91福利社

Onward through the night, the engines keeping up the continuous drone, enough to induce sleep after all that excitement but we must keep wide awake, for we are not home yet. It would be a shame to be shot down on the last leg and the thought of all that cold black sea underneath us sends a chill down my back and a longing for a warm bed. 鈥淲ireless to Pilot, we鈥檙e cleared to Woodbridge, call on R/T when we get closer鈥� 鈥淩oger, fifteen minutes to run now鈥�. Switch R/T over to Woodbridge frequency and call 鈥淒ARKEY from RELATE NAN Squared request QDM one two three four five, over鈥� 鈥淩ELATE NAN Squared QDM two seven zero, two seven zero over鈥� 鈥淣AN Squared, two seven zero, Roger out鈥� A slight turn to port on to 270 and ease off power to reduce height to 2000ft. Ahead all is dark until, a glimmer of light, flashing, yes, dar dar dar dar dar dit dit, yes OZ, the beacon at Woodbridge. 鈥淲oodbridge from RELATE NAN Squared your beacon in site, landing instructions please鈥� 鈥淣AN Squared you鈥檙e cleared for a straight in approach Runway 27 QFE 1012 wind 260, 15 to 20 knots, what is your damage, over鈥� 鈥淲oodbridge, NAN Squared, three engines, no hydraulics, undercarriage suspect, your runway in site over鈥� 鈥淩oger NAN Squared call finals鈥� Reduce power, down to 1000ft 鈥� Right Engineer, landing checks, undercarriage selected down, operate the emergency compressed air system鈥� 鈥淯ndercarriage down Skip鈥︹��..we鈥檝e only got one green light Skipper鈥� 鈥淥K Engineer, the port鈥檚 OK, look out of your window and see if the starboard leg looks OK鈥� He searches with a torch and it appears to be down but we can鈥檛 be sure it鈥檚 locked. 鈥淲oodbridge from NAN Squared we only have one green, starboard leg is down but we don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 locked, over鈥�. 鈥淩oger NAN Squared can you do a circuit and be number two for landing, we have another aircraft in distress鈥� 鈥淣AN Squared, Wilco鈥�. Blast! I guess they don鈥檛 want us doing a wheels up
landing and blocking the runway. Ease over to starboard to fly up-wind with the runway lights looking very inviting down on the port side. 鈥淧ilot to Crew, hang on chaps we鈥檙e doing a circuit鈥�.we may finish up with a wheels up landing so get to your crash positions and brace yourselves when I say, OK Reargunner?鈥� 鈥淲ilco Skipper鈥� 鈥淢idupper OK, Skip鈥� 鈥淪pecial OK Skipper鈥� 鈥淲ireless OK Skipper鈥� 鈥淣avigator OK Skipper鈥� 鈥淏ombaimer coming up Skip鈥� 鈥淓ngineer Wilco鈥�. Just past the end of the runway and a gentle turn to port holding 1000ft and on to the down-wind leg and now for the landing checks. Undercarriage is down, Trim set, Mixture rich, Pitch to 2850 RPM, Flaps we haven鈥檛 got, Fuel Booster pumps on. 鈥� OK Engineer鈥� and I get the thumbs up. 鈥淲oodbridge from NAN Squared down wind鈥� 鈥淣AN Squared call finals鈥� 鈥淣AN Squared Wilco鈥� This is it, will that starboard undercarriage stay down? Round we go again to the left in a gentle turn with the perimeter lights sliding away underneath, reduce power to start a gradual decent at 150mph, I can sense every body holding their breath. 鈥淓ngineer, I will land slightly port wing low to keep the weight on the port wheel as long as I can.. As soon as I feel the starboard leg collapsing I will shout Undercarriage Up, OK? 鈥淥K Skip, I鈥檓 holding the lever鈥�.
The runway lights slowly come round into line as though the land below is twisting and we are standing still. 鈥淣AN Squared, Finals鈥� 鈥淣AN Squared, clear to land鈥�. Glide path indicator showing green鈥︹��.. now changing red, GETTING TOO LOW increase power鈥︹��.that鈥檚 it, airspeed 130, back in the green鈥�. runway suddenly begins to approach rapidly鈥�.end of runway coming up鈥�.鈥漃ilot to Crew BRACE BRACE!鈥� Back gently on the control column, left wing low, ease off power, back, back, power off鈥︹�ith a slight squeal the port wheel touches the ground鈥︹��.. rumbling along, faster than usual, the starboard wing gently sinks and as the wheel touches, we hold our breath and鈥︹�︹�︹�T HOLDS! Keep her straight and control column hard back the speed slowly drops off. 鈥淣AN Squared, clear left if you can鈥� 鈥淣AN Squared, Roger鈥�. With the aid of the inboard engines we steer gently to follow the van to the parking area where we come to a very gentle halt., close down the engines and the ground staff quickly chock the wheels.

Silence, everything is still while everybody digests the fact that we have survived and slowly we start to unbuckle seat belts and parachutes and gather together our bits and pieces and start to make our way down the fuselage to the exit door. The Flight Engineer stands aside to allow me to stiffly get out of my seat. 鈥淥K Stan, we made it!鈥� 鈥淵es Skip, I鈥檓 glad that undercarriage didn鈥檛 fold up鈥�. The Navigator is just finishing stuffing his charts and gear into his green canvas bag. 鈥淥K Alex鈥� he gives me a wry smile 鈥淵ep, I guess so鈥�. Why are we all so subdued ? Mentally exhausted? We should be cheering and shouting, but we don鈥檛, we just climb into the crew bus which takes us over to a welcome cup of coffee, a tot of rum and de-briefing. 鈥淵our eyes look very red Smithy you had better get them looked at after we鈥檝e been de-briefed.鈥� 鈥淥K Skip, they are bloody sore but I鈥檒l have my rum and coffee first鈥�. We walk to the mess where egg and bacon is on the menu and at four o鈥檆lock we fall into bed and sleep the sleep of the exhausted.

We wake in time for lunch after which we report to the Admin Office to discover that our Squadron can鈥檛 spare a crew to come and collect us and that we will have to make our way back to Ludford Magna by rail. We are a motley looking bunch in our flying boots, May-Wests and parachutes etc when we are taken to the railway station to board the train for London, where we find that we have missed our connection to Lincoln and will have to stay over night. Who鈥檚 complaining? I live in London, so does Peter, our Special and Junior the Midupper, so we make our way through the underground and on buses, six of us to my home where I can be with my wife and the other two to their homes having made arrangements to meet up again in the morning to catch the train back to Lincoln. It鈥檚 very strange, dressed as we are nobody seems to be taking any notice of us. It feels as though we are invisible and
nobody knows that just a few hours ago we were over Germany in an aircraft in flames and
facing instant oblivion. Oh well, we won鈥檛 tell them, we will just go on enjoying the fact that
it鈥檚 good to be alive and hope that we can survive the next twelve operations.

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