I like travelling by train; there's something irresistably romantic about it, the promise of somewhere new, different or exciting at journey's end offering all sorts of temptations. I don't mean the daily grind of the commute, of course. Nor the short hops to familiar places. No, for a train journey to hold sway over my imagination, it has to be somewhere new, far enough away to warrant travelling First Class, and with the promise of adventure at the destination. I had ample opportunity to indulge my dreams then, with a train journey last week, the beginning of a marathon few days of assignments and travel for me which took me away from the monotony of life working from home and into the realms of some of my remaining boyhood dreams. So, where have I been and what have I been doing? Away 'working' on what for me have been two fascinating and enjoyable assignments - aboard the Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier at sea, and a day later on to the U.S, the first of three countries in three days. I took in Belize and Bermuda too before I returned home on Monday. What follows is a narrative of what I did and where I went along with a significant number of images to illustrate. Sorry if you've arrived here via a dial-up connection; might be an idea to go and make a cup of tea whilst you wait for the page to load ;-) So, last week then. A week ago last Tuesday, I was waiting for GNER's 11:00 service to York and a connection to Northallerton in North Yorkshire. Aboard the luxury of one of their first class carriages, I was able to surf the web and send emails, courtesy of the free onboard wi-fi internet access. And before I knew it, I was at my destination. There, I was met by a representative of the Royal Navy who drove me to RAF Leeming where I boarded a Sea King ASaC helicopter belonging to 849 Squadron RN. We took off, flew east across the North Sea, and after about an hour in the air, with land no longer visible in any direction, began our descent to my destination - three days aboard Britain's most advanced aircraft carrier, HMS Illustrious. HMS Illustrious on sea trials off the coast of Newcastle, May 24th 2005: Clearly visible is the new third mast at the rear of the superstructure and the redesigned ramp to accommodate the RAF's GR7/GR9 Harrier. These are clearly visible parked at the rear of the flight deck. (c) Black Rat HMS Illustrious emerged last Novemnber from a two year, £120m refit which saw the ship evolve from a 'force protection' platform into Britain's most versatile strike carrier, capable of projecting the nation's air power and acting as an independent deployed operating base anywhere in the globe. I joined the ship as she was conducting the advanced phase of an intensive 'working up' program, prior to taking on the role as the Fleet's high-readiness flagship later this month, ready to respond to world events at 24 hours' notice. Having landed, I was met by one of the ship's officers and escorted to my cabin off the Wardroom below deck. Sun Over the Water: Watching the sun set over the North Sea from the flight deck prior to the commencement of the evening's flying operations at dusk (c) Black Rat. Illustrious' role is to deliver Air Power from embarked Joint Force Harrier (JFH) aircraft, supported by Sea King ASaC Mk7 helicopters such as that which carried me from the mainland. The Royal Navy Sea Harrier FA2 is to be phased out of service by Spring 2006 with all carrier borne strike operations thereafter being handled by the more powerful Harrier GR7/GR9 of the RAF. These aircraft will be flown jointly by RAF/RN pilots and the integration is already well advanced, with pilots of both services currently flying in the other's squadrons. The RAF's GR series Harriers are principally attack aircraft, desgined to deliver offensive air power to targets ashore, wheras the Navy's FA2 Sea Harrier was designed as a fighter jet, to protect assets within a Carrier Group at sea. With the increasing focus on power projection from the sea, the senior service had to accept that proposed upgrades to the FA2 should be sacrificed in favour of investment in the far more potent offensive air capability offered by the GR9 Silent Sentinel: HMS Illustrious' 'Goalkeeper' Close In Weapons System, designed to shoot down missiles and aircraft which have evaded the outer layers of a ship's defences No other platform provides the flexibility, power projection capability and command and control facilities of an aircraft carrier. As the World's political landscape changes and new threats to the stability of peace emerge, the United Kingdom relies increasingly on Illustrious as an important enabler of foreign policy and I was onboard to observe at first hand just how capable she was at fulfilling that role. I watched with interest as the Royal Fort Victoria, one of the Royal Fleet Auxilliary's supply ships pulled along our starboard bow just hours after my arrival to begin cross decking supplies, food and fuel for Illustrious' mission. Whilst being fully conversant with the operations of our air force, I was on virgin territory with the Navy and I was standing on a steep learning curve. After dressing for dinner in the Wardroom where I met with the ships' senior officers, I just had time to change back into working dress for the night time flying operations from the newly refitted flight deck. I've long held a fascination for the Harrier, perhaps the most amazing piece of technology ever to grace the skies. The key to the Harrier's unique abilities is its Pegasus engine, a low bypass-ratio turbofan that differs over other engines through the additional feature of four rotating nozzles through which the engine's fan and core airlows exhaust. These four nozzles can be rotated through an arc of 98.5 degrees allowing the engine's thrust to be applied from directly aft in conventional flight to straight down for hovering and slightly forward (for flying backwards!) Dusk Take Off: A Sea Harrier FA2 of the Fleet Air Arm's 801 Squadron cycles its Pegasus engine as it begins its take off run along Illustrious' flight deck.(c) Black Rat. Although capable of vertical take off, carrier borne Harrier operations utilise the ramp to give additional lift to the aircraft via a short take off run. This allows them to get airborne with a greater payload of weapons and fuel than could be achieved via vertical take off. Even so, the short take off run is a sight to see and being in such close proximity for the evening's photoshoot illustrated the aircraft's immense power in a truly memorable manner. Predictably, I had a late night spent chatting with some of the ship's officers over drinks in the wardroom. The gentle rocking of the ship as she made progress through the North Sea meant that sleep had no problems finding me when I evenutally retired to my cabin, though. Awoke to the boatswain's whistle broadcast over the tannoy at stupid o clock the following morning and dressed for breakfast in the wardroom followed by an early start for a packed program of events and interviews. I was up on the flight deck first thing for the first of the day's flying operations, as the embarked Harriers of 1 Squadron RAF began the first of the day's many missions. The Ramp: An RAF Harrier GR7 sits parked on the incline of the ramp on the flight deck. The Harrier GR7 is recognisable as it is somewhat larger than the FA2 Sea Harrier. It is noticeable too for the wheels, which extend from mid-way along the wing on the GR7 as opposed to at the outermost tip on the FA2. (c) Black Rat The aircraft performed a number of fly-bys in close proximity to the ship before returning to land 50 minutes later. This is a truly incredible sight to behold close up, almost poetic to watch. The aircraft form up together on the port bow, decelerating to the hover. The exhaust of the jets, vectored downwards in the hover, creates an amazing spectacle as the sea boils angrily below, throwing up a spectacular amount of spray beneath the aircraft. The aircraft then 'crabs' sideways until it is directly above the flight deck at a height of around 50 feet or so, at which point the pilot simply shuts off the power and the Harrier drops from height to settle down onto its undercarriage on the deck below. Hovercraft: A Harrier GR7 of 1 Squadron RAF hovers over HMS Illustrious' flight deck seconds before the pilot cuts power to land onboard the ship. Clearly visible at the rear of the deck is an RN Sea Harrier with its distinctive wingtip gear (c) Black Rat. I spent some considerable time that day chatting to the embarked ranks of the RAF, interested in hearing the perspective of men who had joined Britain's air service and who had then been sent to sea. The feedback wasn't all positive, but it was thoughtful and considered - and given that the men had only been at sea for three days, bound to be unshaped by experience. Useful all the same though. From there, it was off to the Bridge to interview the ship's Commanding Officer, Captain Bob Cooling, RN who gave me an interesting viewpoint in terms of the ship's capability and the challenges of commanding a mixed company of men and women from different branches of the military together with the offer of a flight in a two-seat Harrier T8 at a date to be arranged. Er...thank you very much! The afternoon was spent getting an introduction to the ship's engineering and weapons capability including an exploration of its capacious hangar and two garagntuan lifts capable of carrying aircaft from below decks onto the flight deck. Later in the evening, I went flying in a Sea King for an aerial photoshoot of the ship at sea. I barely had time to catch my breath when I was eventually flown off the ship into Newcastle airport where another Royal Navy driver sped me to the city's train station and my onward connection to London. I arrived home on Thursday afternoon and just had time to shower before heading off on my next assignment which meant arriving at RAF Brize Norton for 23:00 that evening where I was to join 99 Squadron as supernumerary crew for a three-part mission to San Antonio departing at 05:00 last Friday morning. On the Pan: Our C-17 Globemaster III sits on the apron at RAF Brize Norton as we complete pre-flight checks before departure for Kelly Field, San Antonio, TX (c) Black Rat. Joining as a member of the crew carried certain advantages, but the departure time wasn't one of them - after just two hours sleep in a room at the Gateway Hotel on base, I was whisked off to 99 Squadron's crew room to meet the rest of the crew for our 03:00 briefing. Here, I met Squadron Leader (soon to be Wing Commander) Simon 'Spoons' Edwards and Flying Officer Ben Mountfield (captain and co-pilot respectively). Crew's Control: The crew of Ascot 6709 muster on the steps of the C-17 before departure (c) Black Rat 99 Squadron was only reformed in 2001 when it took delivery of the first of its now current four Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy lift aircraft. These were leased from the manufacturer for a seven year term to fulfil a requirement in the Strategic Defence Review for a strategic airlift capapbility for the RAF. The aircraft features many advanced features such as winglets, a highly efficient wing and high-performance engines. The aircraft's excellent short field performance is achived by extending the wing flaps into the jet efflux, allowing the aircraft to put down on unprepared landing strips of just 3,000ft when fully loaded. This feature also affords the aircraft considerable tactical capability, allowing it to descend at an incredible 25,000ft per minute! The C-17 is the RAF's most state of the art aircraft, featuring a 'glass' cockpit with head-up displays and multi-function screens in place of switches and dials, and fly-by-wire control systems. State of the Art: The so-called 'Glass Cockpit' on the flight deck of the C-17, somewhere over the Atlantic, 27/05/05 (c) Black Rat The mission seemed straight forward enough in outline; the C-17s, which are the RAF's main heavy lift capability between the UK and Kandahar, Afghanistan/Basra, Iraq are undergoing an upgrade program at the Boeing Aerospace Support Centre facility at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. One aircraft had been completed and was awaiting collection from there; the one we were flying was to be left in situ for its upgrade over the next 55 days. USAF C-17 Globemasters: Awaiting work outside what is purportedly the longest aircraft hangar in the world at Kelly AFB (c) Black Rat Our mission timing would see us on the ground in San Antonio at 08:30 local with 24 hours rest before an onward routing to Belize, nestled between Guatemala and Mexico on the Caribbean coast. Here, we would load on 18 pallets of equipment from a recent exercise by British troops who had been jungle training in the area, and fly on to the sun-kissed island paradise of Bermuda where we would overnight before flying home again early on Sunday afternoon. The plan would see us visiting three countries in three days, arriving home to Brize Norton at 23:00 local on Sunday night. Hardly the most troubling of missions, and one which was as novel for the crew as it was for me. Easy enough. Above the Below: Two airliners pass us several miles to port and several thousand feet apart somewhere over the coast of Ireland. After briefing, we were driven out to the waiting jet, one of the biggest aircraft in existence. It can carry Tornado F3 fighter jets within its capacious fuselage. Or a brace of Apache gunships, or tanks - you name it and the C-17 can swallow it. So to say it's roomy inside would be an understatement of Herculean proportions. It's huge - epecially the cockpit area, reached via a staircase. This leads up to a crew rest area behind the cockpit containing two seats and two full-size bunks which can be curtained off for privacy. Through a doorway is the flight deck itself, again one of the largest out there. As well as the two pilots' positions, there are also observers' seats directly behind each. Fully adjustable on every plane, inordinately comfortable and next to a huge window, they offer a commanding perspective on events. Plumbed into the aircraft's comms system via my David Clark headset, I was able to communicate with the crew whilst listening to air traffic control and the traffic from other jets in our airspace. Turning Hard Left at 37,000ft: Ben makes some adjustments to 'George' the autopilot following instructions from Shannon Air Traffic Control who handle 'high level' traffic ex-UK bound for North America. The flight across the Atlantic was magical. I'm always at my happiest when flying and never more so than when involved in the action. The view from the office is unrivalled for me, like nothing else - that feeling as you punch through cloud cover and into the deep blue of the tropopause five miles up - what it there to compare with it? You see things from here that you're denied sat back in the 'cheap seats' on a commercial flight. You see other aircraft sharing your airspace passing head-on and below, or head on and above. Jets tracking you from a couple of miles abeam or heading towards you. You get instruction from ATC to move up a couple of thousand feet to avoid a jet climbing towards your vector...it's constant, involving, magical. Conversation was free-flowing, Ben and Spoons easy and amusing company and we quickly developed a bond between us. Ben was pilot flying the outbound leg and the officer in charge of the imprest, the cash in local currency handed out to the crew to cover their expenses whilst away. We talked of our plans for on the ground Stateside, the nightspots around San Antonio. We were interrupted periodically by the Air Loadmaster who served us full English breakfast prepared in the aircraft's galley, snacks and copious quantites of tea and coffee. Self Portrait, Taken Somewhere over U.S.A: The C17's flight deck has plentiful windows offering unrivalled views of the air and ground.(c) Black Rat Both Spoons and I grabbed some sleep about two hours out and I managed about three hours rest - more than enough to refresh me for the day ahead. Fully reclined on a full length bunk with pillows and blankets, it didn't take me long to drop off and when I woke up, we were over half way into our flight. Time passed immeasurably quickly after that considering we'd been staring almost 11 hours flying time in the face that morning, but before I knew it, we had begun our descent for landing at Kelly. Once on the ground, we were met by an advance party of RAF who were there to smooth over the handover of the jet we would be flying back, and driven to our hotel - the Drury Inn and Suites in Riverwalk, downtown San Antonio. The Alamo: The most famous spot in Texas where 189 defenders fell on March 1836 after repeated attacks by Mexican General Santa Anna's army (c) Black Rat. Couldn't complain at the accommodation - the room had a microwave containing popcorn, the minbar had free soft drinks, and there was also free internet and long-distance (pan-USA) phone calls. We all got vouchers on check-in for three free Budweisers each in the bar too, so none too shabby there - never look a gift horse in the mouth, eh! A quick bath and change, and we wandered off to explore the Riverwalk and the Alamo before meeting for drinks at the bar later than evening. Suitably refreshed, the whole crew hit downtown San Antonio, taking in Hooters, Coyote Ugly and a host of other bars. And this is supposed to be work?! We mustered at breakfast the following morning at 07:30 local and our wheels arrived 30 minutes later for the ride back to Kelly AFB and our waiting jet. Pre flight checks were quickly dispensed with, briefings taken care of and we started engines and taxied out. It was as we began our take of run that problems started, the warning annunciator panel telling us that the pitot head heater on two channels had failed (a pretty major failure given that the pitot heads are the basis of airspeed readings). Spoons made a decision as captain to abort take off and we were cleared by ATC to return to the Boeing stand from where we'd left and said our goodbyes shortly before. The head up display (HUD) tells it all: Going Nowhere: A USAF KC-10 Extender viewed through the co-pilot's HUD, which tells us all we need to know about our mission - 'Do Not Taxi' leaves no room for misinterpretation. It made sense to return - if your aircraft is going to go tech, the place to be is at the manufacturer's facility. Boeing engineers were all over the aircraft as soon as we shut the engines down and systematically took the cockpit apart trying to trace the fault. We occupied ourselves in the hold until, two hours later, the fault was traced to a loose wire. Fault rectified, we were back on taxi out within 30 minutes and in the air by 13:00 local for Belize. The fault on our take off run should have been an indicator of what was to follow, but we couldn't have known. No sooner were we on the climb out when the flight computers crashed and the auto throttle warning kept sounding. The computers were reset and a manual overide effected on the auto throttles, but the computer kept telling us that the thrust reversers were deployed in engines 1 and 2 - which clearly they weren't. We finally settled into the cruise at 37,000ft and Mach .760. Our late departure rather messed up our planned routing as we estimated that by the time we arrived at Belize and loaded on the pallets, we'd be too late to make Bermuda that night. Spoons decided on us overnighting at Belize but worked out that the full load, plus fuel required for Brize Norton would mean we would be unable to take off from the available runway at Belize the following morning, therefore necessitating a stop in Bermuda anway. From a crew rest perspective, an overnight at Bermuda the following day made most sense, so he used the aircraft's built-in sattelite phone to call UK Ops with his request. In the mean time, we munched on hot beef burritos served by Jim, the air loadmaster. Tough call. If the cockpit had been a fabulous place to be on the flight over the day before, it was as nothing compared to this leg of the mission - awesome views across the clear skies and deep blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Our divert for most of the flight was Cancun which we all lusted after and banter over the mic consisted of us all trying to inveigle ways to justify us heading there. The irony is that it would almost be worth the invention of a minor problem as on the face of it, a divert to Cancun would appear so audacious, Strike Command would probably accept it at face value. Bonus! ET Phone Home: The C-17's cargo hold, chilled by the aircraft air-conditioning, meets the humid climate of Belize as the loadmaster and Belize-based UKMAMS open the hold. (c) Black Rat. Regular readers of this blog can't be unaware of my envy of fighter pilots, but honestly, they have nothing on this. Think about it - their job gets all the glamour but it means suiting up in a constricting flight suit, helmet and G-pants, sitting alone in a cramped cockpit for several hours, pissing into a bottle, and having to mentally calculate the effect on fuel of travelling at over 7 miles a minute. C-17 pilots on the other hand have a relatively easy time once the aircraft reaches top of climb and the autoilot is engaged - the flight deck is modern, spacious and comfortable. The crew get time to relax, walk around, read, sleep and eat hot food and drinks prepared for them in the full-size galley. They even have use of a full-on airliner lavatory! I finally realised, I don't want to be a fighter pilot when I grow up anymore - I want to fly these - especially if you get to go where we did. Like here: On the Ground in Belize: Spoons took this snap of me opposite our hotel in Belize City just minutes after we checked in for the evening (c) Black Rat. Having phoned our change of plan ahead mid-flight, everything was arranged for us as soon as we touched down in Belize. The ground agent responsible for making the arrangements boarded our aircraft, told us where we would be staying and a taxi drove out to meet us, as Spoons, Ben and myself loaded our gear and headed off. We'd been booked into the Radisson Fort George in Belize City, natch and wasted no time once we arrived - we dumped our gear, changed into our swimming shorts and made for the poolside bar for ice cold Belikin Beer, Red Stripe and big gay cocktails - well, we had limited time for R and R and wanted to make the most of it! Poolside in Belize City: Spoons (left) and Ben show how stressed we are at being so far from home. Note the big pink gay cocktail in the centre of the picture (c) Black Rat. I can't think of a happier memory so far this year than the afternoon the three of us spent drinking beer poolside in Belize. We watched the sun go down, swam, drank and laughed until our sides ached, marvelling at the privilege of our respective jobs which placed us in this ridiculous situation in the first place. The humidity and 92 degree temperature was unbearable though, necessitating ever more drinking and swimming to cool off! Before we'd had too much to drink, ops called Spoons from the UK to advise that they'd agreed his plan for us to overnight in Bermuda too - before telling us that this had been negated by the news that a soldier on exercise in Belize needed to be flown home urgently on compassionate leave. The military pulls out all the stops for compassionate cases, diverting missions and utilising every resource both civillian and military to get their own home in the shortest possible time. That solved it for us; make the most of our time on the ground in Belize for tomorrow, we'd be going home. That night, we sat at the bar, swapped stories and ate in the hotel restaurant as our cicradian rythyms cursed us. We were running on Zulu time as all our mission timings were based on this, but our lives were lived around local time - never a good mix. Are You Local?: Harry, 69, a native of Belize City poses for the camera after giving me an impromptu lesson in Britsh history (c) Black Rat. I awoke at 04:30 local the following morning without the alarm, despite having fallen into bed at gone midnight local (I'm paying for it all now, don't worry!) and having showered and packed, I wandered the streets with my camera as Belize City came to life. Outside of the hotel, I bumped into Harry, a 69 year old local who's job seemed to be to sit streetside to talk to visiting photographers like me. He proceeded to talk me through all the things that make Britain great. I got a blow-by-blow account of the greatest ever Englishmen and the impact they've made on society - Cockerell, Stevenson, Newton, Whittle, Cromwell, Churchill - Harry knew the story of them all, and loved Britain for its democracy and freedom. He loved us too for what we did to Belize - but not for having pulled out in 1981 and given it independence. Life was better when we were there, according to Harry. On the Ground in Belzie: Our C-17 as seen from the taxiway at the grandly-named Philip Goldson International Airport, Belize City. They did agree to stamp by passport as a favour before we flew out though! (c) Black Rat. Our take off from Belize, accompanied by James, the soldeir flying home on compassionate leave, was uneventful and we were off the ground by 07:50 local, burdened this time with 87,000lbs of cargo and 108,000lbs of fuel - sufficient for our mission to Bermuda, plus some extra for diverts and delays. Little Fluffy Clouds: The crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea lap at the white sands of an unidentified archipelago somewhere between Belize and the Florida Keys. This leg of the flight was fueled by cup after cup of black coffee - and a spicy chicken curry served as 'breakfast' an hour and a half into the flight! It might be early morning where we are, but in the meaningless of space, we're officially on Zulu time which means dinner. The view from my oversized window at left though is just as awesome as on the flight across the Gulf of Mexico as we bank steep left, fly over the Caribbean islands and the Florida Keys and see Miami Beach with its signature beachside skyscrapers 37,000ft below us. Where's Your Head at?: The pilot's view through the Head-Up Display as we make a steep left turn at 37,000ft.The HUD enables the pilot, copilot, and other flight crew to visually observe aircraft flight data while maintaining exterior situation awareness (c) Black Rat We're vectored down to 33,000ft for most of the flight, an altitude which is punctuated by the tops of Towering Cumulonimbus (TCB) clouds which show up on the weather radar as thunderstorms. We fly a vector around them, but as we leave the Caribbean and head towards Bermuda in the Atlantic, the CBs blend into a carpet of stratus which blankets the sky as far as the eye can see. A diifuclt approach and landing at Bermuda are well handled by Ben who is flying this leg of the mission - we gain a late visual on the runway for the visual approach and the winds are gusting at 30 knots as we fly finals. On Finals for Bermuda's Runway 30L: Our position to the right of the centreline gives some indication of the strength of the gusts. (c) Black Rat We're only due to be on the ground in Bermuda for an hour or so - just long enough to take on the fuel we need for the final leg of our flight - but the gremlins in the system start to make mischief again, manifesting themselves this time in the Mission Control computers which fail. This is sufficient in itself to render the aircraft U/S under any other circumstance, but given ou mission to repatriate the compassionate case (designated Comp-A in military terms, the most urgent classification), Spoons pulls out all the stops and pulling the circuit breakers and reinstalling the relevant bus solves this problem. An hour later than planned, we're off again, departing Bermuda at 20:00 Zulu. On the Deck in Bermuda: Our C-17 Globemaster III shortly after touch down at Bermuda International Airport, our third and final country in three days (c) Black Rat. Our flight plan from Bermuda is to fly to Manchester International Airport to drop off our Comp-A passenger where a car will whisk him direct to his final destination. After 20 minutes or so on the ground there, we will fly direct to Brize Norton with an estimated arrival time of 04:00 local - nice!Once we reach top of the climb at 35,000ft, both Ben and Spoons spend some considerable time planning their approach and reading up on Manchester Airport, somewhere neither have landed at previously. As a major commercial airport, it has countless rules governing every aspect of flying operations and given the unusual hour at which they will be receiving us, there is much to do to ensure that correct approach procedures are followed. Heading east across the Atlantic, we leave mid-afternoon behind us with the sun and fly into the inky black of the night time sky. Dusk comes in minutes, but gifts us the most fabulous display of golden light which bathes the cockpit in warm hues whilst the clouds and sky outisde are a miasma of purples, reds and organge. I jump into Ben's seat as co-pilot whilst he goes for a walk and when he returns, he offers to take a picture of me in situ: Dusk over the Atlantic Ocean: The light show lasted a matter of no more than fifteen minutes and marked the dividing line between the sunny afternoon in Bermuda, and the night time sky over the North Atlantic and Europe. (c) Black Rat Just before 01:00 Zulu, Spoons tells Ben that he's going to grab a couple of hours sleep prior to flying the approach to Manchester. Ben gets up to visit the toliet before taking control of the aircraft and the minute Spoons and I are alone, all hell breaks loose in the cockpit as klaxons sound and the warning annunciator panel gives us horrifying news: We've just lost all fuel from the No1 tank! We're just past 20 degrees west, at mid point over the Pond and hopelessly out of reach of any diverts. All the indicators are that we're headed for a watery grave, and I'm busy saying silent prayers and saying my goodbyes as Spoons curses, saying "What the fuck?" The fuel state on the overhead panel tells us we have no fuel. A loadmaster is despatched to check visually for any leaks as the flight instruments tell us that we still have power to all four engines - something which the warning is telling us is not possible. Ben returns and is brought up to speed on events and I watch the art of cockpit resource management in action as an observer on the dynamic between Spoons as captain, and Ben as his co-pilot with the input of several loadmasters. There is a reaction and an action for every possible failure, warning and breakdown on an aircraft and checklists to follow, all of which swing into action to combat this latest, and most worrying of warnings. A full and frank discussion takes place to ascertain whether the warnings we are receiving are real or spurious, plus action required. In essence, we are unable to rely on indicated fuel state, meaning manual computations are required for estimated fuel burned and remaining, approach speeds etc. At 01:20, Spoons makes a decision to divert straight to Brize - Manchester is now off the agenda as the minute the plane touches down anywhere, it will be grounded as u/s. Half an hour later, just as we are preparing to divert and advise UK Ops of our plans, the fuel computer comes back online and we have a fully serviceable aircraft once again. But ten minutes later, the computer goes offline again and we start receving warnings of bizarre behaviour (spurious) by both 1 and 2 Engines. We advise Shannon ATC of our status and request, and are granted, a direct routing to Brize, being cleared immediately to descend from 33,000 to 8,000ft. We're handed on to Shanwick ATC who ask us if we wish to declare an emergency, although at this stage, Spoons is confident that we're in no immediate danger and confirms that we are requesting only direct clearance. The cockpit lights are dimmed and all that's visible are the panel lights suspended in the night sky. We watch the moon rise on the nose of our aircraft as we descend straight down for a landing at Brize Norton and we're on the ground by 03:00, back where we started. Mission complete. Flight Plan: A selection of the flight plans and maps used for navigating our way around the Atlantic and Caribbean (c) Black Rat. Spoons and Ben write up an incident report back in the squadron ops room, as I relive those initial few seconds when, not knowing the warnings were spurious, I was convinced we were headed for a watery grave. It's too early for me to make my way home, so I take Spoons up on his offer of a bed at his, and head back later on a sunny bank holiday monday. It's taken me most of this week to recover and given what I've seen and done in the past week, the events at the beginning seem like an age away. It was nice to see my own bed again though, even if I have woken up each morning feeling tired, disoriented and confused (no change there, then! - Ed). I feel privileged that my work has taken me on such a fascinating voyage of discovery, introduced me to some great people, and let me indulge my love of aviation. From an objective viewpoint, it was also interesting to observe the dynamics of flight deck emergencies at first hand, especially given the frequency with which they occurred and the professionalism with which they were handled. It's not unusual, given the severity of the upgrade from which the aircraft had come, but a few days with an RAF ground crew will soon chase down any remaining gremlins in the system. For me, I now have a mountain of work to write up, copy to file and a couple of thousand images to edit and work up. P leaves me today for a city break to Prague with a friend, so I've a weekend home alone until her return on Tuesday evening. I shall endeavour to enjoy this weekend - make sure you do too. And if you've stuck with this entry to the end, thank you - normal service will be resumed next week.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
2.6.05 17:35
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(3.6.05 11:59) Great article as always Ratty, although I hate you for going to the Alamo i've always wanted to go! |
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(3.6.05 13:34) Russ: Thanks fella. Make the effort to visit the Alamo if you can - if you can deal with the countless panhandlers, San Antonio is well worth a visit. |
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(3.6.05 18:05) Wow! Thats quite the week, sounds like loads of interesting stuff, and I also really like harriers, I must say tho, some of your flyinge xperiences would scare the life out of me! |
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(3.6.05 18:14) Pete: Cheers fella, it was none to shabby. That said, some of my flying experiences scare the hell out of me too - an indicated loss of fuel mid-Atlantic is not something I'm particularly anxious to experience again, thanks! |
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(3.6.05 18:32) Yeah, that could get slightly unnerving! |
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(3.6.05 18:38) Pete: It was kind of interesting in a detached, strictly objective way - makes you wonder how many emergencies occur on the average flight deck that you never get to hear about sat out back. Definitely prefer sitting up front in the cockpit to any first class cabin, though - it's immeasurably more fun and the view is priceless. |
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(3.6.05 18:41) Yeah, those in cockpit pictures are amazing! Its always something very interesting to drop into conversation too! I have still never flown, I think when I know I am gonna fly, I may have to stop reading this blog for a while ;-) |
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(3.6.05 18:49) Pete: I've got the perfect solution...I'll organise a blinks and announce it on the blinks blog. You can agree to attend, fly down to it and since the details will be on the blinks blog, you won't have to look at this one - job done! You'll kill two birds with one stone that way - blinks and flying. And you might even get to meet TSM - if that doesn't sell you the idea, nothing will! ;-) |
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Rob / Website (3.6.05 21:25) What an incredible time you must have had. I love harriers as well. I'm fascinated by VTOL crafts. I've lived in TX for 8 years and just visited the Alamo for the first time a few months ago. I have to say that visiting the interior of the chapel is a moving experience. |
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Megan / Website (3.6.05 22:17) Well. If I didn't hate (envy) you before, I certainly do now. Events on the way back not withstanding, I would love to be able to fly with those guys. Hell, I want to be one of those guys. Glad you made it home safely. Have a restful weekend. 
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(3.6.05 23:04) Now thats thinking! |
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(3.6.05 23:14) Wow, you really are a lucky guy to have this job. The photos look fantastic as usual... *jealous* |
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gemmak / Website (4.6.05 18:21) Wow BR.....a flight in a Harrier, you're gonna live my #1 dream for real....like that's anything new! Heh. Can't wait for the post on that one. Fabulous pics as ever...'Hovercraft' has to be your best yet for me.  )
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Megan / Website (5.6.05 16:09) By the way, I noticed that I'm not on your blog list. Are you trying to tell me something or do you just want to keep me all to yourself? |
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(5.6.05 16:44) Rob: Found all of San Antionio interesting, but the Alamo really is something special. Know what you mean about VTOL - despite understanding the dynamics behind their operation, they still seem to fly in the face of conventional flight rules for aircraft. Love 'em! Megan: Thank you, you too. 'I want to be one of those guys' became our banter during the mission too as we all took the piss out of one another with the constant retort "I wish I was you!". Well, it seemed funny at the time :-/ Pete: So how about it, then? ;-) Rawr: Thank you, hon. And happy birthday for last week. x Gemma: Thanks! have to say, I was really spoilt for choice with photo oprtunities over the week, but the Harriers really are sublime, they make a picture without me and a camera! If the flight comes off, I'll be as nervous as in all my previous fast jet sorties - it's never fun losing one's breakfast in a confined space, but hell, you only live once! Megan: You are indeed on my blog list exactly where you've been since the first day I visited your blog. Keep you all to myself, though, eh? Hmmm...*thinks* ;-) |
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Renee / Website (9.6.05 06:56) Not only do I love reading about your latest adventures, but it's always a visual treat to visit here. Thanks again! |
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(9.6.05 07:37) Excellent. I really enjoyed it. Will be coming back for more. |
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(9.6.05 08:41) Renee: Thank you. Nice to see you here. I'm not neglecting you - I've just come back to a wall of writing and a resolute deadline which I have to meet. So I've been locked in my office, curtains drawn all week trying to knock out several full-length features and work up all the images I've shot to accompany them. Should be clear by tomorrow when I'll be able to visit and read everyone's blogs. x Visage: Hello, nice to see you here - and thank you for the kind words. Hope to see you again. |
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(9.6.05 15:02) Missed this being in the US myself. Nice work fella! |
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(9.6.05 15:07) Bobble: Cheers hon! Nice to have you back with us. Now, how about that revist to the Tower? ;-) |
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(9.6.05 15:24) Yes, that would be good. Maybe after 23rd as I need to get paid - I spent an obscene amount in NYC (finally bit the bullet and got a digital SLR.) Cheapy is also off in Barcelona but will be back after then. |
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(9.6.05 15:30) Bobble: Ooh, get you - new digital SLR *drool*. Could only be better if you'd bought a Nikon ;-) *remembers, jealousy is soo not an attractive trait*. After 23rd works for me - into better weather period then (in theory) and it's lighter for longer so views should be fab. |
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Matt / Website (9.6.05 19:09) Oh my how green has my skin turned after reading that? Amazing experience. Also beautifully written about and your usual superb photography. Last Saturday I flew from London Stansted to Stuttgart with a budget airline on an Airbus A319. Have they heard of person-shaped seats? Of course not! Why would people want to take a plane anywhere? I think I need to start being less stingy with my ticket prices, but I'm never going to be satisfied on a plane again after reading this. |
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(10.6.05 18:40) Very interesting, most informative, highly readable and terrific photos. What more can I say except many thanks for sharing what must have been two 'trips of a lifetime'. |
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(11.6.05 12:46) Matt: Why, thank you. That's the trouble with budget airlines - no frills flying at its most basic. Still, they plug a valuable gap in the market - BA are all very well, but why pay over the odds for a short hop to Europe? FlightBuff: Thanks for stopping by, and for the complimentary words. No question, for me both trips were something of a highlight. |
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(14.6.05 02:06) Twat  Nice one. I'm sure if you'd ditched in the Atlantic, you'd still have brought us back a great piece of writing. Twat |
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(14.6.05 17:00) Cha0tic: We aim to please ;-) |
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