Sandbagging

A quick update on what’s been going on with P1B. Obviously, not being able to safely put her on her gear was a big blow, but we simply didn’t have the time to fix her, and the options of just taking her nose or leaving her gear up on pallets were not an option.

Work continues on getting her restored though. John the Rocket Polisher has been prepping panels for painting and we are one step closer to finding the missing panel from the rear of the nose... more next month!

So here we go...Sandbagging

This month I thought I’d talk about passenger flying, or sandbagging – easily confused with tea bagging, but I suggest you don’t look that up...

So, sandbagging in the modern RAF was when you filled a seat with a person who was not normally qualified to be there.

Tea bagging? Well, that might be when you leave the bag in too long. I hate builder’s tea. Or is it when you want to surprise a friend or someone you met in Asda?

The Lightning had two versions of two-seaters, a T Mk4 and a T Mk5. Both quite similar, but the T Mk5 is the type I flew... as modern as a Sony Walkman.

Whilst surfing the net, as my mother would say, I did a bit of research on Lightning accidents and, strangely, there were several cases of passenger flights that also earned the occupant the coveted Martin-Baker Tie... or became members of the Caterpillar Club.

Once again, I suggest you don’t Google Human Centipede as I accidentally did whilst researching the Caterpillar Club... it’s not nice.

But the Caterpillar Club is for those who have successfully bailed out of an aircraft and used a parachute to survive.

The T Mk4 had a couple of accidents where passengers got a little more than they bargained for, whilst, as far as I know, the T Mk5 only had one incident. In fact, the T Mk5 had one of the best safety records of any mark of Lightning, with only two being lost in RAF service. One of these was with a Belgian pilot who ejected when the aircraft lost hydraulics, but they both survived.

So, back to passenger flights. I assume that no one has looked up tea bagging and it’s safe to continue.

Generally, taking a passenger up for a “jolly” involved a fair bit of preparation. If they were current fast jet aircrew it was pretty straightforward, but very often it was someone who had never flown in a fast jet.

Clearly, members of the WRAF (Women’s Royal Air Force) got favourable treatment and were allowed to jump the queue, as it stands to reason that any favour given must be returned in full with no costs involved.

Always remember the 3 Fs principle. You won’t find it on the internet but, in a nutshell, if it flies, floats or fornicates, you are better off renting than buying.