Ian's Bucket List

[Airspeed]

Ian,
I'm confused apart from astonished!
I always had it in mind that you were a retired airline pilot.
Then I thought that you recently posted about 50 years service with the railways?
Maybe my brain shut down like my computer just did in the middle of writing this, OR..
maybe it was someone else who looked like you?

[speedbird591]

Ian,
I'm confused apart from astonished!
I always had it in mind that you were a retired airline pilot.
Then I thought that you recently posted about 50 years service with the railways?
Maybe my brain shut down like my computer just did in the middle of writing this, OR..
maybe it was someone else who looked like you?

Poor Mike! I suppose I've been posting rubbish here for so long that I've assumed that most readers have heard enough about my past. For instance, I rarely mention my years as a F1 car racer as that was overshadowed by my astronaut duties. You obviously know about my years as a top war correspondent during which I was able to provide the Foreign Office with the knowledge I'd acquired while in the Special Forces

Or maybe this version of events ... The 50 years was how long I've been working full time in various careers. 1 year as a laboratory assistant, 7 years in engineering as a toolmaker, 1 year as a pub barman, 30 years as cabin crew with BOAC and BA and 11 years as a railway guard. And in 4 weeks I'll be retired

Ian

[dodger]

Good Morning Ian,

Joking aside [and tell me to mind my own business] but what made you leave BA to join the railway?

Roger.

[speedbird591]

Joking aside [and tell me to mind my own business] but what made you leave BA to join the railway?

I was on a contract which had a compulsory retirement age of 55, Roger. It wasn't a huge problem as the pension reflected that and by making increased contributions we took full benefits at 55. As it worked out it still gave me time for a third career which worked out rather nicely to keep me on my toes and squirreling away another pension

Nowadays, ageism has joined the other 'isms' that are considered illegal and unfair so BA have a much later retirement age. In retrospect I'm glad that I was forced to make a career change as flying in the 90s was much harder and less fun than in the 70s and 80s. It's a younger man's job now

Ian

[Garry Russell]

one of life's embarrassing moments when the naked girl on the stage squatted down facing me and fired a slimy banana which hit me in the face

I didn't say they were all good experiences

Is that what they call a Banana Split???

[TSR2]

Sounds more like a banana splat to me

[Garry Russell]

[speepig]

Best stick to the champagne breakfast at City extra or Ken's fag ash and a bottle Kirin at the Western Beggar , bananas were not the best fare at the Queen's Castle. The A bird and the galley bird have have ensured there is plenty of orange juice and brown milk for the bus.

[speedbird591]

There aren't many here who will know what speepig is talking about. BA long-haul insider talk Maybe just me and Dave Farrow!

The Queen's Castle was the name of the bar in Pat Pong favoured by the crews and where the ugly incident of the banana in the night took place An even more unpleasant offering to me was a hostess squirting breast milk in my beer. And in answer to your next question: No, I didn't

City Extra was the name of the 24 hour cafe on Circular Quay in Sydney where we headed to unwind after arriving from the Far East in the very early hours of the morning. Most mornings you'd see a table of up to 15 knackered BA crew downing champagne, orange juice and scrambled eggs as the sun came up over one of the most iconic settings in the world. The hotel was two minutes away when the exhaustion/alcohol set in.

The Western Beggar was a scruffy little bar/noodle place in Narita, the town near Tokyo International Airport which was a crossroads and major stopover for all of the world's international airlines. There were several weird entertainment spots here where crews from Europe, the US, the Orient and Australasia would mix and get drunk together. Richard Branson opened an English pub called the Barge Inn, there was the Flyer's Lounge which had TVs showing continuous air crash videos and The Truck. The Truck was an articulated trailer next to a freeway near one of the airport hotels. It opened after the bars in town closed and served to top up alcohol levels for wide-awake jet-lagged, karaoke fans. There were a lot of fights between crews of different nationalities but a lot of amusement as many American flight attendants took their karaoke seriously. They would turn up with serious sequins and hog the mike for far too long. When drunken Brits got hold of it to have some fun - that's when the fights would start. If you survived that, the unlit storm drain was likely to get you as you staggered off into the dawn looking for your hotel.

Cheers for the reminders, Speepig

Ian

[Airspeed]

You obviously know about my years as a top war correspondent during which I was able to provide the Foreign Office with the knowledge I'd acquired while in the Special Forces

Yes, Ian,
I well remember reading of your exploits. I was minus 3 at the time, whilst you were minus 4 years old....those were the days!


BTW:
Last night, I saw "Hidden Treasures" episode 3 by Grif Rhys Jones - he he looked into remote village life centered on textile weaving, printing, embroidering etc. It was fascinating to hear that specific jobs and styles remained the raison d'etre for generations of the one family. The explanation of the designs was a story in itself. It made me realise for the squillionth time that my life has been the poorer for not having travelled. Just hearing about your experiences, Ian, is truly rewarding. Thank you for telling us (about the real stuff).