by Dr Iguana » Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:27 pm
Cornet says you shouldn't spit in high winds. It can get much worse than that. It’s called “getting your own back.”
In 1968 or ‘69 I was flying with a friend down the Northumberland coast from Perth to Newcastle in an old Auster. If you don’t know it, imagine a 2CV with wings, high wing, fixed gear, three seats, two side by side at the front, single in the rear, very light on the controls.
Back over Eyemouth my pal said “I’m dying for a pee” (he didn’t say pee).
“Can you wait till we reach Newcastle”?
“No”
About Bamburgh he said “We’d better think of something.”
In the remains of our lunch on the backseat was a milk bottle, almost empty; one of those old wide-top bottles that you don’t see now.
“Do it in that.” He did it in that.
“What do I do now? I can’t hold it like this, ‘specially in one of your landings.”
“ I’ll go out over the sea , you can chuck it overboard. Message in a bottle.”
I turned a couple of miles out to sea, no boats, islands, whales, anything below.
“Open the door and drop it out” The Auster doors opened forwards, no fancy locks in those days. He opened the door, holding it against suction then forcing it against pressure. I banked slightly, he leaned out, looked down, held the bottle between his fingers, and dropped it. In a fraction of a second, as soon as it hit the slipstream, some kind of vortex must have been created in the top of the bottle, the bottle dropped, the contents were sucked out, then flew up and hit him in the face.