Nearing the end of my tour as a flight commander on No 50 Squadron early in 1971, I reckoned that my crew deserved one final, memorable, 'Lone Ranger' deployment. Accordingly I nominated us for a trip to Hong Kong and, much to my surprise, all the authorities concurred. A fortnight before departure, squadron leader ops called me rather maliciously to say my 'Ranger' had been cancelled - as an afterthought, he casually said that HQ Strike Command now wanted us instead to go to New Zealand for a display at the Nelson Air Show on 27 February. Thinking, 'how churlish to refuse', we promptly agreed and set about planning the route.
展开▼
