political (MI6) at the British Embassy confirming that I was aware of the flight. To this day I have no real idea who the passengers on the flight were though I suspect Special Forces.

It might be useful if you re-posted this on www.pprune.org in the 'Military Aviaton' thread.