Tale from the tower

Yes, it is time for another tale from the tower. First one of the newer blog.

This story is from 1991/92 and involves a certain recruit called "Don't Panic". 'Don't panic' was a rather large six ft body builder type. Clearly spent much of his time down the gym and did rather too much prancing for our liking. During basic training Russ as he was also know was in my room. He kept to himself. He too was going to be an air trafficker.

The first sign of something being wrong was when we hid his parade gloves. Now I know this not very nice but we would never have let him go with out them as in true military style we would all have been punished. Anyway Russ tore the whole room apart. Panting and wheezing as he tried to find his gloves in a panic. (not a great trait for an air trafficker). We decide to leave poor Russ alone after that.

Fast forward a few months and we are in trade training (Air traffic school if you like). Navigation lesson. The class is a mixture of people who get it and those that don't. Most students not getting it raise a hand and ask for further clarification... Not our Russ oh no. He picks up his table and throws it across the room...... Starting think he might not be cut out for this.

So we all make it to the assessment phase. which involves working in a mock tower. The assessments are divided into to threes sections all separately run IN 3 SEPARATE ROOMS. In one room we have someone trying to help areoplanes, the second room consists of two students work together (Switchboard and Movements) and finally the third room is pretending to be the glass bit you see at the top of control towers. All three rooms are doing totally different things and work independently.

I am in the glass bit with one instructor acting as a controller and one running the exercises. Russ is another room playing switchboard. Now part of the switchboard role is to write down the weather. One copy goes to movements (who is in the same room as Russ) the other goes to the glass bit, BUT since we are all doing different things we are briefed to just leave it on the side.

So there I am in the middle of my exercises. Red Arrows diverting in, Bird strike aircraft inbound, crash vehicles calling me all over the show. I am concentrated. I am focussed and then..................... IN WALKS RUSS. "Weather for you" he says. "WTF" Says I. "WTF" say instructors. See Russ had decided to ignore the brief and just do what he felt. Shortly after he became a RAF Copper. Bless him.

On another note during one of our PT sessions the instructors decide to have a body building comp. The four girls on our course were to be judges. It was not a serious thing just a bit of a laugh. There was PJ kind of round pie lover, me skinny as fook(9st wet through), Russ (gym buuny) and couple of others. The funny thing is I won. How we all laughed except Russ who stormed off in a huff.